Well, that is the 2,000,000 views cracked on my Mix of Pics thread!

Pity that with the closure of Pukekohe, closure of the Smales Farm Caffeine and Classics, some miserably small grids at more recent classic meetings, that the opportunities to add to my library and this site are shrinking fast. I have the Goodwood Revival to look forward to next year but I'll only attend Friday (qualifying) and part of Saturday. That might well be for the last time too.

The current small grids worry me. At the recent TACCOC HD meeting, only about 50 cars present. Several long time supporters of local classic racing have decided that they have been priced out with MSNZ and the circuit owners being the main culprits, not helped by one or two CEOs claiming the racing in NZ was too cheap. Excessive regulatory dictates haven't helped.

Maybe those CEOs on fat salaries need to come down to earth and accept that for amateurs, many seemingly on a pension, it is far too expensive and the so called tier 1 racing is a joke, with minimal paying spectators.

Sorry for the rant, but I've been attending race meetings for over 70 years now in many capacities - paying spectator, series organiser, driver, race suit supplier, promoter, commentator, flag marshal and latterly, photographer and I'm now somewhat disenchanted with the sport in NZ.

One or two high profile meetings a year isn't enough to justify the expense of a race licence, plus hardly used seat belts and protective gear after a handful of meetings. They need to wind the clock back a bit and stop treating the genuine amateurs with basic cars like potential V8 Super car or F1 competitors.

Most modern one make, one model series can be boring especially with less than full grids and even our much promoted (on here and Facebook) saloon series with an all Ford grid - bar 1 Vauxhall, hasn't really delivered locally as yet anyway.

Can others see grids improving? At least the south island has several great circuits yet the north island now has just three - and greater Auckland doesn't have any.