How to grow the future of road racing in New Zealand

[Metastable]

Hopefully the times will become a bit more prosperous. Since 2008 road racing in various places has suffered. Just look at the Might AMA. For 2014 there is still no TV agreement for the Daytona 200 which is suppose to happen next weekend. The series is down to 5 rounds (from double digits a few years ago). There are no races in the Western USA AT ALL in 2014 with tracks like Circuit of the Americas, Miller, Laguna, Sears Point, Autoclub Speedway... etc all sitting idle.

[Shaun Harris]

Hopefully the times will become a bit more prosperous. Since 2008 road racing in various places has suffered. Just look at the Might AMA. For 2014 there is still no TV agreement for the Daytona 200 which is suppose to happen next weekend. The series is down to 5 rounds (from double digits a few years ago). There are no races in the Western USA AT ALL in 2014 with tracks like Circuit of the Americas, Miller, Laguna, Sears Point, Autoclub Speedway... etc all sitting idle.

Not correct mate, check out www.roadracing world.com and what John Ulrich has just announced, another 3 round series within the WERA championships.

True re NO TV still though





PS everything has to start from some where

[scrivy]

As already mentioned, School days with select riders and machines giving talks to the students, put a suzuki or honda or what ever in a kids face enough and they will be interested in that brand name, subconcious memory is a very powerfull tool to use.
Yip, done that myself, and even had Stroudy do it too!

Radio stations are always hanging out for people on there shows, again this just need managing by the coordinator to make it happen.
Must be a capable speaker - not to sound too munted......


In reply to your second part of your post, exactually man, the women need some thing to do with the kids apart from sit on a deck chair for 8 hours a day in not the best of conditions to be able to take the family for an outing whilst dad or son or daughter is doing skids having the time of there life, Simple.

WE NEED much better food suppliers than we annually get at race tracks in Nz...
there could be mobile hair dressers there even to satisfy some ladies and children, extreme idea;s YES, but all 100% achieveable healthy and positive.
Schools could put on life shows for the kids at these events, Hire centres WOULD supply gadgets ie bouncy carcells to promote there products and the options go on and on again

Exactly what Chris and I tried at the TRRS. FREE bouncy castles, FREE face painting, FREE activities for the kids (even balloon shape making) - so mum felt she wasn't wasting a whole day. FREE dinner and beers to ALL competitors and their hangers ons....
...oh, and a past riders re-union....
I wanted a family environment back then....... and it was growing.....

Now the Sidecars are invited and racing with the trucks at the Diesel and Demons meeting again... infront of a new audience with other nutter classes. Spectators love it.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Make a big round dirt oval and have 'em race around it from the age of three.

[Shaun Harris]

Exactly what Chris and I tried at the TRRS. FREE bouncy castles, FREE face painting, FREE activities for the kids (even balloon shape making) - so mum felt she wasn't wasting a whole day. FREE dinner and beers to ALL competitors and their hangers ons....
...oh, and a past riders re-union....
I wanted a family environment back then....... and it was growing.....

Now the Sidecars are invited and racing with the trucks at the Diesel and Demons meeting again... infront of a new audience with other nutter classes. Spectators love it.

You and Chris did awsome work with that mate, and FANTASTIC re racing with the trucks the people there will love i totally

[Shaun Harris]

Make a big round dirt oval and have 'em race around it from the age of three.

That is deff the future Crasher, and there just could just be a farm in Taranki in the very near future where such a thing can be done from- 2 parteners already agreed to the concept, the other is over seas for another 2 months though and does not want any contact whilst away holidaying with his family

[MVnut]

Love your Passion Shaun, we have had this discussion together a few times.
the BIGGEST issue with Bike racing in NZ (im being hard and Frank) is the Vast majority of NZrs dont give a flyin fuck about bike racing, this means neither do sponsors, this means there will never (as it is now) money in this for anyone.


I have used the term "the big show" on KB and in conversations for years, but until "a big show" is done its never going to change......................ok whats a big show Quasi ? good question my fellow KBrs, a Big show is just that, great racing with lots of extras, something for the whole family and dont be precious, bring in other forms of motorsports, bring in other attractions, bike racing on its own is just NOT enough

Completely disagree re 'The Big Show' ........however I do not have a viable alternative to bring the crowds in apart from good racing with participation of more than 1 (in general) manufacturer. Good on Suzuki for getting bikes on the grid and we are seeing a small involvement from the other Big 3, as well as the odd Euro. We do need more input and money spent from the Euro importers/dealers and same goes for Honda/Kawasaki/Yamaha. We have great riders willing/wanting to race 'other' brands.....but the bikes need money and time spent to be competitive, no top racer wants to race a non-competitive bike. As I say, things are improving in this direction....I for one was bored seeing another Suzuki benefit (for instance) year after year. And don't say the other machines cannot be on the podium because when the right racer gets on board they sure can be. Money money money is what the sport needs unfortunately and most importers/dealers don't appear to want to be bothered, pathetic really.

[Akzle]

isle of new zealmand.
north and south editions.

Ill come up with a catchier name when the first bike gets here.

[Shaun Harris]

Completely disagree re 'The Big Show' ........however I do not have a viable alternative to bring the crowds in apart from good racing with participation of more than 1 (in general) manufacturer. Good on Suzuki for getting bikes on the grid and we are seeing a small involvement from the other Big 3, as well as the odd Euro. We do need more input and money spent from the Euro importers/dealers and same goes for Honda/Kawasaki/Yamaha. We have great riders willing/wanting to race 'other' brands.....but the bikes need money and time spent to be competitive, no top racer wants to race a non-competitive bike. As I say, things are improving in this direction....I for one was bored seeing another Suzuki benefit (for instance) year after year. And don't say the other machines cannot be on the podium because when the right racer gets on board they sure can be. Money money money is what the sport needs unfortunately and most importers/dealers don't appear to want to be bothered, pathetic really.

unfortunately for the dealers, the margin in bike sales is worse than crap these days, yet over heads of running there shop continue to go up so I personally understand why less of them are involved these days. It is not the riders them selves that need this money to grow the sport again to bring in other potentuall sponsors though MVnut, it is the core controlling body that needs to spend money to make the show grow again.

We all end up in situations where we want want something but cannot afford it ie a new house for example with 4 instead of the needed 3 rooms, so it is realy up to the competitor to re focus there desire and budgets to be able to race competitively in the class they choose. The old saying of what wins on sunday sells on monday is LONG GONE man, so there is no justification for the manufacturers nor the dealers to spend/donate there buisneess hard earned profit margins, apart from good will PR!

The show really does need growing to bring in more potentuall racers and sponsors who enjoyed the show they attended. Often sponsorship comes due to some one knows some one who knows someone, rather than actuall results achieved by a competitor, so by creating a more veried variety spectacle this in tern over time brings in those potentuall cash suppliers required to keep going forward.

Obviously NOT saying I am write and you are wrong, just throwing different approaches/idea;s at you for consideration for more healthy comments from you regarding this, and thanks for taking the time to get involved in this at this stage of the game.

[Metastable]

Not correct mate, check out www.roadracing world.com and what John Ulrich has just announced, another 3 round series within the WERA championships.

True re NO TV still though

PS everything has to start from some where

I think what Ulrich is doing is great. Hopefully he can get the AMA guys to race at those events (if those events even take place). Technically though as of 1 week or so from the start of the AMA season there are 5 rounds on the table all in the eastern US. Even the AFM will have ~7 rounds in the California area.

Best of luck with your plans. These words from Ulrich are inspirational.

***************************

But back in the day people who hated the idea of AMA Superbike races had a million reasons why it couldn’t possibly work. Steve McLaughlin and Hurley Wilvert and I ignored the naysayers then, and that’s why we have AMA Superbike now.

A little over a decade ago there were people who had a million reasons why it wasn’t possible to deploy a fleet of soft barriers (think, Airfence) at AMA Pro events. Hundreds of racers, ex-racers, relatives of racers, fans, enthusiasts and businessmen joined me in ignoring the naysayers, and that’s why the Roadracing World Action Fund was able to supply an average of 130 sections of Airfence soft barriers (worth about $600,000 at current replacement prices) for deployment at AMA Pro road racing and dirt track events, year after year after year.

I’m going to ignore the naysayers again now, and continue to work on a solution for the problem at hand: Not enough televised road races for the surviving teams running in the AMA Pro Road Racing Series.

[Shaun Harris]

I think what Ulrich is doing is great. Hopefully he can get the AMA guys to race at those events (if those events even take place). Technically though as of 1 week or so from the start of the AMA season there are 5 rounds on the table all in the eastern US. Even the AFM will have ~7 rounds in the California area.

Best of luck with your plans. These words from Ulrich are inspirational.

***************************

But back in the day people who hated the idea of AMA Superbike races had a million reasons why it couldn’t possibly work. Steve McLaughlin and Hurley Wilvert and I ignored the naysayers then, and that’s why we have AMA Superbike now.

A little over a decade ago there were people who had a million reasons why it wasn’t possible to deploy a fleet of soft barriers (think, Airfence) at AMA Pro events. Hundreds of racers, ex-racers, relatives of racers, fans, enthusiasts and businessmen joined me in ignoring the naysayers, and that’s why the Roadracing World Action Fund was able to supply an average of 130 sections of Airfence soft barriers (worth about $600,000 at current replacement prices) for deployment at AMA Pro road racing and dirt track events, year after year after year.

I’m going to ignore the naysayers again now, and continue to work on a solution for the problem at hand: Not enough televised road races for the surviving teams running in the AMA Pro Road Racing Series.

His attitude sells me on the plans alone then add in his history contacts Finance base and being the optimist I are I am going with it as a plan cemented in place already. I did not read your first post correctly obviously like a blind man running. For the other coast and local boys an girls it will be really cool and the start of the regrow there

[MVnut]

unfortunately for the dealers, the margin in bike sales is worse than crap these days, yet over heads of running there shop continue to go up so I personally understand why less of them are involved these days. It is not the riders them selves that need this money to grow the sport again to bring in other potentuall sponsors though MVnut, it is the core controlling body that needs to spend money to make the show grow again.

We all end up in situations where we want want something but cannot afford it ie a new house for example with 4 instead of the needed 3 rooms, so it is realy up to the competitor to re focus there desire and budgets to be able to race competitively in the class they choose. The old saying of what wins on sunday sells on monday is LONG GONE man, so there is no justification for the manufacturers nor the dealers to spend/donate there buisneess hard earned profit margins, apart from good will PR!

The show really does need growing to bring in more potentuall racers and sponsors who enjoyed the show they attended. Often sponsorship comes due to some one knows some one who knows someone, rather than actuall results achieved by a competitor, so by creating a more veried variety spectacle this in tern over time brings in those potentuall cash suppliers required to keep going forward.

Obviously NOT saying I am write and you are wrong, just throwing different approaches/idea;s at you for consideration for more healthy comments from you regarding this, and thanks for taking the time to get involved in this at this stage of the game.

Yeah I do agree with you Shaun re profit margins on bikes/race and win on Sunday sell on Monday etc. It is an unfortunate state of affairs but we still need the importers (in particular) and dealers to get behind NZ Road Racing. Advertising is tax deductible ! As an example MV Agusta is showing some long lost promise on the World scene and there are one or two private entries coming in recently here.....but I wouldn't mind betting the Importer won't be making sure an MV is on the Supers (1000 or 675) grid next Championships. I hope I am wrong and will be the first to congratulate the importers if it happens. (hint; guys please make it happen) ... I am not picking on the MV guys here, just that MV is my passion as my friends know. I am considering putting a bike on the grid myself (even though I am emigrating at the end of this year, I'll come back for the season. ) If all the brands have the right backing what an amazing season would lie ahead.

[jellywrestler]

Now the Sidecars are invited and racing with the trucks at the Diesel and Demons meeting again... infront of a new audience with other nutter classes. Spectators love it.

and the Ferrari Festival too

[CHOPPA]

Less talk....

[nzspokes]

ok whats a big show Quasi ?

When you front up to race Crasher.