Street racing; making up rules as they go..??..

[NordieBoy]

When this little sequence took place the Paramedic was on hand within about 20 seconds.

Nooooo!!!!
Not the Duc HyperMoto!

[steve74]

Just something to add, the event organizer at the nelson prize giving did announce that they had been asked to join the battle of the streets series, however due to the higher standards and comitment required, were unable to accept. He did go on to say that they may be prepared to run a class for protwins next year and were looking in to it.

Great news for a protwin but not any help to a F3 spec SV650 rider.

Bottom line, at the end of the day, its not a championship event, you can still enter a SV650 in F1, and F2 and have a great days riding. look at Glen williams at greymouth.

either way the rules just need to be defined and enforced.

same for motards.

[TonyB]

All I can say is that is pretty obvious that organising a Street Race is a MASSIVE undertaking. I guess you can't keep all of the people happy all of the time. The time schedule is extremely tight, so classes are limited. Spectators have paid to enter and they want to watch Motards, F1 and maybe F2- the general public want to see fast bikes going hard out. Most of the other classes don't bring in the punters at all- unless they know someone that races them. So maybe the poor old organisers are trying to slot us in as best they can, and we should cut them some slack.

I had an idea for the Safety Car. If Ford are stumping up money, but want it to show off, maybe they should provide a ute with some Brolly Dolly's in the back, and cruise around at a speed that's safe for the girls in the back AND allows them to check the track properly? Or maybe the winners of an earlier race could sit in the back (not that they'd actually have time)?

OR- there were two vehicles for radio stations there- I bet they would pay more than Ford if they were the Safety Car, with the speakers going and stuff. Could be worth looking into. THEY wouldn't insist on hooning around at max speed.

Anyway. I thought the meeting was awesome. I'll be back. Huge thanks to all those that made it happen!

[feral1]

It seems that the rules at a street race are not set in stone and do differ from the rule book. I found it increadibly strange without SV650s in the F3 field. in my opinion if its run under MNZ control, it must run by the MNZ rules.
My old 2 stroke 250 became competitive all of a sudden. As paul said, it did make racing in F3 pretty even. With the exception of Ritchie Newberrys rocket ship zxr440, all of the 30 odd bikes entered were pretty evenly matched.

Rocketship
Rocketship
Rocketship
Rocketship
Goooo the mighty ZXR!!!

Good to hear you all had a good time. Steve you had a blinder too I hear. Woulda been nice too for the crowds to see a two smoker deuce with the four bangers at the front.

D; I hear what your saying man, human beings are too cool to be tomato pasted by dickheads in cars.

Congrats organisers but lets keep the classes to official MNZ spec next years aye...


Eric

[feral1]

How close does one need to be?

Wicked pics Bell !!!

Lets get sum more on here.
you got any pics of the hard chargin F3 lads (Stevo and Rich). Steve is on a red/white RGV-SP wif red/white leathers #74 and Rich's ZXR fourhundy, Green, black and gray, Red and White Spidi's and #9.

Feral

[bell]

Nooooo!!!!
Not the Duc HyperMoto!

Cosmetic stuff really. I cringed more than the rider I think!

[MyGSXF:Me]

Maybe this year was different but I've done it three times and not once would I have described it as well organised

This year obviously WAS different, as ALL the people who got up to receive trophies, said! & also riders who participated this year have said One guy who got up to receive his trophy said that other race organizers could learn a lot from the Nelson crew!!!!

we DIDN'T boycott the event: most people were still so fucked off about the entire days racing

exactly m'dear..

would you race pregnant on a track in conditions that you believe UNSAFE.

I wouldn't be racing a PREGNANT chick AT ALL!!!

"a track you believe to be unsafe".. exactly.. "you believe".. tis YOUR opinion D.. & it doesn't fit with a lot of others opinions though aye.. Nor with the people who RACED YESTERDAY!!

The race was not boycoted as such, the Nelson club did not respond to leters sent to them

do you know for a fact that they actually RECEIVED the letters????

WHICH CAN LEAD TO DEATH is it really worth it? dont role ya eyes at a safty concern

From what I saw & heard yesterday.. the riders SAFETY was of prime importance!!! To the point of making the hard call to cancel the last 4-5? races due to the fact that the road surface was getting so bad in the sun!! As Tony has already explained, the car system has obviously changed from last year!

always expect the unexpected Jen you know that... the car is ment to be doing a siting lap the driver as you would expect gets carried away in the heat of the moment which could end up as a death... what if the car span out and killed your boy? You are looking at this from a spectators point a view Jen... try it from the racers view.

Yes I am a spectator, not a racer..(I wish!!!) but I am also looking at it from an objective & neutral point of view Daryl. I was THERE yesterday. I have eyes & ears & a brain! I saw & heard! All your views are based on stuff that happened a YEAR ago!

My hat goes of to all these people that make this possible. I know of the main man up there, he's a bloody wicked chap and him and his partner have made huge sacrificies for their event, incl monetary. Being a motorcycle event organiser myself, I know it can be a thankless job. So: THANK YOU to the people that give their time to allow us to enjoy our racing.

Good post!! The committee is only 5 people & it takes them ALL year to organize this event!! I take my hat off to them too, for putting on a bloody enjoyable day!!!

Rashika, Daryll and the bucket crew. I know there have been some bad tastes for you in the past and I think we have covered them pretty comprehensively over the last year or so (various threads).

That's the gist of what I was "trying" to point out also. Thanks!

i thought it was a great event, the sun did let us down a lot with the tar melting and the track falling to bits, but just like the rain at greymouth, its unavoidable. I see both sides of running and riding a street race and think that it was a great effort by the organizers and helpers.

Awesome!!

I am happy to forget it man, but when people like MYgsxf pipe up about shit they have no real understanding of I will reply

If you are "happy to forget about it man" then WHY, leading up to the event, do you keep going on about stuff that happened a YEAR ago!!! YOU have YOUR thoughts & opinion D.. I have mine! I was THERE.. where were you????? I talked to other racers & they were all having a great day! Build a bridge man.. & get over it!

All I can say is that is pretty obvious that organising a Street Race is a MASSIVE undertaking. I guess you can't keep all of the people happy all of the time. So maybe the poor old organisers are trying to slot us in as best they can, and we should cut them some slack.

Anyway. I thought the meeting was awesome. I'll be back. Huge thanks to all those that made it happen!

Bloody good call Tony!

[MyGSXF:Me]

Woohoo.. a red rep from D was wondering how long it would take...

[dangerous]

Woohoo.. a red rep from D was wondering how long it would take...

want another... now do you under stand that I havnt comented about THIS year like you keep saying, I hear thins were grouse for the most... awesome, with any luck Ill be back next year.

THE END

[MyGSXF:Me]

with any luck Ill be back next year

Cool.. shall look forward to seeing you kicking arse next year then!! makes it much more enjoyable for us lowly spectators to watch mates racing & cheering them on, rather than just a bunch of people we don't know!!

[Rashika]

Sorry feral but just gotta comment here...

"a track you believe to be unsafe".. exactly.. "you believe".. tis YOUR opinion D.. & it doesn't fit with a lot of others opinions though aye.. Nor with the people who RACED YESTERDAY!!

not just his opinion, but the opinions of a whole lot of other people as well hense the reason they didn't go (D didn't force anyone not to go, they basically told HIM they weren't going) ...and yes this is from last year, but as Kickaha has said the same for all the years that he raced. One bad experience will put you off for a long time if there is no obvious changes made prior to the event.

do you know for a fact that they actually RECEIVED the letters????

yes we do, we spoke to Darren about it several times earlier in the year

Yes I am a spectator, not a racer..(I wish!!!) but I am also looking at it from an objective & neutral point of view Daryl. I was THERE yesterday. I have eyes & ears & a brain! I saw & heard! All your views are based on stuff that happened a YEAR ago!

when you are a racer you can comment about the racers views; 1 year is a short time when there is only 1 race a year in Nelson. You were also there last year but have said you didn't 'see or hear' any issues, yet there were plenty.

Good post!! The committee is only 5 people & it takes them ALL year to organize this event!! I take my hat off to them too, for putting on a bloody enjoyable day!!!

why dont you join them and help out?

If you are "happy to forget about it man" then WHY, leading up to the event, do you keep going on about stuff that happened a YEAR ago!!! YOU have YOUR thoughts & opinion D.. I have mine! I was THERE.. where were you????? I talked to other racers & they were all having a great day! Build a bridge man.. & get over it!

Because as has been said so many times now, there was NOTHING to indicate any changes were going to be made this year, esp not in the letter received from Nelson in Nov, well after people had made plans for their hols.

sorry again Feral, back to you

[MyGSXF:Me]

One bad experience will put you off for a long time if there is no obvious changes made prior to the event.

Ya gotta get back on that horse chick!!

yes we do, we spoke to Darren about it several times earlier in the year

Ok. Maybe it just got lost in the system.. filed & forgot about..

You were also there last year but have said you didn't 'see or hear' any issues, yet there were plenty.

I was very busy last year playin pit bitch for Nico & Frosty & having waaaay too much fun to be aware of any unhappy undercurrants.. sorry chick!

why dont you join them and help out?

Weeeeellll.. funnily enough.. I WAS going to offer to do just that after the prize giving last night!!!! I went to have a catchup natter with Phil Garret first, but then when I went to look for the people Bugs pointed out, that I needed to go talk to about joining the club.. they had already left. I shall still hunt them down ehh ehh eeehhhhh

[gav]

Regarding the car, is this after its pulled out from the pits and is behind the field on the warm up lap? The car isnt doing a sighting lap as such, it will only call up if some one breaks down or crashes on the warm up lap and can delay the start of the race. It needs to get around as quick as possible as I'm sure the riders don't want to be waiting on the start line for any longer than possible, especially in hot conditions. Secondly as mentioned the car will follow on the opening lap and provide medical attention if required.
The Nelson Port street races have always led a "strained" relationship with the businesses involved, they don't really benefit from the races unlike say Greymouth. The Port Company must dread them and hope like hell nothing serious happens that could involve them.
Ideally a new circuit would be ideal for the Top of the South. Not sure if anyone attended the Golden Downs road race event, but that had potential to be a great event. Sadly the sale of part of the forestry led to the circuit being unavailable the next year.
Does anyone know who was involved in the street races held in New Brighton when Joey Dunlop turned up and raced? Shame that couldn't have been held on a regular basis either?

[Rashika]

Ya gotta get back on that horse chick!!

but you just said I cant?!

And I have done lots of racing since then, Ruapuna, Levels and Greymouth, nd even crashing at Levels didn't put me off going back! Its not the racing that was the concern, more the worry that things hadn't changed. After reading all, it seems that some has changed for the positive and some has changed for the negative, still making it difficult to decide about returning.

This blimmin SV ruling tho, still find it strange they didnt allow them in...

[TonyB]

Regarding the car, is this after its pulled out from the pits and is behind the field on the warm up lap? The car isnt doing a sighting lap as such, it will only call up if some one breaks down or crashes on the warm up lap and can delay the start of the race. It needs to get around as quick as possible as I'm sure the riders don't want to be waiting on the start line for any longer than possible, especially in hot conditions. Secondly as mentioned the car will follow on the opening lap and provide medical attention if required.

Nope. Have a look here The track uses Vickerman St, Wildman Ave, Low St, Carkeek St, Graham St and Rogers St. The car pulls out of Carkeek Street, which is behind the grid. It then does a full lap, the bikes qued on the dummy grid pull out after the car comes past (completeing one lap). The car continues on, turning right onto Carkeek St, (the track goes left), and waits until the bikes form up on the grid. It then pulls out of Carkeek Street again, and waits behind the bikes. Once the race starts, it follows the bikes untill Carkeek St, where it turns right again and waits.

The car must be doing a sighting lap, as it can pull in behind the bikes without doing the full lap.