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TIMERS
by Susie Carnegie
-A Timer's Perspective-
I know, I know, the title caught your eye and you are all
geared up for Model T timers and how they work, etc.
Well, this is about Model T timers and how they work,
only they're the kind of timers with two legs that you'll
spot at the beginning and end of each leg of the Montana
500, and are not necessarily attached to your Model T.
You'll first notice a team of timers at the beginning of a
leg. There are generally at least two, one with a stopwatch
in hand, the other a clipboard and pen. They're the ones
who get the show on the road by working on lining up the
T's in the order they need to be timed out, then send each
T off in 1 minute intervals, just enough time to say howdy
and briefly kabitz with each driver before the timer
holding the stop watch brings her arm down and a flagger
waves them out with a green flag. Once all of the T's are
on the road, this set of timers hop into their vehicle and
follow behind enjoying the beautiful Montana scenery,
wildlife, and watch for T's to root them on with their firsthand
glance at where each T is, and how close or far apart
the T's are as they pass them by. Taking the back seat to
all of the action is the trouble trailer driver who has the
greatly appreciated task of rescuing any T's that have
mournfully broken down.
At the end of each leg you'll find another team of timers
who time and flag the T's in. They rush ahead to locate a
safe spot to park and time the T's in. These timers, like
most of the T drivers, are not necessarily familiar with the
routes and face the challenge of being sure they reach the
intended destination in plenty of time to find a good place
to park and be ready to spot the first T, get its number, and
write its time down as it screams by and heads on in to the
first gas station. Once all of the T's are timed in, these
timers check in with the other team of timers, checking the
stop watches to be sure they're in sync, and give the order
that the T's were timed in. They then take off to their next
destination and prepare to time the T's in again.
I have timed T's out, timed T's in, flagged T's out,
flagged T's in, and one year I even road along in the
trouble truck. Each position has its own flavor of
perspective. As simple and uneventful as the task of a
timer may seem, timers from over the years could most
likely share a story or two of humor, craziness, or maybe
even toe curling things they have experienced or witnessed.
Just to mention a few:
While riding along behind the T's one year, we timers and
flaggers in a modern iron heard a big BANG! A good
sized bird had gotten off course and hit our front
windshield head-on causing this horrendous noise and
leaving behind unpleasant evidence of the hit. For some
reason this has stuck with me. I suppose its because I was
busy talking and didn't see it coming, so it took a moment
to realize what had happened and get my heart out of my
throat and back into its intended position.
Then there was the time we were driving ahead of the T's
to find a place to park and time the T's in. Using a GPS
we found ourselves a nice little nesting spot, but somehow
it just didn't feel right, it seemed like we should have
further to go. Fortunately we had someone who had driven
along in a separate vehicle who graciously drove ahead to
scope things out while we watched for T's, ready to time
them in, just in case. The GPS had failed us, we had a
ways to go to be where we actually needed to be. We
quickly headed out and made it to our true destination
with very little time to spare (even though we rush ahead
of the T's in modern iron, it doesn't always mean we
have lots of time on our hands, its amazing how quickly
they follow behind us).
The forces were with us another time when the last leg
of the 500 involved driving a relatively short loop out of
town and back again. We were to drive down the main
highway to a certain point, turn off onto a side road and
loop back around joining up to that highway again, then
tour back in to town. The timers who timed the T's out
were also going to time them in, so after the T's were on
the road these timers then set up at the end of the leg, a
short bit before the T's would come to the stop sign on
the side road to get back on the main highway.
Meanwhile, the other team of timers were driving the
route ahead of the T's. When we reached the point
where we needed to turn off the highway and onto the
side road we discovered unexpected road construction
blocking our path. With the trouble truck driver's
assistance, it was quickly decided to wave the T's as
they arrived to turn around and head straight back. This
meant we, the timers there at the scene, needed to race
back to alert the other timers that they needed to move
from their current position (on the side road, a ways
from the main highway) and get to the main highway to
time the T's in before they could reach that point. We
did it! What a rush!
Yes, the Montana 500 timers, flaggers and trouble trailer
drivers have a history of their own. Over the years the
timers have endured rain, sleet, snow, and sun scorching
heat. They have maneuvered around a variety of road
hazards and dodged wildlife…or not. They have enjoyed
their front row seat to view the goings on of T's enroute
as they'd strive to reach the front of the pack. They have
experienced countless mishaps and kabobbles that go
with the territory. And some have dutifully acquired a
Montana 500 gray hair or two.
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