Classic Festival returns to Pukekohe for 2015

[old rig]

Hides her age well

God he had a 3some cause that's Japanese not Italian

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[sidecar bob]

God he had a 3some cause that's Japanese not Italian

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Its a small Japanese boy, quite disturbing!!

[old rig]

Its a small Japanese boy, quite disturbing!!

Not really i heard that was in a bit of B&D all weekend

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[Big Dog]

I totally agree with the bring a mate philosophy but I do think that price should have been part of the marketing strategy for a returning event.
Being in the black on your first year at a new or return to an old location is a pretty good indicator you are either charging too much or paying too little. Especially off the size of the crowd.

I am always a little put off when price is the same for a day as the weekend. Didn't stop me going, but it irked me somewhat. To be fair the Inlaws bought us our tickets because we were not going to go. No money in the coffers for fun times on that short a notice.

I would have been happier paying more if I had been self funding if there had been more going on, like a show and shine, a bike wash etc.

What I liked most about 2010 was camping out for the weekend and chatting with the hundreds of other campers some like our campsite neighbours who had come from Australia, America and Europe, and of course the racers.

This thread was the only reason I knew it was on, I let the inlaws know because 2010 had been my introduction to something I never new about until their invitation. They have been CMRR supporters for many years. The first they heard from anyone other than me was a week before the event.
Bring a mate goes a long way, telling the people on the clubs contact list is probably far more important.

I am not having a whinge. I got to go for free and for the same price could have camped out for the weekend if timing at my end was better. What I am saying is I am glad things went well, I do want to see the festival become a fixture people look forward to and that means making it fun and family friendly.

That would be the part where I do have a short whinge about opportunity lost for the club:
Why was no one selling hearing protection? Sun protection?
Why was it such a nightmare to cross the track with a push chair? Like many people i know fun on the weekends gets vetoed if you can't take the kids.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[calmone]

We went out on Saturday and it was certainly good to be back at Pukekohe it just seems to be the right fit for Bikes. The "racing" was good and competitive and seeing both of the Brittens together was well worth the visit.
There was no marketing of the event, which did not help the crowd numbers, but look at what else was on around the area that day, there was a lot of competition. Drags, Supertourers, the League 9,s etc.
Pricing was a bit steep, for one day but the three day pass is cheap at $30.00.
I love the Barry Sheene at Hampton Downs, and if Puke can be used again as well we are pretty spoilt for options.
Just need to get the KSS Velo back together in time for next year, it was last raced in 1938 so it is due another outing.

[nodrog:Me]

.......why was no one selling hearing protection? Sun protection? probably because they thought people were smart enough to bring their own.
Why was it such a nightmare to cross the track with a push chair? I think there may have been some motorcycles using it .Like many people i know fun on the weekends gets vetoed if you can't take the kids. I seem to recall seeing a big tunnelly thing that could be used to go over the track.
......

____________________

[sidecar bob]

You couldnt pitch a tent for a night at the local Top Ten Camping ground for the cost of entry, let alone get two & a half days entertainment from millions of dollars worth of interesting machinery. (two Brittens alone are worth millions)
While you are camping there you arent wearing out your bike or spending money elswhere, or using power or water at home.
Keep it in perspective, its probably the cheapest place in NZ you could spend three days of your life, (five boxes of piss not included)
Id say being in the black in the first year suggests the event was managed by a very astute businessman with a huge passion for extremely cool motorcycles, which it was.
Is there a need for an event to bleed $$$ for a few years to be worthy? interesting concept indeed.

[Big Dog]

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The big Tunnelly thing is a nightmare with a pushchair. Other events at the same track have scheduled crossings during the breaks in racing.
I did have enough sunscreen but due to the short notice did not have enough hearing protection to go around... short trip home resolved that but most people don't live 10 minutes down the road, my point was if you only want to appeal to the existing hard core you never get any fresh blood. Every year the numbers will slowly thin and the relative cost of racing will go up.
Make it something that appeals to the public and there will be more spectators, more supporters, better value for sponsors, probably more sponsors and lower costs for the entrants.

I don't expect hospo tents and fashion parade, but I have to be honest, had we known how it was and had I been paying either I would have gone alone or not at all.


The highlight of our day was watching my 2 year old and 11 month old get so excited they were shaking about all the bikes.

[jasonu]

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Quote Originally Posted by Big Dog View Post




.......why was no one selling hearing protection? Sun protection? An opportunity (to sell stuff to people that forgot theirs) for a profit was missed Why was it such a nightmare to cross the track with a push chair? It shouldn't be an issue. In the past the crossing gates were briefly opened between races and at lunch break (at the COC discretion).Like many people i know fun on the weekends gets vetoed if you can't take the kids. Ever tried to pack a pushchair up those steps? Motorcycle racing in NZ cannot afford to alienate any potential customers. From what I have heard there were buggar all punters at the Classics meeting.
......

I got rid of your overly harsh comments and replaced them with some more constructive ones.

[nodrog:Me]

Quote Originally Posted by Big Dog View Post




.......why was no one selling hearing protection? Sun protection? An opportunity (to sell stuff to people that forgot theirs) for a profit was missed Why was it such a nightmare to cross the track with a push chair? It shouldn't be an issue. In the past the crossing gates were briefly opened between races and at lunch break (at the COC discretion).Like many people i know fun on the weekends gets vetoed if you can't take the kids. Motorcycle racing in NZ cannot afford to alienate any potential customers. From what I have heard there were buggar all punters at the Classics meeting.
......

I got rid of your overly harsh comments and replaced them with some more constructive ones.

Sunscreen and hearing aids could have been sold, and if they were I guarantee somebody would have whinged about the price.

The crossing was opened during the day between races, its just bad luck it didn't fit into peoples busy schedule.

If you can squeeze a baby out of a vagina I'm pretty sure negotiating a push chair through a tunnel isn't that hard.

[Big Dog]

You couldnt pitch a tent for a night at the local Top Ten Camping ground for the cost of entry, let alone get two & a half days entertainment from millions of dollars worth of interesting machinery. (two Brittens alone are worth millions)
While you are camping there you arent wearing out your bike or spending money elswhere, or using power or water at home.
Keep it in perspective, its probably the cheapest place in NZ you could spend three days of your life, (five boxes of piss not included)
Id say being in the black in the first year suggests the event was managed by a very astute businessman with a huge passion for extremely cool motorcycles, which it was.
Is there a need for an event to bleed $$$ for a few years to be worthy? interesting concept indeed.

Yes, that is pretty cheap camping alright.
I don't mean to imply it was poorly managed. I just wonder how much could be gained by a little more exposure.
If it is so profitable why was not more spent on improving turnout? Would increasing the numbers have cost so much it defeated itself?
I think that the event should be profitable.
I think that the cost is not prohibitive, if viewed on the scale of a weekend for $30. It becomes a little less appealing when that is for an afternoon.

[Big Dog]

Quote Originally Posted by Big Dog View Post




.......why was no one selling hearing protection? Sun protection? An opportunity (to sell stuff to people that forgot theirs) for a profit was missed Why was it such a nightmare to cross the track with a push chair? It shouldn't be an issue. In the past the crossing gates were briefly opened between races and at lunch break (at the COC discretion).Like many people i know fun on the weekends gets vetoed if you can't take the kids. Ever tried to pack a pushchair up those steps? Motorcycle racing in NZ cannot afford to alienate any potential customers. From what I have heard there were buggar all punters at the Classics meeting.
......

I got rid of your overly harsh comments and replaced them with some more constructive ones.

Didn't realise I was being a smart arse, I was trying to be constructive.

People on this forum are asking all the time why the turnout is so low and how can things improve.
Guess I'll just sit quietly in the corner and not go next time.

[sidecar bob]

The big Tunnelly thing is a nightmare with a pushchair.you wanted to bring kids, you knew that's how the track was crossed, work with it, I did with my now grown up kids & it never occurred to me that I should whine about it until just now Other events at the same track have scheduled crossings during the breaks in racing.they were trying to get maximum racing in with minimum breaks, work with it instead of behaving like a special needs unit that wants proceedings to cease so they can push juniour without being inconvenienced
I did have enough sunscreen but due to the short notice did not have enough hearing protection to go around... short trip home resolved that but most people don't live 10 minutes down the road, for fucks sake, classic bikes are loud, it's hardly a new thing, get better organised next timemy point was if you only want to appeal to the existing hard core you never get any fresh blood. Every year the numbers will slowly thin and the relative cost of racing will go up.its gone up every year since 1903, I can't see that stopping, well done Eienstein
Make it something that appeals to the public and there will be more spectators, more supporters, better value for sponsors, probably more sponsors and lower costs for the entrants.i hardly felt hard done by with my entry fee, which was six times what a spectator paid for a weekend pass

I don't expect hospo tents and fashion parade, I think you fuckin do actually, and a helicopter ride over to the infieldbut I have to be honest, had we known how it was and had I been paying either I would have gone alone or not at all. im not entirely sure your complaining, negative special needs ass would have been missed


The highlight of our day was watching my 2 year old and 11 month old get so excited they were shaking about all the bikes.

Did that not make it all worthwhile?
But all this & somebody else actually paid your entry fee. I'm honestly not sure what to make of it all.

[jasonu]

Did that not make it all worthwhile?

Well that's a party of at least 4 paying customers that likely won't be back...

[Big Dog]

Did that not make it all worthwhile?

For me, yes.

As a family very nearly not.

With regard to the gate openings if the person operating the gate had been able to offer us more information than they weill be opened at 5, we would not have felt put out.
It is not like we rocked up to the gate demanding they be opened. We asked if they would and were told they would not. Less than 10 minutes after making our way across the skywalk the gate was openend. That was when I got an earful.