Akaroa GP

[HenryDorsetCase]

Like those hotties on Tard me http://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserv.../549599651.jpg

Risky click of the day: result!

[AllanB]

There was a public group ride last year from South City to Taitapu that some riders considered a race despite it not being intended to be by the organisers. To make it an official race I would imagine the cost of holding it would be similar to what it costs to hold the cycle race Le Race and entry fees would be similar.

Forgot about Le Race.

That shit gets run every year. Do they close the road or hills? Don't know I stay the F away that day!

[EJK]

I think some roads are closed and some are not. One year there was confusion over what roads were closed and a rider died during an overtake. I think the organiser was prosecuted for not being clear about what roads were closed. Maybe they were trying to cut costs by not having all the roads fully closed or maybe it was a condition of their resource consent that some remain open. A motorcycle road race would definitly require full road closure which would possibly cost more to get approved.

Or not approved at all.

I want the Tram Road Speed Trials back :-(

[FJRider]

I think the organiser was prosecuted for not being clear about what roads were closed.

The organizer was charged with criminal nuisance, found guilty, then later the Court of Appeal overturned the jury's decision, citing misdirection by the trial judge, that he gave inappropriate answers and directions in response to questions from the jury during deliberation.

Surely the responsibility to know which roads were open or closed ... would be the competitors ...

[jasonu]

It would be possible ... you just need to close one half of the road in the direction you travel. That way ... you can do two races ... one over and one back.

Job done ...

Racing both directions at the same time would really be interesting...

[rastuscat]

Happens unofficially most weekends.

[AllanB]

Happens unofficially most weekends.

Bawahahahah it sure does.

Be nice to run one officially.

Tram Road - hmmmm that's a oldie. I'd sign up for a open throttle fat along there.

[Grumph]

The longest open road race in NZ was the first running of the Haast Pass trial. Two well known ChCh roadrace riders took the set averages as a minimum target and simply went as hard as they could. No tickets issued but the organisers were shitting bricks for the three days, LOL.
I went on the second running and the warnings were dire...But the untimed run down the coast to Whataroa turned into another race anyway...FUN.

The Summit road from Hilltop to Akaroa has been closed occasionally for a car rally stage - but at night. Probably still possible now.
Both the Tram road and the South Eyre Road are way more built up these days and I'd doubt if either will ever be available for events again. The last flying quarters run by bike clubs were at Charing Cross. The surrounding farms have changed hands since (one of the owners was on the MCI committee of the time) and gone to dairy as well. Doubtful if it's possible now.

Someone in Queensland was proposing a one way timed event on a long stretch of public road recently. Fell down on public liability insurance issues I believe.

Oh, TWR, how does center of Timaru to the saleyards overbridge in 1 hour 5 minutes sound ?.....done on empty roads one evening in 1970.

[T.W.R]

Oh, TWR, how does center of Timaru to the saleyards overbridge in 1 hour 5 minutes sound ?.....done on empty roads one evening in 1970.

Yeah that's pretty impressive
Though I was 2up on the standard version of the bike I'm doing up at present and it was mid arvo on a Sunday

What about that wee hush hush event that used to take place up around your neck of the woods

[Narya]

Is this a crazy idea?

It would be cool if we could have a motorcycle road race from Sign of the Kiwi to Akaroa, using the summit roads, ending on long bay road.

It would be over quick I'm assuming and would have to legislate against liability for all the injuries that are likely to occur but could be quite a challenging event.

Downside might be the people racing while the road isn't closed, but it seems people do this anyway.

Yes it is a crazy idea.

No it would not be cool.

A challenging event in the way that you could be considered challenged for suggesting it.

[Grumph]

Yeah that's pretty impressive
Though I was 2up on the standard version of the bike I'm doing up at present and it was mid arvo on a Sunday

What about that wee hush hush event that used to take place up around your neck of the woods

Hey, I was on a Triumph....getting it to stay together at that pace, for that long. was an achievement...

No one ever told me about the hush hush event up here. I do know about the weed smoking evenings in what is now my barn though....
I was pretty close to Eddie Ridgen and if he knew he'd probably have told me.

[T.W.R]

Hey, I was on a Triumph....getting it to stay together at that pace, for that long. was an achievement...

No one ever told me about the hush hush event up here. I do know about the weed smoking evenings in what is now my barn though....
I was pretty close to Eddie Ridgen and if he knew he'd probably have told me.

Bet the Chertsey & Dunsandel S bends were exciting
lol a good trumpy shouldn't have had any issues...they weren't all thrashed by then. The oldman squeezed 112mph out of a T100 at Tram Rd in the 50s

Ridgens the lords of Greendale...the tribe are regulars at work.
Ha I could tell you a few stories about the ones that ran the Hori pub yrs back

Wasn't it an unofficial gathering of ride what you brought type event that beat the roads up just a bit further up country from Hororata

[trufflebutter]

When anyone puts the letters GP after a place name, is that because some choose to ride a tad quicker than those who don't? rather than at actual GP speeds cos' that just doesn't happen? what a fuck load of nonsense.

[Cosmik de Bris]

The longest open road race in NZ was the first running of the Haast Pass trial. Two well known ChCh roadrace riders took the set averages as a minimum target and simply went as hard as they could. No tickets issued but the organisers were shitting bricks for the three days, LOL.
I went on the second running and the warnings were dire...But the untimed run down the coast to Whataroa turned into another race anyway...FUN.

When was the first one? I went on two of these, and two to the North (French Pass).

[Grumph]

When was the first one? I went on two of these, and two to the North (French Pass).

First haast pass trial would have been '68, '69...All a bit vague now. Second one was I think '72. I had the T350 by then anyway which i rode on that one.
Organised by the Pioneer Club in ChCh. Never did another AFAIK. Did other road trials though over the years. I organised one for them over Banks Peninsular in the late '70s.

When anyone puts the letters GP after a place name, is that because some choose to ride a tad quicker than those who don't? rather than at actual GP speeds cos' that just doesn't happen? what a fuck load of nonsense.

No, it's because in NZ we have a history of running small race meetings in country towns and villages and naming them after the site..Taumaranui GP comes to mind but there were many others. Not unique to us either there were plenty on the Continent.
Akaroa GP is one that has been in use since the road went in, even though there never has been an "official" GP. Many top riders have competed too, LOL...