Price of entries for nationals

[Kiwi Graham:Me]

Well I’ve ridden at national level both here and overseas.
Riding at that level improves your lap times without a doubt, to improve you have to learn and who better to learn from than from the guy you have been following, until you pass him and are on to the next and so on. If you can qualify within the 115% rule then your plenty fast enough to be out there. The more that do it the more racing throughout the field will be available for spectators to watch.

NZ nationals are full of talent all the way through the field; you will find someone to race with if you’re on compatible machines. Unfortunately last year I built a Superstock 1000 for this new low cost class I appeared to be the only one that did so had a lonely time out there, 40-50+bhp is a lot to give up! Even so I scored points and finished above others in the champs (The engine is currently being pepped up by Mr Cole as I type) so I’ll be there again.

You can pick up a 1-2 year old superbike for what it cost me to build mine, so quick bikes are out there. Speak to Ray Clee, Brian Bernard or Tony Rees. Dan borrowed his bike back that was sold ‘cheap as’ last autumn to a club racer and it’s still competitive.

It doesn’t matter what class your bike is there is nearly always somebody faster than you and also nearly always someone to have a race with at your pace. It about being out there and doing it, shits and giggles might be all you’re in it for but believe it or not everybody’s in it because it’s what they have a passion to do, more the merrier I say.

[Bykmad]

Well said Graham.
Not everyone has the natural talent of a Stroud, Cole, Bugden, Shirriffs, Smith, Clee, etc. Not everyone has access to the finance or family support to assist as these guys either, but, the opportunity to race against these guys can help ANY competitor to improve their skills. By racing at three race meetings in three weeks down south and then two in a row in the North Island competitors will find that their race skills improve by a big percentage. The amount that a racer can learn in 5 race meetings (Road Race Championship) with these guys is unbelievable, but competitors seem to be in the head space that they want to be big fish in the little pond of club racing rather than to make the effort to be the best racer they can be by racing in the Nationals with the best in this country. Come on guys, you may not be able to beat Stroud, Bugden, Cole, Charlett, Skachill, etc now, but you can learn and maybe, just maybe, learn enough to race with these guys.

[Sketchy_Racer]

Yep, fast guys were once slow as wet weeks too, only way to get better is to be out there in the deep end learning how to swim.

[wharfy]

Well I’ve ridden at national level both here and overseas.
Riding at that level improves your lap times without a doubt, to improve you have to learn and who better to learn from than from the guy you have been following, until you pass him and are on to the next and so on. If you can qualify within the 115% rule then your plenty fast enough to be out there. The more that do it the more racing throughout the field will be available for spectators to watch.

NZ nationals are full of talent all the way through the field; you will find someone to race with if you’re on compatible machines. Unfortunately last year I built a Superstock 1000 for this new low cost class I appeared to be the only one that did so had a lonely time out there, 40-50+bhp is a lot to give up! Even so I scored points and finished above others in the champs (The engine is currently being pepped up by Mr Cole as I type) so I’ll be there again.

You can pick up a 1-2 year old superbike for what it cost me to build mine, so quick bikes are out there. Speak to Ray Clee, Brian Bernard or Tony Rees. Dan borrowed his bike back that was sold ‘cheap as’ last autumn to a club racer and it’s still competitive.

It doesn’t matter what class your bike is there is nearly always somebody faster than you and also nearly always someone to have a race with at your pace. It about being out there and doing it, shits and giggles might be all you’re in it for but believe it or not everybody’s in it because it’s what they have a passion to do, more the merrier I say.

Yep ! All that is true - the crucial bit (from my point of view anyway) is the "if you can qualify" What is 115% of 66 seconds ? (that's about the time Sketchy and them take to lap Manfield isn't is ?)

[Mental Trousers]

1:15.9

[wharfy]

1:15.9

Hmmm... my best ever time round there is 1:16.1xx Getting close

[Billy]

Hmmm... my best ever time round there is 1:16.1xx Getting close

See,I told you,Nobodys gonna stop you lining up on the grid over .2 of a sec,So you are a national level rider.

All you gotta do now is take out the 3 necessary mortgages and start working the 4 jobs required to do it all,LOL

[Mental Trousers]

See,I told you,Nobodys gonna stop you lining up on the grid over .2 of a sec,So you are a national level rider.

All you gotta do now is take out the 3 necessary mortgages and start working the 4 jobs required to do it all,LOL

See it's that sort of thing that makes me think I should've listened to my mother - find a rich old girl with a heart condition.

[lukemillar]

NZ is a small country there is probably only a couple of hundred people that race on any sort of regular basis. Take the top 20% and you only have 40 riders. We just have to accept that we are only going to get a dozen or so riders in any class that will be in the points.

Choppa is a club champ, (Vic Club Winter Series 2010) I have raced with him on numerous occasions, that's how I know that I am not a national level rider. There are lots of racers that do the street meetings and know that they are going to have there arse whipped in front of MUCH bigger crowds than ever show up at the Nationals (I'm one) It is not about being embarrassed it is about whether or not you consider yourself a National level rider (well for me anyway) I'm not soft - just slow, and I'd rather the Nationals had small fields of competitive riders than fill the grids with duffers like myself. I believe that the Nationals should be about quality - not quantity and at the pointy end the racing is fucking great ! You can race year round in NZ if you want to - and have all the fun you can afford.

PMCC are running their 4th round of the summer series and the Taupo round of the Nationals as the same event. I'd be really interested to see if that gets some bigger and more varied fields across all the classes or whether the club racers will just stay away.

[sharky]

PMCC are running their 4th round of the summer series and the Taupo round of the Nationals as the same event. I'd be really interested to see if that gets some bigger and more varied fields across all the classes or whether the club racers will just stay away.

Well I have entered because of it, and also because the entry fee is bloody cheap for a NI national round. I'm just a muppet club racer so come on guys, get involved!

[lukemillar]

Well I have entered because of it, and also because the entry fee is bloody cheap for a NI national round. I'm just a muppet club racer so come on guys, get involved!

Me too! Have been waiting for the entry forms. March 25th should give me plenty of time to fix the bike......