If there’s one thing that’s for sure, it’s that FIA race weekends would struggle without the skilled workforce the members of the Sports Car Club of America™ bring to the weekend – something that will be on full display during the upcoming Nov. 20-22, 2025, Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The fact is, it’s the expertise and dedication from SCCA members that are key to the success of all F1 weekends in the States. Yet, many of those members take completely different paths before finding themselves trackside at professional racing weekends.

Meet New England Region members Kelly and Paul Messier. A husband-and-wife team who will be working the upcoming F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix together – and who’s paths to get there differ remarkably.

“My SCCA journey actually starts with my involvement in the SAE International Collegiate Design series,” Paul says. “It’s there where I first met [SCCA Hall of Famer] Kathy Barnes and the late Suzanne Royce. At the time, Suzanne was Chief National Scrutineer for FIA events in the United States, Formula E was just starting, and I was able to be a part of her team at the first New York e-Prix in 2017. Working as a National Scrutineer at the e-Prix required being an SCCA Member. Based on prior conversations with Kathy, I had been contemplating becoming an SCCA member for a while, so I used the e-Prix as an 'excuse' to get an SCCA Family Membership.”

For Kelly, her path involved in invitation. “As Paul became involved, first I had a family SCCA membership before participating in any events,” she explains. “He convinced me to come out for an event in the summer of 2018 as an activity we could do together. I was most interested in being close to the on-track action and so chose to try out Flagging & Communications at New England Region’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway event – and never turned back.”

Kelly worked about seven events locally before attending her first professional weekend – the New York City Formula E race in 2019. “Starting in SCCA provided an excellent basis in learning all the flags and how to communicate on the radios,” she says. “SCCA's sprint racing format and varying levels of skill often allow for much more flagging than at a pro event, and give you a chance to practice and gain confidence before progressing to a high-profile pro event.”

The opposite was true for Paul

“The Pro events are actually what brought me to SCCA,” he says. “That said, working towards my SCCA National Scrutineering License provided me with a broader set of skills and knowledge that would prepare me to support Formula 1 races when I was presented the opportunity in 2022.”

At her first pro event, Kelly found herself doing anything but standing still. “I rotated between the flags and also helped my CPM to train a newer flagger,” she recalls. “I also got to cover comms for the station between primary sessions.”

She’s discovered that while the flagging rules vary somewhat between SCCA and FIA events, the basis of knowing what to do and what to watch for is very transferable.

“I've also had the honor in being able to be part of the leadership at both Club and pro events,” she says. “Learning to manage a corner and work with many different personalities at Club events was key to being able to perform as a Chief Post Marshal for pro races at tracks I had never been to with people I hadn't met before that weekend. Similarly, being Flagging & Communications Chief for many events, and the New England Region Flagging & Communications Chief, built the basis of the skills needed to perform as Deputy Flag Chief for this year's WEC Lone Star Le Mans at COTA, including managing assignments for over 100 marshals, conducting training and meetings, and supporting the marshals throughout the event.”

Paul has discovered that work on the tech side can differ greatly on the Club side vs. pro.

“For FIA events, Garage Scrutineers primarily are ‘observers of fact’ for the FIA in the team garages, while Scale Scrutineers have various levels of involvement with compliance checks on the car, depending on the FIA series,” he explains. “At the local Club level [where Paul is New England Region’s Chief of Tech], Scrutineers provide annual/initial safety inspections on vehicles, perform compliance checks during post-race impound, and regularly collaborate with Stewards on technical matters. Also at the Club level, Scrutineers can provide competitors with advice on car classification and to help them interpret the GCR. In many ways, working FIA and local events helps me be better at both: the vigilance and focus required for an FIA event improves execution of technical inspection and post-race impound at the local level; the attention to details and technical dialogue at the local level helps with the ‘observation of fact’ at FIA events.

“Regardless of the level, several tenets of Scrutineering remain true: Professionalism when inspecting/observing a vehicle, an interest in clearly understanding of the regulations, and fairness to all competitors throughout the Scrutineering process”

What’s the best part of working pro events?

“As an engineer by profession, it is a privilege to be able to observe/inspect these vehicles and to see the amazing engineering up-close,” Paul says. “Also, in an environment with where measurement may be down to less than a millimeter, pro events challenge me to also scrutineer at the highest levels of vigilance, precision, and professionalism.”

For Kelly, things are a little different. “Being able to be up close to some amazing racing is key of course, but to quote a cliché: You come for the racing, but stay for the people. I've met so many amazing people, and it's incredible to be able to make connections and pick right back up the next time you see them, whether it's next week, month, year, or longer.”

Want to work professional races and get trackside at Formula 1 races like Paul and Kelly? Try starting by getting trackside at your local SCCA Road Racing events.

Follow this link to begin your adventure!

Photo courtesy Kelly and Paul Messier