This 95dba thing is not just a New Zealand requirement, it is common throughout the world and came from the FIA, Aussie as an example enforce it with a passion, remember the issues with the B&H BMW's of Longhurst & Morris being black flagged off the circuit on live TV, Uncle Frank certainly did not like that. The world exception of course granted by the FIA is Formula One

We just have to live with it same as we live with capacity classes, weight limits, valve lift measurements etc. It is just part of the sport. For sure if we had not have had the FIA MSNZ limits to use as a tool in our favour then I am quite confident that both Timaru and Manfeild would have lost out when we had to go through that resource consent process all those years ago and that it is the work of those two clubs that is now recognised as the standard by the District Councils.

In all of the arguments that I have heard or read about in recent times there are no new ones and none that I have either not heard or used myself.

I guess that the thing that turned my thinking around was one day when I was looking after a test day and a car started close by, I had our two boys with us and they both quickly put their hands over their ears and started crying. Those same two boys were quite happy in our workshop when I had my RX3 or BDA running. Such was the noise of those particular V8's at the time.

Does anyone remember Don Grindley's OSCA RX3. At Wigram where there was wide open spaces, we all used to drop down behind the concrete pit wall and block our ears when he came by as none of the so called half deaf battle hardened pit crews could remain above the wall height such was the effect of the noise on your brain and your body.

As for familiarity with Puke, yeah I was having a bit of a nose around there a few weeks ago, I have family & quite a few motorsport mates up that way

And for buying Puke, well if you look at the facts that Auckland has 40 time the population of Timaru than you should be able to replicate the Sth Canterbury Car Club but with a club membership of 6000 people rather than our 150 and then when you ran your bigger meetings you would be getting somewhere between 200,000 and 260,000 individual paying spectators in attendance.

However I do appreciate that one ever said that it was going to be that easy.