Pukekohe mid 60s...

[Chooky]

Going through some old photos today... here's a couple from Puke..
Anybody own up to their numbers..?
Taken by an Auckland Star photographer on GP day..

[Kiwi Graham]

Look at the size of the crowd!!!

[kittytamer]

Great photo's. A bit before my time though. The crowds look massive!

[Motu]

Yep,big crowds at Puke in those days - where is that support now? Went as a kid from the mid '60's through the '70's in my 20's...now just a occasional visitor.The track was longer then too - after the pit straight there was a left turn then down to the elbow.

Stevenson's built the Pukekohe track in 1962,taking 7 days,working day and night.The first race was held less than a week after completion.Compare that to how long it took the make Hampton Downs.

[Biggles08]

Stevenson's built the Pukekohe track in 1962,taking 7 days,working day and night.The first race was held less than a week after completion.Compare that to how long it took the make Hampton Downs.
But HD is a massively different animal to Pukekohe.

Love to see some of those crowds back again!

[FJRider]

Look at the size of the crowd!!!

Bugger all on tv ... ??? (or bugger all tv ... period)

[CHOPPA]

I see Craig in there...

[Motu]

But HD is a massively different animal to Pukekohe.


But we are talking about 1962 - I don't see how HD could be so much harder with all technology available,the much more qualified engineers and the so better skilled workers.The boys at Stevies got off their fucking arse and got the job done.

[ttelp15]

# 3 Trevor Discombe
# 9 Cliff Kingston
#10 Geoff Perry
#77 Andy Martin
???????

[Kickaha]

The boys at Stevies got off their fucking arse and got the job done.

Lets see them do the same thing today with resource consents, Taniwha to pacify, OSH to deal with etc etc

[Quasievil]

I like the white coats......Marcus can we do that in your pits

[Grumph]

I'd date the start pic at least as late 60's At least one A1R Kawasaki there and a flock of Honda CB72/77's. Still a few 7R's too so I'd guess start of the Junior race.

[Dutchee]

Yep,big crowds at Puke in those days - where is that support now? Went as a kid from the mid '60's through the '70's in my 20's...now just a occasional visitor.The track was longer then too - after the pit straight there was a left turn then down to the elbow.

They still used that intermittently in the 80's. Now the kids go play there with their bikes & skateboards, and you can still see some of the track there.

[paturoa]

its easy to see still http://maps.google.co.nz/?ie=UTF8&ll=-37.213366,174.91333&spn=0.003055,0.0053&t=h&z=18

Pity that that part of the track was abandoned as it gave a realy interesting left hander. (Wasn't there a building in a dnagerous place?)

[javawocky]

its easy to see still http://maps.google.co.nz/?ie=UTF8&ll=-37.213366,174.91333&spn=0.003055,0.0053&t=h&z=18

Pity that that part of the track was abandoned as it gave a realy interesting left hander. (Wasn't there a building in a dnagerous place?)

Castrol must have been a death trap on the old circuit :shit:

[Bender]

It was called the elbow and was a real interesting part of the circuit with its changing radius corner - to navigate it properly the car drivers used to throw the cars sideways in the tight early part of the corner, then boot it hard to get out the other side without losing speed. The result was spectacular.

The banks above gave a great natural grandstand - they used to put haybails up there to sit on.

The problem was the acute left hander into the section, right after the start. As cars and bikes got faster, it became more and more dangerous. They stopped using that section.

I believe the crowds deserted Puke because the facilities always were crap - and they haven't changed a bit. Disgusting toilets and only a few of them. Pisspoor food/drink facilities and what is there is outrageously expensive. Getting utterly fleeced to buy a carton of chips and a greasy hot dog doesn't go down well.

The changes they made to the circuit for the Aussie V8s wrecked the sight lines for spectators. The bridge across the start/finish straight means you can no longer see the start grid from the hill stand - and from the main grandstand you can't see the hill corner. The advertising hoarding in front of the hill stand obscures the track from the seating area (nice one boys!).

Used to be able to sit at the hill stand and watch the start/finish straight, Champion, the back straight and the whole of the hairpin section. Now there are signs, the bridge and advertising hoardings in the way so you can only see little bits.

I've been going to Puke all my life but the last time I went for a major meeting was the second time the Aussie V8s were there. It was a bloody awful experience and I will only go back now for lower key/classic meetings where I have some freedom to move around.

Interestingly they fell into the same trap in Hamilton, believing that the experience of the V8 race was so compelling that spectators would pay large sums to be there no matter how bad the facilities are and how much hassle they have to go through to get there (hello, selling tickets to a grandstand that has no view of the track?)

Spectator numbers have HALVED in the three years of the Hamilton event. What it says to me is that the people running the event have dollars signs in their eyes and have never been the ones sitting in the stands.

[jellywrestler]

Pity that that part of the track was abandoned as it gave a realy interesting left hander. (Wasn't there a building in a dangerous place?) the left hander had a building on the outside, nationals were arced on this circuit in 1990 due to the re being damage on the big sweeper, Vice Steur asked at riders breifing if they could put some bails in front of it; or at least leave the dorr open! in case someone overshot.
surface was knackered and there was a narrow bridge on the back part of it just before re3joining the existing circuit.
No room for two sidecars side by side through here so you had to sort out all that before getting to it.
At the end of the day the extra bit in 1990 was no worse than hawkesbury

[Grumph]

At the end of the day the extra bit in 1990 was no worse than hawkesbury[/QUOTE]

At least at Hawkesbury you had nice scenery around you....

[Chooky]

Some more photos from the same day... It was GP day, thats why the huge crowd...

[SPman]

It was GP day, thats why the huge crowd... Beat me to it! They used to run 2 bike races at the GP - a junior and a senior race. They'd also have guest appearances...one year Jim Redman on a works 250/4 Honda, (1963?) and Hugh Anderson on the works Suzuki 125 on another (1964?). Those guest appearances were what got me hooked on bikes.......Looks like those pics are from '68. That first photo has Amon leading Jim Clark with Bruce Mcl back in 4th/5th spot

[gixerracer]

I see Craig in there...

LOLOL Im not sure which is funnier me being that old or the fact that you young wipper snappers still cant beat me:Punk::yes:

[nick2slow]

LOLOL Im not sure which is funnier me being that old or the fact that you young wipper snappers still cant beat me:Punk::yes: think thats one to craig on that. but not for long though windy

[gixerracer]

think thats one to craig on that. but not for long though windy

nice 1 aye cuz yea i guess it cant go on for ever but hae look at stroud

[dave o]

Some more photos from the same day... It was GP day, thats why the huge crowd...

check out the sweet vented riding pants the guy on the outside has in the 3rd photo...

[malcy25]

Some of the best racing I have seen was around the Puke club circuit. mental with 35 -40 bike grids at times in 8/10th of a mile. lap record was in the 32's-34's. Races were usually 6-8 laps and all over in +/- 4 minutes!

The front straight we use now was the pits . The dummy grid was what is now the entry to T1/Jennian homes. Startline was just around the left hander. A sprint down to the "sweeper" which was tight entry / 2nd gear, which was well cambered and opened out into the back straight up the other side of the stables building to the hairpin which is tucked inside the esses. The exit of the hauirpin puts you backwards through Jennian homes and peel off into the club circuit. 2 1/2 corners all up.

When I first started racing the start line was down towards the sweeper. Off the line and straight into it. But it Hampton Downs disease down there, the finish was inside the braking area for the corner....

As mentioned above, the embankment was a great viewing area.

Usual multiple funny stories from small club meetings there.

I recall one unamed rider who fell off into the hairpin on the first lap and took 9 other guys with him. I recall riders wandering around trying to find their bikes.

Another time we heard a huge bang and the stables shook somewhat. Race was red flagged and as it transpires the rider of a GSXR had slipped off on the exit of the sweeper. Bike stayed up right and punched through a concrete block wall inside the stables.....

Have multiple photos of guys like Stroudy on his original FZR1000 (Genesis, not even EXUP!) doing balance point wheelstands out of the hairpin etc etc.

First lap of the race was the warmup to get a good grid. 125's regularly 8 wide shoulder to shoulder , standing on each others rear brakes.

Last race of the day was the Paerata Grand prix to the bar....

The Club circuit section was last used in 1991. Hasn't been used since the last track change and only enough money to relay the the big circuit was around (and in fact I think the guys who did that went bust anyway) and they armco'd over the entry to it.

I looked about 7-8 years ago at what it would cost to resurect it - at the time was $250k min.