Keke Murray was one of the very first female international marshals I met, well, quite a while ago now. But don’t think being first and being female means she is a soft touch! She is more than a match for those around her and has a racing pedigree that many envy.

“Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away... Hey, wait a minute. Wrong story.

I've been in racing all my life – literally. My dad built and raced sportscars, including wrenching on the works Morgan team at the Sebring 12 Hours in 1957 and 1958. He was later one of the first FIA stewards in Canada. My first race was the 1960 inaugural event at Mosport, north of Toronto, at 6 months of age. I was in high school before I realised that not everyone went to the track every weekend.

In 1977, the Canadian Association of Sportscar Clubs finally permitted females to marshal trackside instead of simply being ‘phone girls’ in the tower. My mother was one of the first female marshal trainees that year. I followed in 1978 when I turned 18 and was legally able to sign the insurance waiver. Yes, that means 2018 is my 40th year marshalling.

I began working pro races with the inaugural CART Toronto Indy in 1986. I marshalled about five Montreal GPs in the Senna/Mansell ‘turbo and unobtanium fuel’ years, but found I enjoyed CART more. CART offered me the chance to learn oval track course observing in 1995; I was a CART hard card volunteer from 1996 to 2003. I was chosen to be part of the paid Rio de Janeiro observer team in 1997 and 1998, and the Monterrey Mexico marshalling team in 2002.

For the past 15 years, I've held a national flagging & communications licence with the Sports Car Club of America, most recently with the San Francisco Region.

In 2003, I began marshalling more endurance sportscar events with the American Le Mans Series. Then, in 2004, I was invited to join the marshalling crew at ‘poste 61’ [second chicane]. At that time, I was the only full-event female member of the crew although a few others came for the race only.

I remained the sole Canadian ‘commissaire’ at Le Mans until 2015.

I started in pro Race Control as backup communicator for the very last ChampCar race, at Long Beach in 2007. After the reunification of single-seater racing in North America, I was the Race Control communicator for the Edmonton Indy between 2009 and 2012. Also in 2012, I worked as one of two Race Control communicators for the ALMS Petit Le Mans, leading to a contract to share Race Control communication duties for the ALMS's final season in 2013.

Since 2013, I've scaled back a little, focusing more on tracks/events I enjoy, and visiting the many marshalling friends I've made all over the world. I still have lots of tracks and events on my bucket list! I try to do one new event every year – this year's was the St. Petersburg Indycar race in Florida.

And every year, Le Mans is the first event I put on my schedule (and budget)!”

This was Keke's thirteenth time standing trackside in France... Canada has been represented well.