Privateers Cup and Naked Class?

[CHOPPA]

I got this email from Peter Fenton, nothing is set in concrete but its just showing how there are people that are really trying to pick up the racing scene and getting some ideas out there!

He has some really good ideas that i hope come into place!

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I am aiming to have implimented a "Privateer Class" within both Superbikes and 600's. So that those riders who are not directly supported by the factory, also have something else to race for...........the "Privateer's Cup". With the main prize (I hope) to win more factory support, from which ever manufactuer the winner wants, where the manufacturer will assist them with either a bike, or parts etc to help them the following season.

Also I want to see more input from the Tyre Companies, where 1st, 2nd and/or 3rd privateers win a set of tyres per round. Along with Chains, brake pads, fuel vouchers, ferry crossing vouchers, accommodation vouchers etc etc........this way I feel it really gives the non factory riders so,ething else to race for in their own championship.
I would also like them to have Red number boards and white numbers, so that the public can tell the difference between factory and non factory.

There will also be some technical changes for next season possibly. Maybe a limit on tyres, both in 600's and SBK. Also, possibly having SBK's on Prodie tyres, this way, it is then easier to on sell 2nd hand tyres to club racers. I know our Dunlop Prodie tyres will handle our SBK's, so I am sure the other tyre manufacturers will too.

There are also other ideas I am working on. As well as working with the new promoter of the Aussie Series (Suzuki Australia get me to look after Robbie in Aussie too). The new promoters there want to seriously look at the option of bringing a round of the Aussie SBK'S here..........for examlpe their 1st round would possible tie in with our final round. And this would also include, say our top 6 competing for "Trans- Tasman Points" and also the top 6 going over there to race in a round of the Aussie SBK Series, for the 2nd part of the Trans Tasman Series...............or something along those lines anyway.

So, hopefully we can keep this sport growing. I have to admit, I was very dissapointed in the North Island's representaion of local riders at the Manfield round and also the Pukekohe round. If the local club riders don't want to race against the best in NZ, then I feel the clubs should then at least have run a "Clubman's Class", so the local club riders could have at least taken part in the rounds and then compared their lap times to their equiverlent class, whether it be 600's, SBK, or even Pro twins and would then see how they would have fared in the proper classes.....!!!!........well, that is what I think anyway.

Oh, possibly you could ask people's oppunion on a new class I would like to be included next year and that is a Naked Bike Production class. Really tightly controlled, with limited mods, on production Naked bikes. Whether it be a Super Duke, B-King, SV 1000, Honet, Frazer, Speed Triple..........etc.etc. From 675cc up wards. I feel this is another way of getting people out racing, without having to have too big a cheque book.

[Shaun P]

Finally some clear thinking, I think most of those initiatives would be a step in a positive direction.

[White trash]

Red's always been a forward thinker and let's face it, devotes a huge ammount of time to our chosen sport.

Privateer Cup is an awesome idea. I would hope that it would fish out a few more people keen to race in each class.

Proddy tyre rule wouldn't suit everyone perfectly. Especially if a trans tasman series started. Also, those that do want to run slicks at club level would pay through the nose as ditributors wouldn't be bringing decent numbers in.

Transtasman riders would be awesome.

NAked bike class would rock.

Red Fenton for MNZ CEO

[DEATH_INC.]

NAked bike class would rock.

YEH BABY!!!!!!!

[Skunk]

then I feel the clubs should then at least have run a "Clubman's Class", so the local club riders could have at least taken part in the rounds and then compared their lap times to their equiverlent class, whether it be 600's, SBK, or even Pro twins and would then see how they would have fared in the proper classes.....!!!!........well, that is what I think anyway.

I agree with him up to this. That just pisses me off. We do everything we can to do what the riders want and when they don't show up it's our fault... Can't bloody win.
If the riders wanted to compare times they SHOULDA BLOODY ENTERED!! Bloody

Sorry - got my back up this time.

[sinfull]

Imagine the hoons that would come out to play if there was a naked class ! Todays bears races were chocka with riders throwing everthing into their races, nakeds everywhere !
I look at the future of my speed triple and think, i got to trade it if i wanna keep doin this cause there aint nothin past clubmans ! Sure i move into F1, yay, unless i can find 10 others who would want to do the same, i'm racing myself !

[CHOPPA]

Imagine the hoons that would come out to play if there was a naked class ! Todays bears races were chocka with riders throwing everthing into their races, nakeds everywhere !
I look at the future of my speed triple and think, i got to trade it if i wanna keep doin this cause there aint nothin past clubmans ! Sure i move into F1, yay, unless i can find 10 others who would want to do the same, i'm racing myself !

got a zx10 for sale thats pretty fast...

[White trash]

I agree with him up to this. That just pisses me off. We do everything we can to do what the riders want and when they don't show up it's our fault... Can't bloody win.
If the riders wanted to compare times they SHOULDA BLOODY ENTERED!! Bloody

Sorry - got my back up this time.

Andrew. Simmer down bro. Read the last sentence again. It's someone's opinion, and let's face it. we all have one. He's clearly stated that.

I don't know Red, never been introduced. But someone that states that it's "their view" is normally very open to discussion.

I do not want to critisise VMCC in the slightest, in my mind you guys are the best in the country without doubt. HOWEVER, I did wonder at the logic of having an "Open Twins" class at Manfield round of the Nats. PERSONALLY I thought there would have been more merit in running a Clubmans class.

And I do agree with Red's senitiments to an extent. It surely seems strange that the North Island had the lowest subscribed meetings.

I also see the clubs involved side of the coin. You ran events, few entered. What the fuck is wrong with people?

[sinfull]

got a zx10 for sale thats pretty fast...

Don't think i aint looked at it Lol Just couldn't scrape that much together !

[MVnut]

a Naked Bike Production class. Really tightly controlled, with limited mods

MV Brutale 1078 .........hmmmmmmmmmm

[puddytat]

So, hopefully we can keep this sport growing. I have to admit, I was very dissapointed in the North Island's representaion of local riders at the Manfield round and also the Pukekohe round. If the local club riders don't want to race against the best in NZ, then I feel the clubs should then at least have run a "Clubman's Class", so the local club riders could have at least taken part in the rounds and then compared their lap times to their equiverlent class, whether it be 600's, SBK, or even Pro twins and would then see how they would have fared in the proper classes.....!!!!........well, that is what I think anyway.

The reason I went to the Nats at Ruapuna was that they held a Clubmans class...
We had 26 bikes in that class that wouldve otherwise not have been racing.
I was about a second off qualifying pace for the 6 hundies.I personally think I learnt a lot more about racing ,racing the 6 guys in front of me than I wouldve if I had qualified for F2 & left for dead off the line & having a boring race at the tail end of the field, & possibly fucking it for the quick fellas.As it was , in the F2 races I watched,backmarkers in my view certainly played a part in the results....
Like Red says, What I got out of it was being able to compare my lap times against the F2 guys,as well as some shit hot racing against fellas in my own league. And, there were some spectators there for a change.
There are certainly several good ideas in what Red is saying,& for me personally,stepping up to a privateers cup type competion would be the more attainable financially as well as suiting my skill level more.

[steveyb]

OK, so Clubmans class at Manfeild round of NZSBK.
Will bring out all the punters you say.
Agreed, Clubmans class at Ruapuna brought out a bunch of riders.
The same would have happened at Manfeild ay?

Only it didn't.

In order to boost the entry numbers at Manfield in 2007 the club (VMCC) invited the Post Classic riders to enter, as the local Postie riders asked for the spot.

But they didn't turn up.

So in 2008 the club reverted back to Clubmans as the support class.

But they didn't turn up (8-10 entries as I recall).

So in 2009 the club tried something different for all the riders who state that their two cyl bikes are not competitive in Superbike. An Open twins class for the support class.

But they didn't turn up!

One has to acknowledge that the high entry fee played a part in that, but following the pattern of the past two (and more) years, the club could not take the risk in losing revenues that even at a reduced entry fee, the riders would not turn up.

So, other than the entry fee (which I will be the first to argue should have really been $60-80 like at Ruapuna) why did Open twin riders not turn up (other than the 6 that did)?

This is all a bit off topic, and I think that Peter (Red) does a really great job and is always thinking about new ideas. But I have issues with further dilution. My own opinion is that we have all the racing classes that our market can really stand, as we are now.

At national level we have the SBK class for the top tier, the SP600 class for the up-and-comers, the F3 class for the fiddlers and smaller of budgets, the Pro-twin class for up-and-comers of smaller budgets, 125GP as our only internationally relevent race class for younger and not so younger riders, SuperMoto for the dirtrackers (not at national level, but it is there), sidecars for the terminally insane, SS150 for youth (pseudo national class which I think should be an officially national class), and Clubmans for support for everyone else. Not to mention the BEARS meetings for a large number of these so-called Naked bikes anyway as who will turn up on an FZ6 when ther will be SuperDukes, SpeedTriples and Hypermotos or something in the same race?

Really, what more do we need? What is really to be gained by diluting that even further? More classes = less tracktime at any given meeting, plain and simple. Why is it that a Naked class needs to be formed? Why is it that these riders will not ride in another class, such as Pro-Twin?

Granted, the FZ6 cup in Australia seems to be working, and the SuperDuke cup in the UK is not too bad, but our market here is so much smaller that further fragmentation into smaller and smaller sub-markets can only serve to damage the offering that we already have. Our Pro-Twin is our equivalent, it is already there.

Bear in mind that these one-brand type classes are created by the distributors as a marketing exercise and when they deem their life to be over they do simply pull the plug.

BUT, I fully fully fully support the idea of a privateers cup within NZSBK and NZSP600. But, who determines who is distributor/factory supported and who is not? If you get your bike on a "racers programme" does that constitute "factory supported". Some will argue that it does. Nit-picking I know, it can work, it works in the UK and Oz, but I wonder if we are all to precious over here to get by without moaning!

I also mooted some time ago, at club and MNZ level, a Club cup. I.E. at the end of the NZSBK season, all points across all classes are tallied and the club with the most points wins a cup. Not much I know, but a little something to try and instil a little club community spirit. I even volunteered to buy a trophy out of my own pocket and count up the points (now there is a taxing task ay?), but no one else really seemed too bothered with it, so I joined them.

Whew, run out of ink ribbon......

[CHOPPA]

Don't think i aint looked at it Lol Just couldn't scrape that much together !

you would probably get more for the triumph!

[wbks]

got a zx10 for sale thats pretty fast...

Suit commuter purposes?...

[CHOPPA]

Suit commuter purposes?...

As long as you have some throttle control to idle along at the speed limit