Ordinarily, with these blogs, we write in the third person. However, for this blog, I am going to write in the first person, as this one is going to be quite personal. Recently on the A Life In Orange Facebook page, we asked “What is a great reason to get involved in marshalling?” Other than the more obvious reasons of being closer to the action or enjoying motorsport, one of the reasons to keep coming back that stood out to me was mental health. Having had my own experiences and struggles with mental health, this really resonated with me. So in this blog, I’ve decided to explore some of the reasons why we do what we do.
The highs and lows
Motorsport is exciting, and brings with it an adrenaline rush. Standing trackside when there are cars racing inches from each other at high speeds is a real thrill. This is one of the reasons why I keep coming back. But it does not happen all year round. Usually around October/November time, the racing stops for the year. That thrill you get on a weekend goes away, and that can be really tough. Certainly, I know I really struggle in the off season when there is no more racing and talking to other marshals, I know I am not alone in this.
The highs are experienced throughout the racing year. Being amongst like-minded people and having a laugh and a joke through the day is a real mood boost. As a racing fan, watching cars from so close a perspective is something I will always enjoy, and I know also boosts my mood. The low comes when that stops. During the close season, I often find myself wishing and longing to be back at a race track. Not having that and not being able to do what I enjoy best can really bring my overall mood down.
You are not alone
As previously mentioned, I am not alone in this. Many of my marshalling colleagues I have spoken to and heard from cite mental health as being a reason for having started marshalling, and for continuing to go marshalling. The comments on the previously mentioned Facebook post echo this, with many mentioning mental health and friendship as reasons to keep marshalling.
The Mind charity lists peer support and volunteering as ways to boost your mental health on their website. Marshalling certainly covers both of these, as you meet so many people from all walks of life who share the same passion. Many of these become lifelong friends. I wouldn’t have met the A Life In Orange founder, Rob Lee, if it weren’t for marshalling. I have multiple close friends who I have met through marshalling. At times when I have been struggling with my mental health, I have been able to lean on friends I have met when marshalling to help me get through this. In a recent conversation with another marshal, they told me about how a fellow marshal helped them through a particularly dark period in their life, and even put a roof over their head to support them through it. Those are the kinds of people you can meet through marshalling.
I also know of marshals, both ones I have spoken to directly and from comments on social media, who have begun this brilliant hobby that we have as a way to improve their mental health. They have used their love of motorsport to find a positive outlet and distraction from struggles in their personal lives. That is what marshalling can bring.
Even the drivers struggle
Towards the end of the 2025 season, Jason Plato announced in an interview that he was returning to the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) as a team owner. During this interview, Jason touched on many of the struggles he’d had when he retired from racing, such as feeling he had lost his identity as a racing driver and bad things in his personal life. Having such a big character in motorsport speak so openly about their struggles with mental health was a refreshing thing to see and hear.
Jason talked about how, after retiring as a racing driver, he felt he lost his identity. Alongside leaving racing, events happened in his personal life that sent him into a dark place. So bad were his struggles, that he didn’t leave his house for 6 months, and took down all of the mirrors in his house. In his interview, he talks about the importance of talking to someone, and how opening up and trusting people was key in getting him out of the downward spiral. Jason was able to lean on individuals such as Ross Brawn, Matt Neal, Jade Edwards, and Paul O’Neill to name a few. This goes to show how having people you trust and can lean on to get you through struggles in life.
Jason described how having this new focus and being back in racing has given him a whole new lease of life. Talking about having his “mojo” back, and being motivated to get this project up and running and being as successful as he can. This can be equated to the marshalling season restarting after the winter. In the lead-up to my first event of 2026, I was champing at the bit to get back in orange and get back trackside. Being back next to a racing circuit, with the smells and sights that brings, and being with fellow marshals who share that enthusiasm and passion for racing gave me back something that had been missing in my life for months.
How racing helps
Everyone goes through struggles in life. Whether that be stresses from work, breakdown of relationships, or ill heath of yourself or a loved one. Marshalling can give you a break from thinking about that struggle. Because you are so concentrated on when to deploy a blue flag, or clear a car from the gravel, or spotting the number of a car that is spinning, your mind is occupied. This break gives you that relief and time to decompress a little from life.
In addition to this, marshalling gets you out in the fresh air, interacting with people, and breaks the monotony of a working life. If, like me, a large part of your winter is spent only leaving the house to go to work, having racing back breaks this cycle. This usually also brings with it brighter days, which is often a mood booster. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is defined by the National Health Service as “a type of depression that usually happens in the winter.” I personally suffer with this, and I know that this is exacerbated by the ending of the racing season. I don’t feel that I am alone in this.
To conclude
If you or someone you know are struggling with their mental health, there is help out there. Charities like Mind, Samaritans, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) are all crucial resources if you are struggling with your mental health. For more racing-focused groups, look to Driven Minds, a group which promotes the importance of good mental health within UK motorsport, and the Motorsport UK (MSUK) safeguarding team, who can offer support and signpost you to local support organisations or offer counselling. The MSUK team contacted me personally after a serious incident I witnessed at the circuit to check in and offer counselling. On this occasion, I did not need it, but having MSUK reach out like this was a big help.
Becoming a marshal is becoming part of a family. We are all here to help and support each other. Please, if you are suffering, don’t suffer in silence.
