SKOPE & SFOS meetings @ ChCh, Levels,& Teretonga - Photo Thread.

[AMCO72]

I would like to think that these 'JAFA's' that a few posters are taking cheap shots at, don't actually belong to the roaring season fraternity, so their comments are falling on deaf ears.

We were having a friendly discussion on the problems and logistics of the North Island racers to get themselves and their cars to the South Island. I did not forget that South Islanders also come north, and therefore have the same set of problems/expenses etc, but at the time we were discussing the traffic from North to South.

And Barry, you are right when you say that the distances travelled by the south island brigade to come north, are 'similar' to the distances travelled by the north island brigade to go south. I have looked up in my Collins Road atlas of NZ, and what do you know........they are so 'similar' that they are exactly the bloody same!!!!!!!!!!!!

This thread started out as a photo record of the SFOS events. Unfortunately, apart from a couple of 'snappers' there don't seem to be people like Kiwi285 and others down there. Maybe all the postings are on Facebook or Twitter, which I don't subscribe to.

[ERC]

ERC go South young man, a much better experience than a cruise.
Put it on your bucket list, give up something, beer? and go. You won't regret it. Oh and take the dearly beloved there is some great shopping so I am told.

You've met my dearly beloved Beowulf and I thought she did well to put up with us at Monaco! However, like many ladies, she is not into shopping.

As for a better experience than a long cruise? Hmm. Not at all sure about that and the cruise food is much better than living on grossly overpriced chips, soft drinks, tiny over priced coffees etc. Also, you don't get speeding tickets, parking tickets, water bills, paper bills, traffic jams, panel damage and phone calls - or even relatives you are not keen on.

A wet day at a race track without your own campervan, shelter or shade is indeed a miserable experience. In comparison, our growing number of cruise buddies is such that it now exceeds the number of motorsport buddies.

Maybe if I was 30 years younger, I'd give it a go as a competitor.

So, which is the best south island meeting/track for an amateur photographer? Sorry, but I don't think I'd go back to Invercargill for a field of 90 cars. Skope always sounds like a great meeting, as does Philip Island, but I'd still want to know what the spectator access is like - and PI is probably cheaper to get to than Teretonga. (Love Melbourne.)

Jacmac - sorry, but I couldn't do it from here and back in less than 22 days. I wouldn't expect to drive to Wellington from here, with a trailer, catch a ferry, drive back from Invercargill to Picton and then back to North of Auckland, in less than 4 days, at my age! Equally, I wouldn't be racing if I felt in any way stuffed by the journey down either.

Unlike some on here, there is far more to our lives than cars and motorsport.

[Jac Mac]

[color="#0000FF"]Gerald, as a 'Southerner' I have been to Auckland-once- was after one of the Wellington Street races & took my son up to visit my sister during the week, also wanted to find out what had happened to the GT40 kit supplier up that way, after putting about 300km on a rental 'looking' for the outfit & getting interrogated by virtually every building owner/previous address lessee as to why I was looking for the outfit ( and if I might be in any way financially involved/liable ) I never did find them ( TGFSM ) I headed for home thinking this is a very unfriendly place....never felt the need to return since....[/color]

[John McKechnie]

Heres my 2 cents worth-
The Team Cambridge Monaro will be finished this year.
It last ran in the South Island in the Mercury series in 1970 and did all the tracks at the time.
Quite a suitable time for it come back and revisit the remaining tracks that it made its name on-except for Wigram, as its not there, cant recreate the magic spin ending between the hanger buildings.
BayPark, Taupo and the old, big circuit at Puke are all gone, therefore 45 years later it needs to revisit these southern circuits .
How I get there, where I stay, the trip time, even the racing itself means nothing.
All I want to achieve is to reunite this car with those who loved it then as nostalgia is to be shared not kept in a garage.

[Spgeti]

If my comment has offended any one, my apologies. I have visited Skope 2005 and Waimate in the early to mid 90s and enjoyed every moment of the events. Well worth the trip, the quality of cars competing and the hospitality. I have also enjoyed the HD festivals and must admit it is a hard choice for all to make which events to attend as a competitor or a spectator.

[ERC]

[color="#0000FF"]Gerald, as a 'Southerner' I have been to Auckland-once- was after one of the Wellington Street races & took my son up to visit my sister during the week, also wanted to find out what had happened to the GT40 kit supplier up that way, after putting about 300km on a rental 'looking' for the outfit & getting interrogated by virtually every building owner/previous address lessee as to why I was looking for the outfit ( and if I might be in any way financially involved/liable ) I never did find them ( TGFSM ) I headed for home thinking this is a very unfriendly place....never felt the need to return since....[/color]

I arrived in Auckland 31 years ago and was staggered at just how friendly everyone was.
equally, I was working in Christchurch each week, for a fair period in 1988 and thought the people there were fantastic too - and Napier, Whangarei, Hamilton, Cambridge...
As a Pom, I only ever found Londoners difficult to get to know. It just took time.
There are people everywhere who are friendly and there are people everywhere who are not, but I would never judge a place on a single visit.
Motorsport people world wide share a common bond and interest, but the logistics and costs of competing on distant tracks are very tangible and are not subjective, they are objective.

[Racer Rog]

I would not pump for Porsche, we put a lot of time and money into running Porsche as the main Marque for this years ENZED Classic, after being asked by some of their club members, to say it was a disappointing turn out, would be a understatement, and had no support from the local dealer, who seemed to be more interested in showing their cars at Waimomo, (not sure of spelling, but big farmers field days just out side Gore) we were supported by 9 Porsche drivers, most who were our own club members, so it would appear that most Porker owners are now cow cocky's and they are used to bring in the cows.
Roger

This is all great stuff and I know the SI hospitality is legendary, but judging by grids at most meetings this last season or two and the advancing ages of both drivers and cars and diminishing incomes, maybe a co-ordinated blitz on the South Island for say 2016 or 2017, with a reduced North Island programme at that time of the year, might work, though the HD Festival is already working on Porsche for 2016.

I am not sure that it would ever be within my own budget, but I do know that every year, there are always North Islanders making either plans or dreams of doing the SI series, or part of it, maybe only once.

As AMCO points out, a month away is not exactly easy to manage and I am pretty sure that having toured the SI (including a visit to a very soggy, cold, wet Teretonga) in 2005, my wife would not be to keen on doing it all again. (We have a winter cruising addiction to finance...)

Car reliability is a huge problem and whereas it might be relatively straightforward to find Mini bits in a hurry, or for those with a bucket load of spares they can carry, I am not too sure about the availability of old Volvo engine spares in a hurry - even if there was the expertise around that I don't possess!

Many locals seem to be missing for several meetings with car problems these days, even the hardened regulars, sometimes even for a season - and that is without their mangled backs, necks, knees, hips and shoulders...

We have a combined grid of 37 cars for Pukekohe this weekend, one of the best of the season, but it does look as though we'll be combining our grids next season.

[Carlo]

ERC, Quick solutions for you. (a) send wife on cruise. (b) then escape with you mates both old and new to the South island and hire a camper van (c) starting at Ruapuna camp at the circuits during the meetings and catch up with like minded people (d) Spend time to look at the post earthquake Chch and absorb what has happened and how people are rebuilding their lives. (e) visit inland Sth Canterbury/Mt Cook and catch a salmon (f) take in the Timaru meeting then head south via the Catlins (g) take in Teretonga (h) after a day or so on Stewart Island and enjoying fresh Blue Cod travel back north via Tuatapere, Manapouri including taking in trip to the west arm power station, them Milford Sound taking an early morning cruise, Queenstown, Haast and back up the coast via the glaciers etc then over Arthurs Pass and drop the camper off at Chch before flying back north.(i) on your arrival home mow the lawns and tidy the house before going to pick the wife up as she returns from her cruise and ask her if she enjoyed herself having a girls month away.

Photos, yes you can get quite close to the action at all circuits to the point that at Timaru there are positions built into the safety fence where you can take shots unobstructed by wires or barriers. Pit access is excellent at all circuits and until you have tried Teretonga Tasties as made by the wives and girlfriends who make up the ladies committee you have not lived in a motorsport world

[Carlo]

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Just some of the cars on display at the ENZED Meeting along with the ex Jim Kennedy Capri and then there was a rig who's driver could not read and left it parked there for most of the Sunday afternoon while the meeting was still in progress.

[AMCO72]

Are you in the travel business Carlo........if not, you should be!!! If that doesn't set the heart racing, nothing will. I presume someone else is towing the race car.

Can testify to Teretonga tasties.....bacon and egg toasties, mousetraps, spaghetti or corn buns, salad buns etc etc etc., with all proceeds going to future developments....and all done by volunteers, for the SSCC.....

Maybe the Porsche owner also had shares in the track!!!! One of the few Porsches that turned up to the event.

[crunch]

Pit access is excellent at all circuits and until you have tried Teretonga Tasties as made by the wives and girlfriends who make up the ladies committee you have not lived in a motorsport world

Oh;...my mistake...I thought the sign Teretonga Tasties referred to the ladies serving....

[worsel]

Oh;...my mistake...I thought the sign Teretonga Tasties referred to the ladies serving....

No Crunch, they are the Teretonga Tasties tarts hahaha

[ERC]

ERC, Quick solutions for you. (a) send wife on cruise. (b) then escape with you mates both old and new

Photos, yes you can get quite close to the action at all circuits to the point that at Timaru there are positions built into the safety fence where you can take shots unobstructed by wires or barriers.

Thanks Carlo!!! Am I the only one on here who actually likes his wife? She'd hate to go on what you might call a ladies' escape. She wouldn't even consider a girls' weekend let alone cruise. We are very happy spending time together. Having already done several items on your list anyway and what I haven't, generally, doesn't really appeal that much anyway - sorry! (I have never fished, don't want to fish so zero appeal there.) You tried hard Carlo but you can't win them all...

As AMCO says, you are forgetting about the car. I'd probably consider flying down and back as a spectator if I really thought it was worth it and I could get a decent air fare in advance, but I have been going to race tracks, hill climbs, sprints and various other events since 1951 and since 1970, involved heavily enough in motorsport to have experienced a fair bit - not just on both sides of the fence but the organisational side too, so I think I have lived in as much of a motorsport world as most.

Only the Goodwood Revival Race meeting ticks ALL the boxes nowadays and at my age, I can afford to be very, very picky!

[Carlo]

Are you in the travel business Carlo........if not, you should be!!! If that doesn't set the heart racing, nothing will. I presume someone else is towing the race car.

Can testify to Teretonga tasties.....bacon and egg toasties, mousetraps, spaghetti or corn buns, salad buns etc etc etc., with all proceeds going to future developments....and all done by volunteers, for the SSCC.....

Maybe the Porsche owner also had shares in the track!!!! One of the few Porsches that turned up to the event.

4 to 6 cars and spares well packed can probably fit into a 40' container.
No shareholders in the track, the circuit, buildings and land is 100% the property of the South Canterbury Car Club Inc. I don't think he is a SCCC club member because if he was he wouldn't be game to park there.
Those bacon & egg toasties first thing in the morning, bloody magic. It was interesting to see so many of the TRS mechanics all lined up waiting for them to open in the mornings this year, it appears that their fame had spread.

Tourism no Gerald, just like showing people around my patch of our countryside. Don't forget to throw in a flight around Mt Cook and landing on the Tasman Glacier in a ski plane, a trip up the Haast river in a Jetboat and a Helicopter ride up onto the Fox and/or the Franz Josef Glaciers


We need to remember that things happen for reasons not excuses and one should find reasons to do things rather than excuses not too.

[AMCO72]

ERC........do you only LIKE your wife.......I would have hoped that you LOVED her!!!!!! I'm going to have a chat to Paula.......

These ventures that we used to take for granted when we were younger, suddenly become too hard as we get old. Even more do we need to follow Carlos advice and not give excuses for not doing things.

[ERC]

ERC........do you only LIKE your wife.......I would have hoped that you LOVED her!!!!!! I'm going to have a chat to Paula.......

These ventures that we used to take for granted when we were younger, suddenly become too hard as we get old. Even more do we need to follow Carlos advice and not give excuses for not doing things.

Yes AMCO, I do love her to bits - still! (And she knows it.) You also know why we go cruising because Carlo, you are 100% right. We have to do what we can, whilst we can. That is why we can manage long cruises together and are still speaking at the end, looking forward to the next.

All sounds good for some Carlo, but just step back a bit and price out what you are suggesting. My days of roughing it finished when I finally packed up the Scouting. Nowadays, I can think of nothing worse than being cooped up in a camper van when I could be in 4 star luxury travelling the world, waited on hand and foot and with the woman I love by my side. Just remember, you never know when you'll lose the one you love.

PS: Disneyworld is still on my extremely short bucket list, ahead of SFoS.