PREMIER RACE SERIES 2015 - 2016 SEASON

[The Realist]

Now, as we enter the winter months, it is time to structure the Summer of Motorsport which is coming up.

The "Tier 1" name is tainted and dead in the water following years of decline.
The new Summer of Racing needs some Dynamic Vibrancy to it to herald its arrival.

We need to plan for this now, with all the recent events to learn from, and bring all the positives from them to formulate the way forward.
The Premier Summer Race Series must have race cards of categories which will regain the respect of all involved in track racing.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on what has been done wrongly over the past years, and this has been well documented, so now we all have a chance to bring all the good and beneficial components forward.

Let us now put together a Premier Summer Series to rival the best we have ever had.

List the format that you believe will rekindle Circuit Racing.

[socram]

As many have already locked in their dates for the season (we have), maybe we should be looking to 2016/17? Tracks in many cases have to be booked some time ahead and nothing brasses off the club level people more, than when the higher echelons (sic) throw their weight about and ruin their calendar.

Maybe the logical sequence is to sort out suitable dates and tracks first, THEN put forward a race programme for each meeting? Hopefully we can get well away from an identical programme at each meeting so that local promotion means that each can have a local flavour - and not all classes need to be sanctioned series either.

[The Realist]

Originally Posted by socram

As many have already locked in their dates for the season (we have), maybe we should be looking to 2016/17? Tracks in many cases have to be booked some time ahead and nothing brasses off the club level people more, than when the higher echelons (sic) throw their weight about and ruin their calendar.

Maybe the logical sequence is to sort out suitable dates and tracks first, THEN put forward a race programme for each meeting? Hopefully we can get well away from an identical programme at each meeting so that local promotion means that each can have a local flavour - and not all classes need to be sanctioned series either.

Hi Ray. We need a Premier Series this summer and some dates are already on the calendar to suit.
The next thing to do is sort out which categories will race at these Premier Meetings, and how many meetings we actually need in the Summer Series.
Quality, Quantity, and a spectacle we will be proud of.

[The Realist]

Some hope here for the new season.

http://autoaction.com.au/supertourer...sport-zealand/

[Mark Petch]

Originally Posted by The Realist

Some hope here for the new season.

http://autoaction.com.au/supertourer...sport-zealand/

Lets be very clear here, MSNZ has done absolutely nothing to bring this all about. The new Owners of V8 Supertourers, the car owner's Co-op, which purchased all of the previous owner, Ray Noonan Company, asset's and intellectual property etc, but not Noonan's Company [which he subsequently put into voluntary liquidation]

It is the new owners of the category [the car owners] that have to a man pushed for the integration of all the V8 Touring Cars into the new race format.

Owner Evans, who brokered the first such combined class races between the V8ST and the two NZV8 class's, was elected as one of three directors, who are namely, Bob Cunningham, Mark Heimgartner, and the afore said Owen Evan's.

Owen was tasked with completing the integration of all three class's, and the setting of 7 race meeting dates that the integrated V8 Touring class's could contest as a National Championship.

A meeting was had between the interested parties, one of which was Brian Budd, General Manager Of MSNZ, at Owen Evans premises last Wednesday, and significant progress was made on setting dates for what might well develop into a true Premier Series.

The difficulty all categories have except TRS, is fitting strong categories around the 5 back to back race meeting that the TRS championship is forced to run. Brian Budd seems to believe that other premier categories, should have to fit around a TRS calendar, born of corporate survival, and that is not the role of MSNZ, that is Toyota's problem.

However there is no question that with good will prevailing, that most of the other so called "premier categories" can support 3 of the TRS rounds. The difficulty Owen Evans has is convincing Mr Budd and his executive that you can not force categories to do your bidding. If any body is up for that challenge then the integrated V8 Touring car's could not have a better advocate.

Once the Calendar is set [and fortunately it is now very close] and accepted by MSNZ, then we have an excellent chance of rebuilding a premier summer road show, LIMO.

[Bill Brown]

Originally Posted by Mark Petch

Lets be very clear here, MSNZ has done absolutely nothing to bring this all about. The new Owners of V8 Supertourers, the car owner's Co-op, which purchased all of the previous owner, Ray Noonan Company, asset's and intellectual property etc, but not Noonan's Company [which he subsequently put into voluntary liquidation]

It is the new owners of the category [the car owners] that have to a man pushed for the integration of all the V8 Touring Cars into the new race format.

Owner Evans, who brokered the first such combined class races between the V8ST and the two NZV8 class's, was elected as one of three directors, who are namely, Bob Cunningham, Mark Heimgartner, and the afore said Owen Evan's.

Owen was tasked with completing the integration of all three class's, and the setting of 7 race meeting dates that the integrated V8 Touring class's could contest as a National Championship.

A meeting was had between the interested parties, one of which was Brian Budd, General Manager Of MSNZ, at Owen Evans premises last Wednesday, and significant progress was made on setting dates for what might well develop into a true Premier Series.

The difficulty all categories have except TRS, is fitting strong categories around the 5 back to back race meeting that the TRS championship is forced to run. Brian Budd seems to believe that other premier categories, should have to fit around a TRS calendar, born of corporate survival, and that is not the role of MSNZ, that is Toyota's problem.

However there is no question that with good will prevailing, that most of the other so called "premier categories" can support 3 of the TRS rounds. The difficulty Owen Evans has is convincing Mr Budd and his executive that you can not force categories to do your bidding. If any body is up for that challenge then the integrated V8 Touring car's could not have a better advocate.

Once the Calendar is set [and fortunately it is now very close] and accepted by MSNZ, then we have an excellent chance of rebuilding a premier summer road show, LIMO.

Setting dates and classes can be fraught with problems here is just a few that I know of I have just picked the Nat Champs and some other classes that may run:
NZST/NZV8 7 rounds will not want to run back to back (perhaps will for SI)
TRS 5 rounds back to back
Super Trucks 4-5 rounds (do not run at Manfeild)
Formula V NI only
Formula Ford (7 rounds??? some outside the summer series)
Sangyong (I assume Mark that they will run of the same bases as NZST)
Muscle Cars (normally very selective as to what rounds they run. Very much in demand)
UDC Utes ??????????

Then there is dates to sort.
NI January Mainly Classics. SI February Mainly Classics.

I'm sure it will all get sorted but its never easy! I am looking forward to the outcome.

I just hope that who ever is doing the promoting does not go back down the road of same day TV at over $100k per round. I financial road to nowhere.

[socram]

Originally Posted by Mark Petch

The difficulty all categories have except TRS, is fitting strong categories around the 5 back to back race meeting that the TRS championship is forced to run.

Brian Budd seems to believe that other premier categories, should have to fit around a TRS calendar, born of corporate survival, and that is not the role of MSNZ, that is Toyota's problem.

And in a nutshell, that has been one of the major problems. There are very, very few people who are in a position to run 5 meetings back to back.

OK for overseas drivers keen to step up the ladder during the North's off season, but they aren't faced with shipping the cars between, the circuits, the islands, taking time off work or taking into account family commitments during the summer holidays.

Every other race group has to spread their meetings around the whole season, otherwise we have a season of just 5 weeks. That is never ever going to work. As said before, there is a geographical split whether we like it or not and that is a huge barrier to many series.

We incorporated one Southern Festival of Speed meeting into our South Island trip of 2005, but there is no way my wife would stand for being dragged to a meeting every weekend, either at tier 1 level or at our own modest level.

The Toyota racing Series is just that. It may be our premier single-seater class, but that is no reason to build the whole of the NZ season around it.

[Goat Boy]

TRS is well and good for developing drivers but it is not, and never has been, a crowd puller. Therefore others with more bang for the buck should not be dictated to by the TRS calendar, although obviously working in with 2 or 3 of the meetings is a good idea if possible.

[bluespur]

Really am crying brushed about all this concern about 5 weeks in a row. Only TRS do this, even at their peak NZV8 only did three of the rounds, two SI then two weeks off and did GP meeting.

The first two TRS rounds in NI were always a hotch potch of classes.

I believe that a suitable calander for all can be achieved, just needs a bit of give and take by both categories and circuits.

Looking forwa d to watching all V8 Touring Car classes right n together. Sure hope there is some parity work done between ST and TLX so we have two groups could MPETING rather than three.

[Goat Boy]

You could even put LS3's in the TL's and watch the fun...

[Mark Petch]

Originally Posted by Bill Brown

Setting dates and classes can be fraught with problems here is just a few that I know of I have just picked the Nat Champs and some other classes that may run:
NZST/NZV8 7 rounds will not want to run back to back (perhaps will for SI)
TRS 5 rounds back to back
Super Trucks 4-5 rounds (do not run at Manfeild)
Formula V NI only
Formula Ford (7 rounds??? some outside the summer series)
Sangyong (I assume Mark that they will run of the same bases as NZST)
Muscle Cars (normally very selective as to what rounds they run. Very much in demand)
UDC Utes ??????????

Then there is dates to sort.
NI January Mainly Classics. SI February Mainly Classics.

I'm sure it will all get sorted but its never easy! I am looking forward to the outcome.

I just hope that who ever is doing the promoting does not go back down the road of same day TV at over $100k per round. I financial road to nowhere.

Hi Bill,

The Ssangyong Race Series, as you may know picked up the complete cost of the delayed television for both Timaru and Teretonga plus Pukekohe, and I can tell you that the cost to that was less than $50K, and with UDC Utes contribution obviously less again, and at Pukekohe the combined V8 Touring car's also contributed


We, Ssangyong Racing are more than happy to continue picking up the cost of the delayed TV coverage on the CRC motorsport show, providing other class's that wish to receive delayed TV coverage, contribute to the cost.

The Ssangyong Racing Series will support the unified V8 Touring cars were ever possible.

[promax]

Originally Posted by Goat Boy

You could even put LS3's in the TL's and watch the fun...

some have been running a LS3 for a while now

[The Realist]

It is now the Winter and time to start confirming the structure of the Summer season.
This time last year the Tier 1 track series was in complete disarray and we need to ensure this year doesn't follow the same path. Last year we were assured that it wouldn't, and what did we get last summer, more of the same.
The difference now is that all the bank a/c's are a little more diminished, and the public a little more burned.

[mikuni]

Is anyone holding their breath?

I'm currently excited about the following:
Participating in a couple of club level events and maybe a track day
Attending the V8SC meeting in November (?)
The NZFMR next year
Watching the development of Hampton Downs over the next couple of years

I would like to put something about NZ Touring cars on there, but they honestly don't even register. If they're at the V8 event I will assess them again then, but I won't pay money to see them for another year at least

[MarcosAmbroseFan]

MSNZ just announce the 2015-16 calender
http://www.v8superfans.co.nz/motorsp...alander-in-nz/

[The Realist]

It's moving in the right direction now, and we have a few months to continue the positive moves so far. Pleased to have had an influence by naming the series. I'll continue to guide it along its path.