Was it only me or what?

[GIXser]

So a bunch of us ended up in Paeroa fairly early yesterday "bout 6 am" to watch the days racing..

I gotta say i was somewhat dissapointed with the day.. not with the racing and the people that risk their lives putting on great performances, they were fantastic !!
but im talking about safety and lack thereof for the riders, which in turn put a dampner on the day, let alone the fuckwits of radio hauraki beside us.. ill get to that later..

It would not take a lot to make the track a lot safer.... (for those of you i know street racing is dangerous and it has its risks) but from where i sit its easy to make it a whole lot safer..

We sat right by the end of the backs straight and saw the poor fella slide into the forkhoist.... "a fucking forkhoist" on the side of the track oh sorry my mistake "two forkhoists"

and those stupid bags of empty milkcontainers in a few rows in front of it, they dont stop an ant..!!

let alone a few other fuck ups i saw that are puting riders lives at risk.. i see why andrew now refuses to race there unless he gets paid.. and so should all other riders.. and there should be a fund set up for riders that do crash and have months of work....

The PA system sounded like it was dragged out of chernobyl couldnt understand a word..let alone music..

Fuckwits from Radio hauraki... yelling at the westpac rescue helicopter taking the poor fella away after the forkhoist incident .. yelling things like... you forgot your bike...!! ??? absolutely no fucking idea those stupid cunts.. as well as pissing of public by coming in at 11 am and expecting everyone to move for them so they could corden off their area... which pissed a lot of people of.. worse thing is some dickhead of a paeroa organiser told everyone they had to move.. never mind these people paid their money as well got there early and found a comfy spot only to be removed..

Anyways big ups to the riders for putting on a great show... and to the organisers of paeroa... sort ya shit out.....quickly!!!

(probably should be in rant n rave i guess)

[PirateJafa]

The bales of bottles do work, and we've seen them work well at previous Battle of the Streets events. But there were far more rows last year (one to two metres between rows, rather than the five to ten metres between most rows this year), so I don't know what the story was there.

But the forklifts was nigh on a criminally stupid oversight, at an event such as this. That said, a number of KBers were in the marshalling team I believe, so you might get a response from them on this.

I'm surprised you even bothered trying to listen to the PA system, we gave up years ago.

But still a damn good day for $25 (as long as you remember to bring lots of drinks, rather than buying them there).

(We were the group in front of/inside the little Starlet at the same corner as ya.)

[woodyracer]

stop your crying, the fork lift was stupid..but track safety so pretty good, i was a marshel and from my point of view it was run very well, there was good communiction, and crowd control, track maintence worked well,

[Biggles08]

Fuckwits from Radio hauraki... yelling at the westpac rescue helicopter taking the poor fella away after the forkhoist incident .. yelling things like... you forgot your bike...!! ??? absolutely no fucking idea those stupid cunts..

That's unbelievable! Ignorant bastards! Was that going live to radio or were they just yelling it out themselves? I would be calling the management and making a formal complaint about that shit!

On another note...you are right...Paeroa circuit is dangerous as a track....even more dangerous than puke (Going to get my bowl of popcorn now) but I was surprised to hear about a rider hitting a forklift?!?!

[Shaun]

That's unbelievable! Ignorant bastards! Was that going live to radio or were they just yelling it out themselves? I would be calling the management and making a formal complaint about that shit!

On another note...you are right...Paeroa circuit is dangerous as a track....even more dangerous than puke (Going to get my bowl of popcorn now) but I was surprised to hear about a rider hitting a forklift?!?!


Paeroa is just an accident weighting to happen, always has been, always will be.

260+ Clicks down the main streight with people/spectators/ only a few mtrs away, what a bloody joke

[Biggles08]

IOM is hardly safe Shaun...I think that is part and parcel to street racing as you well and truly know. I began racing to get off the road because it is dangerous but alas, there is no denying that Paeroa is a sponsors dream and that is the ONLY reason I was there.

[Squiggles]

into the forkhoist.... "a fucking forkhoist" on the side of the track oh sorry my mistake "two forkhoists"

It was that or the wall, he'd managed to slide under most of the bags up till then.

[paturoa]

Agree with all of the posts above. At some point there some spectator (yet alone rider) will get munted and there will be an outcry!

[Shaun]

IOM is hardly safe Shaun...I think that is part and parcel to street racing as you well and truly know. I began racing to get off the road because it is dangerous but alas, there is no denying that Paeroa is a sponsors dream and that is the ONLY reason I was there.


The IOM is of NO danger to the public like Paeroa is, the IOM is only a risk to the riders

[Squiggles]

The IOM is of NO danger to the public like Paeroa is, the IOM is only a risk to the riders

2 spectators died in 2007 on the friday after your accident

[Maha]

I'm surprised you even bothered trying to listen to the PA system, we gave up years ago.


Damn, I have to agree, the only time to use ear plugs (if you must) is between races.
Those Hauslaki twits? yeah man, what a buch of tossers, they got an ear full from some young pissed cock who, in turn, annoyed the 100 or so within ear shot.
Some bloke told him to pull his head and shut the fuck up, while and older dude just behind me told a Hauslaki wanker to 'stop throwing shit ya fat cunt''!

Great entertainment!

[sidecar bob]

The IOM is of NO danger to the public like Paeroa is, the IOM is only a risk to the riders

Yet statisticaly, more spectators than competitors have been killed there??.

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/TT-deaths-inquest-Warning-signs.3874195.jp

Didnt need to look hard for that one & theres plenty more.

[pipson]

I have been a marshal at one AMCC event in Taupo. I will never do it again. The safety of the marshals was a joke, we were excepted to cross the track to pick up a bike or rides during the race. YES while F1 bikes are coming down the straight at 200+ k's. If safety was so important you stop the race & fix the problem i.e. move the forklifts or pick up the bike etc. I have & will continue to marshal at the Pacific Club & Vic Club events as you can guarantee safety for the marshals. I would like to point out I have never been to Paeroa so I do not know about safety of the riders or at the track.

[Shaun]

2 spectators died in 2007 on the friday after your accident


wow, news to me. So if one man jumps of cliff, should I also. Not attacking, just adding that I think Paeroa is an accident weighting to happen, and NZ is so PC now, imagine a spectator being killed, and what that will do for our sport here

[Maha]

Paeroa is an accident weighting to happen,

How long has this been weighing on your mind Shaun?

[Shaun]

How long has this been weighing on your mind Shaun?



I think you will find I have said it many times, even on here in posts some where some time

[woodyracer]

I have been a marshal at one AMCC event in Taupo. I will never do it again. The safety of the marshals was a joke, we were excepted to cross the track to pick up a bike or rides during the race. YES while F1 bikes are coming down the straight at 200+ k's. If safety was so important you stop the race & fix the problem i.e. move the forklifts or pick up the bike etc. I have & will continue to marshal at the Pacific Club & Vic Club events as you can guarantee safety for the marshals. I would like to point out I have never been to Paeroa so I do not know about safety of the riders or at the track.

yea, it was like that at taupo for me too......But, at paeroa it was very professioanly done from where i was, nobdy marshels like Nigel armstrong tho......he's like the king of flag marsheling...ahah

[pipson]

yea, it was like that at taupo for me too......But, at paeroa it was very professioanly done from where i was, nobdy marshels like Nigel armstrong tho......he's like the king of flag marsheling...ahah

Nigel taught me every thing I know, that is why I have taken over his job as cheif flag marshal at pacific club meetings.

[sharky]

So a bunch of us ended up in Paeroa fairly early yesterday "bout 6 am" to watch the days racing..

I gotta say i was somewhat dissapointed with the day.. not with the racing and the people that risk their lives putting on great performances, they were fantastic !!
but im talking about safety and lack thereof for the riders, which in turn put a dampner on the day, let alone the fuckwits of radio hauraki beside us.. ill get to that later..

It would not take a lot to make the track a lot safer.... (for those of you i know street racing is dangerous and it has its risks) but from where i sit its easy to make it a whole lot safer..

We sat right by the end of the backs straight and saw the poor fella slide into the forkhoist.... "a fucking forkhoist" on the side of the track oh sorry my mistake "two forkhoists"

and those stupid bags of empty milkcontainers in a few rows in front of it, they dont stop an ant..!!

let alone a few other fuck ups i saw that are puting riders lives at risk.. i see why andrew now refuses to race there unless he gets paid.. and so should all other riders.. and there should be a fund set up for riders that do crash and have months of work....

The PA system sounded like it was dragged out of chernobyl couldnt understand a word..let alone music..

Fuckwits from Radio hauraki... yelling at the westpac rescue helicopter taking the poor fella away after the forkhoist incident .. yelling things like... you forgot your bike...!! ??? absolutely no fucking idea those stupid cunts.. as well as pissing of public by coming in at 11 am and expecting everyone to move for them so they could corden off their area... which pissed a lot of people of.. worse thing is some dickhead of a paeroa organiser told everyone they had to move.. never mind these people paid their money as well got there early and found a comfy spot only to be removed..

Anyways big ups to the riders for putting on a great show... and to the organisers of paeroa... sort ya shit out.....quickly!!!

(probably should be in rant n rave i guess)


Yep, have to agree with you! It was my first time at Paeroa and will likely be my last!

Forkhoists:shit: That is just fucking idiotic!

I had a slide into the milk bottle bales too - and I've hit them before at Puke. They are bloody good if you do actually go INTO them. Trouble is, quite often people go under/between them. They hadn't bothered to put as many hay bales up through the esses as they have in the past either.
Seems to me that the event is designed for the spectators not the riders, you have to wonder about the grid postions also - that they mix them up a bit to guarantee plenty of overtaking???

[scracha]

yea, it was like that at taupo for me too......But, at paeroa it was very professioanly done from where i was
Really? I was stood aghast during the racing watching 3 marshalls at outside of the fast right hander (with rows of milkbottle bales before hairpin) chatting amongst themselves with 2 of them with their backs to the action. How they gonna dodge flying bikes when they're not even looking? Nobody seemed overly concerned about the safety of their mate doing a balancing act on the haybale holding a flag inches from the action on the inside of said corner (estimate the fast boys go past there about 150 clicks?).

[BiK3RChiK]

Even as a spectator I thought the safety aspect was dodgy. We moved after some guy locked up his front brake and ended up in the small rectangular bales coming out of the 's' bend. Consulting the map it has 'no go area' marked but that is all... no signage or tape or anything.

IMO, it is just a matter of time before a spectator is killed on that circuit, let alone the race participants. Very sad... I think I'd be freaking out if I was racing there at how close the crowd is to the track and the obstacles around the track.

[roogazza]

[QUOTE=Shaun;1129659394 just adding that I think Paeroa is an accident weighting to happen, and NZ is so PC now, imagine a spectator being killed, and what that will do for our sport here[/QUOTE]

I have to support Shaun here, it won't take much for pc NZ to can the last two meets we have on the streets. I find them a shadow of former years and don't bother attending anyway.
I could see by the results and number of races something went wrong.

[k14]

I have to support Shaun here, it won't take much for pc NZ to can the last two meets we have on the streets. I find them a shadow of former years and don't bother attending anyway.
I could see by the results and number of races something went wrong.
Last 2? Greymouth, Wyndham, Nelson, Methven and I probably missed one.

[scrivy]

Unfortunately most spectators that go to these events usually get pissed, heat exhaustion etc..... (or just plain apathy to safety issues)... By 1:00pm they wouldn't have a clue as to safety.
I was standing at the hump on the back straight in practice, and said to my kids, do not stand anywhere near here, but over there (in a far safer/further position), because if a sidecar went into the crowd - just how far would it go? 5 spectators heard me talking to my kids, and they all looked at each other and moved also!!

Most people don't have a clue as to inertia/momentum or basic physics. Unfortunately, spectators will get hurt at a street meeting. As you know, it's just a matter of time.
Then the OSH guys will have a field day............

[HDTboy]

Eddie. Join the club's upper echelon and start the process of making it into what you think it should be. For a man of your talents it will be a nice little sideline. As you well know, Paeroa brings the biggest crowd of any motorcycle racing event in the country. Crowds=money, it would be a shame to have it shut down due to being unsafe, that would probably seal the fate of NZ's bike racing scene as a niche sport with no appeal to the wider community.

Everyone may as well all be riding pre-82 bikes then cause the only people who will come to watch will be 65+ year old men wearing brown anoraks

[Maha]

Something else I (and two others standing with me ) noticed, was during the first of Classics, they put junior and senior together and the Pace car was overtaken on the front straight after the first lap. I guess the pace car missed its 'get out of the fucken way' point?
Anyone standing by the RSA will have a better idea on this.

[TonyB]

Agree with all of the posts above. At some point there some spectator (yet alone rider) will get munted and there will be an outcry!
There won't just be an outcry, street racing will be legislated out of existance, just like it was for car street racing after the accident at Queenstown some years ago.

[CookMySock]

Cmon don't wrap it in cotton wool. There just isn't enough petrol-head stupidity any more.

Steve

[quickbuck]

just like it was for car street racing after the accident at Queenstown some years ago.

Yup,
A very good friend of mine was the poor bu&&er who hit those guys......
He really hasn't been the same since.... Now, translate that to if you were riding and your bike took out a spectator or two... even if they were in a stupid place....

I can tell you, it isn't a nice thing to live with. Also very sad to see a man (or woman) give up a sport they were totally passionate about.

NOW, rather than sit here typing on the computer, if you feel strongly about making the street racing safer, DO SOMETHING!
Every little bit will help on the day!

Remember the volunteers only know what they know, and don't know what they don't know.

[wharfy]

I am assuming there will be a coroners inquest into the most unfortunate death at Paeroa, until it is complete I suggest that speculation and comment about the safety and management of the event NOT be tossed around in public forums.
Firstly out of respect to the friends and family of the victim, and secondly in the pursuit of natural justice and a fair outcome for the organizers (and the event).

I believe there will be opportunity for eye-witnesses and those directly involved to give evidence.

For all of those people (friends,family,organizers and witnesses) this is a traumatic event and they will need as much support as they can get.

[GIXser]

Eddie. Join the club's upper echelon and start the process of making it into what you think it should be. For a man of your talents it will be a nice little sideline. As you well know, Paeroa brings the biggest crowd of any motorcycle racing event in the country. Crowds=money, it would be a shame to have it shut down due to being unsafe, that would probably seal the fate of NZ's bike racing scene as a niche sport with no appeal to the wider community.

Everyone may as well all be riding pre-82 bikes then cause the only people who will come to watch will be 65+ year old men wearing brown anoraks

Yep i agree Gav..... and i may step up to the mark just yet... however nothing is free in this world and my guess is... they wont pay Andrew Stroud to turn up.. so i guess my chance of payment would be slightly slimmer yet..

[Maha]

Andrew Stroud? massive rider no question and I wish he would return to Paeroa, but who does he think he is wanting apperance money?

[Str8 Jacket]

Andrew Stroud? massive rider no question and I wish he would return to Paeroa, but who does he think he is wanting apperance money?

The father of 7 children!!!

[Maha]

The father of 7 children!!!

He has god on his side also, penny's from heaven?

Come on Andrew, please explain your absence, is it soley about the money?
Or do you have issues with the track?

[avgas]

I have nothing wrong with the racing. I have nothing wrong with the track. I have nothing wrong with the racers. So basically racers - if you don't like the risk, don't race. Personally I think a bit of risk is good for sport. Motor-sport should be dangerous - hell lately more people have been dying bloody swimming and shit rather than in what I would call the extreme category.
Moral of the story is if you don't like swimming with the sharks stay the fuck out of the ocean. As for Shaun getting paid - this is his own prerogative, he has balanced the things in his own life and come up with this. Which is fair enough.
Anyone remember Group B rally - that was fantastic motorsport. Regardless of whom it killed it will always be exciting.

However I did have problems on the day. Like what the fuck were the council thinking? When is their running track/football ground going to get more spectators than BOTS? I mean come on guys - parking on the grass wont fuck it up that bad. Bloody bullshit that is. Hauraki guys were the same knobs they always were. Hauraki was why I started using MP3's back in 96'

[scrivy]

Everyone has their reasons for racing/not racing there.

Here is the thread from last year (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/93109-Stroud-makes-a-stand!).

Each unto their own.

[GIXser]

Andrew Stroud? massive rider no question and I wish he would return to Paeroa, but who does he think he is wanting apperance money?

I think someone like Stoud "shirriffs and the like.. deserve payment , after all they are the biggest drawcards for the crowds ... and apart from a few select others, no one has beaten these guys for some time yet on the street circuit... then i also think there should be a fund for the entire group of racers performing there. funds for rehabilitation. funds for prizes ( i know there are some.. but i reckon additional funds are required.
increase the tickets to $ 30 even at 10000 spectators this brings in additional $50 k to be spread around for riders and safety etc....
i could go on but...wont lol

[wharfy]

He has god on his side also, penny's from heaven?

Come on Andrew, please explain your absence, is it soley about the money?
Or do you have issues with the track?

Andrew Stroud 7 times New Zealand Superbike Champion, Winner of the Daytona Battle of the Twins, Isle of Man Racer doesn't have to explain himself to any fucker.....

In the Robert Holden Memorial at the Cemetery Circuit only 22 of the invited 36 riders raced and only 15 of them could finsih on the same lap as Stroud

[Biggles08]

I think the issue is the danger Maha...I'm sure it is in fact. I am only riding there because it is a huge even for sponsors....thats all...If I had my way I wouldn't do it again due to the danger...hell, I came racing to get off the roads!

[Kickaha]

I think someone like Stoud "shirriffs and the like.. deserve payment , after all they are the biggest drawcards for the crowds .

Are they though? people will still go to the meeting regardless of whether those guys are there, I'd go to watch Choppa or Scrivy or anyone of the others I know before I'd go to watch Stroud or Shirrifs

[GIXser]

Don't know if ya noticed,,, but numbers were way down this year could be various reasons I guess but a lot has to do with the marketing ie using the name stroud etc

[HDTboy]

Yep i agree Gav..... and i may step up to the mark just yet... however nothing is free in this world and my guess is... they wont pay Andrew Stroud to turn up.. so i guess my chance of payment would be slightly slimmer yet..

I'm sure if you decide to do it, you'll come up with a way of ensuring you recieve a fair reward for your efforts. That won't stop the masses bleating about your reward here if you do though.

The way I see it, circus performers don't have to pay to entertain crowds...

[Kickaha]

Don't know if ya noticed,,, but numbers were way down this year could be various reasons I guess but a lot has to do with the marketing ie using the name stroud etc

Down compared to last year? year before? do you have crowd figures or is that a guess?

[GIXser]

just a guess bud... ill put money on it my guess is right though... by 25 %

[SpeedyB]

So true mate-- riders of the day were great, compared to last year it seemed that the chaps slowed down, possibly due to safety measures as mentioned, the orginisers were stealing bales to fix up their lack of safety in areas that should have been thought of before the racing started. They should get riders involved and not wait for the shit to happen.
Invited many mates for the day glad they had other committments otherwise i would have had my B--lls chewed off.

[sharky]

Don't know if ya noticed,,, but numbers were way down this year could be various reasons I guess but a lot has to do with the marketing ie using the name stroud etc

Yeah numbers were definately down - why I don't know? Without Gareth Jones/Stroud etc there though to challenge Craig the main event was a one man show.

[BMW_Pit_Chick]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/sport/3367650/Concerns-over-race-track

We were watching this and it looked like the guy made it to the far corner to me!!!