Press Conference for NZ future (V8's)

[PVDA]

Just landed on my e-mail

July 11 2005



Attention Sports Editors



The future of V8 Supercars in New Zealand will be announced in Auckland tomorrow.



Mr Tony Cochrane, Chairman of AVESCO, the sport’s ruling body, will hold a media conference in Auckland on Tuesday 12 July. He will not be making any statements before this conference.



Venue: Sky City Hotel - Level 3, Bar 3

Date: Tuesday 12 July

Time: 11.15am

[Chubby1]

This should be good I reackon we are headed back to Pukekohe for one more year while a street race is sorted. Hope so anyway. Ave$co wouldn't hold a press conference to say we are not coming back... would they?

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Chubby1

This should be good I reackon we are headed back to Pukekohe for one more year while a street race is sorted. Hope so anyway. Ave$co wouldn't hold a press conference to say we are not coming back... would they?

I wouldnt think so.

It will be incredibly sad if Pukekohe is only for the next year for the inclusion of a street race. Oh when will these people learn.

[Tracy]

Hi All

From the nzherald www.nzherald.co.nz

New bid puts V8s back on the start grid


10.07.05


By Patrick Crewdson


Auckland's seemingly doomed V8 supercar race could be salvaged if a last-minute bid with the backing of motoring magnate Colin Giltrap is successful.

The V8s were thought to be lost to New Zealand after bids based in central Auckland and Wellington failed.

But Australian V8 racing boss Tony Cochrane is due to arrive here tomorrow to begin last-ditch talks with three competing groups, including a Whenuapai Airbase syndicate and another group involving Mr Giltrap.

Mr Cochrane told the Herald on Sunday if he could not find a track and a promoter by the end of the week New Zealand would lose the V8 race for next year.

Two groups, both serious contenders, were proposing Pukekohe as a short-term solution with the race moving elsewhere in the long-term, he said.

Mr Cochrane would not reveal who was managing the bids, but one is understood to be from a group including former IMG general manager Dean Calvert, who promoted the failed Auckland city street race bid, as well as Mr Giltrap, who also owns New Zealand's A1 Grand Prix franchise.

Mr Calvert refused to comment on the new bid, other than to say the group would be holding a press conference on Tuesday. Mr Giltrap, who has been out of the country for two months and is due to meet with Mr Calvert this week, said he would give the bid any assistance he could.

A third bid, managed by town planner Pete Sinton and centred on Whenuapai airbase, was "hanging on by a thread" and had been significantly disadvantaged by "unworkable" conditions imposed by the Government, Mr Cochrane said.

Defence Minister Mark Burton agreed to make the airbase available for up to 10 days a year for V8 racing, but said the Air Force would have to be able to reclaim the base at 24 hours' notice in case of a "significant emergency".

But even if the conditions could be altered, Whenuapai was only a long-term option and not a possibility for 2006, Mr Cochrane said.

Mr Cochrane, chairman of race organisers Avesco, said the ultimate deadline for a decision was July 24, the day Avesco has to finalise its international calendar.

"Quite frankly, if I can't get something nailed and finalised next week we've got no hope of keeping New Zealand on the calendar for next year," he said. But he remained hopeful a viable bid could be found.

"We're doing all we possibly humanly can to keep it alive in New Zealand for the sake of our fans."

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey was still optimistic about the chances of attracting the race to Whenuapai and said the council would do everything it could to ease the regulatory and resource consent burden for the bid.

[retro]

Future of V8 racing in NZ announced tomorrow
11 July 2005

The future of V8 supercar racing in New Zealand will be known tomorrow when the chairman of the Australian ruling body makes an announcement in Auckland.


Australian Vee Eight Supercar Company (Avesco) today announced that its chairman Tony Cochrane would make a call on New Zealand's future hosting of the series.

An Avesco spokesman said the announcement would be "big news" in both countries.

The company has said this year's Pukekohe leg of the race was the track's last. Meanwhile, public opposition has dashed proposals to hold it either in Auckland city or Wellington.

The Government has since stepped in to keep supercar racing in New Zealand, with conditional approval to let them use Whenuapai airbase, but it may have been too little too late.

Six weeks ago Cochrane took a swipe at New Zealand's government agencies and councils, saying they had treated Avesco "appallingly" as it sought to continue one leg of its race series here.

Despite that, he said Avesco would do all it could to secure a suitable venue in New Zealand.

"Whilst recognising we only have until July 24 to finalise our international calendar, we remain hopeful we can find a workable solution for April of next year," Cochrane said.

Wellington City Council spent over $175,000 on the initial stages of trying to bring the race to the capital, but probable delays through Environment Court appeals meant Avesco lost interest.

Cochrane recently returned from a visit to the Middle East to discuss holding future race meetings there and indicated several locations there were keen on hosting the event.
The inaugural race meeting in China last month was considered a success.

[Tracy]

Hi All

David John from TKR was on radio sport a little while ago talking about the decision tomorrow. He has no idea of what TC is going to say, but obviously hopes the race will stay here.

You can listen to the interview by going to www.radiosport.co.nz and pick the listen back option. Then Monday, then right click and save target as for 17.30 and 17.45 sections. Unfortunately the interview starts about 20 seconds before the break between the two times, so if you just play the first bit you will have to listen to 14 and a half mins of junk first - lol.

[kramer]

Racefax had a pretty strong belief over the weekend that we'd be back at Pukekohe next year and maybe 2007, before moving to a street race venue.

Wonder if TC will apoligise for his dismissal of the suitability of Puke? TC - apologise 'I'd like to see that'.



Kramer

[Just Do It!]

Well, well, well, what a wonderful squirt of news.

Things have been simmering along nicely here since mid-April when a company was set up called Capital Street Race Management Limited. Dean Calvert was nudged by IMG, wrongly it seems, and is a hugely passionate enthusiast of the V8 Supercar Series. Dean is, after all, the visionary who proposed that IMG and Auckland City Events put on a street race spectacle similar to what happens in Adelaide and on the Gold Coast.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't take too much notice of this, until today.......

It seems that Mr Sinton and his team have hit a wee snag with respect to the Resource Management Act and other political drama and red tape that helps hold New Zealand back. Both Frank and Paul Radisich have had involvement with Mr Sinton's Whenuapai plans, I am reliably told.

........Today I got a call about the story in the NZ Herald about the V8 SUpercar announcement set down for tomorrow at Sky City. Hmmm.....Pukekohe again seems logical, then where??
Logical thought would say that Pukekohe will happen again next year for "The Final Hurrah". 2007 would it seem logically be a toss-up between Whenuapai and the proposed new circuit of Hampton Downs....which would also be able to host a round of the A1 GP Championship, of which Colin Giltrap is the NZ franchise holder (as far as can be determined - some of the stories around the A1 GP and ownership of various franchises are pretty patchy/scary/leave you wondering).

And then a Red Herring.......a quick spy of the NZ Companies website revealed that on Friday the 8th of July, Capital Street Race Management Limited had a Share Parcel Change. You would have to wonder if this was done to coincide with the said Press Conference tomorrow night.

Dean Calvert, Colin Giltrap, Klaus Sorenson, and Iain Morrison are the shareholders, with Dean having the majority. Dean, Klaus, and Iain have all been involved with the Auckland and/or Wellington Street Race bids, with Klaus heading up the Auckland City V8 Supercar Street Race Supporters Club.

There just has to be, by gut feeling or irony, something in this.

Tomorrow morning will reveal all, without doubt. The surprise could be extremely interesting and exciting indeed for the future of V8 Supercars in New Zealand.


And one thing is for sure.... I can't wait!!!!!

[275 GTB-4]

where is it? in relation to downtown Auckland...

[pete55]

Originally Posted by Chubby1

Ave$co wouldn't hold a press conference to say we are not coming back... would they?

Not if TC wants to get out of NZ alive anyway.

[Just Do It!]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

where is it? in relation to downtown Auckland...

SkyCity, you mean? The Sky Tower and Sky City is in the central CBD, and overlooked the proposed Auckland street circuit.

[Just Do It!]

In other great news for Auckland City, and possibly a resurrection of the proposed Auckland Street Race plans is the fact that Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard is seeking a new deputy mayor to replace deputy Bruce Hucker.

This press release has been perhaps timed to go public - this very morning - on the same day as a certain AVESCO press conference on the future direction of the NZ V8 Supercar round in Auckland.

11:15am just keeps getting more and more interesting......

[Tracy]

Hi All

TC has confirmed that Pukekohe is back on a short term 2 year deal. Apparently TC admitted he was backtracking from his previous stance on the track (after saying there is no way they would go back). He did still say that the track was not up to scratch and work would have to be done. There is no word on what will happen once the 2 years are up. Apparently there were also comments about 'rewarding the NZ fans' - lol

[Evomike]

Thanks Tracy, fast work. Lets hope that Pukekohe sort their **** out now.

[Spunky]

July 12 2005



For Immediate Release



Australian Vee Eight Supercar Company (AVESCO) Chairman Tony Cochrane today offered New Zealand one last chance by offering a two-year conditional lifeline.



Mr Cochrane announced that AVESCO has successfully reached agreement with a new promoter to stage a V8 Supercar Championship Series event at Pukekohe Park Raceway in 2006 and 2007.



The event will be known as the PlaceMakers V8 Supercars, with the prominent New Zealand company PlaceMakers announcing that it will continue to support the event as naming sponsor for at least the next two years.



As part of the agreement AVESCO and Capital Streetrace Management Limited have agreed to meet the new requirements including the airfreight of 32 V8 Supercar Teams and the commitment to continue to search for a new location in New Zealand from 2008 onwards.



“AVESCO greets this decision with great enthusiasm given the tremendous support of the New Zealand Supercar fans. This is good news given the difficulties, great financial cost and countless hours that went into trying to raise a new venue, firstly in Auckland and then Wellington,” Mr Cochrane said.



“This decision to return to Pukekohe in the interim was made as a commitment to the people of New Zealand and Motorsport in general in this country. We stated that we would do all we could for the New Zealand fans and that is the case.



“It was also made as a commitment to our teams, in particular those New Zealanders within our teams, to ensure that they can continue to race in a country that has a special place in our Championship. This is the first step to ensure the event has longevity in New Zealand.



“We are delighted to work with Capital Streetrace Management Limited and Motorsport New Zealand for the next two years on the event and the continued future of V8 Supercars in New Zealand.”



Mr Cochrane would not comment on potential locations beyond 2007. No proposals of any substance have been tabled to AVESCO.



The new promoters are headed by Dean Calvert, previously General Manager of IMG NZ, which promoted the Pukekohe event for the last five years.



“This event attracted 90,000 fans to Pukekohe this year,” Mr Calvert said.



“It is a proven major sporting event in this country and the Motorsport fans here deserve to have it retained. We have already received some tremendous support from the existing key sponsors of the event who have pledged their continued backing of the event.”



Mr Calvert said he had reached agreement with both Counties Racing Club and Auckland Racing Club for use of the circuit for a further two years. AVESCO had also agreed to continue at Pukekohe for two further years in order to work with all interested parties to develop a new venue for the event.



Mr Calvert said while V8 Supercars were an undoubted success in New Zealand, it had developed into a massive opportunity to window shop the country around the world.



The television coverage of the event has increased this year to a potential global audience of more than 850 million homes in more than 110 countries.



This includes live coverage to New Zealand’s biggest tourist market of Australia as well as other major tourist opportunities including China, which now hosts a round of the event.



“The Motorsport fans, the sports fans watching on television and the sponsors all know what an enormous event this is. That’s why we’ve taken it on and will work tirelessly with all interested parties to develop a new home for the PlaceMakers V8 Supercars.’’



Mr Calvert is grateful that AVESCO has given New Zealand this opportunity and encourages all Motorsport fans and enthusiasts to show their support and commitment for this event.



We will do everything in our power to find a new venue after the two years to ensure that the event does not leave our shores as if this happens it will be gone for good.”



Mr Cochrane said that after the success of V8 Supercars into China this year, several international venues were in line to replace New Zealand as one of four international locations on the calendar.



The 2006 PlaceMakers V8 Supercars is likely to be staged in April and tickets are already on sale through Ticketek.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Evomike

Thanks Tracy, fast work. Lets hope that Pukekohe sort their **** out now.

What (insert explicit here) does Pukekohe have to sort out. The facilities are the same as at Symmons and no is crying foul there.

I'm really happy that pukekohe has the race for the next 2 years and I hope they can have the race for many more years and NZ can be saved from Avesco bullying them into a street race.

[Evomike]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

What (insert explicit here) does Pukekohe have to sort out. The facilities are the same as at Symmons and no is crying foul there.

I'm really happy that pukekohe has the race for the next 2 years and I hope they can have the race for many more years and NZ can be saved from Avesco bullying them into a street race.

The terrible pit garaging, the unsealed access road to pit lane, the woeful toilets in the pit area, the complete lack of servicable toilets anywhere on site (Apart from port a loos which there is not enough of) Sorting the roads around the merchandise area (Which when raining are a mud bath and when dry ensure that enough dust is thrown up from caterers vehicles that it gets in to every piece of merchandise). Fix the leaking grandstands.

As for Symmons Plains I don't really care, Pukekohe is suppossed to be the show piece for NZ motorsport as far as Supercars are concerned. There is no excuse for things like no light bulbs in toilets, no locks on cubicle doors. Broken toilet seats. etc etc The race track generates the income to sort this, it is not used for this.

[Chubby1]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

What (insert explicit here) does Pukekohe have to sort out. The facilities are the same as at Symmons and no is crying foul there.

I'm really happy that pukekohe has the race for the next 2 years and I hope they can have the race for many more years and NZ can be saved from Avesco bullying them into a street race.

I agree Pukekohe should have a round for as long as possable, it is a great little track always makes for close hard racing. I thought I read somewhere that the owners wanted to do away with motorsport and just have the horses there. If that is still the case then I wonder how long we would be able to keep going there for anyway. Maybe they have an agreement to keep the track for another 2 years and then thats that. Makes you wonder how much money they are going to throw at it to keep TC happy.

[Evomike]

And DRT for the record, the Counties Racing Club and Auckland Racing club where quite happy to let the Supercars not go there, in fact the Auckland Racing Club, which has a vested intrest in Pukekohe Park took out an injuction to stop any further Supercar racing at Pukekohe.

[Armco Bender]

Like I said all along,nothing was wrong with Puke,all this ho hah to agree on the bleeding obvious

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Evomike

As for Symmons Plains I don't really care,

Why shouldn't you care. Avesco continually try to make NZ motorsport look incompetent when their are issues back here which aren't treated the same.

Originally Posted by Evomike

The race track generates the income to sort this, it is not used for this

Maybe Avesco/IMG sanctioning could play some part in this instance.

[tanalised]

good decision as far as I can see.

[Evomike]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Why shouldn't you care. Avesco continually try to make NZ motorsport look incompetent when their are issues back here which aren't treated the same.




Maybe Avesco/IMG sanctioning could play some part in this instance.

DRT, AVESCO are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they want a street race you bleat that they are depriving the tracks of funding to have good facilities, but if AVESCO go to a circuit but ask for improvements they are ********s. Which is it?? The improvements I mentioned are nothing to do with AVESCO they should be done period. As for the sanctioning fee the race track are not the promotors therefore are not paying the fee. As you say you don't go, and I doubt you have ever been to Pukekohe so not sure how you can say the facilities are fine.

[Evomike]

From The NZ Herald Today

Mixed reaction to the return of the V8 Supercars


13.07.05 8.40am


Motorsport New Zealand president Steven Kennedy says they are more than happy with AVESCO's decision to return to Pukekohe for two more years, although they are not exactly over the moon with AVESCO boss Tony Cochrane describing the complex as below par.

Cochrane has almost begrudgingly returned to Pukekohe and has made it clear the venue still is not up to scratch long term.

Kennedy disputes those claims, and says they have heard it all before about Pukekohe, but the race track is right up to date with the standards set by the world governing body, the FIA.

Kennedy believes AVESCO is still upset with Pukekohe not having enough corporate or fan facilities.

Meanwhile, Team Kiwi V8 Supercar driver Paul Radisich is full of praise for the decision to retain a round of the championship in New Zealand.

It is an 11th hour reprieve for New Zealand after Wellington and Auckland both failed to secure resource consent for a street race.

Radisich is delighted by AVESCO's decision, saying it is great for Kiwi drivers to have the opportunity to perform on a home track.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?...ectID=10335582

So apparantly even the boss of NZ Motorsport sees the facilities for Fans at Pukekohe not being up to standard.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Evomike

If they want a street race you bleat that they are depriving the tracks of funding to have good facilities.

Yes, do you agree ?

Originally Posted by Evomike

but if AVESCO go to a circuit but ask for improvements they are ********s.

I didnt say that. I said they are trying to use the facilities as an excuse to not got to Pukekohe when their are other tracks which are in the same condition but are not being harrassed. Eg Symmons Plains could this maybe because the Tasmanian Gov kicks the Avesco tin for the race ??