And then flogged off to the supercity?Originally Posted by RacerT
And then flogged off to the supercity?
It seems that the new 'chicane' at the end of the back straight, rather than provide an extra spot to pass, has actually got rid of the one really good passing place on the old track.......that dive into the hairpin......the late braking specialists corner. Has always been great to watch the antics of drivers over the years, as they come flying into the corner on tip-toes to claim a couple more places, or come to grief bigtime.........
However Auckland has done what Hamilton tried in vain to do.....get in the spectators. Obviously despite everything being said on here, 35,000 people found places to park their cars.......and that was yesterday. Today will be chocka block.
And the difference between Hamilton and Auckland.......well population density for one, but I believe the biggest difference is that Puke is not a bloody street circuit, despite attempts to turn it into one with the placement of all the concrete barriers.
And despite all these barriers and wire grills, it is still possible to see a good bit of the track, instead of about 100 meters either side of your vantage point. Ok, Hamilton had big telly screens. So why not stay at home and watch it on your own telly.......much more comfortable AND you can drink your own beer and eat YOUR chips!!!!!!!!
No one will ever convince me that a street circuit is a good idea for spectators.....might be fine for TV, so I suppose that's where the money is.
On the good side as they didnt get an upgrade ,they can forget the new part ,and take the seal out to the wall,save them fron getting stuck in the sand and pos.be safer. Carlo did not the Gov. stand behind the rugby club over the $200 mil,not saying they payed the money only will help out if needed????
Re staying at home and eating your own Chips Amco72.....nothing to do with motor racing but I was at the Paul Simon concert last week in Dunedin and a lady in front of me at the bag search!!!! had a block of chocolate taken from her as it was something she could buy inside the stadium.
How ridiculous.
I stepped in and said she was my wife and I was a diabetic and I needed it in case I had a hypo and handed it back to here and on we walked inside.........and she was so dumbfounded she said nothing. The security guard had the same look as the the Mayor of Hiroshima....'what the f... was that'.
It might have reduced the passing under brakes at the hairpin but some can still get a good entry and exit passing maneuver. Good crowds all weekend so for that type of meeting the changes work. The jury is still out in my mind as far as other meetings go.
Interesting to see the speed and the gears used approaching the hairpin. It works OK for them as they have tremendous grunt and were back up to 5th before braking again for the hairpin. For those of us with lesser cars we just about get up to top speed on the old track and braking for the hairpin was often the only safe passing place.
Classics are not normally rubbing door handles, as it is distinctly risky trying to pass in places that are deemed OK for the V8s where they are happy to wipe out door mirrors.
It is still a great track for a fast lap or a hot lap, but racing is all about sharing track space and in that respect, it is fine for one or two weekends a year but I fear that quite a few classes would rather not race in concrete tunnels.
Great TV though and an emotional win for the Brad Jones outfit, but with no photo opportunities, I can't see me going as a spectator.
I have no idea whether it was good at the track, but I would have to say that the TV did a great job. Rather special to see Brad Jones Racing and Jason Bright take out the Jason Richards Memorial.
Last edited by Oldfart; 04-14-2013 at 08:04 PM.
I'm pretty sure the new chicane is so they get another chance for good vehicle profile shots for the TV coverage. If you look at some of the blatantly repetitive slo-mo profile shots of some cars at a certain corner at Bathurst last year, it gives the impression they sell a certain number of 'spots' to sponsors.
Good point Ray, speed plays a big part in those new corners at the end of the straight. It works for the V8 supercars and it was great racing to watch on the TV. Classics and other classes like I stated above the jury is still out.
Very fitting for the Brad Jones team to take out the Jason Richards race of the round.
Would it be possible to reinstate the old section for Historic events?
I don't see why not.
However, as I understand it, there are classes that are unhappy about the close proximity of the concrete walls and I really can't see the track management moving barriers and catch fencing now they are in place. The back straight complex is an easy fix but race promoters will need to let drivers know in the ASR's whether or not they are using the old or new track. Unless stated otherwise, I would assume they will use the 'new' layout. In fact the regs for the first HRC meeting, early May, make no reference whatever to the track configuration or the track length.
Last edited by ERC; 04-14-2013 at 07:55 PM.
Absolutely, and why wouldnt you as the new bits add nothing
Dont know about that last race,would like to know about the other classes out there that raced this weekend,any photos
And I'm not looking foward to clambering over concrete walls to flag...from what I hear the old "flowerpots" have gone, so the flagpoints are $^!+ now...maybe the track should be left now for the V8's, other NASCAR type events, and truck racing.
Um...the new pit complex...isn't that just bigger tents?
Fantastic weekend at Pukekohe. New infrastructure looks brilliant. Additional corners add a new exciting dimension. Great job done by all. Looking forward to racing there. I like racing at HD but also like having a local alternative.
Purely and simply this smells like an exercise in retrieving value from the Hamilton investment - for AV8.
1. Getting better pit facilities is a plus but the rest IMHO is questionable. Without having had the benefit of having watched the event live and only watched a few laps on TV (the V8s don't do much for me to be honest) the racing didn't look as great as the Murph years were.
2. I don't get the layout change. It seemed to result in a lot of slip road indiscretions which make for a nightmare for stewards in the absence of TV replays.
3. The TV suffers from high camera angles necessitated by the height of the catch fencing. Height, especially when translated across all 8 or 9 or whatever track cameras brings a diminishing of apparent speed and the ability to see the car's dynamics. In a word it makes the shots look BLAND. To me it looked for the most part like another Oz street circuit.
4. The lining of the track with concrete at track's edge make an off a more expensive event.
5. For bikes it has now become an unsanctionable track from what I am told. The history of Puke and bikes is - for all you car only types - as rich as cars at Puke. It's a sad day for those of us who have seen it's demise as a bike racing track.
6. While having HD down the highway was impacting on the usage of Puke, now I can see Puke being a one trick pony. When the Cochrane mob tire of the issues of an old track I can see it could truly be HISTORY.
In a way it makes a change to see the taxpayer general throwing dollars at motorsport it seems to be a con job by Cochocorp with little to commend it from the enthusiasts point of view except we kept the event in New Zealand.
Agree. Mark Skaife and co couldn't stop giving the circuit all the positive comment they could over the weekend...what a surprise...gotta justify it somehow.
Ok I am not a horse person but with from watching on TV the pits/race control tower looked to be removable and given the track is used for horses how can the punters see the all important part of the track - the home straight - from the stands (someone who was there or has been there might like to comment on this as state only going by the shots I spotted on the TV) with these in their current place.
So it might be good to have those facilities but the horse based events might mean they come down and will not be available for meetings - so V8 Supercars only? Anybody know the answer?
I went and I will put on spectators hat and say it was the best Supercar meeting I have been to in NZ. Security/Gatepeople were awesome and could not be more polite. You were allowed to bring drink and food in aok.
Sitting in the grandstand (as I have for every V8 event I have been to) I was concerned about the new control tower etc blocking view but it was as before. The barriers on rear straight do block out lower part of car. Walked around everywhere including the new corners and for non grandstand people there were heaps of spectator areas with good views.
Food was reasonably priced but drink was crazy ($5.00) but you can bring your own in...so cannot complain really.
The format of 4 V8 races etc was brilliant and eliminated some boring nose to tail 60 lap races of the past. There was plenty of action ie NZ races to watch and I thought the balance of racing versus displays was excellent so that you could shoot down to pits etc.
The toilets (which have always annoyed me) were pretty good and I noticed cleaners in there all the time...never happened in the past.
Parking was easy, we parked right by the entrance gate in the track car park (you bought tickets online) and it only took about a 1/2 hour to 45mins to get out.
From my view it made Hamilton look like a complete mess and this was a view shared by the people who sat around me. Cannot think about many (if any) negatives from a spectator view and will be back next year.
PS: My only gripe was the standard of driving from the HQ driver (SW) who I watched run two people off the track (hitting one) in Musclecar Qualifying. There were other drivers going at same (and faster) pace who showed respect to slower drivers....good on them.
The barriers down the inside of back straight seemed strange, as mentioned before by somebody, no where to pullover, why not down the outside of horse rail. Over the hill not as bad as people were saying earlier, the new kink in back straight looked interesting, and there was still braking duels and passing at hairpin, maybe bit more than before, but i do feel it will not suit alot of 'ordinary class's and motorsport competitors'
Top format the 4 race set up and good racing, believe 'Frosty' was shown the map to Waikaraka Park, but it wasn't his fault, it was every one else. 2 meetings in a row he has made a complete tool of himself, and it is a big mouth and they are the easy ones to shut, normally by a lot smaller guy. Another rumour has him going to NASCA and flatting with Stewart and Danica.
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