Track, rostrum and marshal safety rules, body by body.

Racing rules are not law, and a club's own rules may differ from any body's. Anyone hurt at a track needs medical care, and a serious injury is a matter for the emergency services; this page names what the rules require and describes no first aid.

EFRA: General Rules, 2024 edition

EFRA's handbook page lists 2026 General Rules, but that document did not surface in the research, so the rules below are from the 2024 edition and may since have changed.

Track and spectators

• Who comes first (5.3.1 and 5.3.2). Spectator safety is of prime importance in laying out the track and spectator area. The safety of officials, helpers, competitors and those with them is of equal importance, though the rule assumes they are more aware of the danger.
• Barriers and markers (5.3.3 and 5.3.4). Spectators, competitors and officials must be protected from the cars by adequate barriers, and corner-cutting "dots" must be placed so that a car hitting one at full speed cannot fly into the public.
• The cars (5.3.5). Technical inspection must include bumpers, which may have no sharp edges, and other protruding parts, which may never be placed or designed so as to cause serious injury in an accident.
• Phones and transmitters (5.3.10). Mobile phones may not be used on the rostrum, pit lane or track, nor may other transmitting devices, apart from drivers' radios, the driver-to-mechanic radio equipment that rule 8.6.2.b allows at certain classes, and those the organiser needs.

The drivers' rostrum

Rule 5.2.2 sets the rostrum at a minimum of 80 cm per driver for 10 drivers, reached by a solid stair at least 1.20 m wide, with a strong parapet mandatory. Individual stands on the rostrum are allowed only for people under 160 cm tall, at their own risk. The standard floor height is 2 to 3 m (1 to 3 m for 1:12 electric track and 1.5 to 3 m for 1:10 electric off-road). The same rule requires a sand box and a fire extinguisher on the rostrum when the transmitter impound is there, and rule 5.2.3 recommends 2 to 4 m between the front of the rostrum and the nearest part of the track. Rule 5.2.7 requires a public-address system that can make safety announcements across the track area and override any commentary.

First aid and emergency access

Rules 5.3.6 to 5.3.8 say minimum first-aid supplies should be available, recommend equipment for cleaning eyes after splashes of glue, methanol or petrol, recommend a first-aid officer where large crowds attend, and require easy access for police and ambulance services. Rules 6.5.3 to 6.5.5 require all possible action to avoid danger to the public or competitors, that the police be told of the meeting, a secure pit area, and no animals in the pits or working areas.

Marshalling

• Posts and protection (8.15). Marshal positions are spread round the track without blocking drivers' view, with protection such as a wall, tyres or a gate at dangerous spots like the straight or fast corners. Each marshal position must be furnished with gloves or other protection and a safety jacket, which is compulsory to wear. At IC (nitro) events a plastic or wooden baton is mandatory at marshal posts, for safety reasons, as an aid to stopping a running engine.
• Who marshals (8.15.1 and 8.15.2). Only drivers taking part may, and must, marshal the heat after their own; no one but officials may be on the track during a race. Failing to marshal, defined as not being at the post 30 seconds before the start, brings sporting penalties. The rule says a substitute marshal is allowed only for a physically disabled driver, although its penalty for fastest-time qualifying also refers to a competent substitute agreed with the race director.
• Footwear and large scale (8.15.6 and 8.15.7). EFRA requires safe footwear that will not come off while marshalling, and says sandals are not acceptable. Large-scale racing has no marshals, with mechanics marshalling from the pit lane, an arrangement the rule says cannot overrule national insurance regulations.
• Transmitters (8.6). Where transmitter impound is not compulsory, there must be a place next to the rostrum where drivers leave their transmitters while they marshal (8.6.7), and driver-to-mechanic radio equipment, which some classes allow, may not be carried while marshalling (8.6.2.b).

Among the points referees watch for, rules 7.1.11 to 7.1.13 list repairs and refuelling outside the pit area, cars breaking noise rules after losing or damaging a silencer, and cars in an undriveable or dangerous condition.

EFRA: electric cars, 2026 Appendix 3

EFRA's 2026 electric rules (Appendix 3, v4) number the marshal posts by car number, spread them evenly round the track, and say track design should reduce the need for marshals by using smooth obstacles (A.1.1.8 and 1.1.15). Drivers may not go onto the rostrum until race control declares the previous race over, nor leave before their own race is declared over (A.5.9 and 5.10).

IFMAR: 1/8 IC off-road World Championship rules, 2024

The IFMAR 1/8 IC off-road rules read here are meant to be read with IFMAR's Section 1 General Rules for World Championships, which were not found. They apply only at that World Championship.

• Rule 3.8 (Safety). Spectator safety is of prime importance in laying out track and spectator areas; the safety of officials, helpers, competitors and those with them is of equal importance; and spectators, competitors, marshals and officials must be protected from the cars by adequate barriers. Track markers must be shaped and placed so cars cannot be thrown into the public when hit at full speed (3.8.d), and technical inspection always covers the cars' safety, with no sharp edges or protruding parts that could cause serious injury (3.8.e).
• First aid and access (3.8.f to 3.8.h). First-aid supplies throughout the event including practice, a first-aid officer present throughout, and access for police and emergency services to all areas.
• The car (2.2 and body rules). A plastic front bumper, not metal, that keeps damage to a minimum on contact with other participants, marshals or anyone else, with rounded corners and edges; the body shell must be cut so that it does not injure a marshal who picks the car up by the front.
• Radios and jumps. Drivers coming down from the rostrum hand their radio to their mechanic before going to their marshal post, on pain of a penalty, and rule 4.5.2 makes the safety of the public and marshals the main priority when jumps are built.

The first-aid disagreement

The two bodies set different first-aid requirements. IFMAR's 1/8 off-road rule 3.8.g (2024) requires a first-aid officer present throughout a World Championship. EFRA's General Rule 5.3.7 (2024) says a first-aid officer should be present at events that attract large crowds. Each applies only to its own events.

ROAR: what could and could not be read

ROAR's current rule book could not be read for this site. A ROAR post of 18 October 2024 lists rule revisions by number; it records the removal of the ban on switching radios on in the pits (rule 8.15.10), while rule 8.14.3.9, banning radio use that interferes with other drivers during a race, remains. None of the listed revisions concerns marshalling, fuel or eye protection. A 2015 LiveRC report from the ROAR Electric Off-Road Nationals quoted the race director as saying safety was ROAR's biggest concern and described pit spot checks by officials; that is a trade report from 2015, and whether it reflects ROAR's rules today is unconfirmed.

BRCA: one event briefing

The BRCA's 2025 Members Handbook is listed on its website, but the document itself could not be reached, so the BRCA's handbook safety rules were not read. One national-series briefing was: for Large Scale Off-Road Round 8 (11 and 12 October 2025), the BRCA said marshals must wear hi-vis vests and gloves, that no one under 14 may marshal, and that random scrutineering includes sound-level checks. That is one event's briefing, not the handbook.

Track standards and what no rule read requires

IFMAR's criteria for affiliated tracks (2021) require tracks to follow local safety requirements for fire, LiPo charging, fuel storage and waste disposal, without naming those requirements. No eye-protection requirement for drivers, marshals or mechanics was found in any rule read for this site. Battery rules at events are on battery rules at events, and how marshalling fits into a meeting is on marshalling and officials.