Classic Festival at Hampton Downs

[rastus]

Really disappointed to see this happening at such a great event. - Went down to the corner to watch the racing and there was a display by an outfit calling themselves "Triumph Riders". They were telling people to "F....k Off" and I overheard one man asking why and it turns out it was all because he was wearing a "Triumph Owners" T-shirt. Later in the day back there again I heard them say the same thing to another guy. Not the sort of thing that you want to see or in this case hear. The Festival is always a great and professional event and to see a group behave like that it really lowers the tone of the meeting. Certainly does not encourage a person to join their club.

[Edbear]

A quiet word in the right ear would soon sort them out I would think. The organisers take a dim view of this sort of thing if anyone was threatened of felt threatened by them.

[nodrog]

A quiet word in the right ear would soon sort them out I would think. The organisers take a dim view of this sort of thing if anyone was threatened of felt threatened by them.

I prayed and prayed but nobody answered.

[unstuck]

Wonder what they would do if you wandered up wearing a harley shirt then.:lol:

[dino3310]

i'll wear my Lifan shirt next year

[Paul in NZ]

Wonder what they would do if you wandered up wearing a harley shirt then.:lol:

You would be OK. Triumph Riders is strictly BEARS only, TOMCC really only cares that you are interested in Triumphs.

[Voltaire]

Brian: Excuse me. Are you the Judean People's Front?
Reg: Fuck off! We're the People's Front of Judea

[Big Dave]

Easy fix.

Buy a Triumph.

I'll have a Rocket Roadster while you are there.

[Paul in NZ]

Easy fix.

Buy a Triumph.

I'll have a Rocket Roadster while you are there.

Rockets a poofy BSA name and roadsters were nortons.... I'm confused... (again)

[Big Dave]

Rockets a poofy BSA name and roadsters were nortons.... I'm confused... (again)

Gump voice: I'd need a BSA Rocket for each butt-tock.

Gronk voice: 2.3 Roadster Maaaaan size.

[Paul in NZ]

Gump voice: I'd need a BSA Rocket for each butt-tock.

Gronk voice: 2.3 Roadster Maaaaan size.


Paul Voice: Does this bike make my butt look big?

Vicki Voice: Only because it makes your weener look smaller....

(thinks - I must actually ride one some day.... maybe....)

[sidecar bob]

Triumph riders were invaribly fuckin tools when I was a young fella, looks like nothing much has changed.

[Paul in NZ]

Triumph riders were invaribly fuckin tools when I was a young fella, looks like nothing much has changed.

Hey - I resemble that remark... I like to think of myself as a 8" adjustable wrench... Likely to slip up at the wrong moment...

[nodrog]

You meet the nicest people on a Honda.

[short shins]

I was only there on Sunday but I didn’t notice any Neanderthal behaviour from any one, maybe I was at the wrong corner or my T Shirt confused people as it had a bike on it but no brand name (Team Joe Bar CB750)

The whole event seemed to be a bit flat, some of the racing was good and close even if history is being rewritten in a couple of classes.
3 of us rode up from Wellington for this event. We have been coming up since 2009 when Kevin Schwantz came down and rode a Manx. I did come up to the 1998 (whenever Paul Smart came out on his Works Triple. He raced it as well)

We didn’t go last year; we chose to do a SI trip instead.

We have some questions for the organisers of the event (if they read this)

What happened to the advertised 11 Beezump triples race?

Why did the “Star” of the show leave the track with his ex-works Triumph Triple in the back of a van on Sunday at 2:00pm? In fact he nearly ran me over in his haste to leave :(

How about taking the “blinkers” off and allowing bikes from the Far East to compete. I would pay good money to see a Honda 6!

[sidecar bob]

The "star of the show" crashed his brains out & last report was in Middlemore & the bike was a bit ruined, so that probably explains that.

[Bender]

The "star" left because the bike was damaged after a crash.

There was significant tar bleed on the corner and after he went down, the maintenance crews put a heap of cement dust down after that incident. From what I could see the bike wasn't badly damaged but the right handlebar appeared to have snapped.

[trustme]

I hate that elitist shit , maybe that is why I don't belong to any of those organisations.



I was only there on Sunday but I didn’t notice any Neanderthal behaviour from any one, maybe I was at the wrong corner or my T Shirt confused people as it had a bike on it but no brand name (Team Joe Bar CB750)

The whole event seemed to be a bit flat, some of the racing was good and close even if history is being rewritten in a couple of classes.
3 of us rode up from Wellington for this event. We have been coming up since 2009 when Kevin Schwantz came down and rode a Manx. I did come up to the 1998 (whenever Paul Smart came out on his Works Triple. He raced it as well)

We didn’t go last year; we chose to do a SI trip instead.

We have some questions for the organisers of the event (if they read this)

What happened to the advertised 11 Beezump triples race?

Why did the “Star” of the show leave the track with his ex-works Triumph Triple in the back of a van on Sunday at 2:00pm? In fact he nearly ran me over in his haste to leave :(

How about taking the “blinkers” off and allowing bikes from the Far East to compete. I would pay good money to see a Honda 6!


Good points.. yup, Chandler crashed , bike looks repairable but 70+ year old riders don't bounce like the young ones.

The track was apparently pretty bad , it had just been patched on Thursday, lots of slides, lots of offs. One of the better postie racers was doing demo laps on Triumphs & lost the rear end just on a demo ride, he was glad he was not racing as the new tarseal was so green it had not gone hard. Not the registers fault but frustrating

Long term there is a conundrum facing the classic register. the bikes are getting older , the riders are getting older, most of the better known riders from the classic era are now simply too old to race / ride. Hence no more Hughie or Ginger. Finding star attractions for the event is becoming more difficult / expensive & happened this time because Triumph NZ sponsored the event .
Posties compete at most classic events & the 2 clubs work closely together, The festival is the registers premier event so the focus is primarily on the classics.
The Barry Sheene weekend may well replace the festival as the big event. Both classics & posties are there, a significant number of Aussies came , bloody great.
I can see an arguement for swapping the dates around so The BS weekend was in Feb & the festival was in October, better weather for the event that will continue to grow , with a lesser emphasis on an event that will continue to have reducing fields without changes.

I race with the classics , love it , some can see the need for some change but there is an old guard that hate change . Just my opinion

[Voltaire]

The track was sure not at its best on the weekend.... was stepping out on Turn 3,4 and 5, had to find new lines..... was well off the times I did at the BSF.
I saw Terry Martin crash his Trident on the hairpin of the Friday.....not a good omen.( the battery fell out on a later race....:rolleyes:)
Swapping the dates is not a bad idea, you'll need to get on the committee.......
How come they don't get more of the modern era international racers having a go on classics ?

[GD66]

How about taking the “blinkers” off and allowing bikes from the Far East to compete. I would pay good money to see a Honda 6!


The NZCMRR do relax their "No Jap Crap" mantra every few years when it suits, they had Hailwood's Reynolds-framed 500 Honda there a few years ago, then an assortment for a 100 year anniversary of NZ roadracing which featured Croz's XR69 and the Roberts weaponry. A couple of years back Hugh Anderson was demoing the wicked Yamaha V4 125 replica. But then "reality" sets in, the huffing and puffing starts and the Jappers are excommunicated for a few years until the drawcards dry up again. Beats me why this has gone on so long when the two movements can co-exist peacefully for the rest of each year....:weird:


Presumably you missed the MV 350 six from the 1999 festival, Shins. Yum.....

[Grumph]

The NZCMRR do relax their "No Jap Crap" mantra every few years when it suits, they had Hailwood's Reynolds-framed 500 Honda there a few years ago, then an assortment for a 100 year anniversary of NZ roadracing which featured Croz's XR69 and the Roberts weaponry. A couple of years back Hugh Anderson was demoing the wicked Yamaha V4 125 replica. But then "reality" sets in, the huffing and puffing starts and the Jappers are excommunicated for a few years until the drawcards dry up again. Beats me why this has gone on so long when the two movements can co-exist peacefully for the rest of each year....:weird:


Presumably you missed the MV 350 six from the 1999 festival, Shins. Yum.....

Quite agree with this...It's gone on like this because a lot of the Reg guys only come out once a year IMO. If they were involved on a regular basis the reality of the situation may become apparent.

In the SI of course we're a bit luckier with one club covering all Classic and Post Classic periods - at least any problems are ironed out in house, lol...
I was a founder member of the Reg in the SI and looking back now I'd have to say that the CAMS founding and break from the Register was in the end a Good Thing.

[vinducati]

Went along on Sunday and really enjoyed it.
But was sorry to see the track was so slick.
Made the racing very difficult.
Ron fell, and there was another bike involved.
He took a really big knock.
All the best to him and I hope is is recovering well.
I for one would love to see a rider range of bikes at the event.
As for the "Element" that were abusing people, they are fortunately becoming extinct.
Cheers

[malcy25]

Beats me why this has gone on so long when the two movements can co-exist peacefully for the rest of each year....:weird:

GD how's WA!

yes...how true. I've heard some "interesting" reasoning.....

Mind you, my wife does describe the event as "that dangerous meeting"

[jellywrestler]

and the Roberts weaponry. yep and the did nout to encourage even bikes like that along. I own the Plastic Fantastic and drag along the Alloy bike wherever possible. I approached the club about display area etc several months before the event so they could use them as a drawcard etc and track time with known riders, passed onto another group on the email address and then no reply.
I made sure they ran well took them up to Pukekohe, sorted display boards, got plenty of av gas for the PF arranged known riders of a calibre that could display the bikes at their potential (and i guess i took the risk if they were damaged) sorted them over the weekend and even arranged an early PF chassis in its rawest state to be brought to the circuit for display and then took them back to the Hutt Valley.
What did I get from the Classic Racing Register for this? not a hot dog nor a glass of beer nor a ticket in nor anything whatsoever...

[swarfie]

yep and the did nout to encourage even bikes like that along. I own the Plastic Fantastic and drag along the Alloy bike wherever possible. I approached the club about display area etc several months before the event so they could use them as a drawcard etc and track time with known riders, passed onto another group on the email address and then no reply.
I made sure they ran well took them up to Pukekohe, sorted display boards, got plenty of av gas for the PF arranged known riders of a calibre that could display the bikes at their potential (and i guess i took the risk if they were damaged) sorted them over the weekend and even arranged an early PF chassis in its rawest state to be brought to the circuit for display and then took them back to the Hutt Valley.
What did I get from the Classic Racing Register for this? not a hot dog nor a glass of beer nor a ticket in nor anything whatsoever...

I guess the reason for that Spyda my friend is that YOU don't own a Manx Norton...the whole bloody outfit don't give a flying F... to the ordinary punters and I know all about that being a Classic Sidecar racer! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[jellywrestler]

I guess the reason for that Spyda my friend is that YOU don't own a Manx Norton...the whole bloody outfit don't give a flying F... to the ordinary punters and I know all about that being a Classic Sidecar racer! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

to be fair when I took one of my Hendersons there I got two free tickets, I was two people short of a threesome that weekend so only needed one though.

[scrivy]

I know all about that being a Classic Sidecar racer!

Do you race sidecars Swarfie???

I thought you just showboated on it!!!! :clap::clap::headbang::banana::lol:

[scrivy]

to be fair when I took one of my Hendersons there I got two free tickets.

One for Graeme, one for Spyda...... :rolleyes:

[Paul in NZ]

One of the things that made the meeting great was that it was one of the few places where you could still see original Manx's / 7R's etc etc racing rather than modern reproductions but of course that changing .... and the fellows that meant something too are becoming fewer as well.

There will come a time when the baton needs to be passed to the next generation and anyone that reads classic motorcycle magazines regularly would have to say that time is soon...

The problem will be fitting it all into one weekend...

[swarfie]

Do you race sidecars Swarfie???

I thought you just showboated on it!!!! :clap::clap::headbang::banana::lol:

Ya gotta admit it's a friigging good show tho' :banana::headbang::2thumbsup:clap:

Any time you want to line up on equal machinery Scrivy, just let me know....but then it would be a scrap over who was gunna get Bob as a swinger :first:....and sadly I'd probably loose :(

[scrivy]

Ya gotta admit it's a friigging good show tho' :banana::headbang::2thumbsup:clap:

Any time you want to line up on equal machinery Scrivy, just let me know....but then it would be a scrap over who was gunna get Bob as a swinger :first:....and sadly I'd probably loose :(

I'll swap Bob for Jo. I'd lose 60 kgs just like that!!! Doesn't sound 'unfair' to me!!! :lol::killingme:2thumbsup

[sidecar bob]

One of the things that made the meeting great was that it was one of the few places where you could still see original Manx's / 7R's etc etc racing rather than modern reproductions but of course that changing .... and the fellows that meant something too are becoming fewer as well.

There will come a time when the baton needs to be passed to the next generation and anyone that reads classic motorcycle magazines regularly would have to say that time is soon...

The problem will be fitting it all into one weekend...

On the weekend at the classic festival, we floated the idea of introducing a pre '82 Jap classic sidecar class. there was immediate interest, but with whom to run them was the big question. It seems that MNZ's angle was that they must run with moderns, (and fair enough) to the detrement of the classic register, as at least a few pre '76 racers will make the change to pre '82.
Im the "next generation" of classic racer, at closer to 50 than 40, & to me, an old bike is a '79 Suzuki GS1000.
Something needs to be done, the classic scene is too much fun to die out.

[sidecar bob]

I'll swap Bob for Jo. I'd lose 60 kgs just like that!!! Doesn't sound 'unfair' to me!!! :lol::killingme:2thumbsup

What!!! youre trading me like a cheap plastic container now???

[scrivy]

What!!! youre trading me like a cheap plastic container now???

Well, grow some tits then........ :killingme

[swarfie]

I'll swap Bob for Jo. I'd lose 60 kgs just like that!!! Doesn't sound 'unfair' to me!!! :lol::killingme:2thumbsup

I gota admit there is a slight weight penalty :killingme , but that can be a distinct advantage on my skinny tyred big wheel sitter sometimes. It's not easy trying to get round slow left-handers on the Matchy with only 45kg of ballast. That said it's going to be hard work trying to replace her when she goes overseas....I'm going to miss my little mate :( In fact she's irreplaceable really :first:

[HenryDorsetCase]

I prayed and prayed but nobody answered.

and here is why:

278547278547

[HenryDorsetCase]

I hate that elitist shit , maybe that is why I don't belong to any of those organisations.





Good points.. yup, Chandler crashed , bike looks repairable but 70+ year old riders don't bounce like the young ones.

The track was apparently pretty bad , it had just been patched on Thursday, lots of slides, lots of offs. One of the better postie racers was doing demo laps on Triumphs & lost the rear end just on a demo ride, he was glad he was not racing as the new tarseal was so green it had not gone hard. Not the registers fault but frustrating

Long term there is a conundrum facing the classic register. the bikes are getting older , the riders are getting older, most of the better known riders from the classic era are now simply too old to race / ride. Hence no more Hughie or Ginger. Finding star attractions for the event is becoming more difficult / expensive & happened this time because Triumph NZ sponsored the event .
Posties compete at most classic events & the 2 clubs work closely together, The festival is the registers premier event so the focus is primarily on the classics.
The Barry Sheene weekend may well replace the festival as the big event. Both classics & posties are there, a significant number of Aussies came , bloody great.
I can see an arguement for swapping the dates around so The BS weekend was in Feb & the festival was in October, better weather for the event that will continue to grow , with a lesser emphasis on an event that will continue to have reducing fields without changes.

I race with the classics , love it , some can see the need for some change but there is an old guard that hate change . Just my opinion

Look to Goodwood my son. The stars of their shows are people like Kevin Schwantz and Freddie Spencer and the big crowds go to see the stinkwheels from the 80s and 90s. Or, as someone suggested, a Honda 6.

phwoar.

[swarfie]

Well, grow some tits then........ :killingme

Thought he had :killingme:killingme:killingme

Keep ya eyes on the job ya dirty OLD BASTARD:lol::drool:

[scrivy]

Thought he had :killingme:killingme:killingme

Keep ya eyes on the job ya dirty OLD BASTARD:lol::drool:

Dude..... 3 things.

1. Yes, he has grown tits, and a baby belly......
2. You're older than me.......... :killingme:2thumbsup:banana::headbang::not::clap:
3. Yes I am dirty.....

[jellywrestler]

Dude..... 3 things.

1. Yes, he has grown tits, and a baby belly......
2. You're older than me.......... :killingme:2thumbsup:banana::headbang::not::clap:
3. Yes I am dirty.....
officially they're known as 'He Hooters'

[Grumph]

One of the things that made the meeting great was that it was one of the few places where you could still see original Manx's / 7R's etc etc racing rather than modern reproductions but of course that changing .... and the fellows that meant something too are becoming fewer as well.

There will come a time when the baton needs to be passed to the next generation and anyone that reads classic motorcycle magazines regularly would have to say that time is soon...

The problem will be fitting it all into one weekend...

Now that right there about still seeing original Manxes and 7R's running is where I start to go off....
I'm old enough to know first hand that that is not representative of NZ roadrace history at all !!!
As soon as a Manx or 7R arrived here - usually VERY second hand - it started to change. Bits weren't available, motors blew, bits were made and remade locally. Now all the register wants to see is a flock of poxy original bikes which are IMO false history....and what are we doing, I thought it was supposed to be representative of ACTUAL NZ racing history....

And when someone (spyda) gives them an opportunity to showcase ACTUAL NZ race history - they bloody ignore it.

[sidecar bob]

Someone also recently pointed out to me that my pre '76 BMW boxer sidecar would have never existed in the real world, as by the time 1976 rolled around, your sidecar was either a Z900 Kawasaki, a TZ750 or Waterbus.
Anyone that turned up on a 15 inch wheeled BMW R90s outfit would have been laughed off the track.
These outfits such as mine, were built to a set of rules that specificaly exclude Jap engines, which makes it not true period racing, rather racing to appease a set of recently made rules.

[Voltaire]

In the UK Reliant Robins and other three wheeled 'cars' were only due to the you could drive them with a motorcycle licience...... small bore british engines came about due to a bore tax... Superchargers were banned when BMW kicked Nortons arse at the TT .......didn't the IOM come to be due to racing not being allowed on the mainland?.....so the Register are only following British tradition...:lol:
To change the Registers rules would involve being voted on to " a committee" :weird:

[calmone]

I went down on the Friday as I did for the Barry Sheene when there are less spectators and you can view the machinery and talk to the riders without getting in the way. I had a good chat to Ron Chandler and he told me that his wife will not let him race anymore, but he is allowed to ride as fast as he feels is comfortable, he was feeling comfortable on the Friday and the few laps he did between Track Repairs were pretty good and fast.

I believe that post Classics should be able to run as we have both Pre and Post.

The unfortunate thing about the weekend was the Track condition a problem they are going to have at
Hampton Downs from over use in the hot weather unless they spread the meets out a bit, which of course as a commercial venture will not happen.

[Paul in NZ]

Now that right there about still seeing original Manxes and 7R's running is where I start to go off....
I'm old enough to know first hand that that is not representative of NZ roadrace history at all !!!
As soon as a Manx or 7R arrived here - usually VERY second hand - it started to change. Bits weren't available, motors blew, bits were made and remade locally. Now all the register wants to see is a flock of poxy original bikes which are IMO false history....and what are we doing, I thought it was supposed to be representative of ACTUAL NZ racing history....

And when someone (spyda) gives them an opportunity to showcase ACTUAL NZ race history - they bloody ignore it.

Eh? Who said they were replicating NZ racing history???

I mean when sammy millar rode the Moto guzzi v8 there that wasnt really replicating anything other than celebrating a stonking bike...

It just a bunch of blokes with more money than sense that like a certain type of bike and have made a great show of it. If other like a different type of bike and want a similar show well then go for it...

Another option is to run alternate years. Current formula one year - pre 8? next year

[slowpoke]

Jaysus, here's me thinkin' it's about time to flog the Superbike for something a lil' more my own age and build a post classic bike......but I don't think I'm quite ready for the politics!

[Voltaire]

Eh? Who said they were replicating NZ racing history???
It just a bunch of blokes with more money than sense that like a certain type of bike and have made a great show of it. If other like a different type of bike and want a similar show well then go for it...


I built up a non existant 1973 BMW racer, we're not competitive but its lots of fun.:2thumbsup
I don't like bowls and golf.....

[trustme]

The festival is the main income source for NZCMRR , they have to run every year or they starve, alternate years & nobody survives.

The BS weekend broke about even as I understand it. Gate takings were down on budget due to the weather, High entries numbers made up the difference.

Long term I think the BS will become the premier event . they can't run the festival & BS too close together or the punters will not attend both.

Decisions decisions :confused:

[trustme]

Jaysus, here's me thinkin' it's about time to flog the Superbike for something a lil' more my own age and build a post classic bike......but I don't think I'm quite ready for the politics!

It's sweet, do it you will love it. The politics is a side show.

[malcy25]

Jaysus, here's me thinkin' it's about time to flog the Superbike for something a lil' more my own age and build a post classic bike......but I don't think I'm quite ready for the politics!

The Postie boys are known for just getting on with it and can't be arsed much with politics....can't say the same elsewhere after a day at Hampton downs last weekend....

[steveyb]

As long as they can:
a) only drive 45 mins cos their dodgy hips/knees/backs/eyes (delete as required) won't allow them to drive further than Te Kauwhata from AKL.
b) fly 1st or business class to Sydney or Melbourne cos then they are international racers.
c) have a blanky on their laps in their comfy chairs with their tea and cakes whilst arguing about who was fastest in 197mumble.

[malcy25]

b) fly 1st or business class to Sydney or Melbourne cos then they are international racers.


Yeah, why not, I can heartly recommend it, especially if it's further afield and especially on Emirates first class :bleh:.

[steveyb]

Yes, so can I.
Managed it to Oz MotoGP in 2007. Business and cattle classes were the same number of frequent flyer points on QANTAS, so a no-brainer there.
But left my blanky at home.....:lol:

[Laava]

Brian: Excuse me. Are you the Judean People's Front?
Reg: Fuck off! We're the People's Front of Judea
Fucking splitters!
my mate was one of the ones that got told to fuck off out of the TRC marquee, some of the TOMCC are also in TRC. What abunch of fuckwits.

[Voltaire]

Ah he should have come over to the BMW tent, always a cheery hello and even a cup of tea.....and you can mention the war