Hampdon Downs progress

[Pussy]

A shot my colleague took today for those interested in progress on the new track

[AllanB]

Only problem with that track is that it's no in the South Island

[Deviant Esq]

Only problem with that track is that it's no in the South Island
Couldn't have put it better myself! :yes:

[McJim]

That's a huge motocross track innit?

[hang0ver]

Thats a useful colleague... This is the (prospective?) 2010 SBK venue right?

[R6_kid]

Thats a useful colleague... This is the (prospective?) 2010 SBK venue right?

correctomondo!

[k14]

Looks good :)

Hope the earthworks haven't been disturbing those nearby prisoners too much....

[325rocket]

Only problem with that track is that it's no in the South Island

where is this island of which you speak? :bleh:

[idleidolidyll]

thanks

i hadn't seen it from the air before; a good looking circuit for bikes

[boomer]

Thanks Pussy!

It's gonna be good, whats not seen from height obviously is the different elevations of the track... :niceone: riding past it gives me the goose bumps in anticipation :devil2:

[325rocket]

out of interest, what do you guys / girls think this will this do to taupo?

[nodrog]

mean! i better fit some knobblies to the trumpy.

[MIXONE]

out of interest, what do you guys / girls think this will this do to taupo?

Turn it into a trackday only venue!

[Swoop]

If it disturbs the prisoners, tough titty.
What they have to watch out for down there is the taniwha. It will disappear when the cheque clears though...

The track is in the best location. Auckland needs a safe track for bikes. Puke has had its day.

[White trash]

Only problem with that track is that it's no in the South Island
Actually, that's the best bit.

[boomer]

mean! i better fit some knobblies to the trumpy.

6 months after its built, you'll need one of these after the swamp reclaims itself...

[Usarka]

6 months after its built, you'll need one of these after the swamp reclaims itself...

not if someone else claims it first :whistle:


(nice pics thanks pussy!)

[idleidolidyll]

one pussy in particular remains my favourite joke.............................oh look! there she is

rotflmfao! i don't even have to concentrate to kick his pussy arse

[Tony.OK]

out of interest, what do you guys / girls think this will this do to taupo?

Taupo's already in the shit ain't it,maybe the drifters will take over:devil2:

[Ivan]

Looks good.

I dotn see why people dont like Taupo its a really great 125 circut and produces close racing as it aint a horse power circuit.

Im not being Biased to 125's either I rode the SV tere and absolutly lovedthe way the track is

[Forest]

out of interest, what do you guys / girls think this will this do to taupo?

At the risk of stating the obvious, I don't think it is going to help.

[Brett]

I cannot wait till this opens up. I have been keeping a close eye on the progress. First public open day, I will be there.

[skeeter]

Agree - Puke belongs to the 70's. Too narrow and fast with armco. Pity Hampton Downs is near AK. We need a track in Wellington!

[glice]

I'm excited, cant wait. I was going to ride down just for a peek.
I like taupo its a cool track. havnt ridden puki, but it doesnt look that great for bikes.
when is this track going to be finished?

[cowpoos]

Looks good.

I dotn see why people dont like Taupo its a really great 125 circut and produces close racing as it aint a horse power circuit.

Im not being Biased to 125's either I rode the SV tere and absolutly lovedthe way the track is
its a boring one line wonder...once you get fast...you will agree!!

[madbikeboy]

Agree - Puke belongs to the 70's. Too narrow and fast with armco. Pity Hampton Downs is near AK. We need a track in Wellington!

Are you kidding, there is a wonderful race track, you go up and over it on the way to Martinborough... :)

[Kickaha]

its a boring one line wonder...once you get fast...you will agree!!

So you're still waiting to find out then?

We've been told (unofficially) that next years Nationals will be at Hampton Downs and not Puke

[puddytat]

Roll on 2010 I say,myself & about 600 other mainlanders on bikes are gonna rock up & give you all shit...:shit::woohoo:

[jrandom]

It's gonna be good, whats not seen from height obviously is the different elevations of the track...

Exactly, that's the first thing I thought.

The track has some serious hills and gullies going on - that sweeper loop out near the motorway incorporates a really significant rise as it heads back toward the front straight.

I can't wait to ride it.

[Grub]

out of interest, what do you guys / girls think this will this do to taupo?

Interesting question. At the moment, Taupo are difficult to deal with (arrogant), way too expensive and their track surface is questionable at best.

All I can say is that they'll have to smarten up their act. Since they're loosing money it's more likely that there'll be a circuit going cheap.

Whats more likely is that the Pukekohe Racing Club (horsey lot) will just fold up the circuit operation. They've put no investment into the facilities, they've just coasted along as horse racing has died almost completely while motorsport has propped them up. Now they will be left with nothing. I think they'll be the biggest losers but I also suspect that they don't much care any more.

[Grub]

A shot my colleague took today for those interested in progress on the new track

Your colleague deserves a DB. Not only did he get the shot but it's a fine quality one too.

[MaxB]

Reckon Puke will suffer the most. Horsey lot there live off handouts and levies.

I have watched that circuit going downhill for years, sad to say. Roll on Hampton Downs (as long as they get the parking right).

[Toaster]

Great to see a the new track coming along nicely!

Hoorah Timmy, time for gingerbeer and feeling up the girls.

[Mort]

I can't wait to see Hampton Downs. I'm pretty critical of Taupo and the events run there. The circuit isn't great and the track day events could be better.... but its the best we've got. Its no wonder they may be having problems there's a lot to improve on....

I hope to see better management, more attractive racing and track day events and a better circuit at Hampton. NZ is mad about motorsport - it deserves a proper world class circuit

[Pussy]

Your colleague deserves a DB. Not only did he get the shot but it's a fine quality one too.
Not bad for out of a topdressing plane, huh?

[DEATH_INC.]

Sweet, but progress seems to be a bit slow....doesn't look that different to the pics from 6 months ago...
I think it's gonna be another F****n horsepower track though, with that uphill onto the long pit straight and then another long straight it's gonna be hard work for anything but the monsters to keep up :no:

[White trash]

Exactly, that's the first thing I thought.

The track has some serious hills and gullies going on - that sweeper loop out near the motorway incorporates a really significant rise as it heads back toward the front straight.

I can't wait to ride it.
I don't know if New Zealand's got a large enough supply of bikes to keep yo going till then mate.

[Max Headroom]

Will the owners of the Pukekohe circuit be the losers? Let's see.

We've lived in Pukekohe for almost 25 years, and only recently moved a little further south (ironically less than 10mins from the Hampdon Downs circuit!). My business is literally a stone's throw from Castrol corner.

The Pukekohe track was in a very rural area when first constructed about 45 years ago. The town back then was a small country service centre for the farming community. That's changed dramatically in the last 10 years, and as a result the track is coming under increasing pressure from recently arrived residents who don't like the noise or the traffic. Yep, the NIMBY principle in action....

So what is the horse racing club left with? A huge property valued at $millions, and climbing. Has anyone heard the racing club expressing their concerns about Hampdon Downs stealing their customers? Not a whisper!

Pukekohe continues to grow at a rate much higher than the national average, and the Franklin region as a whole is in the top ten regions in NZ growth-wise. The track is in a prime location for either residential or commercial development, and in the medium/longterm such a development is inevitable: the racing club have already been behind the development of a new commercial centre next door to the track which includes big box operators such as Harvey Norman, Noel Leemings, Briscoes and Rebel Sport and that's only Stage One. Yep, in little ol' Pukekohe.

So, will the owners of the Pukekohe circuit be the losers? The only folk that believe that would also believe that McDonalds is a company that makes burgers. (It isn't! It's a huge global real estate company that happens to lease its property to franchised fast-food restaurant operators!)

[Mr Merde]

out of interest, what do you guys / girls think this will this do to taupo?

I dont really know what the impact on Taupo will be but Pukekohe is going to take a major hit from this new track

[Whynot]

I dont really know what the impact on Taupo will be but Pukekohe is going to take a major hit from this new track

Isn't that the whole point of it .... ?

[Mr Merde]

Isn't that the whole point of it .... ?

I certainly hope that the idea behind this new track was to provide a new and more modern track for the motorsport enthusiasts that would also be both attractive to to spectators and finacially viable for the investors.

I wouldf be most dismayed if its entire reason for existance was to just put pukekohe down.

[Tank]

I dont really know what the impact on Taupo will be but Pukekohe is going to take a major hit from this new track

Taupo is poked.

They are already in financial trouble. They need $$ coming in from the bigger events to keep afloat.

When the big events come both will bit for it and Hampton downs will win each time. Its a better track and its closer to the main population center.

So Taupo will end up running less and less events and end up going more and more into the red.

So either:

The value of their land will keep going up (Like Puke) and will end up being sold to housing developers either by choice of foreclosure.

or

They keep it running into the ground and they end up with a track that is in shit condition and only used by boi racers for drift days.

Or

I win a HUGE lotto jackpot - then Ill buy it and have my own personal track out the back. Ill also buy the horsie track next door and turn it into something useful.

[vifferman]

I can't wait to ride it.
Whelp, you'll just have to.
Unless you sneak in one night on a dirt bike.

[Marmoot]

Ill also buy the horsie track next door and turn it into something useful.

I suggest slaughterhouse

[jrandom]

... sneak in one night on a dirt bike.

That, come to think of it, would be totally awesome.

[Mr Merde]

Taupo is poked.

....Or

I win a HUGE lotto jackpot - then Ill buy it and have my own personal track out the back. Ill also buy the horsie track next door and turn it into something useful.

Keep my fingers crossed for option 3.

[mynameis]

Here' some more pictures :

http://www.hamptondowns.com/Construction-Update.wse

Virtual Lap at Hampton Downs on a BMW :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvu2NCkYJ4M&eurl=http://www.hamptondowns.com/Track.wse

[jrandom]

Virtual Lap at Hampton Downs on a BMW :

Definitely looks like a bit of a horsepower track, aye?

Love that downhill left-hander though.

The hairpin at the end of the straight early on in the lap is going to claim many a vehicle, I suspect...

[mynameis]

Definitely looks like a bit of a horsepower track, aye?

Love that downhill left-hander though.

The hairpin at the end of the straight early on in the lap is going to claim many a vehicle, I suspect...

Yeap lol, that's the first thing I thought when I saw it.

Like someone here said before, God Bless cheque book racing.

[Matt Bleck]

Anyone else heard rumors that they are having problems with sinkage in some parts of the track?

[RC1]

Anyone else heard rumors that they are having problems with sinkage in some parts of the track?

yeah the TANIWHA is trying to claim back its home by pissing on it

[Kickaha]

I think it's gonna be another F****n horsepower track though:

It'll suit all the pussies who can't handle all the corners at Taupo then :lol:

[MacD]

Anyone else heard rumors that they are having problems with sinkage in some parts of the track?

Well it used to be called Long Swamp (http://www.transit.govt.nz/content_files/news/Newsletter63_pdfFile.pdf)until it got all posh!

[Mort]

Hope this is not a repost - more info on HD

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[Swoop]

"The total Motorsport Park under development April 08, with the lifestyle blocks on the far left and camping ground/lodge next and the trackside Business Park alongside the circuit."

Let's hope that they don't follow the usual kiwi mentality of someone moving in, and then complaining about the noise! Western Springs, anyone?

[k14]

Yeah I also was watching pitlane last night and I saw that the NZ V8's are scheduled to race there on the 22nd of March next year. So looks like its supposed to be up and running within the next 10 months or so :)