Many ProMX fans would not be aware that some ProMX Marshals are not from local areas, they may not even be from the same state. Troy Patterson and his wife Kim are two flaggies whose love for the sport is enough for them to volunteer at locations as far afield as this year’s ProMX championship opener at Wonthaggi.
Troy, let’s start with the age-old question. How did you get here, what got you into being a flaggie?
An old friend of mine came over to visit and said “would you be able to help at a motocross event in Toowoomba doing flag Marshaling”. I said ‘yeah, why not?’ Without being a racer or having anything to do with it in the past I was thrown into the deep end and put at the finish line.
Just zooming in on that first time, what do you remember about the way you felt when you saw what those riders did? The speed, the noise, the importance of flag marshaling in keeping the riders safe?
It was an eye-opener. I thought, those riders are crazy. Their speed coming down the Matterhorn was like… “Wow!” I’ve been down there once, and a snail overtook me!
As soon as you sit and watch what happens, you understand why we are there as flaggies. You are there to protect other people and their lives.
Saturday was a perfect for-instance, there were 30 lives potentially in our hands if we need to warn them about what’s on the other side of a jump or a corner or warn other riders that they are lying on the track.
How far do you roam to support motorcycling? Both me and my wife have gone as far as Rockhampton to flag marshal, and we were down at Wonthaggi for the ProMX round. We have a great time doing it. One time at the King of Capricorn event I was given the rear fender off a Yamaha, which was signed by all the pro riders, and my wife was given the wine bottle by the 2020 MX2 winner at Hervey Bay, signed by all the podium finishers.
As a regular around the sport, do you have a lot of contact with the Pro riders?
Me and my wife Kim get along with all the Pro riders and have made a few friendships with a couple of them over the years including Todd Waters, Dean Ferris, Kirk Gibbs and the late great Joel Evans. Joel’s death had a big impact on both me and my wife. He was not only a good rider but a great person. Me and my wife lost a baby, and somehow he found out and went out of his way to say how sorry he was to hear about our loss.
Troy, after attending the opener at Wonthaggi, you got to bookend this year’s ProMX series by visiting QMP last weekend for the finale.
Yes, I enjoyed the weekend. We actually got there Friday and helped park the privateers which freed up QMP staff, and the way they looked after us with the BBQ and the goodie bags was really good.
The last round itself was really brilliant, with very close racing. It was good to see the women out there. They should be at every round! The racing was more intense… I mean, Charli was long gone, but the racing between 2nd and 5th was amazing.
And the track was phenomenal. Well thought out and prepped, it looked like a dream to ride.
My wife and I really enjoy it flag marshalling, and I think we’ll be doing this for a while.
Pic: Like most flaggies, Troy and Kim are happiest behind the scenes, and as if to illustrate the point, the clearest shot we have of them is in this class photo from the weekend’s ProMX finale at QMP. They’re the two tucked away at the back in the yellow jackets!!