Everyone has a role in pit crew. Some are specific, while others overlap. My role in the crew is a bit all over the place. To set the record straight, I do not wear those super tight dresses and walk around the pit lane in high heels. I do not wear low cut tops and booty shorts either. In the pits, I wear long pants and a t-shirt, just like everyone else. When working on the car, I wear the same thing, unless it's very warm outside and I decide to wear modest shorts. Wearing those tight clothes during the races and when working on the car would be counterproductive. You can burn your legs on hot parts of the car or hot oil.
I do all sorts of things in the team. When we are getting ready for a race, we usually tow the car with the golf-cart (It's the world's coolest and fastest golf-cart). I sit on the end of the cart with my leg wrapped around a tow strap that Duncan holds onto from his rollbar. I do this to keep tension on the tow strap so it doesn't get caught around the mirrors or the suspension arms. If it did, we would have a lot extra and expensive maintenance to do. When he is waiting in the false lane, I hold an umbrella over him to keep him cool. During the races, I take the lap times, write down the time pressures and note all sorts of information I think is important. I usually stand on the other side of the pit lane. When I was in charge of the pit board, I would go stand at the pit wall. That job is now someone else's. When the race is over, I sometimes get in the cockpit and steer the car back when it's being towed. I bring Duncan his water and other things he needs.
After the races, I usually pick up the time sheets and fix the car. I bleed the brakes with Jim and Corey, replace the brake pads and fix the corner of the car if there's been an accident. I also do the dirty jobs that no one else really wants to do, besides Duncan. As far as the dirty jobs go, I sometimes have to deal with the dreaded gearbox oil. This oil is a dirty, olive green and is thick. During the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres, I had to pour the used gearbox oil into two empty plastic bottles and find the proper location for waste oil disposal. I also had to clean the pans. That stuff smells horrible! During the Grand Prix of Montreal, I had to clean off the fire extinguisher powder, which had stuck to the hot exhaust pipes. We took the pipes off and I tried everything to get this material off. I doused them in Varsol, water, and brake cleaner. I scrubbed the stuff off with metal brushes, scouring pads and a lot of paper towels. After two hours, I finally managed to get everything off. It was not a pretty job.
I have also become a kind of medic to our team. I finally bought a first aid kit just in case something happens. I also have an epi-pen handy at all times. When Jim was run over by Duncan at the Montreal Grand Prix a couple of years ago, I was trying hard to get doctors to get off the pit wall and help him. I stayed with him in the track hospital. I also drove Corey all around St-Jovite at the Tremblant summer race so he could seek medical attention for his foot, which had been, coincidentally, run over by Jim. Now, I am hell-bent on making sure no accidents or injuries happen during the race weekends. It's more fun when everyone is at their best!
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