What It Takes to Be a Great Concours Judge

One of the issues I’m proudest of by way of my involvement with the collector automotive passion is having been invited to evaluate at Concours d’Elegance occasions. Considering this something however an honor is solely fallacious. An invitation to evaluate is an acknowledgment that the particular person or group behind the concours trusts your information and talent to correctly consider the automobiles in your assigned class. Just as vital, they’re trusting you to symbolize the occasion to entrants and spectators alike. Dressed within the conventional blue blazer and khaki pants — sure, that basically is the same old uniform — judges are extremely seen and, consequently, function ambassadors for the concours.

The first query folks me about concours judging is how they will get into it. In my case, about 20 years in the past, after I wrote full-time for Classic Motorsports journal, I used to be requested to be a media visitor decide on the Hilton Head Concours. Because I had by no means judged a concours earlier than, I requested lots of questions of the opposite judges after I arrived and listened to what they stated. On the day of the occasion, I shadowed the opposite judges and did every part they advised me to do within the judges’ assembly: thanking the automobiles’ homeowners each earlier than and after judging, telling them how good their automotive was no matter the place it match within the scoring, and never touching the automobiles. Most importantly, I by no means advised an proprietor what was fallacious with their automotive, even when I knew one thing was incorrect. To my shock, I used to be invited again the subsequent 12 months, and I’ve attended the Hilton Head Concours as a decide ever since.

Since that first concours, I’ve been requested to evaluate at many others, each giant and small, and have served as head decide at a number of. I even launched my very own Concours d’Elegance in 2020, and have proven automobiles at Amelia Island, The Quail, Hilton Head, Pebble Beach, Greenwich, Radnor Hunt, Cincinatti, Misselwood, and Audrain. Experiencing top-level concours occasions from either side — as a decide and as an entrant having my very own automobiles evaluated — has given me a singular perspective on what makes an ideal concours decide. Along the best way, I’ve discovered many classes about what a decide ought to do and, maybe much more importantly, what to not do.

Let’s begin first with the checklist of what a decide ought to do. These should not lofty expectations; they’re the minimal necessities of the job. Having spent the previous 20 years each judging at prime concours occasions and exhibiting my very own automobiles on the highest ranges within the U.S., I imagine any decide who fails to fulfill these fundamental requirements is solely not doing the job correctly.

First up: Do your homework. Almost each Concours d’Elegance will ship their judges the checklist of automobiles of their assigned class, together with the historical past of every automobile. Rarely, if ever, are you going to find out about every automotive in your class. Educate your self as totally as potential about each automobile you may be judging. You should not going to develop into an professional in a single day, however with some preparation, you’ll be able to be taught sufficient to ask knowledgeable questions and perceive what you’re looking at. That instantly tells the proprietor that you’ve taken the time to be taught one thing about their automotive and should not merely an individual in a blue blazer who was handed an task on the final minute. More importantly (and I say this from having been on the opposite facet as an entrant), that preparation helps put the proprietor comfortable. It demonstrates that you simply take their automobile severely, respect the trouble they’ve put into presenting it, and care about doing all your job accurately.

A number of concours occasions “surprise” judges by giving them their checklist of automobiles on the morning of the present. Some folks suppose it is a good concept. It is just not. Judges ought to have sufficient time to organize for the automobiles they are going to be evaluating. Sending them onto the present discipline with out that chance places them at an obstacle and might rapidly undermine an entrant’s confidence in each the decide and the occasion itself.

The second rule is extra of a finest observe. After you allow the judges’ assembly and get to the sector, begin by taking a stroll via your total class. Keep in thoughts that not each concours shows all of the automobiles in a category collectively (sure, I do suppose that is silly). Check with the category host to ensure each automobile scheduled to be judged is definitely on the sector. Cars sometimes drop out, and the category host ought to know if that has occurred. Once you’ve gotten positioned and seemed over each automotive within the class, you should have a significantly better sense of what you’re coping with earlier than the precise judging begins.

Rule #3 is easy however essential: When you arrive at a automotive to start judging, begin by thanking the proprietor and acknowledging everybody there with them — automotive handlers, partner, youngsters, or anybody else who’s a part of the expertise. Smile, introduce your self, and let the proprietor know you respect their automotive and the chance to evaluate it. Remember, this isn’t an episode of “Law & Order” or “Dragnet.” Your job is to not interrogate the proprietor. Do every part you’ll be able to to make the judging course of comfy and pleasing. No matter which stage of collector they’re or what number of occasions they’ve proven at Pebble Beach or Amelia, I do know from my very own expertise that they’re probably fairly nervous. Approaching judging on this means instantly places the proprietor comfortable, permitting them to higher let you know their automobile’s story — data that will show precious through the judging course of. When you’ve gotten completed judging the automotive, take a second to thank the proprietor and everybody with them as soon as once more.

The fourth rule comes into play if you return to the judging room to debate the automobiles in your class: Listen to each member of your workforce. The finest judging expertise I ever had was judging bikes at Radnor Hunt. Each workforce developed a preliminary checklist of winners, after which all of the bike judging groups got here collectively to debate their outcomes. Head bike decide John Lawless had assembled a rare group of educated judges, and inevitably, somebody would spot one thing I had missed or knew greater than I did about one of many bikes we have been evaluating. While this will not be sensible with different concours, there may be probably somebody in that judging room on one other workforce who might know one thing important to your outcomes. If you’ve gotten a query you can not reply, ask the opposite judges. I do that at any time when obligatory as a result of there is no such thing as a cause to faux you understand one thing you don’t when the reply could also be sitting throughout the room. Drawing on that collective information results in better-informed outcomes that make sense and, simply as importantly, will be defended.

Rule #5 sounds straightforward however might not at all times be: Give an equal period of time to each single automotive in your class. Yes, there will probably be automobiles which can be at a unique stage, extra uncommon, or have a extra attention-grabbing historical past than others. Despite this, it’s essential to ensure each proprietor will get the identical period of time to current their automotive. Sure, there is perhaps a McLaren F1 and a Ferrari 512BBi in the identical class, however don’t spend any extra time on one or the opposite, no matter how wonderful a automobile is to you.

Finally, if you exit to current the award ribbons, thank everybody once more — whether or not they received an award or not. After presenting the ribbons, I make a degree of spending extra time with the entrants in my class who didn’t win, and I attempt to do the identical with non-winning entrants in different lessons as I stroll the present discipline. This tends to make even those that didn’t win nonetheless really feel that exhibiting their automobile on the concours was a worthwhile expertise. Remember what I stated at first of this story: You are an envoy of the occasion.

Now for what not to do. Unlike a few of the finest practices I’ve mentioned, these guidelines are non-negotiable. Every decide ought to comply with them each time, and people who don’t shouldn’t be invited again. These expectations have been clearly defined at each judges’ assembly I’ve ever attended, but I proceed to see them ignored way more usually than I ever anticipated.

Rule one is easy: Do not ever contact the proprietor’s automotive throughout judging. If you break one thing, scratch the paintwork, and even put fingerprints on the chrome, the concours might be accountable for damages. The greater cause is that it’s not your automobile. Being a decide doesn’t provide you with license to take a seat in or contact a automobile that doesn’t belong to you. It is probably going very costly and has undergone many hundreds of {dollars} of labor to organize it for the present discipline. There have been solely two events when I’ve ever touched an entrant’s automobile, and each have been lengthy after the judging had been accomplished. In every case, I knew the proprietor personally and was particularly invited to take a seat within the automobile. One was the Bugatti Type 57 initially owned by Ettore Bugatti, and the opposite was a Britten bike. Even with the proprietor’s permission, I used to be uncomfortable doing it and adopted the instructions of the proprietor and handlers with excessive care. Other homeowners have prolonged related invites over time, however I’ve declined.

The second rule of what you shouldn’t do is easy: Never decide a automotive with out the proprietor or handler current. Looking over an exhibitor’s automobile together with your judging workforce when nobody is there to current it’s not judging. If nobody is with the automobile when your workforce arrives, ask the category host to find them. Move on to the subsequent automobile and return when the proprietor or handler is current.

The third “don’t” rule is tremendous vital: Never inform an proprietor what’s fallacious with their automotive. This is one thing that I see and listen to judges do means too usually. Pointing out the issues of a automobile to the proprietor is just not the job of a decide. If you’ve gotten a query a few element, ask the proprietor to let you know about that particular half. That will let you know what it’s essential to know. In addition, when discussing potential points you observed with a automobile, by no means have that dialog anyplace the proprietor or spectators would possibly overhear it. Judging deliberations ought to at all times stay non-public. If one thing must be mentioned instantly, transfer properly away from the automobile earlier than talking together with your workforce. Better but, make a remark of the difficulty and focus on it later within the judges’ lounge when your workforce is reviewing the automobiles and tabulating the scores.

The fourth factor you shouldn’t do as a decide is the inverse of the “to-do” rule above about equal time. Never inform an proprietor you solely have slightly little bit of time and rush them. Keep them on monitor by asking direct questions, ask them to provide you a brief historical past of the automobile, after which do any techniques checks afterwards. Rushing an proprietor makes them much more nervous than and will trigger them overlook to let you know one thing vital that would have an effect on the judging outcomes. It can even give the proprietor the impression that you just don’t care about their automobile, and something a decide does to convey that form of indifference is solely unacceptable.

Rule 5 within the “don’t do” checklist is a private pet peeve of mine: Do not ever inform the proprietor of a automotive you’re judging an extended story of the automobile you personally personal that is rather like it. This is just not the time to inform tales about your automobiles. This is their time; your complete cause you’re there may be to pay attention and allow them to current their automobile.

If you personal an analogous automobile and really feel compelled to share your tales, come again and discuss with the proprietor after the judging is completed. Personally, I desire to not do even that as a result of it could actually shift the main target away from their expertise as an exhibitor. Never overlook that with out homeowners prepared to convey their automobiles to a concours, there is no such thing as a concours. The exhibitors are crucial folks on the present discipline. It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re a decide who has received Le Mans 5 occasions or the world’s foremost authority on Fifties Ferraris. This is just not your day to shine. It is theirs.

I hope this recommendation is useful to those that have but to evaluate at a concours, in addition to those that have been doing it for years. Following these tips won’t solely make you a greater decide, however, extra importantly, assist make sure that homeowners be ok with bringing their automobiles to an occasion. Showing a automotive at a concours requires a big funding of time, effort and cash. For that dedication to really feel worthwhile, homeowners must benefit from the expertise and know that they and their automobiles have been handled with the respect they deserve. Whether they depart with a trophy or nothing greater than reminiscences of an ideal weekend shouldn’t change that.

Being requested to be a concours decide is at all times an honor and by no means a privilege, irrespective of what number of occasions you’ve gotten been invited. Thinking alongside these traces not solely makes the job extra pleasing however has additionally led to a few of my best friendships, each with different judges and entrants. So if you’re requested to evaluate at a concours remember to be the most effective ambassador for that occasion you will be.