Images From My Past - Nigel Watts Collection

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[Reeceracer]

I had the Sunday at HD marked on my calender but after spending hours in the sun in Taupo on Saturday, I decided to give the Revival a miss. Just as well because I would have been really pissed off if I had driven all the way up from Tauranga to find an empty circuit!!

I believe there was approx 39 cars across all race classes + 11 trial cars.......

I put this down to a few things-
1 - Not racing due to having to pick and choose meetings due to costs and budget (guilty)
2 - Clashing with a great event at Taupo (guilty)
3 - And personally a little Hamptoned out (guilty)
There are so many meetings happening which is great but maybe there should be less quantity and more quality?? Might be more spectator attractive having 3 or 4 BIG meetings a Summer rather than 20 little ones...dunno....just a thought...

[ERC]

Not wanting to highjack the thread Nigel, so apologies.


Always a tricky one Reece. HMC only do about 4 or 5 rounds a year. Your group - ERC, usually a maximum of 7 or maybe 8 with the best 5 to count.

But, we now have three tracks within easy reach of the upper north island residents, where the majority of regulars reside and a relatively short summer season.

Pukekohe, Taupo and Hampton Downs, all three tracks need income and if there are fewer meetings, costs will go even higher still and grids will shrink further.

We polled our members a few years ago but maybe Chris (Browne) needs to poll them again? Last time, the group voted overwhelmingly to keep 1 Taupo round, even though we have to combine the grids. If rounds are to be dropped, which ones and why? Dropping rounds reduces the choices of long time promoters such as TACCOC and HRC and we have always supported them whenever possible as they have supported us. January is holiday month for a lot of people. Many are only returning to work today.

Overseas drivers may well be attracted to a meeting every weekend, but for amateurs, it is now a massive cost condensed into a short time frame. This past weekend's HD meeting may well have been a gamble that just didn't pay off as Taupo was a much more attractive proposition.

As far as I know, ERC were not invited to the Bathurst Festival this year, along with other regular supporters of the Festival and this heavily promoted meeting only attracted 123 competitors. From a paying spectator point of view, pathetic. ERC still holds the record for the only group to have even filled a 46 car grid (with 7 reserves) at a Festival meeting, but it took a lot of pushing to get the grid accepted as there were some who did not want the group there.

Maybe we need a discussion meeting between the representatives of the various (classic?) groups, organisers/promoters and even circuit owners, as to the future programme? Chris Watson has often had a dates meeting, but maybe this doesn't go far enough?

With Formula Juniors for example, bringing in a well organised group from overseas, showing us cars we don't see very often, it is a travesty that they weren't at the HD Festival. What used to be seen as the Premier local classic event of the year seemingly is no more. It is neither classic nor a premium event in the minds of many and much of the good work done over the last two decades for a top class late January meeting seems to have evaporated.

Sorry Nigel! Reece's comment needed a response.

[nigel watts]

I believe there was approx 39 cars across all race classes + 11 trial cars.......

I put this down to a few things-
1 - Not racing due to having to pick and choose meetings due to costs and budget (guilty)
2 - Clashing with a great event at Taupo (guilty)
3 - And personally a little Hamptoned out (guilty)
There are so many meetings happening which is great but maybe there should be less quantity and more quality?? Might be more spectator attractive having 3 or 4 BIG meetings a Summer rather than 20 little ones...dunno....just a thought...

Yes Reece I think you maybe on the right track. It was a bit crazy having 2 meetings on the same weekend although I guess the race classes were different. The Tasman Revival promoter must have lost a bundle with so few entrants. I'm guessing here but I imagine that the greatest cost of motorsport in NZ is borne by the entrants. I can't help wondering why Motorsport NZ can't get their heads together to work out how to make some improvements for circuit racers. I'm sure there must be some they could introduce. Incidentally on Saturday when I was out on the circuit in the early PM, I counted 80 vehicles of all types parked up on the bank in the spectator area. Quite a few parked behind the pit area as well but still not the hundreds that you would have seen a few years ago. More things to do these days I guess. Anyway I'd just like to express my gratitude to those people, like yourself, that spend their hard earned dosh to provide a spectacle for people like me.

[nigel watts]

Ray you must have posted your comment while I was typing mine. I think we are thinking along the same lines. Perhaps the promoters could look at joint promotions instead of being in competion with each other. Just a thought.

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[Spgeti]

Great photos Nigel...believe it I did not get to see them run but managed to get in one F5000 race.

HMC/HSC ran at 8 race meetings last year which included 2 in the South Island, this year we will run at 6 events.
Always hard to please everyone but we try very hard to work in with ERC and Trofeo.....but there are just to many same themed meetings and other attractions like Kumeu, Beach Hop and The Race Up the Driveway....

Cheers
Bruce

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