In the Driver’s Seat was organised by Lions to enable visually impaired people to experience driving.
Each participant was paired with a driving instructor who would guide and assist them to command a car around Sandown. With varying levels of visual impairment and confidence some drivers required assistance turning the steering wheel, whilst others had almost full control of the car. Overtaking was restricted to certain locations, but wether in an approved location or not, all overtakes were done cautiously.
The day was divided into 10 sessions with some parade laps held amongst them. The parade laps gave the visually impaired people a chance to experience the track at relatively high speed.
As a marshal I was stationed alone at Turn 9. Technically there shouldn’t have been any overtaking between turns 9 and 11, but as some drivers were very slow on corner exit a number of overtakes occurred. It wasn’t uncommon for drivers to come to a complete stop at the apex of the corner for the first few laps, so this meant I had to be ready with a yellow flag. With the restrictions on overtaking it was quite common for all the cars to end up in a pack and this meant I could often relax for a couple of minutes after all the cars had passed me.
Assuming I am invited back next year I will ask for clarity on where overtaking is permitted as the restriction on overtaking between turns 6 and 13 likely means that blue flags shouldn’t be displayed there.
