Lap times at Taupo

[roadracingoldfart]

Just to bring us bike guys and girls back to reality ..... have you seen that Craig Shirrifs did a blistering 1 min 37 sec lap at the last round of the vic series which i thought was very fast.
Then these cheeky buggas in the A1 cars come with 500 HP and do a 1 min 15 sec at the first time out there .
Shit those things are fast .
Its got to be good for the track reputation too so lets hope it all goes well this weekend and we get to keep the next 2 yrs deal and beyond.

[GSVR]

No doubt the A1's would be heaps faster. What would be interesting is the time a really good Gocart could do around there. The long back straight would stuff it up but I'd bet thered be nothing faster through the infield.

I think you might find that the time for Craig Sherriffs was when they still had the old hairpin in the track which adds heaps.

[Ivan]

A reckon a RS250 Honda powered go kart would be fast through there, especially when a go kart is designed for corner speed and give it a fast engine for thestraight youl be set

[xwhatsit]

One of those `superkarts' would do h'ok, I'd say. Saw Ralph Schumacher in a superkart -- full aero, 500cc motorcycle engine... gah. Was giving a (very, very old) F1 car a run for its money around Nordschleife.

There's nothing wrong with four wheels, at least from a motorsport point of view.

[James Deuce]

Just watching A1 on TV. Taupo looks like shit. Narrow, bumpy, and dirty.

I can't believe that Taupo is the best we can do.

What an embarrassment.

[bistard]

I agree Jim,we raced there at the last round of the Vic series,was tight on
my ZXR400,so I cant see the A1 boys enjoying it,cant see how they will overtake??
but we will see

[MSTRS]

Just watching A1 on TV. Taupo looks like shit. Narrow, bumpy, and dirty.


Just wait for the Waipawa round then...:innocent:

[rustys]

Just been watching A1 Qualifiying, some of them are getting awfully close to THE WALL ( the point we have all talked about)coming off that last turn onto start/finish straight. Think the French man would have had to change his undies, to bloody close for my liking.:woohoo: We will wait and see, tomorrow?

[TonyB]

Yeah, must say it did look pretty bloody bumpy. When they interviewed the drivers they all rated the track, but then I suspect they might be instructed to say they love it. Some parts do seem bloody tight for that class of car, they're probably not even carrying enough corner speed to generate down force.

[Swoop]

Just watching A1 on TV. Taupo looks like shit. Narrow, bumpy, and dirty.

I can't believe that Taupo is the best we can do.

What an embarrassment.


Don't forget the recent patches of repairs...
I guess the host nations circuit has to resemble the country's roads...........

[James Deuce]

They had the previous round on telly from South Africa. That was supposed to be a tight track, but compared to Taupo WOW!

[trumpy]

Taupo is is a billiard table compared to the road circuit round in China.The original hairpin there was so tight none of the A1 cars could get around it so they had to end up making it bigger.
No motor racing circuit in this country makes money (the country is way too small and the small amount of investment we have is spread out over too many tracks (talk to the track managers and do the numbers) consequently budgetary restrictions place a huge part in track development.
This is basically a brand new track and MIT are well aware of of the problems and are realistic enough to know that these are almost an inevitability on a project this size. Give them time guys.
Oh yeah, I'm a bit biased..........:wait:

[James Deuce]

If you are going to put yourself out there on the International scene, do a proper job or forget it. A1GP won't come back to NZ after this.

[Ivan]

Im not complaining if we complain and they dont come back here what is?
I thought Taupo was good when I went to the circuit a few weeks back not that ruff.

GO NZ

[James Deuce]

The cars are locking up at the entry to turn 9 because of the bumps and falling off.

Cars enter corners at a greater speed than bikes and they brake far later. It really is nasty to watch.

[trumpy]

If Taupo is unacceptable as an International venue then there are no circuits in this country worthy. Similarly, having been to a number of other (famous) circuits offshore, half the international events around the world need to be stopped as well and as for the Isle of Mann........
If all circuits were billiard table smooth there would be no challenge. These are professional drivers, it is a test of their ability to adapt to whatever conditions are presented to them. Notice that the top guys do and the also rans struggle....real talent always surfaces when conditions are not "ideal".

[Toaster]

Shit those things are fast .

Sure are!

Man I thought the thread title said "Lapdance at Taupo'.... dang.

[That Guy]

If you are going to put yourself out there on the International scene, do a proper job or forget it. A1GP won't come back to NZ after this.


Phew!

Back on the scene after having been away for a long time.

Jim2 This is not the remark of a positive go getter you were 18 months ago with your posts on this site. Chin up fulla! :rockon:

Relax - having worked in MotoGP I can asure you (the new) Taupo is not as good as some international circuts - no doubt - but its not as bad as the worst either. You should see what Argentina was like! 500s swapping down the straight because of the bumps! Jerez gets covered in dust from the Shahara. Suzkua was as dangerous as Pukekohe, Sachsenring's facilities are rubbish, Philip Island's facilties are too, and Welkom is the middle of nowhere. What Taupo (MIT) has achieved is fantastic and aginst all odds, and, serioulsy, they can count themselves as an international circuit worthy of holding a place in the calendar.

[James Deuce]

Uh huh. It costs an absolute fortune to come here.

We need to do better than a track with some dangerous corners, a town with no hotels, and a generally apathetic populace. Welkom looks fantastic on TV, as does Kyalami. They both might be a bit mickey mouse in lay out now, especially the emasculated Kyalami, but there's actually trackside hoardings with sponsorship up, a flag waving crowd, and an air of something happening. Taupo looks like a milking shed during a drought.

Motorsport NZ had an opportunity with this event, and all they've done is a couple of late night TV adverts and some posters in ticketing agency offices. Everyone in NZ should know who Johnny Reid is. Most of the people in my office had no idea there was anything special on this weekend.

[James Deuce]

If Taupo is unacceptable as an International venue then there are no circuits in this country worthy. Similarly, having been to a number of other (famous) circuits offshore, half the international events around the world need to be stopped as well and as for the Isle of Mann........
If all circuits were billiard table smooth there would be no challenge. These are professional drivers, it is a test of their ability to adapt to whatever conditions are presented to them. Notice that the top guys do and the also rans struggle....real talent always surfaces when conditions are not "ideal".

No one said anything about billiard smooth. John Watson at Detroit in '82 is one of my favourite F1 races ever and no one could accuse Detroit of being smooth.

The world doesn't need any more dusty, single line race tracks, with processional racing.

It's difficult to test a driver when he can't go fast enough to get out of 3rd gear, and the car isn't working because it isn't generating down force.

I'm not suggesting that the drivers aren't up to it. I'm suggesting the event, the planning, and the track aren't involving enough to warrant spending a fortune to come here again. It needed to be special, and it just looks like Argentina to me.

[That Guy]

It costs stuff all more to come here than it does Philip Island, Malaysia or Japan. In fact the hotel pricing and NZ dollar make it cheaper to come here. My fly-away budget (ie races outside of Europe) was by far the cheapest to come to OZ. Malaysia and Japan were 10s of thousands more.

As far as the teams are concerned there are 100 times more hotels in Taupo, than Welkom or Philip Island for example. In Valencia we used to drive an hour each way from hotel to track. And the Taupo hotels are generally of a higher standard. Don't forget the teams book 12 months out too so they'll be ok. Punters booking late might be a bit grumpy though.. then again Napier and Rotorua are no further away than Melbourne from Philip Island for example.

I agree with you though motorsport NZ have not made enough of nor understood the gravity of this event in NZ. Lets hope its not a 1 off like SBK was more than a decade ago now!

[James Deuce]

Point taken about the travel costs.

[That Guy]

:Offtopic: Still got your R6 Jim?

[The_Dover]

i reckon my gixxer would smoke those poofy fake F1 cars around taupo.

[Toast]

Nothing wrong with a few bumps. Makes it harder for drivers/riders/teams to use the power they have, thus evening the field out a bit. Not an issue in A1, but good for bike racing, especially.

[roogazza]

MOTOGP IS COMING TO TAUPO !!! yeah right ! G.

[GSVR]

Only major issue for the drivers was the lack of overtaking places. This issue was mainly due to all the dust off the raceline. Even down the backstraight they couldn't pass as moving off the race line meant no grip. This problem won't be as bad when the grass really gets established. Also the wind compounded the problem.

Everyone pretty much ended up finishing the races where they qualified. Most noticable was the English car that was slow and held up about 7 cars behind it for alot of the main race.

[Delboy]

I just spent the Weekend in Taupo watching the A1gp and it was a fantastic event. MIT have done themselves proud with what has been Achieved in the last 18 months. A1 will be back at least for the next 2 years. The track is a bit hard too pass on but for those more committed and willing there are opportunities. Further down the field there was plenty of overtaking going on. The leaders generally wont take the risk.

The facilities are excellent and up there with many international tracks, not as flash as maybe the 100 million dollar tracks being built but for what they have achieved with there budget is excellent.

I cant believe the knockers around here, but hey, that's us kiwis aye.

[cowpoos]

Just to bring us bike guys and girls back to reality ..... have you seen that Craig Shirrifs did a blistering 1 min 37 sec lap at the last round of the vic series which i thought was very fast.
Then these cheeky buggas in the A1 cars come with 500 HP and do a 1 min 15 sec at the first time out there .
Shit those things are fast .
Its got to be good for the track reputation too so lets hope it all goes well this weekend and we get to keep the next 2 yrs deal and beyond.

think shirrifs has lap record at 1:35


If Taupo is unacceptable as an International venue then there are no circuits in this country worthy. .

ruapuna...best circut in the country according to those in the know and those that think they are...close to a big port...airport...accomidation..large variaty of other shit to do..good night life..and according to a dangerous a large number of hookers ;)




I agree with you though motorsport NZ have not made enough of nor understood the gravity of this event in NZ. Lets hope its not a 1 off like SBK was more than a decade ago now!


WSBK was here for 4 or more years wasn't it??????

[Masterchop]

Just to bring us bike guys and girls back to reality ..... have you seen that Craig Shirrifs did a blistering 1 min 37 sec lap at the last round of the vic series which i thought was very fast.
Then these cheeky buggas in the A1 cars come with 500 HP and do a 1 min 15 sec at the first time out there .
Shit those things are fast .
Its got to be good for the track reputation too so lets hope it all goes well this weekend and we get to keep the next 2 yrs deal and beyond.

I think the A1 cars have a slight advantage where the transition from the new track to the old is.
They use a piece of track the bikes havnt been using,that should be worth a few seconds.

[svs]

I think the A1 cars have a slight advantage where the transition from the new track to the old is.
They use a piece of track the bikes havnt been using,that should be worth a few seconds.

Round 6 of the vmcc winter series will be using this new circuit configuration, so you should get a better idea of how fast these cars are.

I was there too. Bloody Awesome. Very professional setup and on a par if not better than anything I've been to overseas. Taupo did us proud, and even if there wasn't much opportunity to overtake, the cars are so evenly matched, what did they expect?

[denill]

I was there too. Bloody Awesome. Very professional setup and on a par if not better than anything I've been to overseas. Taupo did us proud, and even if there wasn't much opportunity to overtake, the cars are so evenly matched, what did they expect?

Yeah, a lot of it was good BUT there was too much that was bad! 50mins between some races?
And - I didn't pay 175 notes to see a Maori concert party show. Get real organisers - it's bloody motor racing the punters came to see, not PC rubbish. There is a time and a place for that - but not a motor racing event.

As for MotoGP in Taupo? I doubt it! The empty seats for this major inaugral event in a country were four wheeler petrol heads vastly out number motorcycling fans bore testament to the fact it just would not be viable. Taupo is only a shadow of PI when everything is weighed.
I went probably thru curiosity but I won't bother next year. I suspect that not many of the Ford and Holden apparel wearing punters would have experienced the spectacle the motorcycle racing can provide. Poor buggers!

[cowpoos]

Yeah, a lot of it was good BUT there was too much that was bad! 50mins between some races?
And - I didn't pay 175 notes to see a Maori concert party show. Get real organisers - it's bloody motor racing the punters came to see, not PC rubbish. There is a time and a place for that - but not a motor racing event.

As for MotoGP in Taupo? I doubt it! The empty seats for this major inaugral event in a country were four wheeler petrol heads vastly out number motorcycling fans bore testament to the fact it just would not be viable. Taupo is only a shadow of PI when everything is weighed.
I went probably thru curiosity but I won't bother next year. I suspect that not many of the Ford and Holden apparel wearing punters would have experienced the spectacle the motorcycle racing can provide. Poor buggers!
if the auz V8 supercars were racin there....it would have been packed to over flowing....if motoGP turned up [not that it will happen] you would full the event with traveling fans from overseas alone I would think...

[Kickaha]

A reckon a RS250 Honda powered go kart would be fast through there, especially when a go kart is designed for corner speed and give it a fast engine for thestraight youl be set

It would piss over all the bikes and V8 supertaxis but it wouldn't beat a A1GP car

A pity it conflicted with the Nationals down here or I would have gone to it


Yeah, a lot of it was good BUT there was too much that was bad! 50mins between some races?
And - I didn't pay 175 notes to see a Maori concert party show. Get real organisers - it's bloody motor racing the punters came to see, not PC rubbish. There is a time and a place for that - but not a motor racing event.


Emai the organisers if they don't know what pisses the public off about the event they wont fix it

[JayRacer37]

Just to bring us bike guys and girls back to reality ..... have you seen that Craig Shirrifs did a blistering 1 min 37 sec lap at the last round of the vic series which i thought was very fast.
Then these cheeky buggas in the A1 cars come with 500 HP and do a 1 min 15 sec at the first time out there .
Shit those things are fast .
Its got to be good for the track reputation too so lets hope it all goes well this weekend and we get to keep the next 2 yrs deal and beyond.

Craig did 1.37 at the last round of vic?? at the last vic round we were using the STUPID micky mouse dead stop chicane to enter the back straight. the A1 used the new part, which is a third gear sweep instead
id guess that that would be worth about ten seconds
maybe a bit less..but not nearly as bad as it first sounds

[roadracingoldfart]

I saw later that the track had been changed from what we rode on at the last round Jay but as you were only a second and a bit off Craig's time take a bow to the addoring crowd ok !!!. I heard the times on the radio and was amazed at first hence the thread here.

Buy the way , does anybody remember the grudge race against a superbike and a F3 car at Manfeild in the 80s ???
Sorry folks.... the car wasted the bike lol. Bugger mutter bugger.

Cheers, Paul.

[svs]

we were using the STUPID micky mouse dead stop chicane to enter the back straight. the A1 used the new part, which is a third gear sweep instead

couldn't use the new bit last time cos the safety wall hadn't been built, so next time we're on T1 then we'll be using the fast sweeper. happy?

[roadracingoldfart]

FAST is good Phil so YES im Happy lol

[kickingzebra]

I can hardly wait to spank through there and miss the nasty surface change/dropoff from the chicane!!

[JayRacer37]

couldn't use the new bit last time cos the safety wall hadn't been built, so next time we're on T1 then we'll be using the fast sweeper. happy?

OH YEA!!
I knew why we wern't using the fast bit Phil, doesn't make it less micky mouse tho :whocares:
That sounds neat, fast=good:rockon:

[Flyno]

crazy a1 drivers, good on the kiwi boys tho!

[Toaster]

Dammit I thought the title said "lapdances at Taupo".

[Toaster]

It would piss over all the bikes and V8 supertaxis but it wouldn't beat a A1GP car


Supertaxi's.... nice one dude. LMAO