Was it only me or what?

[Shaun]

How long has this been weighing on your mind Shaun?

I think you will find I have said it many times, even on here in posts some where some time

[woodyracer]

I have been a marshal at one AMCC event in Taupo. I will never do it again. The safety of the marshals was a joke, we were excepted to cross the track to pick up a bike or rides during the race. YES while F1 bikes are coming down the straight at 200+ k's. If safety was so important you stop the race & fix the problem i.e. move the forklifts or pick up the bike etc. I have & will continue to marshal at the Pacific Club & Vic Club events as you can guarantee safety for the marshals. I would like to point out I have never been to Paeroa so I do not know about safety of the riders or at the track.

yea, it was like that at taupo for me too......But, at paeroa it was very professioanly done from where i was, nobdy marshels like Nigel armstrong tho......he's like the king of flag marsheling...ahah

[pipson]

yea, it was like that at taupo for me too......But, at paeroa it was very professioanly done from where i was, nobdy marshels like Nigel armstrong tho......he's like the king of flag marsheling...ahah

Nigel taught me every thing I know, that is why I have taken over his job as cheif flag marshal at pacific club meetings.

[sharky]

So a bunch of us ended up in Paeroa fairly early yesterday "bout 6 am" to watch the days racing..

I gotta say i was somewhat dissapointed with the day.. not with the racing and the people that risk their lives putting on great performances, they were fantastic !!
but im talking about safety and lack thereof for the riders, which in turn put a dampner on the day, let alone the fuckwits of radio hauraki beside us.. ill get to that later..

It would not take a lot to make the track a lot safer.... (for those of you i know street racing is dangerous and it has its risks) but from where i sit its easy to make it a whole lot safer..

We sat right by the end of the backs straight and saw the poor fella slide into the forkhoist.... "a fucking forkhoist" on the side of the track oh sorry my mistake "two forkhoists"

and those stupid bags of empty milkcontainers in a few rows in front of it, they dont stop an ant..!!

let alone a few other fuck ups i saw that are puting riders lives at risk.. i see why andrew now refuses to race there unless he gets paid.. and so should all other riders.. and there should be a fund set up for riders that do crash and have months of work....

The PA system sounded like it was dragged out of chernobyl couldnt understand a word..let alone music..

Fuckwits from Radio hauraki... yelling at the westpac rescue helicopter taking the poor fella away after the forkhoist incident .. yelling things like... you forgot your bike...!! ??? absolutely no fucking idea those stupid cunts.. as well as pissing of public by coming in at 11 am and expecting everyone to move for them so they could corden off their area... which pissed a lot of people of.. worse thing is some dickhead of a paeroa organiser told everyone they had to move.. never mind these people paid their money as well got there early and found a comfy spot only to be removed..

Anyways big ups to the riders for putting on a great show... and to the organisers of paeroa... sort ya shit out.....quickly!!!

(probably should be in rant n rave i guess)

Yep, have to agree with you! It was my first time at Paeroa and will likely be my last!

Forkhoists That is just fucking idiotic!

I had a slide into the milk bottle bales too - and I've hit them before at Puke. They are bloody good if you do actually go INTO them. Trouble is, quite often people go under/between them. They hadn't bothered to put as many hay bales up through the esses as they have in the past either.
Seems to me that the event is designed for the spectators not the riders, you have to wonder about the grid postions also - that they mix them up a bit to guarantee plenty of overtaking???

[scracha]

yea, it was like that at taupo for me too......But, at paeroa it was very professioanly done from where i was

Really? I was stood aghast during the racing watching 3 marshalls at outside of the fast right hander (with rows of milkbottle bales before hairpin) chatting amongst themselves with 2 of them with their backs to the action. How they gonna dodge flying bikes when they're not even looking? Nobody seemed overly concerned about the safety of their mate doing a balancing act on the haybale holding a flag inches from the action on the inside of said corner (estimate the fast boys go past there about 150 clicks?).

[BiK3RChiK]

Even as a spectator I thought the safety aspect was dodgy. We moved after some guy locked up his front brake and ended up in the small rectangular bales coming out of the 's' bend. Consulting the map it has 'no go area' marked but that is all... no signage or tape or anything.

IMO, it is just a matter of time before a spectator is killed on that circuit, let alone the race participants. Very sad... I think I'd be freaking out if I was racing there at how close the crowd is to the track and the obstacles around the track.

[roogazza]

[QUOTE=Shaun;1129659394 just adding that I think Paeroa is an accident weighting to happen, and NZ is so PC now, imagine a spectator being killed, and what that will do for our sport here[/QUOTE]

I have to support Shaun here, it won't take much for pc NZ to can the last two meets we have on the streets. I find them a shadow of former years and don't bother attending anyway.
I could see by the results and number of races something went wrong.

[k14]

I have to support Shaun here, it won't take much for pc NZ to can the last two meets we have on the streets. I find them a shadow of former years and don't bother attending anyway.
I could see by the results and number of races something went wrong.

Last 2? Greymouth, Wyndham, Nelson, Methven and I probably missed one.

[scrivy]

Unfortunately most spectators that go to these events usually get pissed, heat exhaustion etc..... (or just plain apathy to safety issues)... By 1:00pm they wouldn't have a clue as to safety.
I was standing at the hump on the back straight in practice, and said to my kids, do not stand anywhere near here, but over there (in a far safer/further position), because if a sidecar went into the crowd - just how far would it go? 5 spectators heard me talking to my kids, and they all looked at each other and moved also!!

Most people don't have a clue as to inertia/momentum or basic physics. Unfortunately, spectators will get hurt at a street meeting. As you know, it's just a matter of time.
Then the OSH guys will have a field day............

[HDTboy]

Eddie. Join the club's upper echelon and start the process of making it into what you think it should be. For a man of your talents it will be a nice little sideline. As you well know, Paeroa brings the biggest crowd of any motorcycle racing event in the country. Crowds=money, it would be a shame to have it shut down due to being unsafe, that would probably seal the fate of NZ's bike racing scene as a niche sport with no appeal to the wider community.

Everyone may as well all be riding pre-82 bikes then cause the only people who will come to watch will be 65+ year old men wearing brown anoraks

[Maha]

Something else I (and two others standing with me ) noticed, was during the first of Classics, they put junior and senior together and the Pace car was overtaken on the front straight after the first lap. I guess the pace car missed its 'get out of the fucken way' point?
Anyone standing by the RSA will have a better idea on this.

[TonyB]

Agree with all of the posts above. At some point there some spectator (yet alone rider) will get munted and there will be an outcry!

There won't just be an outcry, street racing will be legislated out of existance, just like it was for car street racing after the accident at Queenstown some years ago.

[CookMySock]

Cmon don't wrap it in cotton wool. There just isn't enough petrol-head stupidity any more.

Steve

[quickbuck]

just like it was for car street racing after the accident at Queenstown some years ago.

Yup,
A very good friend of mine was the poor bu&&er who hit those guys......
He really hasn't been the same since.... Now, translate that to if you were riding and your bike took out a spectator or two... even if they were in a stupid place....

I can tell you, it isn't a nice thing to live with. Also very sad to see a man (or woman) give up a sport they were totally passionate about.

NOW, rather than sit here typing on the computer, if you feel strongly about making the street racing safer, DO SOMETHING!
Every little bit will help on the day!

Remember the volunteers only know what they know, and don't know what they don't know.

[wharfy]

I am assuming there will be a coroners inquest into the most unfortunate death at Paeroa, until it is complete I suggest that speculation and comment about the safety and management of the event NOT be tossed around in public forums.
Firstly out of respect to the friends and family of the victim, and secondly in the pursuit of natural justice and a fair outcome for the organizers (and the event).

I believe there will be opportunity for eye-witnesses and those directly involved to give evidence.

For all of those people (friends,family,organizers and witnesses) this is a traumatic event and they will need as much support as they can get.