fair point - I suppose any rule suggestion will have it's shortfalls somewhere, like the below example, $$ spent doesnt allow for the professional engineer who can do a few thousand dollars worth of machining etc for 'free' in his own time etc, or the guys that got 'given' xyz parts.
It just seems like there are so many workarounds, stiulations, loopholes that bucketracing is as much chequebook racing as supersport is - at least that's my view as someone who has several times contemplated getting involved. - its the 'chequebook' image of it that turns me right off - can't be fucked doing it if Im going to get apped by every other cunt out there, and sure as fuck arent willing to spend thousands on a bucket - so I always end up back at - what's the fucking point? (for me) I suspect theres a lot of others out there with the same perspective, I know Ive floated the idea with several others who have ultimately had the same view as me - the original appeal is gone now - its become greatly competitive and accessible only to those with big bucks, special skills and engineering, or access to both.
I suppose you could also try something like a max top speed allowed per class? exceed and lose x amount of points. that wouldnt be too hard to measure, and would level the field a bit. would enable people to use whatever the fuck engines and parts the wanted as a top speed means very quickly approaching the point of diminishing gains if you wanted to get fancy with your engineering or your money.
How may classes are currently run? - the "real bike" racing classes have evolved, changed, been modified, expanded and added to over and over to appease the various promoters or naysayers of various opinions. Some have argued thats just diluted the classes which I guess could be an issue for buckets as well?
Spencer was within range of my 18hp H100 which had a dreadful chassis. He was clearly out riding me at the 2hr ( I was on 2nd he was pole) but home advantage I'm sure I could have beat him in a year of practice.
A GPR chassis and he wouldn't have seen which way I went.
That H pulled awesome stand up wheelies I felt like Troy Corser.
Funny as hell but I gave people rides and they couldn't believe it was the bike that just beat them.
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
I still have ankle issues from that bike.
Ohakune I was leading a GP prelimin when Greenie came breezing past me at the end of the straight and then starfished on the ground so I could use him as a landing pad.
Had to run the 50 GP with a teatowel of ice in my boot. Chris Sales beat me. I think it would have been closer indeed otherwise.
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
Also, it's so funny to hear about how people are put off by the cheque book racers today. It's been the same story for 35+ years. Can't be bothered spending the time to make a competitive bike, don't want to spend the $$$ to get someone else to do it for them, and then whining about the cost putting them off. Like that guy a while back who proposed all these changes that should be allowed to make it competitive. Turns out he was describing his mates bike that he wanted a special sub-class for. pretty obvious in that case. At the very beginning I got accused of it. What the whingers never bothered to find out was that my bike was built over many nights by many friends for more or less $0
The more I think about it the more I think the rules should be left alone at the moment. Bikes are there to be ridden. You don't need a mega chassis to be fast, Gary runs a stock FXR chassis albeit with a few bits, and good luck getting past him if your name isn't Blair or Nate. Blair is quick plus it's obviously something he loves doing and he's bought himself a GPR and good on him. Others spend lots of $$$. It doesn't always end up with a winner but often that isn't the point.
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
I have posted stuff with Green on thr podium at the last Wigram plus some other stuff inc the Flet uniflow
it was in a thread old Bucket pictures or something.
There were a lot of cool old pics along with a Cheater RM80 by the look of it.
https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/s...-Bucket-racing
https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/s...post1130621054
Ha, that first article, I remember that race with Jason, it was close and good fun. I'd borrowed a crank seal from Jason (I'll get it back to you soon mate) and put it in late at Gary's place the night before. Sadly the header stud was a bit stripped and it leaked quite bad.y affecting performance. My boot was glazed with oil specs at the end.
That was probably the only time Gary's bike ran that well. And Darrins bike expiring wasn't common. Off to drop him off an RG250 engine in a few hours.
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
Morley lapped me close to the end. He went past me and peeled into a hard left u-turn. The front tucked real good and I thought it was because he was getting past me and trying hard. Next lap I was close enough(just) to see him do exactly the same thing. Morley is a legend. At Foxton one year it had been pissing down for ages and the river had gone over the bank and flooded a large grassy area over the back of town. Morley lost it going down the back and ended up going across the flooded area. Pretty sure he never backed off despite being in muddy water about 200mm deep, on maybe grass, with no idea what was under the water. Manfeild was the same when we raced there one year. Pretty sure it was 3 Shirriffs and me doing laps. Morley kept pitching it up the inside of whoever was in front just as we peeled into the return road that big bikes used at the end of a race to get back to the pits. Lap after lap he couldn't make it stick with the bike sliding wide. Awesome to watch. Got pretty wobbly drinking champagne in the hot sun with Morley afterwards.
I came back through Wodville last year same day as mx gp held there so went had a look. After 15min realised I was sitting pretty much next to him . Hats & sunnies make everyone look generic.
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
.
As a big part of Buckets has been the very clever development done. So is there any appetite for a development class where things that don't currently fit the current simple Miniature RR rule set could be run with the organizers and official MNZ blessing, for insurance purposes etc etc?
Thinking of specials like EV and Turbo 125 twins, uni-flows, XR180's and MX85, clever stuff that could be allowed to run. Welcomed for its "Bucket" like innovation and given official residency but not entitled to full citizenship as F4 or F5 in the Bucket community.
So is there any appetite for a more flexible development class with its own title separate from F4, F5? No points and minimal administrative overhead.
The rule could be as simple as:- Miniature RR "Development" class, at the organizers discretion and less than 26 kW SAE at the rear wheel.
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