Unusual souvenirs from a race event

Ziggy Shadow-Dust

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Mar 2, 2006
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It came to my attention when I recently downloaded Nigel Mansell's Touring Car Year 98 from Duke's website, and while watching it got to a point where at the end of the Brands Hatch meeting, two spectators (I think) got our Nige to sign bits of his broken Ford Mondeo bodywork that came off during one of the weekends two crashes.

So the questions are, who here has been to a race meeting (BTCC or otherwise) and had themselves, or seen others take home a racecars broken wing-mirror or back bumper or what-have-you as a souvenir? Is there a policy about the salvaging of jetisoned bodywork at a race event from the organisers or amongst the spectators themselves? Track marshalls bringing in a back bumper from a dangerous part of the track and it simply first-come first-served as to who standing near by at the wants to claim it as a souvenir?
 
No hard and fast rules, generally the bits should go back to the team but in the case of a race like LeMans everything disapears as soon as the race is finished and the roads reopened.
 
at the Cup race last year in Sonoma, they had an auction for bits off cars signed by the respective drivers (I think Montoya signed a fender, same with Logano)...that's the first time I've seen that at a race event, but I might have also just been in the right place at the right time and it happens every year :lol:
 
I have an autographed tire from one of the ARCA races that used to run as support for the Nascar Nationwide and truck races that ran here in Nashville.
 
At all events that I marshal at, Most bits go back to the teams (Especially bumpers etc, as they can be expensive to an amateur racer). However at bigger events, if the parts are beyond use the teams sometimes give them back to the marshals to be given away at random at the end of the events.

Oh, and if a part ends up with the spectators, don't expect it back :p
 
If you go to an NHRA race, the teams give away tons of engine parts, as they teardown and rebuild lumps after every run. Justgo up to them and ask (when they're not two busy of course). I've got signed rods, pistons, spark plugs, valves etc. Clutch plates are popular too.....
 
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