What would bring YOU to watch a race meeting?

[FROSTY:Me]

The JB thing whilst a bloody good thing was a coincidence only
I like the reserved tickets idea -maybee corperate boxes later WHEN it takes off

[Paul in NZ]

Yeah but there are always decent bands doing summer tours...

How about running it new years eve - the place is PACKED with people looking for something to do..

[Mom]

Things that would make a race meeting appeal to me (in the same way street races do):

- Decent places to get decent food - cafe-style tents where you can actually sit down to consume your coffee & scone. And places that serve actual meals like big brekkies, with real plates and real cutlery.

- Shade! I get so overheated & burned at a lot of those summer events that it's one of my prime requirements to know that there will be shade available. Better still, some kind of water feature that would let me cool off. Water slides aren't just for the kids you know!

- Somewhere secure to leave my gear so I can arrive on a bike, then stash my helmet, boots & jacket so I don't have to carry them with me all day.

OK so maybe I'm not your target market for attending race meetings. But if you want 5000 people to attend, you're going to need a very broad target market!

No, you sound perfect target market to me and have raised some important considerations. Taupo is a great spectator track, you can get close to the racing, and even better see quite a bit of it from one spot if you choose to, I think being close to the action may be a big draw card for street races personally.

FROSTY, a 6 hour endurance race is a big ask of any spectator, you will need to have something else to amuse the non-fans! I took my kids to Taupo for a race meeting when they were between 5 and 10 yrs of age, they were bored shitless and went about making my life hell, till there was a bit of a woopsie right in front of us......then they were keen!

For me, a personal interest in the people riding, open pits.......so I can have a perve (at the bikes too!), and say hello to people. As others have said, food available, TOILETS! Drink, water as well as beer. Obviously Girls.........I get my perve time in the pits

Names riding!

Charge an entry fee......$20 a head is not a problem, let the kids in free! (under 14?)

Do you have any idea what attendance numbers used to be for the Castrol 6 hour races? Is 5000 people too big an ask?

[montsta56]

I always find events on a Sunday Are better attended.
Heaps of people have to work at least part of Saturdays.
You probably Already know this Frosty as most of ya Track DAy's are on Sunday....Thank GOd!!!

[MVnut]

I go to most meets in my area but at the mo I work every day so to get to Taupo would be an effort...........Castrol 6 Hour would do it though, oh yeah..and girls.

[FROSTY:Me]

Mom etc--For a 6 hour race for safety and logistical reasons having people waundering round the pits would be a nightmare
But-there are some really good viewing platforms right over the top of the pits -as in full lenth of the pits

[Katman]

Frosty, would you propose to run it as a strictly 'production class' event?

[Pancakes]

Yep the kids and wife like seeing things happen not clone bikes (this is what most people who aren't into bikes see, my boss could tell the difference between my bike and a co-workers VTR1000 with micron cans bar the colour!)
Something thats not real bogan, less leather tassles and more variety. There are lots of corporates just waiting to get their hands on people, things like the M&M's bouncy race thing is supplied and run for free with mini M&M's packet for each kid and the kids race up and down there instead of driving their old's nuts.

Are you talking 6 hrs straight or a 6 hour race day? Could get some stunters? Open pits or a decent view is a winner for me, I'd rather watch that than alot of racing.

The replay screen is a good idea so people catch the highlights and get up close. Again sponsors I'm sure would supply a big screen and have their brand on it half the time? I used to organise the odd event and think this is do-able. Of course you guys will be in the red and worn to the bone before you have the acid test of seeing the lines at the gates.

[FROSTY:Me]

Frosty, would you propose to run it as a strictly 'production class' event?

Mate Im not even thinking that far atm-more asking the question of normal folk (as normal as KB folk get) -what would attract them
I figure theres gota be something we in NZ racing are missing and burying heads in the sand isnt gonna solve it

[Shaun P]

A site or web page showing the competitors and bikes/sponsors so people know who they are and what they are watching, and run a pole to see who the favorites are.
Just to build it up a bit.

[janno]

A rally attached would get me along, with a decent band at night.

A fair with half to three quarters of stalls being non bike stuff being run in conjunction would also keep a lot of partners and children happy.

Good variety of food, not just greasies and softdrinks.

Plenty of shade tents and areas.

More loos than you can shake a stick at.

Bike gear stands with DECENT DISCOUNTS!! ie not just their normal rates with a generous 5% off. And plenty of road stuff, not just racing stuff.

Vintage bikes, including racing bikes, display - that's always really cool.

The last Laverda concourse in Brisbane had the local swingers bike club with a stall, and they weren't side car enthusiasts either. Unfortunately none of them looked like they do in the movies. . .

[FzerozeroT]

Long shot (but you asked for thoughts) I would travel for unique bikes, if you run a 6 hour race with nothing else just round and round you might get people for the start and finish but in between I would head into taupo or do a lap of the lake! how about 6hr is run on new half and old half has separate goings-on, ask bike distributors to put on demo's of the latest bikes doing laps (visual demo's not test rides), try and get some exotics going around, Britten, Two-stroke motoGP, Nitro dragbike, mini-moto, desmosedici

or make the six hour super interesting by making the rules something like one set of tires for the race :P would enable privateers to enter, otherwise the tyre bill for some racers would end up being their yearly allowance, never mind the gas etc. or a six hour gymkhana, do one lap, get off and iron a shirt, do another lap, do a handstand. I think I need to get more sleep.

[Paul in NZ]

besides - you are asking in the wrong place..

The real question is what would get non motorcyclists to come along?? What would get the HD set to come along? (they have $$ to spend) the moto cross guys?

Clubmans racing or trackday during the day... Maybe stadium moto cross in the infield?

Clean up track and pits

The 6 hour could start late afternoon with a period when lights must be used. During this time - bar opens, band plays etc - big finish at 10pm. Prize giving on stage followed by band until 1pm

Breakfast in the morning - ride home

[Katman]

Mate Im not even thinking that far atm-more asking the question of normal folk (as normal as KB folk get) -what would attract them
I figure theres gota be something we in NZ racing are missing and burying heads in the sand isnt gonna solve it

I think one of the major attractions of the Castrol 6 Hour for 'normal' folk was that they could turn up on their bike and see virtually the exact same bike competing in the race - and immense satisfaction was gained if 'your' bike won the event. (See where I'm coming from). The manufacturers were behind the event largely because "what wins on Sunday, sells on Monday".

[Tim 39]

Frosty - I'll be honest, a 6 hour endurance race will be hard to get spectators for. My opinion is that people like a little break and then a different class of bikes and riders to come out. A bit of variety.

I like the idea of getting spectators to turn up to more events a lot. Someone (and everyone as a whole) needs to organise this a bit more, because it is realy good for the sport having more spectators at events. The ideas like the rallies going to events seem to work realy well ie the Burt Munro draws heaps of spectators and it hasn't been going long. Then it becomes like the brass monkey where it's just what you go to each year if you're a motorbiker