Auckland V8 Street Race

[Shag]

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE V8 STREET RACE. TELL AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL YOU WANT IT TO HAPPEN

Auckland City Council is calling for submissions to its draft annual plan, part of which concerns the Super Car Race planned for downtown Auckland in 2006.

If you support the V8 race, send an email to the council saying in your own words that Auckland City is making a good investment and that they have your support when making the decision to go ahead.

The last V8 Super Car race will be held at Pukekohe next year and unless we get the street race, Auckland will lose the event altogether.

It is almost certain that those people who oppose the race will have written to the council.

Use the link below. It will take you directly to the page that enables you to make an online submission. Send this on to other motor sport supporters and get them to help too.

Your support is vital to retain this premium event.

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/coun...4/say.asp#form
**** Ends ***

[vipernz]

Originally posted by Shag
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE V8 STREET RACE. TELL AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL YOU WANT IT TO HAPPEN

ROFL, what if you disagree with having it there? And if you don't want it to happen in Auckland, don't bother saying anything as they won't listern anyway...

[Dingo]

How about neither, let's build a new track in Australia instead.

[promax]

Originally posted by vipernz
ROFL, what if you disagree with having it there? And if you don't want it to happen in Auckland, don't bother saying anything as they won't listern anyway...

bump

[racer69]

Why can't the government put all that money they would put into a street race into Pukekohe, or at least, as one of the options, build another permanent circuit so everyone can benefit.

While a return of the Wellington street circuit would be nice, it would only be worth it if the old layout could be retained, which i understand is impossible nowadays. The layout used in 1996 was a joke.....

[Andrew Anderson]

From a drivers perspective, it will be a great challenge to drive on but were are we to race for the other 362 days of the year.

(i.e. after the Fri/Sat/Sun race weekend?)

Driver
NZV8 Touring Car #70

www.pinepac.co.nz/racing

[pete55]

Shag, wake up before it's too late. Forget about street circuits.

[jetsetter]

Rather than the N.Z. government funding a street circuit i think they'd be far better off putting their money in to the upgrade of a regular circuit which can be used for the whole year rather than just one weekend.

[alfasud]

Not a great fan of the choices here....

* Annual street race in Auckland. Fine for the coporate entertainment set, but where do the club racers go, where do the next generation of Scott Dixons race? Not to mention all those drivers in V8 Supercars, that started their racing careers on New Zealand racing circuits.

* Fund the building of a new F1-standard permanent circuit... why does it have to be F1 standard - is Bathurst F1 standard.... how many circuits in V8 supercars are F1 standard?

* Bring on an annual street race in Wellington.... is this viable? It was a good concept back in the 1980's, but I think there was a lot of money pumped in by the Wellington city council.... are they going to do that again?

* Do nothing, and admire the racing in Australia from afar.... I'm happy to admit that Bathurst is most likely the best track in the southern hemisphere, but as far as racing goes, there's the clone taxi series which is one big yawn fest and the Monaro 24hr demonstration race, which may or may not be happening this year... which one of these were we meant to be admiring?

As someone who sometimes drives in the odd race or sprint event, but is unlikely to pay the sums of money they charge to watch the taxi racing, I'll pick the permanent circuit option.

Maybe I should click on the link and make a submission against the street race?

[Armco Bender]

It is almost certain that those people who oppose the race will have written to the council

After what I heard on talkback radio yesterday,rioting in the streets is more likely than racing.

Bring back Puke.

[Slippy Diff]

I voted for investment in an existing circuit. No need for F1 standard though as that series will never come here anyway. Just need decent spectator facilities i.e. good grandstands, toilets, refreshments etc and a decent paddock and pit lane complex. Combine that with some decent landscaping and gravel traps, sort out the drainage, create decent parking for the spectators and................ta daaaaa, one very nice circuit within 3 minutes of the motorway. Puke only needs single figure millions spending on it to bring it up to scratch. Probably end up better than Donington in the UK and they get the MotoGP every year.

[Steve Holmes]

I have plenty of Auckland friends, but I am sometimes miffed at how Aucklanders forget about the rest of the country south of the Bombays. Its hard to imagine anyone outside of Auckland getting behind an Auckland street race.

An Auckland street race would be something special, but I'd much rather see a new permanent fascility being built near Auckland. NZ now has a very strong domestic series in V8 Touring Cars, and although they would obviously be invited to race at the street event, it would be great to have a permanent venue to cater to the Supercars once a year, and then the V8 Tourers when the series visits the Auck region.

The V8 Supercars would be amazing at a street venue, but NZ needs a quality permanent circuit near Auck. The future of Puke looks shaky at times, and if it went, the North Island would only have two permanent circuits.

If money is to go into motorsport in the Auck region, it needs to be to the benefit of all motorsport.

Does anyone know about the track apparently being planned in the Waikato?

[Evomike]

All this discussion is too late, the decision short term has been made, we are now in real danger of loosing it all together if we don't support the decision. I totally agree we need to spend money on a permanant facility, but we need to get corporate dollars back to help fund it. I know there are sponsors who are out there that are now coming out of the woodwork now that a street race in Auckland is on the cards. These are new to motorsport sponsors.

[Just Do It!]

It's a double-edged sword really, but I believe that Auckland should have got a street race from the word go, rather than go to Pukekohe originally.
Once you get a street race though, it loses some glamour and glitz by scaling back to a circuit event.

However, and as Evomike rightly points out, this event will bring new sponsors to the sport, sponsors that otherwise would never have bothered, never have cared, never have been interested.
But what all this will start is a buzz/excitement/momentum/action/a snowballing effect. This will allow those who are focussed on getting a permanent circuit up and running to do so.

Why? Quite simply because once you take racing to the people, the people will go to the racing. People will realise that there is more to life than rugby, cricket, and golf, and on the basis of educating people about motorsport, they will attend a motorsport facility.

I cannot begin to applaud Tony Cochrane and his AVESCO team, and Mayor John Banks and Councillor Scott Milne for stepping up and really giving this event a decent push.
The spillover benefit for the sport as a whole will in the long term be good, even if in the short term it doesn't seem to be.

In the late 1980's, a consortium of investors was established to develop and build a motorsport facility closer to Auckland. The funds WERE finalised. They were entrusted to a fund manager, who wisely invested the money in the NZ sharemarket. Then the 1987 crash happened..... bye bye money!

At present, there are two parties trying to build a new and permanent circuit within close proximity to Auckland. One party is focussed on a block of land at Meremere, near the drag strip there; the other party is focussed on a number of sites elsewhere.

I hope that the circuit goes ahead, and I know that the promotion of the sport that a street race will bring will aid the plans of both parties.

Right now, we all need to do as Evomike said and get 150% behind a street race in Auckland.
That should be our focus to benefit the NZ motorsport future, despite some peoples' short term view that it is negative for the sport.

In my own biased, opinionated, and one-eyed words: Bring it on!!

[Marcos Skaife]

Nope to the street race full stop!!From an spectators point of view boring,boring ,boring!!Great for the Auckland retail market,bad for Auckland motorists and the transport sector especially(not that I`m biased at all!!)

Spend money on the existing track and facilities(extend the track maybe??If possible??)and sort out spectator facilities as well.

Big Tony only seems to be in it for the money(fair enough its a business)but people should be looking at the option which is better for motor racing in New Zealand not just the Auckland central business district.Pukekohe generates income for several parts of the district not just downtown Auckland.

Sorry to John Banks but NZ does not revolve around Auckland City.

Ill get off my soapbox now

Cheers MS

[Evomike]

Originally posted by Marcos Skaife
Nope to the street race full stop!!From an spectators point of view boring,boring ,boring!!Great for the Auckland retail market,bad for Auckland motorists and the transport sector especially(not that I`m biased at all!!)

Spend money on the existing track and facilities(extend the track maybe??If possible??)and sort out spectator facilities as well.

Big Tony only seems to be in it for the money(fair enough its a business)but people should be looking at the option which is better for motor racing in New Zealand not just the Auckland central business district.Pukekohe generates income for several parts of the district not just downtown Auckland.

Sorry to John Banks but NZ does not revolve around Auckland City.

Ill get off my soapbox now

Cheers MS

Well Marcos if we all adopt that attitude it's bye bye V8's, as AVESCO said, if no street race no V8's. There is still no guarantee that it will go to Manfield.

[BAZzzzz c]

So,all the 'mystery' NEW Sponsors will come out of the woodwork for an Auckland Streetrace. Fine.
Wait-on, WHO will they Sponsor?.?.? There arn't too many Kiwi teams in the V8 Supercar that would benifit and why would a new Sponsor feel in the slightest bit interested in Nz Racers AFTER the Street race if they are not interested now.? They will take advantage of the Razzamataz for that week-end and then dissapear again. How will ANY sonsorship money assist the likes of Pukekohe?? Who, outside of NZ gives a rats corpse about our very very good Kiwi racers. No Dear folk, we have got to capture that supposed mound of dosh AT Pukekohe, not just hope that a few crumbs fall our way when the V8 circus leaves town.
If these new Sponsors, or ANY sponsors have naming Rights to the Event, how is that going to benifit the NZ V8 fraternity or any of the other Racing Codes that support the Aust V.8 race but still need somewhere to race when the great Avesco machine flies out with the Loot.

Educate me O Wise Ones

[Evomike]

I am not disagreeing with you about Puke Baz, but what I am saying is the decision has been made, lets make sure it happens so that we actually have a round, but still work towards making sure we end up with a top quality permanant venue. So what I am saying is lets all get behind it and make it work, not fight it or will have nothing.

[vipernz]

Originally posted by Evomike
I am not disagreeing with you about Puke Baz, but what I am saying is the decision has been made, lets make sure it happens so that we actually have a round, but still work towards making sure we end up with a top quality permanant venue. So what I am saying is lets all get behind it and make it work, not fight it or will have nothing.

EXACTLY Evomike. This is something I have been trying to put across to a few as well. Unfortunately it seems some people hate the Auckland Street idea enough to not want one at all.

I would have liked to see it down at Manfeild myself, but it isn't and we have to accept that. Auckland or bust, Make or choices people.

[Tracy]

Hi All

I'm sure that most of you here would realise I would have loved the race down here at Manfeild (or at Pukekohe), but it isn't, so as both Evomike and ViperNZ have said, we have to support the street race, or we WILL have nothing!

We can all get behind a permanent circuit getting a second round, but for now, we have to make sure the first round at Auckland goes ahead .