His teammates Michel and Frantz are on their 27th and 5th Le Mans respectively, while Jean-François, aka Raoul Volfoni, and François have each done 20 races. They are particularly good friends. Once they slip on their orange suits, they become marshals, leaving their professions and social status behind them. Only their passion for motor racing remains, and above all a love of Le Mans 24 Hours. Sector 17 bis is their patch.

“We used to be grouped by post”, says Michel, “but now we have sectors. Sector 17 covers the Mulsanne chicane and the bis means it’s on the outside of the track. The numbering is such that if there is a incident the course managers can locate it precisely."
On zone 17 bis, three teams relay each other every three hours. "We do 8 hours in all as the last stint is only 2 hours long, says François. The hardest part is the night, because of the headlights."

The “family” as the team calls itself, has been allocated the same sector since 2005. They got to know each other thanks to their late colleague Jean-Louis Trudelle.

“Jean-Louis is still with us”, says Daniel, visibly moved. He is still the heart and soul of the “sector 17 boys”. His first time at Le Mans as a marshal was in 1979. "Jean-Louis gave us each a medal when he decided to retire from marshalling and he died ten days later. We never go anywhere without them. We wear them all the time."

Thomas didn’t know Jean-Louis. He was too young. Aged 21, he is Jean-François’ son and is now a fully-fledged marshal, having been a trainee for the past 2 years. He was only 16 when he started, with Daniel as his mentor. "All of us are proud of Thomas, not just his dad", says Daniel. "He is the future. Our role is to pass on the baton!" Jean-Louis would no doubt be full of pride too!

J.-Michel Desnoues - Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: Sector 17 bis marshals, Le Mans, 13 June 2015. Sector 17 bis covers the outside of the Mulsanne chicane with a close-knit “family”.