Sidecar racers of the future getting sorted now

[Fast Eddie]

pass.. get them to build or buy a full size outfit and race that.

[Dave-]

And Yes they will probably head to SAE (and a future in car racing).

I can't speak for other SAE projects, but Canterbury has a very strong motorcycle following.

We get like 7 guys together on monday evenings to watch the latest GP/SBK

pass.. get them to build or buy a full size outfit and race that.

...and we're back to the regularly scheduled kiwibiker stupidity.

[scrivy]

...and we're back to the regularly scheduled kiwibiker stupidity.

...and it wasn't even me.....

[steveyb]

The real shame of this entire "project" (lack of a better term); is that they all are lost from the racing community.
Its a one off event (maybe a couple of races in the day) then that's it.

The sidecars are not far off the bucket specs (other than motor size); but that's a bit flat over the past ten years (but making a comeback).

There really needs to be something made from this (I can't think how).
The organisers have done a fantastic job of getting this into the schools.
But we have done really nothing to accommodate them or foster this.
And Yes they will probably head to SAE (and a future in car racing).

A few of us have droped in a talk to the teachers and classes; students have been through the workshops looking at all the toys.
But without access to a small enough track (in our region) then there is no way of really exposing them to larger racing community.

Maybe once Minefield walls off the back new section; then something might be possible.
Imagine big bikes on the front track; small bikes out back (o'shit dosen't that sound like the old Suzuki winter series of the late 90's)......

Have to agree with Bert to a certain degree.
While it seems, on the face of it, that the students really get into the racing and get all excited on the day, the actual focus of the activity for all of them, bar none, is the engineering and design side and the day out hanging with their mates.
The racing part is almost incidental and just the culmination of their efforts in the workshop.
Almost none of them are there for the racing itself.
Many of them ride and even race off road bikes, but it seems none have any interest either prior or after, in carrying on with road racing.
That being said, Moto Academy NZ was lucky enough to have been able to coach one of the guys through a season of bigger bike racing after he cleaned up his class of pocket bikes at this event.
He was one of the most talented kids I have met, and a great guy. He went faster in his first ride than anyone we have seen recently. After having never ever ridden a roadbike of any kind, he was getting his knee down in his first day and running 1.24s around a very crowded Manfeild. Real talent I reckon.
He had a great year and really enjoyed it. BUT, it just wasn't his thing. Sso we shook hands and he went on with his life. He is a farmer and took up flying I understand. His heart is in horse sports and I believe that is where he got his abilities on the bike.

So, on the face of it we could try and capture some kids from this event, but I don't think we would be too successful.

Moto Academy NZ has tried a couple of times and perhaps we will try again this year by demonstrating the new IMD250 to them to show them a larger scale motorcycle engineering project.

But that is just my opinion and if we did it better it might be more successful.

[Fast Eddie]

...and we're back to the regularly scheduled kiwibiker stupidity.

well we weren't, but then you put finger to keyboard and now we are..

7 guys? 1 monday night? 2 cups.. Sounds like Scrivys place on a thursday night but with less dudes.. getting soft in the flat plains..