No, that's not what I said. I said it sucks when you (meaning anyone) can't afford to race.
Those not racing because they aren't prepared to spend that kind of money, are making the choice already. The moaning about it seems even sillier in that context though. Are they moaning so that those of us who are prepared to spend the coin miss them? To make us aware that they don't approve of the money we spend?
To what end are they voicing the issues taken, if they in fact don't think it is their right to race at what they think it should cost?
Just look at Hampton Downs catchment area...... right in the middle of two of the most expensive city's in NZ to live and its only going to get more expensive.
The young and up and coming racer can barely afford to bloody live here let alone afford the cost to race at HD.
The grids are going to be full of old farts with a bit of cash to indulge in there passion.
On a positive note I dare the clubs to drop the entry price to $150 and watch the masses of entries role in ha ha. No one will have balls that big.
Tony Quinn has invested in the place to attract big corporate's and wealthy racers hence what we see there in the form of posh areas just for the posh folk, us poor folk don't get a look in except for sitting on the grass under an umbrella.
On the 'club circuit' all we get is a concrete pad, no option for power even.
Yep its a different world for racing in the top of the north island.....a bloody expensive one that phew will be able to afford. Its all very well for Tony Quinn to be rubbing shoulders of the number 1 road racer in NZ, he doesn't come across as short of a bob or two. If Sloan looks back to when he started out and the costs of doing it today even he may think twice about staying on a motorcros bike.
I have just spent the last 6 months travelling. My life savings gone and 7 track days done in the UK (Silverstone), Spain (Jerez) and Hungary (Hungaroring). It was a dream for me and I was unemployed and now very poor.
We have it cheaper in NZ. $175 for the most expensive track day here (HD) is half the price of the most costly one there. From what I can see you definitely cannot get the equivalent of an $80 test day we get at Ruapuna here.
Fuel is more expensive and you have to travel much more. Often you need to fly to get to the tracks you mention.
The events including accomodation like you mention are a good deal, but accomodation is cheap there if you are savvy. Most of the cost is to the track.
They have 120 bikes per event and sell out months in advance. They have massive waiting lists.
The companies that run the events (mainly No Limits) are a massive machine that runs multiple days per week. There are more 30k plus superbikes at every event that you ever see in NZ. Way more.
So basically there is a huge demand for heaps of days that generates real profit for the track day companies. And even with this the events still cost that much! Can you imagine what the cost would be per day if the events were rarely sold out?
As I say, in my opinion we have ready access to cheap track days at multiple tracks.
And as for the argument about the facilities. Yes. They are good. But I saw the garage, the pit lane and the track. Unsurprisingly similar to HD.
We have it good.
Arborist available - Will trade tree work services for bike parts or servicing! PM me...
wash your mouth out, asphalt is for racing, dirt is for housetraining kittens.
Kifflom came on here first post all guns blazing, shooting at something, sounds like he's just off his mothers tit as he doesn't mention why track days have been getting bigger and bigger over the last few years.
Cause registration went up to a point that it was more ecomomic to deregister your bike and pay a few track days a year for a buzz than it was to get your buzz on the road.
people adapted.
I'm pretty sure I ran the first track days in New Zealand, they have evolved into a full time business, there will be those who go get addicted to the track ironically due to prices going up somewhere else.
Hahahahaha. Sloan looks like he's doing ok, because he works very hard to present in a professional and attractive manner in all that he does. He's a mate of mine and my boss. So I have some insight where you don't. But you're barking up the wrong tree.
How do you not understand that a track in a more expensive area, is gonna be more expensive to use?
Mr Quin owns the track (along with a conglomerate I think), and like it or not he does so as a business. The track was not running at a profit before, so if it had remained being run the way it was, the receivers would have shut the place down and sold the land to be developed as residential.
I just don't get why Pukekohe isn't jumping at this opportunity.
It does appear that HD is focusing on attracting the well healed and that's probably a good business decision.
There must be plenty of car racers that don't fit into that field and I would think they will be struggling with options now as well.
Yes, I get that there are lot's of puke haters out there, but would it be that hard to get it back to MNZ standards so that AMCC and Playday could offer a more affordable option.
It would mean the original wall over the hill would need moved back, not just the new one. That's a massive undertaking as it retains the car park above it or summat.
Run off at turn 4 would also need to be put in, but there's a horse track there or some such.
So yeah, it would be that hard.
I think it's the railway tracks at turn 4 but I don't remember it being very dangerous there. High sides were the main culprit for crashes I think.
I always thought that a solution to the turn 11 issue (ie the wall over the hill) would have been to turn the track back south at turn 9 and loop it back to link up with front straight, thus eliminating the hill/wall issue.
But I guess they would have considered that long ago.
Getting really tired of this entitlement many seem to have about how Quinn and his "rich mates" are making too much money and oh he has enough money he should be doing it cheap.
It's a business venture, he has taken over a project that was unfinished and drowning in its own debt. It had to be sold to somebody and he is rapidly expanding the venue adding track extensions and facilities...
So it seems the complaint is "a man with enough money to properly finish the venue into a world class race circuit when the last owners couldn't finish it wants to charge me too much money to pay back what he is investing into his business and that isn't right!"
Get a grip.
To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead.
From right behind I watched Glenn Williams highside out of turn four. I low sided at the same time. As I looked over to Glenn, he poked his head up from the other side of the armco. There's an issue there alright.
Don't get me wrong, I reckon Pukie is fucken awesome. But MNZ will never give another permit for an event there.
Self entitlement maybe I guess.
Yes I'm pissed I can no longer afford the cost associated with racing at HD. I can no longer go to my Mrs and say I want to spend this much on me at a cost to the rest of the family.
Before it was bearable, now it isn't simple as that in my case. Too may other things taking priority hence my comments it will be a wealthy or a selfish mans sport going forward.
Like so many others the bike will sit in the shed and I might get a track day or two in over a year instead.
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