The Roaring Season

Wow, and SsanggYyongggs no less! Can't wait to see these racing :eek: I wonder whose amazing idea this was? The crowds will flock in their thousands, no millions to watch these beasts race, will be a winner fersure ;) You old guys with your old cars might as well leave them at home :p

[url]http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=11173892[/url]

[url]http://www.ssangyong.co.nz/latest-news/ssangyong-nz-and-bnt-v8-supertourers-launch-new-race-category-ssangyong-actyon-racing/[/url]

Looks like a semi-celebrity race type of thing, so should be a good smash-fest at the very least.

It may not belong in an Historic message board fullnoise, but most contributors are well aware that historics/classics aren't in total isolation and have shown fantastic growth, whereas so called modern racing hasn't. We are constantly comparing 'our' meetings to Tier one and now ST's, meetings at which occasionally, classics are invited and generally, prove to be as much of or more than a hit with spectators than any other support class.

In addition to the fantastic support for U2K, where they had I think, 65 at the recent TACCOC meeting, Tier 1 has often struggled to get 70 cars - overall!

Adding another one make class, for new vehicles and getting it on TV is no more than advertising money talking and sod the spectators.

Maybe they'd gain better publicity by sponsoring the U2K series? Or better still, helping John with getting the historic saloons running?

On April 18 I started a thread titled "How many classes?". In it I invited members of TRS to add to a list of classes currently racing in NZ. A few people took up the challenge and at last count there were 38 classes though I have no doubt that there are more. For a country of just over 4 million people that is an extravagance we cannot afford. As "Briteyes" points out in post #3 above, the creation of another class does not necessarily increase the number of competitors. It usually simply spreads the current competitors more thinly over an ever increasing multiplicity of classes. There are exceptions of course-it would appear that the 2K Cup was so radically different to the existing classes that it has successfully attracted a whole new crop of drivers who were not already involved in the sport. I doubt 2.4 litre trucks will be sufficiently different to what we have already to have the same effect as what the 2K Cup has had.

Can the Mitchells produce 40 2.4 trucks at a reasonable cost before the first meeting they are to compete in. What erks me about such classes is that to run I must purchase my vehicle from someone else rather than build it myself which I would much prefer to do.

[quote="ERC"]The last thing we wanted. Another boring one make class. To quote them - "a full grid of 30..." A full grid is 40+ which is the limit at places such as HD & Pukekohe.

Bearing in mind the current V8 utes only have about 12, bung them together, instead of wasting track time. Or, go the whole hog and have a meeting of (light) trucks, people movers, vans, utes, station wagons, buses and Tuk-Tuks.

I have often thought that Tuk-Tuks with more power and a better suspension could prove a cheap entry level class and very entertaining. Only three tyres rather than 4 to wear out...[/quote]

ERC, firstly is this not a historic motorsport website, if so why are we even talking about this here!
Secondly, I raced a V8 ute in 09/10, and the main reason the class never really got going is the two Manawatu dictators - that should read dickheads - that ran the class, knew everything, listened to no one, did mates rates advertising/sponsorship deals which they benefited more from than the class, and when all said and done, they proved by their actions they couldn`t run a bath, let alone a motorsport class which people had originally invested heavily in. It seems that motorsport in NZ over the years has a habit of history repeating itself because one or two morons think they know best.
With todays economic climate, Mum, Dad along with little Jack and Jill, only have so much to spend as far as the `leisure dollar' goes, so it is up to the promoters, competitors and financial backers to `package' an event - such as the festival - whereby they are getting to see a good variety of well presented cars in a friendly well organised environment.

I could repower it thus earning a place in your hotrod thread........

The last thing we wanted. Another boring one make class. To quote them - "a full grid of 30..." A full grid is 40+ which is the limit at places such as HD & Pukekohe.

Bearing in mind the current V8 utes only have about 12, bung them together, instead of wasting track time. Or, go the whole hog and have a meeting of (light) trucks, people movers, vans, utes, station wagons, buses and Tuk-Tuks.

I have often thought that Tuk-Tuks with more power and a better suspension could prove a cheap entry level class and very entertaining. Only three tyres rather than 4 to wear out...

Too many I say, Every new class is just a field reducer to some other existing class.
Sooner or later we will end up with 150 classes, and only two cars in each class. At least that way an entrant will have a 50/50 chance of getting a win.
We need classes that the punters want to see, Bums on seats. We need that so the circuits can stay viable, More paying spectators.
Not what the powers that be say we should have. Who cares if it is not an "internationally recognised" formula as long as it gets the people through the gates.
I remember going to one race meeting not too long ago where the crews and support stalf almost out numbered the spectators.

Assume this is the one-
The cars are built by Nick and Derek Mitchell at MRX in Hamilton with a 2.3-litre Mercedes-Benz developed engine.

On crc motorsport tv3 i see we are getting another class,2.4 litre Truck racing do we need this have we not got enough now.