Troy Corser's the man! Yukio aint bad either.

[Sensei]

Yea Kickaha but on the dirt have done a few track days when not working but no Full blown stuff sorry .But are no arm Chair Racer .[ 1200k per week , 33y's riding , 53bikes owned ]
Spent most of my 39y's training in
Martial Arts so that is were I shine. Fighting is my life & had some great one's at that . Would have loved to have sent more time trying out racing but am more than happy with what I can do so no worry's there either
PS I think ARRON is Kool to just for the record great to see you all having a good cry thou . He signed my Shoei mountain bike helmet when he was here , Oyea I told him he should have tryed harder in the SBK & not cryed about his bike so much . Even got to ride his bike that he used while staying in New Zealand , a CBR 929 . Now that's something not anyone can say they have done
SENSEI :sly:

[White trash]

Interestingly, I notice that Haga is more than 2 seconds a lap off Corsers pace.

[Blakamin]

Interestingly, I notice that Haga is more than 2 seconds a lap off Corsers pace.

FARQ! I seriously thought that that Troy wouldv'e been past it by now... good to see another Aussie up there eh, WT???

[White trash]

.. good to see another Aussie up there eh, WT???

Go the Aussies!!!

[**R1**]

Interestingly, I notice that Haga is more than 2 seconds a lap off Corsers pace.

Yeah but its a new bike and its his first day trying to tame the power of the R1 dont 4get he rode a 999 last year.....did you read about Kagayama?....crashed twenty-four times in an eleven race season in Japan...i wonder who he blew to get this ride
...also isnt phillip island Corsers home track?

[Big Dave]

Go the Aussies!!!

So why do you reckon there are no Kiwis in the top flights, jimmy?
The conditions here make me think that you guys should turn out more top flight steerers that you do?

I know it's got to do with population base etc, but I go round more corners on a Sunday afternoon here that i would have in a month around Newcastle or Sydney. And it's far more challenging to ride - loose metal, slips, melty tar - conditions that rarely happen in Oz.

That said there are a hell of a lot of hard out riders turn up at meeting points north, south and west of the city every weekend.

This is the 'Road Warriors Cafe' at Mt White - just north of Sydney.

http://www.davidcohen.co.nz/mtwhite1.jpg
http://www.davidcohen.co.nz/mtwhite2.jpg

There is about 10km of NZ quality roads within 100km of this place - and look at how many turn up on a typical Sunday morning. They go real hard too.

Just volume & numbers - eh?

bd

[White trash]

So why do you reckon there are no Kiwis in the top flights, jimmy?

Simply put, I think the entire motorcycle industry of NZ is to blame. Nothing (seriously) is done to entice/encourage new racers.

Why the hell was 150 Street stock not raced at national points level?

Why couldn't MNZ get into starting a GSX250 cup? Stock bikes, on control tyres. $5000, ready to roll. NZ roadracing has been in steady decline since the demise of 250 proddy racing which every other country in the world still races.

A scholarship program similar to Formula Challenge open wheelers or the Toyota cup would be perfect.

What's wrong with an "Adopt a racer" type thing where each top level racer, advises a 1st or 2nd year racer (under 25) at each meeting? Let them pit with them, offer advise, that sort of thing.

Shaun Harris proposed a thing 18 months ago where every national points racer, paid $150 a year (fuck all in a seasons budget) to employ one person responsible for the promotion of the series. Securing event sponsership, that sort of thing all in that category. Great idea, went nowhere.

At the risk of sounding big headed, I believe that with 12 months training, I could be in the top 5 at NZ 600 Sports Production level. I wont do this, as there's no point.

I'm not prepared to sink $35K a year into racing at TOP LEVEL in NZ so I can have a 8 inch tall trophy and a pat on the back! WTF? Why bother?

[James Deuce]

WT raises a point that has plagued all NZ motorsport inc. cars for the last 20 years. Both motorsport organisations have concentrated on irrelevant formulae that have no transportability to any major International series. There are also far too many classes, making the overhead involved in organising meetings very intense.

IMO 125GP and 600 Supersport should be the major national junior and senior formulae respectively. Any other formulae should be club oriented. Yes it means the big bikes aren't raced here, but it means that prospective racers gain skills necessary to compete in Australia and Europe, or for the Supersport competitors potentially the USA. The goal of the sporting arm of Motorcycling New Zealand should be to feed two people a year into international racing series, or at least an overseas domestic series that can showcase NZ talent. That will start a manufacturer/sponsor feedback loop that may generate financial interest in NZ series.

Drop the rats and mice from the National calendar, and give the public close exciting racing and you might even get people turning up.

No disrespect to the F1/F2/F3/F5 brigade intended.

[**R1**]

Simply put, I think the entire motorcycle industry of NZ is to blame. Nothing (seriously) is done to entice/encourage new racers.

Why the hell was 150 Street stock not raced at national points level?

Why couldn't MNZ get into starting a GSX250 cup? Stock bikes, on control tyres. $5000, ready to roll. NZ roadracing has been in steady decline since the demise of 250 proddy racing which every other country in the world still races.

A scholarship program similar to Formula Challenge open wheelers or the Toyota cup would be perfect.

What's wrong with an "Adopt a racer" type thing where each top level racer, advises a 1st or 2nd year racer (under 25) at each meeting? Let them pit with them, offer advise, that sort of thing.

Shaun Harris proposed a thing 18 months ago where every national points racer, paid $150 a year (fuck all in a seasons budget) to employ one person responsible for the promotion of the series. Securing event sponsership, that sort of thing all in that category. Great idea, went nowhere.

At the risk of sounding big headed, I believe that with 12 months training, I could be in the top 5 at NZ 600 Sports Production level. I wont do this, as there's no point.

I'm not prepared to sink $35K a year into racing at TOP LEVEL in NZ so I can have a 8 inch tall trophy and a pat on the back! WTF? Why bother?

I agree....all the time im getting told ÿou should be on the track racing, the way you ride on the road is dangerous bla bla bla, but for me anyway its just too dam expensive...my whole life i have wanted to be a bike racer and im confident with time spent and the right gear i could be very compeditive, but like you said who wants to sink $30k+ in2 somthing that in NZ gets ya nowhere....sure theres buckets etc but did Aaron Slight start there??? 250cc class is for sure the way to go but then at the end of the day the more $$$$$$ you have the more chance ya have, so i'll stick to blasting around the hills and have ago days...i guess the other problem i have is im very compeditive so i couldnt just race for the enjoyment, my enjoyment comes from achieving.....

[TonyB]

Why couldn't MNZ get into starting a GSX250 cup?

Hell yes! My FZR thou looks almost exactly like a GSX250- I might actually stand a chance!

I agree there are too many classes, and many of the ‘important’ ones don’t matter- though isn’t our Superbike class (1000’s) something like the Superstock class at the WSBK? It even happens in car racing, I mean what the f^ck was the point of the Transam series? The NI had different rules to the SI, and both were different to Oz. Only one or two cars were competitive, because they spent the most money. Ridiculous, NZ is just too small to have dozens of different classes, wether it be cars or bikes! Since the introduction of the V8’s, things have really taken off. MNZ needs to find a similar idea. Wouldn’t it be great if the classes were consolidated so that there is something entry level that costs no more than go-kart racing, then 250’s, 600’s and finally 1000’s in a Superstock format? Maybe even four classes is too many? Obviously there is the problem of what to do with all of the racers that have invested heavily in classes that would become defunct…. I have no ideas there, but all of the fields would be bigger, the racing would be better, and there would be a better chance of pulling in the crowds.

And there’s another problem- the crowds. I didn’t go to the NZGP at Ruapuna last time, as it pissed down, but the year before I went along. It was only $15 or $20 for the whole weekend. It costs more than that to go to the bloody stock cars, yet there was probably less than 500 people there. It was advertised heavily on the radio, but no one came, even though the weather was perfect. Why does no one care?- even the local bikers stayed away in droves. I reckon it has to do with the number of classes again- too few riders spread over too many classes, some of which are quite frankly boring to watch. Then everyone takes an hour for lunch, during which time NOTHING happens. How entertaining. Why not charge local riders $10 to go out during the lunch break ‘have-a-go’ style? Or find some local stunters who want to show off? I think the key to getting crowds is to show car racing fans how entertaining bike racing is. The Mike Pero series is apparently drawing reasonable crowds, but apparently there was no bike racing there. MNZ should get a GOOD class involved in that series to give the cage lovers a demo of what real racing (with actual PASSING –GASP-) looks like. Then maybe they’d show up for the bike racing.

I think it would be fair to say that all of our successful international riders (track and dirt) got to where they are by taking a gamble, getting out of NZ, and racing in Oz or Europe. If the funds could be made available, the winner of the class with the best chance of getting noticed in could be sent to Europe to race on a sponsored bike, with some of our brilliant Kiwi mechanics looking after the bikes etc. I’d put up $50 a year to see that happen- if every Kiwibiker did that there’d be $75,000 in the kitty. If it could be done, that would be one hell of a carrot for those who have the talent but can’t see the point of investing money in a sport that currently takes you nowhere.

[White trash]

If the funds could be made available, the winner of the class with the best chance of getting noticed in could be sent to Europe to race on a sponsored bike, with some of our brilliant Kiwi mechanics looking after the bikes etc. I’d put up $50 a year to see that happen- if every Kiwibiker did that there’d be $75,000 in the kitty. If it could be done, that would be one hell of a carrot for those who have the talent but can’t see the point of investing money in a sport that currently takes you nowhere.

Now that's exactly the kind of "outside the square" thinking we need.

The John Britten Memorial is a really good step in the right direction and every single one of us should support the shit out of it with attendance and make it worth the promoters time and effort. I would be prepared to race the 1K in the Superbike class if I'd had more set up time, just for a shot at the prize money.

I hate to say it, but when they banned cigarette sponsorship in NZ, the good racing stopped.

[Blakamin]

what about tracks tho... fuck, manfield is 2 hours from wellywood... how many non bikers wanna travel that far??? i reckon they'd go if they were closer.... taupo?
how many locals go to either track?
travel costs and then admission make going to the races out of the price range of anyone without disposable income (takes me a month of saving to go)

[gav]

Its not so much what the guys start on , its what they are prepared to do to chase the dream. Staying in NZ, aint going to get you anywhere. Look how Bruce Anstey has come on since hes moved off shore. Slight as a youngster chased rides in Oz and rode all sorts of shit to get noticed. Anyone remember him on the old Aussie MC News Ducati 600? or the Bob Brown Ducati, sma ebike Kevin Magee rode for a bit? HOw about as a 17 year old racing a TZR250, FZ750 and FZR1000 at Wanganui all on the same day, he was clearly the best NZ had to offer and has had a great career. The Aussie and NZ Castrol 6 hour races were huge opportunities for younger guys back then. Simon Crafer was another who went overseas chasing rides, riding in Malaysian champs, getting rides in local Japan races and picking up starts in Suzuka 8 Hour etc. Chasing rides in UK etc, thats how guys will get noticed. Stroudy is a guy who has been there and done that and probably just wants to concentrate on local scene, Brian Bernard too, spent alot of time in the States, but some of these younger guys need to try and get some exposure overseas. Jared Love was being lined up to race an Aprilia overseas before his crash at Paeora. Whether MNZ can get some sort of scolarship when a young guy could get a start in a local race season in say Italy or Spain or maybe UK, and from there maybe get noticed.
Oh yeah, as for who is the man? Well he don't ride no stinkin' Suzuki, folks

[James Deuce]

what about tracks tho... fuck, manfield is 2 hours from wellywood... how many non bikers wanna travel that far??? i reckon they'd go if they were closer.... taupo?
how many locals go to either track?
travel costs and then admission make going to the races out of the price range of anyone without disposable income (takes me a month of saving to go)

You try getting resource consent to build them closer to city centres.

[James Deuce]

Its not so much what the guys start on , its what they are prepared to do to chase the dream. Staying in NZ, aint going to get you anywhere. Look how Bruce Anstey has come on since hes moved off shore. Slight as a youngster chased rides in Oz and rode all sorts of shit to get noticed. Anyone remember him on the old Aussie MC News Ducati 600? or the Bob Brown Ducati, sma ebike Kevin Magee rode for a bit? HOw about as a 17 year old racing a TZR250, FZ750 and FZR1000 at Wanganui all on the same day, he was clearly the best NZ had to offer and has had a great career. The Aussie and NZ Castrol 6 hour races were huge opportunities for younger guys back then. Simon Crafer was another who went overseas chasing rides, riding in Malaysian champs, getting rides in local Japan races and picking up starts in Suzuka 8 Hour etc. Chasing rides in UK etc, thats how guys will get noticed. Stroudy is a guy who has been there and done that and probably just wants to concentrate on local scene, Brian Bernard too, spent alot of time in the States, but some of these younger guys need to try and get some exposure overseas. Jared Love was being lined up to race an Aprilia overseas before his crash at Paeora. Whether MNZ can get some sort of scolarship when a young guy could get a start in a local race season in say Italy or Spain or maybe UK, and from there maybe get noticed.

Yes he did, but the classes he rode in had relevance in Aus. Our current ones, including the 1000s don't meet Aussie regs, and therefore we don't naturally feed into Australia anymore. The "scholarship" idea is one whose day has passed. NZers need to feed into International series and bring money with them in the form of personal and business sponsorship that has long term potential for the market they will be racing in, a la Scott Dixon.

Talent on its own is meaningless in modern motorsport, and Slight and Crafar would face the same hurdles today. Neither of them would get rides now, unless they brough money and a media friendly personality with them as a very bare starter.