Officialdom in Motorsports

In motorsports, marshals are licensed individuals entrusted with the official duty of ensuring that races are conducted in accordance with the regulations and in a safe manner. Marshals perform numerous critical responsibilities, ranging from race organization to safety and technical operations. In Türkiye, these appointments and training processes are managed by the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED). Within this framework, marshals are responsible for:

• Flag signaling in circuit racing
• Timing log maintenance and related procedures
• Start and finish operations
• Early detection and intervention in case of accidents
• Protection of personnel and the environment
• Detection and reporting of rule violations
• Timing operations

Marshals are not decision-making authorities; they merely enforce existing regulations and report violations to the relevant bodies.

Definition and Responsibilities

Marshals actively perform their duties on-site during competitions to ensure the safety of the event, compliance with regulations, and the continuity of technical operations. In this capacity, marshals are not decision-making authorities; they merely enforce existing regulations and report violations to the relevant bodies.

Marshaling System in Türkiye and TOSFED

The Turkish Automobile Sports Federation is the sole official authority recognized by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Youth and Sports General Directorate of Sports Services (SHGM) and the International Automobile Federation (FIA) for overseeing automobile sports within the borders of Türkiye.

TOSFED governs automobile sports in accordance with the rules of FIA and CIK-FIA, and organizes events in the following categories:

• National disciplines including rally, circuit, off-road, karting, hill climb, rallycross, drift, and classic cars
• Local disciplines including autocross, baja, off-road challenge, extreme, autocross, and slalom

TOSFED has also successfully organized the Turkish leg of numerous major international events such as Formula 1 Türkiye GP, the World Rally Championship, WTCC, WRX, ERC, DTM, Le Mans, and WSR.

2025 TOSFED Logo (TOSFED)

Provincial Marshaling Committees

TOSFED has established the Provincial Marshaling Committees (İGK) to manage and organize marshals at the local level. These committees oversee the training, records, and registration of marshals. Each committee consists of five members and their affiliated marshals.

As of 2025, the following provincial committees are registered under the İGK system:

• Bursa
• Istanbul
• Ankara
• Izmir
• Antalya
• Çanakkale
• Eskişehir
• Kocaeli
• Muğla
• Samsun

Each marshal is coordinated by the provincial committee to which they are affiliated. Race assignments are prioritized from the marshal pool of the respective province.

2020 WRC Rally Türkiye Steward (TOSFED)

Marshaling Application Process

The requirements to become a marshal are determined by TOSFED, and applicants must meet the following minimum criteria:

• Be at least a high school graduate
• Be over 18 years of age
• Successfully complete the training seminars organized by TOSFED
• Have not received a suspension of six months or longer in the past
• Not be an active competitor, team manager, or service crew member
• For foreign nationals, hold a valid residence permit

TOSFED organizes free Marshaling Training Seminars annually between January and March. During this period, each province under the İGK system schedules and organizes seminars on specific dates. Successful participants are awarded a marshal license upon completion.

Licenses

Marshals are classified into four distinct license levels based on their tenure and participation in training programs.

• D License (1 Year)
• C License (2 Years)
• B License (3 Years)
• A License

Newly registered marshals begin at the D license level and may reach the A level after six consecutive years of active service, achieving it in their seventh year. Marshals who fail to attend scheduled seminars regularly or who perform poorly may have their licenses downgraded or revoked.

Assignments

2025 Supervisory Instruction Article 26 outlines this process as follows:

• If sufficient marshals are available in the province where the race is held, assignments are made by the respective Provincial Marshaling Committee.
• In cases of insufficient marshals, the Central Marshaling Committee fills the gap using marshals from neighboring provinces.

Therefore, the opportunity to be assigned duties is directly dependent on the number of races held in the marshal’s affiliated province.