Nationals at Taupo?

[Danger Dave]

Anyone know why they don't run a national round in taupo?

Just curious.

[Burrt Badger]

Because no Club/Promoter applies to run a National Championship Event at Taupo.

[Shaun]

Maybe some thing with the cost of hirage around that time of year?

[Billy]

Anyone know why they don't run a national round in taupo?

Just curious.

I would think the biggest reason would be cost,Any of the clubs currently running meetings at Taupo would have to accomodate their officials for 3 days for a start off and as pointed out track hire is around $6000.00 a day for the long track for a club day,God only knows what they would charge for a National meeting but at those rates youd be looking at $12000.00.As I understand it the track surface is dodgy at best anyway isnt it ?

[scuzeme]

Track surface dodgy? dont be ridiculous we should have a national round at taupo it is a premier track with great facilities.

[FROSTY]

Billy has it on the knocker. Count on a solid 10-12k plus accomodation which being holiday season is at top rates. ANY club looking to do it would have all their officials from outa town.

Heres the thing though. Much as Hampton downs is gonna be a great track who's gonna front the money to run a nats meeting there--at same money as taupo to run??

[Biggles08]

Billy has it on the knocker. Count on a solid 10-12k plus accomodation which being holiday season is at top rates. ANY club looking to do it would have all their officials from outa town.

Heres the thing though. Much as Hampton downs is gonna be a great track who's gonna front the money to run a nats meeting there--at same money as taupo to run??

Hampton D is about 20min from Pukekohe so the only extra cost will be track hire.

[FROSTY]

Hampton D is about 20min from Pukekohe so the only extra cost will be track hire.
Um not quite. but it is the biggest component.
Not quoting exact figures here but pukie is 9k for the three days roughly
Hampton downs wuould be 19k for the same 3 days,
same number of staff needed so that would at say 20 racers per class and 6 classes -120 people to absorb 9k $75 extra each entry
Keeping in mind that the auckland nats are the dearest to enter already.

[discotex]

Heres the thing though. Much as Hampton downs is gonna be a great track who's gonna front the money to run a nats meeting there--at same money as taupo to run??

Larger opportunities for sponsorship? Time it so that people are still coming off the high from Paeroa and you could draw quite a crowd.

It looks like it'll be a great circuit for spectators and riders alike so would be a shame not to capitalise on it.

[Shaun]

Hampton D is about 20min from Pukekohe so the only extra cost will be track hire.

Waikato nth has about 25% of our population, so in theory, what you have said is correct BUT Do a search on where all the ROAD race licenses are held IN New Zealand, Taranaki to WELLINGTON Kills the upper NTH!
The CITY folk ( Spectators) CANNOT and do NOT even get out to PUKE, only a 20-30 minute drive from down town AK, so how are you going to get them Keen travel further to another over priced race track like Hampton?

ANY CONSTRUCTIVE IDE'S MATE?

LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, the club ARRANGING THE EVENT, TO ARRANGE FOR A SHIT LOAD OF BUSES TO TRAVEL OUT TO IT FOR EXAMPLE? AT COST COVERED PRICES?

[ajturbo]

it cost us OVER $25k just at manfeild......

[scuzeme]

We have a fargin huge Pak and Save down here lets run it in their carpak on a Sunday nite. :pinch:

I cant believe we havent got anything down here in Wellington we need to get a street race back here in the Capital and make it part of the national competition.

[scrivy]

Um not quite. but it is the biggest component.
Not quoting exact figures here but pukie is 9k for the three days roughly
Hampton downs wuould be 19k for the same 3 days,
same number of staff needed so that would at say 20 racers per class and 6 classes -120 people to absorb 9k $75 extra each entry
Keeping in mind that the auckland nats are the dearest to enter already.

Basically you're right Frosty.

I wanted to run a Nats meeting here, but Chris Lawrance said no!
Our meeting has a huge cost outlay, simply cause I give alot back to riders, and charge the lowest 2 day entry fee.
But to hold a Nats round here, I'd lose alot of classes from my meeting, and only have half of the fields - which ultimately means a HUGE entry fee, and what riders want that?
If the nats had large fields, I'd be able to drop the cost to 1/2 that of Puke.

[ajturbo]

just a note on this... for some reason, manfeild owners(?) decided that as it was a "national" round, they upped the rental by something like 500%... not too sure why... hopefully the other tracks wouldn't do the same....

[Billy]

just a note on this... for some reason, manfeild owners(?) decided that as it was a "national" round, they upped the rental by something like 500%... not too sure why... hopefully the other tracks wouldn't do the same....

Manfeild have done that for as long as I can remember and I think youll find the other tracks do as well

[ajturbo]

yer billy, the reason i said that was to let "them" know that what the track people say the cost is... is just for a normal track hire...... costs go way up for the national rounds... ( but i am sure they (the tracks)are the same as any other day ...lol)

[Biggles08]

The CITY folk ( Spectators) CANNOT and do NOT even get out to PUKE, only a 20-30 minute drive from down town AK, so how are you going to get them Keen travel further to another over priced race track like Hampton?

I think there is plenty of other reasons this is the case other than travelling time Shaun. Pukekoke is a shit track for spectators and riders. Have a look around at the track facilities (or what I'm presuming HD will have when complete) and tell me its fair to compare Hampton downs with Pukekohe....its not. If what you are suggesting is the only reason people don't go to Pukekohe then Hampton Downs is in a lot of trouble when the WSBK comes here!

[Shaun]

I think there is plenty of other reasons this is the case other than travelling time Shaun. Pukekoke is a shit track for spectators and riders. Have a look around at the track facilities (or what I'm presuming HD will have when complete) and tell me its fair to compare Hampton downs with Pukekohe....its not. If what you are suggesting is the only reason people don't go to Pukekohe then Hampton Downs is in a lot of trouble when the WSBK comes here!


Hampton Downs and WSB being there even? is still only a dream mate, lets talk again when and IF it ever gets up and running

RE WSB in New Zealand

There is NO Advantage to the sport in New Zealand to have it here at all, apart from US hard core race fans wanting to see them all live doing there thing.

The money required to get that event here, will be near on impossible to find, and I for one cannot see any ROI on it happening?

[scrivy]

There is NO Advantage to the sport in New Zealand to have it here at all, apart from US hard core race fans wanting to see them all live doing there thing.
The money required to get that event here, will be near on impossible to find, and I for one cannot see any ROI on it happening?

See, this is where Tourism NZ should put their hands in their pockets. Their investment would be rewarded triple fold to the revenue it would create for the region, surely?

[scrivy]

Look at how many kiwis go over to Phillip Island etc.

You can't tell me that some Ockers wouldn't come over here also?

[Biggles08]

There is NO Advantage to the sport in New Zealand to have it here at all, apart from US hard core race fans wanting to see them all live doing there thing.

You are kidding surely Shaun!? You believe it would do nothing for motorcycle racing in New Zealand if we were to host a WSBK event here???

[Toot Toot]

Look at how many kiwis go over to Phillip Island etc.

You can't tell me that some Ockers wouldn't come over here also?

I think that is because we dont have a round here Scrivy. We need to go over to Phillip Island. If we had a round here.... no need to go across the ditch. Same would apply for the Aussies I think, they have a round, no need to come here as well.

[FROSTY]

See, this is where Tourism NZ should put their hands in their pockets. Their investment would be rewarded triple fold to the revenue it would create for the region, surely?
Just a lil factoid here.
Our old Gubbinment contributed a :LARGE sum of money towards the A1GP event run in Taupo. Rational was that it would do two things 1 bring the surge of race fan tourists that follow these events and of course 2 the way these events put us up in front of the world on TV
The bike raceing at hampton needs to be sold in the same way

[discotex]

Just a lil factoid here.
Our old Gubbinment contributed a :LARGE sum of money towards the A1GP event run in Taupo. Rational was that it would do two things 1 bring the surge of race fan tourists that follow these events and of course 2 the way these events put us up in front of the world on TV
The bike raceing at hampton needs to be sold in the same way

Yep same deal as America's Cup and Rugby World Cup really.

[slowpoke]

That last corner and wall would be a major problem at a Nat's event I reckon.

I'd hate to have Stroudy and Bugden battling away like they did last season, coming round that last corner on the last lap at their incredible pace and have that fuckin' wall just sitting there waiting to make a mess of 'em.

[Biggles08]

That last corner and wall would be a major problem at a Nat's event I reckon.

I'd hate to have Stroudy and Bugden battling away like they did last season, coming round that last corner on the last lap at their incredible pace and have that fuckin' wall just sitting there waiting to make a mess of 'em.

and Pukekohe is soooooo much safer!;)

[FROSTY]

That last corner and wall would be a major problem at a Nat's event I reckon.
I agree with ya that ONE point on that track is less than totally safe. But it is one of the slowest corners on the track.
Compared to "the hill" at Pukekohe or even the pits chicane at Levels I think the risk is low.

I must say ol son the proof as they say is in the eating. Ill stand corrected but in the last 3 years noone has been hurt on that corner.

[svr]

Ill stand corrected but in the last 3 years noone has been hurt on that corner.

Apart from all the high-sides of course!

[FROSTY]

Apart from all the high-sides of course!
Actually mate has ANYONE actually hit that wall ever?
If it really is seen as a major issue one bit of air fencing could put one and all at ease.

[JayRacer37]

Actually mate has ANYONE actually hit that wall ever?
If it really is seen as a major issue one bit of air fencing could put one and all at ease.

When you get a decent highside there, its not the tyre wall thats a problem...its weather you go over the fence and down into pitlane or just hit the fence. At least at Puke you kind of run parallel to the wall. Last corner Taupo you just go head on into it. If you have a slide or a lose that you half save, very high risk of going headfirst into that wall/fence. One other thing that scared the hell out of me last time I was there, and not apllicable to a nat meetingor anything running the full track...but if Taupo for eg run bikes on the new short track, and cars on the old track, you have different direction traffic flow with no seperating wall, and the ability for an out of conrol bike or car to get on another racing circuit heading in the wrong direction. Long shot, but something to think about still surely?

[FROSTY]

Nahh Jay thats not an issue any more theres a really substancial fence on top of the wall now.
Re the head on thing. I think it's luck of the draw. Two Smoker went STRAIGHT into the wall at pukie on the corner before the hill. Before that Paul went straight ahead and into the wall at the hill.
Muck it up at castol and its armco city again.
At Taupo there is one corner where its an issue.
Um actually when the track was being desighned The Car club prez showed it to me --it would have made sod all difference to costs to swing that "point' back into the pits 30 degrees That would have moved the potential direct impact point up the straight 50m or so -its currently a grass bank inside it
Re 2 tracks colliding Anythings possible but the two tracks dont directly overlap Theres a fair gap between em at the two points of potential contact.

[Biggles08]

At least at Puke you kind of run parallel to the wall.

Tell that to Sam Smith after his off at pukekohe at the Nats this year. He looked pretty perpendicular to the wall to me when I came around! He was lucky to come away from that one in one piece. There is NO comparison to Taupo...Pukekohe is far more dangerous.

[JayRacer37]

Nahh Jay thats not an issue any more theres a really substancial fence on top of the wall now.
Re the head on thing. I think it's luck of the draw. Two Smoker went STRAIGHT into the wall at pukie on the corner before the hill. Before that Paul went straight ahead and into the wall at the hill.

Good to know about the fence, admittedly it has been a while since I was there last. I guess it's just me...I know Puke isn't the safest, but I have always felt comfortable there. At Taupo...its not ever felt right to me.


Tell that to Sam Smith after his off at pukekohe at the Nats this year. He looked pretty perpendicular to the wall to me when I came around! He was lucky to come away from that one in one piece. There is NO comparison to Taupo...Pukekohe is far more dangerous.

I did mean over the hill which is what everyine talks about but you are dead right...that is the worst point at Puke.

The other thing is, why DOES a brand new circuit have safetly deficiencies? I fell like you can forgive Pukekohe its bad points because it has always been like that. Taupo doesn't have that excuse.

To be fair if we are talkng about walls...has anyone else gone straight at either higgins or the sweeper at manfield? Now those walls are close...

[cowpoos]

That last corner and wall would be a major problem at a Nat's event I reckon.
.

Pulling off to the pits is dodgy too I reckon...as is re-entering the track.

Apart from that...I reckon its a boring track to race on.

[Tony.OK]

One other thing that scared the hell out of me last time I was there, and not apllicable to a nat meetingor anything running the full track...but if Taupo for eg run bikes on the new short track, and cars on the old track, you have different direction traffic flow with no seperating wall, and the ability for an out of conrol bike or car to get on another racing circuit heading in the wrong direction. Long shot, but something to think about still surely?


Re 2 tracks colliding Anythings possible but the two tracks dont directly overlap Theres a fair gap between em at the two points of potential contact.

PMCC Rnd 1..................seen it happen, Brian Woods went for a skate at the end of the straight on the old track upon tip in............his bike went damn near to the other side of the new track, lucky it was a quiet day on the new end.:crazy:

[Shorty_925]

The costs of the nationals is too high for a club to take the chance with the costs to run it, let alone the amount of volenteers/people needed to run it for 3 days.

Why is there 3 days anyways? Surely 2 is enough..? Practice/qualify sat and then warm-up race sun?...

[cowpoos]

Why is there 3 days anyways? Surely 2 is enough..? Practice/qualify sat and then warm-up race sun?...

works in club rounds!!

[Biggles08]

To be fair if we are talkng about walls...has anyone else gone straight at either higgins or the sweeper at manfield? Now those walls are close...

This is true ...I often have issues looking at the wall there and flirting with little traction on the rear exiting higgins... a lot of 'what if's' go through my head...fun tho :woohoo:

Taupo only has one corner that is potentially dodgy but I have never seen anyone come anywhere close to the wall there in all the track days/races I've been to. I have seen plenty spill off into the gravel before the wall but no one actually further on...of course, doesn't mean it couldn't happen. The rest of the track is perfectly safe tho.

Fair point about it being a new track and how did it get made with any 'saftey issues.'

[Biggles08]

Apart from that...I reckon its a boring track to race on.
POOS!!!!! its a great track to race on...esspecially in the 600cc class. Appart from the surface being fucked recently, the track is great for sorting the throttle stranglers from the 'real' riders! :whistle:

[Shaun]

POOS!!!!! its a great track to race on...esspecially in the 600cc class. Appart from the surface being fucked recently, the track is great for sorting the throttle stranglers from the 'real' riders! :whistle:


Dont worry about poos mate, he just thinks he is a racer:bash: cause he has done a few races some time some where I think- O, that's write

Just check MYLAPS >COM ba hahaha

Sorry Poos, just a bit slow here today