Call for Ideas to Revive Road Racing in NZ

[Yamahamaman]

Well an idea is to hold races where learners and restricted riders without racing lisences to enter races on street stock
But it's just an idea
-Indy

I think that OSH may have something to say about that but good idea none the less.

[Indiana_Jones]

I think that OSH may have something to say about that but good idea none the less.

lol true, just get da riders to sign a contract saying if they boo boo they can't touch the organizers
lol like that would happen

-Indy

[georgedubyabush]

What about increased sponsorship and volunteers to make a few bike trackdays free, or next to free if possible. That might at least get a few bikes on the track that might never try it otherwise. Then who knows? If it really is as addictive as people say, it could grow from there if these people get into it.

[BlueR1]

Not a bad idea I reckon, alot of the time the hardest thing is getting people to give it a go first time around, if they could get out there without paying it might just be the difference between giving it a go and not bothering, once they were out there they might be hooked! and from there they may tell their friends etc and so the word might spread!

[750Y]

I forgot to mention, I think the organisers of TrackTime deserve some praise for their work. That is helping to promote track riding which can lead to roadracing and also getting riders out there. I've never been to one myself, but i hear they're well organised and highly enjoyable.

[svs]

I'm looking to get back into racing (f3) after a few years break since racing in the UK.

The UK has the same issues with club level racing that you see here. No-one wants to go and see a bunch of unknowns, the only really popular events are the BSB, WSB and the MCN 'in for a pound' day at Brands Hatch.

Some ideas are:

Make it really cheap (<$5) for spectators at club events. That way people may turn up just to have a look, or something to do at the end of a bike ride.

Promote the events better. Half the time I don't know what events are running and I'm going out of my way to look for them.

Run single make classes (like the Aprillia RS250, Minitwins Suzuki SV650 etc.) with subsidies from manufacturers/dealers for bikes/race bits. This means the bikes are evenly matched and the faster riders win - not only those with more money. These worked pretty well in the UK.

Try to get a round of the Australian Superbikes run in NZ (WSB would be nice, but I don't think that'll happen unless we get better facilities)

Better facilities. How about a purpose built circuit near Wellington? For both bikes and cars.

Basically it comes down to making racing more popular with the general public - my gf says that watching bike racing is boring unless I'm in it, and even then she's just more worried that I'll crash! You've also got a large number of kiwi bikers whose main passion is MX/trials (nothing wrong with that) but it does detract from road racing.

[LB]

Make it really cheap (<$5) for spectators at club events. That way people may turn up just to have a look, or something to do at the end of a bike ride.

Promote the events better. Half the time I don't know what events are running and I'm going out of my way to look for them.

Run single make classes (like the Aprillia RS250, Minitwins Suzuki SV650 etc.) with subsidies from manufacturers/dealers for bikes/race bits. This means the bikes are evenly matched and the faster riders win - not only those with more money. These worked pretty well in the UK.

Try to get a round of the Australian Superbikes run in NZ (WSB would be nice, but I don't think that'll happen unless we get better facilities)

Better facilities. How about a purpose built circuit near Wellington? For both bikes and cars.

The only club event I've ever paid to spectate at was an Auckland club meet last year. Club events at Manfeild and Taupo are always free.

Promotion: yeah, agree. You can always look on the websites for the tracks - I'll try and find them and post them here for you.

The Suzuki Series the season before last ran an "SV650" class that was really good, about ten guys entered, Suzuki gave a good deal, you could either rent them, or buy them at a subsidised price. Produced some good racing, adn a couple of the guys (Andrew Bretherton from Wanganui and Brendon Marshall from Chch) have gone on to do very competitive racing.

We had a couple of rounds of the WSB series here at Manfeild in either the late 80's or early 90's (can't remember exactly sorry). People like Doug Pohlen, Raymond Roche, Freddie Merkel (who now lives in Taupo) et al were here - great racing. I can't see it happening again, given the money needed to run a race like this.

I don't think that anyone would front with the cash for a new track. It's big bikkies. They're talking of extending and doing up Taupo, to V8 standard - apparently it's all go, with resource consent granted recently. Manfeild really needs a bit of money poured into it, but it's a great spectator track. Pukekohe really needs some money spent on it too (it's toilets are the pits, no pun intended). I've read that Puke is up for sale, but not sure if that's right or not.

[LB]

Overseas riders con'td: back in the 70's we used to get heaps of overseas riders to the Marlboro series, and Team Kawasaki from Oz (Neville Doyle's team of (the late, great) Hansford, Perry, Sayle et al) came over here sometimes for races like Onekawa (a street race in industrial suburb of Napier, for those too young to know!)

[LB]

I forgot to add Bruce Hansen from Hawera in the SV650 class, he's now racing an R1

[svs]

Overseas riders con'td: back in the 70's we used to get heaps of overseas riders to the Marlboro series, and Team Kawasaki from Oz (Neville Doyle's team of (the late, great) Hansford, Perry, Sayle et al) came over here sometimes for races like Onekawa (a street race in industrial suburb of Napier, for those too young to know!)

Exactly - that was all at least 10 years ago. We need to get that level of racing back!

Thanks for pointing out the other stuff. That's what you get for not being in the country that long.

[Jackrat]

I think the whole thing is a sign of the times.
We have a real lack of advertising coupled with poor coverage of the events that do happen.From a spectators point of veiw I often hear of some event happening after the fact.Then how many parents encourage their kids into these things today.My old man got me into Boxing and hunting,my mother got me into fishing.To day a lot of parents don't take an active part in their kids
pass times.WE have things like X box,Videos,an other such crap.
Then you get so called extreme sports that simply ain't.
I mean where is the danger in bungy jumping,those few who have been hurt doing it,it has been a result of operator error,not the jump itself.
Hell if you want kids to grow up with a bit of bottle you have to let them test themselfs,X box just don't do it.OH&S will I'm sure eventualy be the death of life as we knew it JIM.Then we have the thing where it's no longer good enough to just take part,You gott'a win boy.When a kid looks at the big time an works out for them selfs that the big money and Kudo's always go to the big money outfits then,Forget it mate,they would rather do something that they can win at(X BOX).Then we have the current crop of heros telling of how they spend all their spare time and money on practice an parts ect,Plus of course you have to start as five years old an be a natural.It's all a bit much for todays kids who are of course a product of their parents.
Bugger this is to depressing,even my own road riding club has to print the fact we ride on public roads to avoid being sued if someone prangs it.
Hell we only have the smarter type of rider do our events but there is always this Vulture called OH&S hovering in the back ground.
For me personaly the costs have just been to high.
Now that I have discovered post classic things may change.At lest in this class you can't get walked on by the big money an latest model to come out.

[Motu]

I should be putting this in your thread Jack - but this is even happening in Forgotten Era....when it first started guys were picking up CB350s,RD350s,waterbuckets and the like,stripping them,adding some good tyres then going out for some fun,it was exciting and I was very tempted myself.But things have changed....money has entered....race bikes from the era are being used (hey,no disrespect intented here,OK) like Freeths bike etc.So we get someone jumps off their winning R1 and in the next race they are on the winning bike of the 70s or 80s - the top end of the field is now full of the top riders on the best bikes.The factory worker who found a T500 in a shed and made all their own bits,rear sets,chambers etc is just an also ran at the back of the field - hey,he's having fun,but he'll never win.

And I agree with you about winning - who gives a shit about winning....oh,that's right,every bloody one! what's wrong with just going out there and having the time of your life,but no....you have to win,it's the only reason for racing - bollocks!

I can talk of course,I have been tempted to strip my Stornello down and race it,it's just lying around rotting.Raced it at Puke once,had the speedo and tacho slammed on the stops,goes well.But classic trials takes up enough time,another one would be hard to fit in.I have bikes for my kids,but don't push them to ride - when my daughters say they want a bike license I just ignore them till they forget about it.

[Kickaha]

And I agree with you about winning - who gives a shit about winning....oh,that's right,every bloody one! what's wrong with just going out there and having the time of your life,but no....you have to win,it's the only reason for racing - bollocks!

Not me and thats probably why I get a lot of second places,its not whether you win or lose its how you play the game, this weekend I will be filling in a on a sidecar with no hope of finishing at the top end of the feild but I don't really give a toss.

Coming soon is the Britten memorial meeting,$75000 prize pool,$15000 just for the winner of the Superbike class,TV coverage on sky and TV1,now if a private promoter can do this why can't MNZ maybe it won't be quite on the same scale but who knows.

Advertising for the Timaru round of the Nationals was non existent and I heard very little about the Ruapuna round as well,if people don't know its on they won't come and if we don't get people to the events we don't attract new people to the classes

[marty]

as a family we race BMX (12y boy, 8y girl and me)- and there are some intersting parallels. in the late 80's there were upwards of 1500 riders at a nationals. in hamilton last year, at a well promoted event, there were 650-odd. in cambridge, at a money paying international world round of BMX, there were about 580. my class, 35-40 years, has about 20 riders.

for us, and we are heavily into promoting the sport as an acheivable family sport, it is expensive. we have six bmx bikes, these are only track bikes, and we each have one or two others for riding to school/shops etc. in all i have 13 push bikes at home. these do not come cheap, but we choose to spend our money this way. if my son wanted to kart race, sail, surf, row (shit - price up a single sculler for a laugh!) then i would find a way to finance it. my parents did, sending me around the world for my sport when i was a teenager.

if the kid is that keen, then they'll find a job/sponsor/rich rellie to support them when they leave home. motor sport in any form, for the top drivers/riders, has traditionally attracted gregariuos personalities (freeth, bourne, mclaren, dixon, stroud etc) who people have wanted to throw money at.

you can't race your commuter. you need a race machine, no matter what class you're racing. for bucket racing though, a machine should cost less than a grand, gear is another grand, a shitty old hiace van is 2 grand (an L300 is cheaper..) it's gonna cost $100 a meet at least, for the cheapest form.

moto cross is dearer than that, but there seems to be plenty of $10 grand MX bikes out there - can't ride to work on one of those....

now entry fees for spectators. here's one that really pisses me off.

BMX - free
Street racing - free
motorcross (at cambridge anyway) - free
yacht racing on Hamilton or Ngaroto Lakes - free
Karts at hamilton airport raceway - $2
Super GP boats at karapiro - at least $20 (wtf is it with that?)
Taupo raceway - $10 at least.
Drags - $10-15
Stockcars - $whatever they want - $40 a car (doesn't stop them selling out though)


it's just crazy - the spectators make the atmosphere, and up the ante for exciting racing. There's gotta be a reason Paeroa is always packed, aside from the close to the action thing.

i was in the UK this time last year, and went to Oulton Park. they had a bike day there (in december!) and there would have been 10 bikes! people had come from London to ride - that's 300 miles! admittedly they're all adults, but they're spending the money. crikey - taupo is not that far away from anywhere!

So there is my 02c worth. make your chioces, spend the bucks, enjoy what you do with yourself and your family.

[Jackrat]

Oh well it looks like I won't be racing post classic then,I would be pretty pissed off to enter on say a 750/4 Honda and find myself lined up against a
TZ 750 Kawasaki,Heck I wouldn't be even interested in wining,Just having a good dice with like minded types,But fair go whats the point of being there if you never stood a chance at all.If they really want people to race,an even playing field would help.An heres me thinking that post classic was here to give guys like me an even chance.Hell I can see it now,The Rat pulls up on a home built CB500/4 and some dude lines up along side on Barrys old RGB.
No thanks even the fishings better odds than that.