Classic Festival returns to Pukekohe for 2015

**trustme** · 2nd February 2015, 05:56

Originally Posted by Motu

Oh dear, look at the bike park - no one came!!!! They blew it last year going to Hampton Downs, and looks like they aren't coming back. I didn't go either, didn't miss it one bit.

The move away from HD was pretty much forced on them but I suspect the festival will now continue at Puke. Speaking to Trevor Heaphy at the end of play , he was happy with the way the meet had gone, everyone had ridden sensibly in the more dangerous parts of the track & treated it as a high speed ride rather than all out racing, he was not keen on open posties running there & certainly not up to scratch for superbikes.
Meeting was in the black despite the small crowd.

**swarfie** · 2nd February 2015, 06:17

A GREAT weekend and fun had by all that I could see and talk to. Shame the Register never did more advertising for the meeting...did they do any? I never heard any apart from the bit in the Hamilton News about Barry Jelaca. More advertising and I'm sure it would have been more like the great meetings of past at Puke. The Matchless ran faultlessly winning all of it's class races with a 1st and three 2nd's on track. Mark Halls swung for me (in the absence of Bobs ball bag) and apart from having a wee drag along the pits while we were starting the Matchy (I don't know why he didn't let go) he did well and he finally got to have his name on the David Bell Memorial trophy after 20 years of trying on his own sidecar. He came to the realisation the only way it was going to happen was to get on the WINNING sidecar. Got a 2nd on the Briggo and the little MKIV KTT Velo ran great and had some good dices with Owen on the Delacy Rudge beating him three out of four. Enough points to get my name back on the Velocette Trophy....Bloody Stoked. Only downside for me was having a wee lie down on Pete Butterworth's Velo Venom at Castrol in the wet on Saturday morning when the front tucked on me. Pissed me off as the new cam setup was working great and it felt the sharpest it has for ages and I was looking forward to having some good racing on it. To all you naysayers out there you all missed a bloody good meeting and I can't wait for a bigger and better Puke Festival next year. Well done to all involved...take a bow.

**sidecar bob** · 2nd February 2015, 06:36

Originally Posted by Motu

Oh dear, look at the bike park - no one came!!!! They blew it last year going to Hampton Downs, and looks like they aren't coming back. I didn't go either, didn't miss it one bit.

To be fair, they were the last two bikes on track for the day & crowds had thinned a lot by then.
Attendance was not spectacular, but it was far greater at mid day.

**Voltaire** · 2nd February 2015, 06:46

Originally Posted by swarfie

A GREAT weekend and fun had by all that I could see and talk to. Shame the Register never did more advertising for the meeting...did they do any? I never heard any apart from the bit in the Hamilton News about Barry Jelaca. More advertising and I'm sure it would have been more like the great meetings of past at Puke. The Matchless ran faultlessly winning all of it's class races with a 1st and three 2nd's on track. Mark Halls swung for me (in the absence of Bobs ball bag) and apart from having a wee drag along the pits while we were starting the Matchy (I don't know why he didn't let go) he did well and he finally got to have his name on the David Bell Memorial trophy after 20 years of trying on his own sidecar. He came to the realisation the only way it was going to happen was to get on the WINNING sidecar. Got a 2nd on the Briggo and the little MKIV KTT Velo ran great and had some good dices with Owen on the Delacy Rudge beating him three out of four. Enough points to get my name back on the Velocette Trophy....Bloody Stoked. Only downside for me was having a wee lie down on Pete Butterworth's Velo Venom at Castrol in the wet on Saturday morning when the front tucked on me. Pissed me off as the new cam setup was working great and it felt the sharpest it has for ages and I was looking forward to having some good racing on it. To all you naysayers out there you all missed a bloody good meeting and I can't wait for a bigger and better Puke Festival next year. Well done to all involved...take a bow.

Wot he said.

Velo's sure have a huge fanbase, I was getting lots of questions about Peter Butterworths KTT MK5. There are not many bikes you can see the valves going up and down and the chains spinning around....and sometimes disappearing down the track....

I used to go most years as a spectator thinking it would be fun to ride around the track, many years later have achieved that and met a lot of interesting people ( and Gordie) and made quite a few new friends along the way.
At bucket racing where I started off they had a spare bike for interested people to have a go on, the Regularity Parade might be a good place to start with a 'loaner' bike?....once you get the bug you won't go back to the other side of the pits

**nodrog:Me** · 2nd February 2015, 06:51

Originally Posted by Voltaire

Wot he said.

Velo's sure have a huge fanbase, I was getting lots of questions about Peter Butterworths KTT MK5. There are not many bikes you can see the valves going up and down and the chains spinning around....and sometimes disappearing down the track....

I used to go most years as a spectator thinking it would be fun to ride around the track, many years later have achieved that and met a lot of interesting people ( and Gordie) and made quite a few new friends along the way.
At bucket racing where I started off they had a spare bike for interested people to have a go on, the Regularity Parade might be a good place to start with a 'loaner' bike?....once you get the bug you won't go back to the other side of the pits

You must be better looking than me, nobody asked me to ride anything.

**swarfie** · 2nd February 2015, 06:58

Originally Posted by nodrog

You must be better looking than me, nobody asked me to ride anything.

I offered you a swing on the Matchy but your nads are too small

**nodrog:Me** · 2nd February 2015, 07:11

Originally Posted by swarfie

I offered you a swing on the Matchy but your nads are too small

Dude I don't even passenger in a car very well.

**scrivy** · 2nd February 2015, 08:31

Originally Posted by nodrog

Dude I don't even passenger in a car very well.

Well why didnt you two swap possies then......? Both would have had puckered assholes.....

...and thats before the racing.....

**swarfie** · 2nd February 2015, 09:00

Originally Posted by scrivy

Well why didnt you two swap possies then......? Both would have had puckered assholes.....

...and thats before the racing.....

Stuff that...he's too much of a ruff coont. I 've only swung on my own chair once....and that was with someone I trusted

**Stirts** · 2nd February 2015, 09:05

Originally Posted by swarfie

Stuff that...he's too much of a ruff coont.

That's why I married him...oh wait

**Big Dog** · 2nd February 2015, 11:35

Originally Posted by Motu

The Classic Festival is not about ''Teams'', ''Fans''....objectives and outcomes. People go to see great bikes - on the track and in the parking lot. Sometimes they'll go to see a big name like Ago or Paul Smart, but your Voltaires' are just the people who ride one of those bikes you wished you owned. The racing is not important to those who attend, it's an ''atmosphere'' - and that's what they've lost.

What he said. 2010 was awesome. High attendance. Good racing. Great atmosphere.
2015 was pretty sad by comparison.
Few trade stalls.
Limited crowd.
Just not the same.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

**sidecar bob** · 2nd February 2015, 12:03

Originally Posted by Big Dog

What he said. 2010 was awesome. High attendance. Good racing. Great atmosphere.
2015 was pretty sad by comparison.
Few trade stalls.
Limited crowd.
Just not the same.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

They had lost the continuity of an event that had been run there for 30 plus years. It will take a while to gain momentum again, but im sure it will.
The best way I can think of to help is to turn up & race & bring a mate.

**scrivy** · 2nd February 2015, 12:30

Originally Posted by sidecar bob

The best way I can think of to help is to turn up & race & bring a mate.

Absolutely!

Also, if you are in the 'know' about what events are on, please advertise the details to all and sundry that you communicate with. Whether this is KB, Faecesbook, twatter, redpad, or just plain old email. The more people that you tell, the more they tell etc etc....
It irks me when naysayers go 'There was no advertising'....... We all have to promote our sport to the masses......

Image how much your entry fees will go up when there are no spectators to offset the clubs costs......

You owe it to yourself and your racing buddies to promote our sport to the masses.