Buckets - the name origin

[Kendog]

So, I heard an interesting story today.

The origination of the name Buckets is from the Air force racing days. The track was marked out on the airstrip with buckets, with the bikes racing from bucket to bucket.

Hence the term, bucket racing.

What do you say about that?

[speedpro]

bullshit..

[James Deuce]

No, buckets of shit.

[325rocket]

dont know how true this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucket_racing) is but could be.

[sels1]

So, I heard an interesting story today.

The origination of the name Buckets is from the Air force racing days. The track was marked out on the airstrip with buckets, with the bikes racing from bucket to bucket.

Hence the term, bucket racing.

What do you say about that?

True. Very popular around Woodburne Base I am told from some that worked there.Not so much on the airstrip, more around the large sealed areas in front of the hangers, which doubled as the parade ground. Old Vespa scooters and suchlike were commonly used.

[Skunk]

dont know how true this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucket_racing) is but could be.
It must be right - I re-wrote a large portion of it. I'm with Speedpro - Pickle could come along with first hand info.

[Kendog]

True. Very popular around Woodburne Base I am told from some that worked there.Not so much on the airstrip, more around the large sealed areas in front of the hangers, which doubled as the parade ground. Old Vespa scooters and suchlike were commonly used.

Are you saying 'True' about the bucket term?

[Kendog]

It must be right - I re-wrote a large portion of it.

I was about to make some subtle changes to that page to support my story, but I will wait until it is proven.

[Skunk]

I got my info from an Airforce guy who was there at the time - and did the racing.

[R6_kid]

Are there any people here from 'back in the day' at Whenuapai, or that were associated with any of the RNZAF 'bucket' scene from the 70's/80's?

I've heard FROSTY's name thrown around with that sort of period of bucket racing.

[speedpro]

I was in the Air Force at the time. My mates at Woodbourne started bucket racing there. It spread to Ohakea and Wigram then finally to Auckland. Meetings were run at Hobsonville(few) and Whenuapai(mostly). Later we also ran at the Wiri container terminal and later in my absence to a few other places before settling at the Mt Wgtn kart track venue. It was me that organised the first meetings here in Auckland.

[Kendog]

I got my info from an Airforce guy who was there at the time - and did the racing.
Same.


I was in the Air Force at the time. My mates at Woodbourne started bucket racing there. It spread to Ohakea and Wigram then finally to Auckland. Meetings were run at Hobsonville(few) and Whenuapai(mostly). Later we also ran at the Wiri container terminal and later in my absence to a few other places before settling at the Mt Wgtn kart track venue. It was me that organised the first meetings here in Auckland.

So what do you think the name bucket means?

[speedpro]

bucket of shit or bucket of bolts. We've been over this before.

[Kendog]

We've been over this before.

We sure have, that's why i was interested in this new concept of the bucket name.
Next time I talk to my uncle I will ask him if he was sure it was due to buckets marking the course. Apparently he was one of the guys at the air force base, raced motorbikes at the time and was involved in setting up bucket racing and it's early rules.

He may be wrong however.

[F5 Dave]

They were using tyres by the time I came along in the late 80s at Ohakea, but it makes most sense, the tyres would be left over from service vehicles + they don't move with the wind & airforce bases would always have enough wind to make plastic buckets a waste of time. Where would you get that many buckets from?

Tyres on big tracks were always interesting, it made the track hard to work out where it was going as they were spread out quite a ways so the first few laps were trying to sort the track in your mind while a few others got it wrong.

Maybe we should call the class F6. :girlfight:

[speedpro]

The Caseley brothers, Jim Steadman, Paul Francois, John Faithful, Colin Wheeler, Stan Barnett and a couple of civvy brothers whose name escapes me at the moment, all raced from day one and I've been friends with them all from early days. Trust me, the name came from the term "bucket of bolts" or similar. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of shit.

[Mom]

Are there any people here from 'back in the day' at Whenuapai, or that were associated with any of the RNZAF 'bucket' scene from the 70's/80's?

I've heard FROSTY's name thrown around with that sort of period of bucket racing.

My ex raced there for a bit back in the mid 80's. Used to be quite big, we even had 6 hour events if I remember, though they may not have been on base.

[racer40]

yep speedpro is right, i raced in the mid 80s at ohakea & lots of other bucket venues not used now, & the word buckets was always to do with the bikes being made out of buckets of shit, or buckets of bolts.

[F5 Dave]

. . . Trust me, the name came from the term "bucket of bolts" or similar. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of shit.

. . .now what if. . .erm, what if the buckets to lay out the course were full of shit? I guess then they might not blow away in the wind. . . :whistle:

Funny tactic with tyres to mark out courses (Slipway peeps will not identify as all our corners are very tightly tyred) but with the spread out tyre corners when you were in a freight train some of the more devious (Sammie please stand up, I wish you could) would aim at the tyres & then swerve at the last minute so anyone following super close would likely have a tyre presented in front of them :crazy: Only one high, would make the bike bounce some-what.

[speedpro]

My ex raced there for a bit back in the mid 80's. Used to be quite big, we even had 6 hour events if I remember, though they may not have been on base.

I organised that 6-hour race at Whenuapai. It was for 2 man teams and you had 2 buckets to use, but, if you used the 2nd one you could not use the 1st one again. Teams had an arm band that had to be worn by the rider on the bike. There's a big chunk of it I don't remember because of a huge highside and subsequent snooze early in the race. As far as I know there was only the one that was ever run.

[Mom]

I organised that 6-hour race at Whenuapai. It was for 2 man teams and you had 2 buckets to use, but, if you used the 2nd one you could not use the 1st one again. Teams had an arm band that had to be worn by the rider on the bike. There's a big chunk of it I don't remember because of a huge highside and subsequent snooze early in the race. As far as I know there was only the one that was ever run.

I may even have some pics somewhere???

Now you prod the grey matter, yes two man teams... Geeze that was a long time ago :yes:

[Kickaha]

Tyres on big tracks were always interesting, it made the track hard to work out where it was going as they were spread out quite a ways so the first few laps were trying to sort the track in your mind while a few others got it wrong.
:

At Wigram one year I think it was 1 tyre you went to the right of it, 2 tyres to the left (or the other way around)

[gav]

I raced at Woodbourne in the early days, we are probably lucky its not called cone racing and riding cone bikes, as the tracks were laid out with old tyres and cones, never saw any plastic buckets, sorry.

Here ya go, an old photo, cones sitting inside tyres.

[Buckets4Me]

you are all wrong
it started in the NAVY
and was called Bouquet racing
the theory being you brought a Bouquet for a lady
and 9 months later you said Shit and Bolted

it was Bouquet then shit then bolt racing
shortened to bucket of shit or bolts

just the fly boys used bikes instead
thants why so many of them have kids now
the bike were not that reliable and they couldn't get away
but a pregnant girl cant swim so you dont hear much about the Navy boys

so stop making up stories
and stealing a Navy idear

it's Bouquet and bolt racing

[Buckets4Me]

111315 on of the faster guys doing a run

111316 this is an older Bouquet racing boat

111317 and the same boat again

[Pumba]

you are all wrong
it started in the NAVY
and was called Bouquet racing
the theory being you brought a Bouquet for a lady
and 9 months later you said Shit and Bolted

it was Bouquet then shit then bolt racing
shortened to bucket of shit or bolts

just the fly boys used bikes instead
thants why so many of them have kids now
the bike were not that reliable and they couldn't get away
but a pregnant girl cant swim so you dont hear much about the Navy boys

so stop making up stories
and stealing a Navy idear

it's Bouquet and bolt racing

mate, whatever you are smoking I want some :doobey:

[TZ350]

Son! your mother could swim. L Dad.

[Pickle]

You guys are all wrong. Yes it started in the Air Force but in the bars, we would all get pissed on buckets of beer, race around the club with the empty bucket on our heads, last one standing won.:drinkup:
I know as i raced like this on every Air Force base in the early 80's, but then again because of all the beer I could be confused. Then we decided to race motorbikes

[speedpro]

Here was me I thought all the falling off the mighty CB125T bucket onto your head was what made you confused.