Do you want to be in the top 10 in NZ?

[Kickaha]

We NEED to get organised getting tracks booked NOW.

Wont happen, they simply will not book tracks that far ahead and the car guys always get first choice

It also wouldn't matter if you gave people 2 years notice of the race dates they still couldn't organise themsleves to attend in decent numbers

[White trash]

Oh come on guys ! Ever noticed how how the good guys never get on here and bleat ?
What happened to racing for the love of it and trying to be the best you can.
Here's a tip , get off this facking KB site and do it.
Jim , I thought you had a good bike and figured you could be there ?
Vtec, for christs sake stop telling us how good you are and making excuses for old tyres and bikes etc.

If anyone wants to be a NZ champ they have to make the effort.

If I wasn't 60, I'd be back in a flash. Gaz.

You're right Gaz, I had a good bike. But it was still a decent way off the top bikes. And could I have been there? Maybe, I'll never know unfortunately.

I like to think in only 12 months of racing I proved my worth fairly well.

What I'm trying to say is there's zero point/recognition/coverage for doing the nationals. Streets are where it's at.

And Mark you spineless sack of duck shit, please feel free to post your comments publicly, should you have an opinion. We'd hate to think you're scared of fall out from an unpopular point of view.

[CHOPPA]

Having 6 basically factory racers and no one else certainly makes it a bit hard to find motivation to ride! Pretty embarrising to be racing nationals with only 8 other bikes....

Something you guys might find funny! After qualifying today the officials came to check my tyre compounds to ensure i use the same compounds for the first race (this rule is designed so people who can afford dont run super soft qualifying tyres) so i asked if they checked the guys tyres that changed there tyres toward the end of qualifying and the answer i got was you run the tyres you end qualifying on. So i asked if you run qualifying tyres for the first 8 laps then change them do 1 lap and the answer was yeah thats fine hahaha I really dont care cause it doesnt effect me this year and whos to say thats even what they did... it just made me laugh

[sidecar bob]

Having 6 basically factory racers and no one else certainly makes it a bit hard to find motivation to ride! Pretty embarrising to be racing nationals with only 8 other bikes....

Something you guys might find funny! After qualifying today the officials came to check my tyre compounds to ensure i use the same compounds for the first race (this rule is designed so people who can afford dont run super soft qualifying tyres) so i asked if they checked the guys tyres that changed there tyres toward the end of qualifying and the answer i got was you run the tyres you end qualifying on. So i asked if you run qualifying tyres for the first 8 laps then change them do 1 lap and the answer was yeah thats fine hahaha I really dont care cause it doesnt effect me this year and whos to say thats even what they did... it just made me laugh

Dude!!!. . . That tyre thing is just un fuckin believeable & another nail in the coffin.

[White trash]

Having 6 basically factory racers and no one else certainly makes it a bit hard to find motivation to ride! Pretty embarrising to be racing nationals with only 8 other bikes....

Something you guys might find funny! After qualifying today the officials came to check my tyre compounds to ensure i use the same compounds for the first race (this rule is designed so people who can afford dont run super soft qualifying tyres) so i asked if they checked the guys tyres that changed there tyres toward the end of qualifying and the answer i got was you run the tyres you end qualifying on. So i asked if you run qualifying tyres for the first 8 laps then change them do 1 lap and the answer was yeah thats fine hahaha I really dont care cause it doesnt effect me this year and whos to say thats even what they did... it just made me laugh

Dude!!!. . . That tyre thing is just un fuckin believeable & another nail in the coffin.

MN fucken Z doing what they do best, turning a blind eye and persecuting the wrong rider.

Good on ya Sloan, how'd you do today bro?

[CHOPPA]

MN fucken Z doing what they do best, turning a blind eye and persecuting the wrong rider.

Good on ya Sloan, how'd you do today bro?

Second to last.... haha that sounds terrible! I ended up 7th, 2.5 off Bugden so im happy and 7th is my goal for the nats and try to nibble at the factory dudes as much as possible

[Wingnut]

Second to last.... haha that sounds terrible! I ended up 7th, 2.5 off Bugden so im happy and 7th is my goal for the nats and try to nibble at the factory dudes as much as possible

Dont suppose you know where #34 - Brad Selfe placed?

Good luck for tomorrow too mate.

[roadracingoldfart]

Second to last.... haha that sounds terrible! I ended up 7th, 2.5 off Bugden so im happy and 7th is my goal for the nats and try to nibble at the factory dudes as much as possible

And there is alot of people wanting to see it too ..... take it too them for us man.

[CHOPPA]

Dont suppose you know where #34 - Brad Selfe placed?

Good luck for tomorrow too mate.

Brad was right behind me....

And there is alot of people wanting to see it too ..... take it too them for us man.

Cheers mate!

[Shaun P]

Im thinkin these numbers will double once hampton downs and superbike support races are run with at least a bit of promotion. MNZ must have some explaining to do? Surely an event run like this would lose money?

[slowpoke]

I have mulled the above comments and thoughts over and over in that tiny brain of mine,
So why do the nats?
From a sponsors point of view they get zip out of it (unlike the Tri series)
entry fees and other "fees" are ridiculous and ofcourse there is the other travelling costs.

If i had to blame someone or something (which im not at this stage)
it would seem that Mnz still run a very antiquated ship to say the least.

start with the entry forms: it may seem silly to all but you still have to send your entry in for the nats and any other races by post, along with a cheque (who still uses checks)??

promotions: i know of other sports, that are far better advertised and promoted with little or no money, it seems that "the organisers" either have no clue or are to old or simply think it is what it is, but none of it is seriously promoted!! again apart from the tri's

It is great getting hold of a sponsor, problem being is keeping them as we all know it ISnt all about results otherwise they would not have sponsored me, (someone comes last in motogp/superbikes and they have sponsorship) i
its about getting publicity!! hence the wanky posters etc.
If the organisers actually put a little more effort in with advertising material/promotions they would find numbers increase, riders as well as public watching it unless you are directly involved in racing it would be pure luck you would hear that there is a race on somewhere then when you turn up you get charged ten bucks at the gate.....FOr what??.. some derilict coffee stand and toilets that have more shit beside it than in it.

I also think this is where the tall poppy syndrome comes in like trash said.. people bag ya for having a sponsor.. comments like Why would they give it to you etc and you wont finish first etc. people need to learn in this sport to encourage each other more and feed of one another ( something i will probably write up a bit later)

at the end of the day, who gives a fuck if shirriffs or stroud comes first or bugden, as long as the racing is good, and enjoyable for the racers and spectators alike. is that not what racing is all about!!

So coming back to sponsors, i think it is almost impossible to hang on to a sponsor as they simply get no return on their dollar, i promote and justify it the best i can, but without mnz putting a little effort in sponsorship will dissappear.

all that said, im going to have a hell of a ball this season, and stir a bit of shit here and there..

and if people want to support us please have a look at this http://www.nzlive.com/en/nzlivecom/lg-sports-experience
and if you come please visit the bikes or make it known that you are there to visit the bikes as the more we get to turn up the better it looks for sponsorship next year, it will be a good day to take the kids etc some good free entertainment

Eddie, you should very proud of the effort you've put together, it's one of, if not the best presented teams in the paddock. I totally agree on the results thing too ("it isn't all about results"). The fact you had such a professional looking setup in the pits at Wanga's with the hordes of people streaming through would have been a great return for LG's investment regardless of where you guys finished. LG didn't just hand you a dehydrated team/pit setup where all you had to do was add water, you've had to pull it together and organise it all, decide where your money is best spent etc, so you've earned a fair bit of it before you've even turned a wheel in anger. Good onya fella.

So why do the Nat's? If nothing else you get to spend a few days on track learning from the best in the country. You are also almost forcibly removed from your own comfort zone. As someone who is making the transition from Clubman's to F1 I experienced this first hand at the recent Tri Series. I had some painfully embarrassing results but I learnt a lot from it, through watching and talking to the likes of Glen Williams, Hayden Fitzgerald and Jared Love. From suspension, to gearing, to racing lines, even shit about myself, I have learnt things that will help me in the future. Learning how much I didn't know wasn't a whole lot of fun to be honest but it means I can't fuggin' wait to get back on track and hopefully go a bit quicker.

Timing also seems to be an issue for folk getting to the complete series. Would we be better off running the series 1 weekend a month for 5 months rather than over just a few short weeks? Practice on a Saturday only (no Friday), and race on Sunday. If you ran the Saturday mostly like a track day (3 speed groups) you'd still get heaps of track time. It would reduce the pain a little bit for both employer and wallet, and allow you to absorb the financial damage over a longer period.

Speaking of the Tri-Series most of the top riders showed at most of the events, making the standard not that far off National's quality. Given that Scrivy, Chris Lawrence, Leighton Minnell and co organised a fantastic show hands up all those who think they should be press ganged into organising next years National's series....now that would be a series worth turning up for and televising.

[Kickaha]

Low numbers at a National events are nothing new, I can remember the NZGP being cancelled due to a lack of entries and that was within the last ten years

When you go to mylaps and check back thorugh the MNZ championship it's really only in the last couple of years that entries had dropped in big numbers 05-06 saw numbers as high as 30+ in 600 and 20+ Superbikes,3 years ago we even had 20+ sidecars

Timing also seems to be an issue for folk getting to the complete series. Would we be better off running the series 1 weekend a month for 5 months rather than over just a few short weeks? Practice on a Saturday only (no Friday), and race on Sunday. If you ran the Saturday mostly like a track day (3 speed groups) you'd still get heaps of track time. It would reduce the pain a little bit for both employer and wallet, and allow you to absorb the financial damage over a longer period.

Friday is unoffical practice anway

Make it four rounds, run two in November and two in late January, rounds to be run consecutive weekends not with this bullshit break in between the NI rounds, SI can alternate between Levels and Teretonga

[slowpoke]

Friday is unoffical practice anway

Yeah, but I reckon riders feel compelled to attend to keep up with other riders, knowing they'll only get 1 x practice and 2 x qualifying sessions on the Saturday to get up to speed, which means another day off work and extra accomodation etc. If they were smart and grouped a couple of classes together (6 hundys are only a second or two away from Superbike times, 125GP comparable with F3) you could easily slip in 4 practice sessions plus 2 separate qualifying sessions on the Saturday and remove the need for Friday testing. Clubman's/classic's etc (non-championship classes) only get one practice on Sunday morning as per a normal Club race day.

Make it four rounds, run two in November and two in late January, rounds to be run consecutive weekends not with this bullshit break in between the NI rounds, SI can alternate between Levels and Teretonga

What's the thinking behind consecutive weekends? People would travel and stay the week? It would suit me (if I'm not away at work) and I'd would love to do exactly that for the SI rounds but I wonder how it would suit most people with normal 9-5 jobs. I think if I was stuck having to work a normal week I'd rather be able to defray the cost and time involved over longer intervals but I haven't had to do that for a lot of years now so can't really talk from experience.

Some sort of transport arrangement wouldn't be too hard to organise either, as per Oz Superbikes when they (used to) head West. A semi-trailer rig could cart most of the bikes and shit from the NI down South and do the same for SI guys heading up for the NI rounds. Cor! Getting carried away here but MNZ could invest in exactly that and kit it out with compressor, generator, tyre machine, fuel, merchandise etc etc and take their own facilities to the track to make up for the piss-poor facilities at most of the tracks.....haha, dreams are free, eh? (gawd the crap you dream up at 4am on nightshift)

[svs]

well i'm here in teretonga. on a fast bike (2007 R6 ex. sam smith and midge smart). Still about 6 seconds off the pace off the fast guys but having fun. i just need to be fitter and a be better rider.

dave manuell is out there on a k3 gsxr and only 1 or 2 seconds off the winners.

it's not all about spending shit loads on a bike. sure the top teams do, but they also have the top riders. give those guys some credit, i'm sure sam would be running about the same lap time on my bike as he is on the new one.

now i'm sitting in the sun, going to have a few days rest before heading to track day at timaru on wednesday and racing again next weekend. The entry fees aren't too bad when you see how much track time you get over 3 days, the tracks down here are awesome - worth the drive down.

life's too short to bitch and moan about it not being fair. just get out there and have a blast. anyway the low numbers mean i got at least one point today, and maybe i will finish in the top 15 in NZ if no one else comes out to play.

[steve74]

Although most of the conversation on this thread revolves arounds the 600 and 1000cc boys, take a look at F3 , 7 bikes?? congratulations MNZ for completely destrying one of the most affordable kinds of racing we have. I know its an age old rant but take a look at how many 400cc in line fours are on trademe for under $3500. A grid full of tidy competitive 20 year old bikes is better than 7 in my opinion. The other fact is that when you look at the results almost all the bikes from 4th to 10th were pro twins? so a good pro twin is still faster than the majority of the F3 bikes? having not been there myself there may be other reasons for this.

my 5 cents worth anyway.