Changes at Pukekohe

[Icarus_nz]

A young Johnny Mac stuffed his TraNZam lite into the Euclide tyre off the end of the straight.
ScottyD tripped over himself in a Sentra coming onto the straight

I remember Duane Spurdle in a Pug 106 going off on the outside of turn 1 and rolling, rolling, rolling over the fence and landing right way up outside the circuit

Always fun in the pits hearing the squeal of tyres coming up the hill and waiting for the resultant bang into the armco on the inside.

Got to witness the porker up the fence AND the Lighting Direct car into the stand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Hmo...eature=related

And who can forget the special NZV8 race start 3 years ago?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EM712rZiAY
Our own little slice of NASCAR

I remember mother Orr sitting on the fence under the bridge looking down to Turn one when Will Thomason lost it in a TRS car and drilled the wall 20m behind her back.
Yes, she jumped.

[on_to_it]

Originally Posted by flyingduck

Can't remember the nzv8 driver who went over the horse jump on the back straight.

Jarrod Carlyle was the man in question. He drove Phil Rudds NZV8 and Phil might even still own it (if it got fixed that is). My boy started karting in Cadets at the same time as Phil's lad, but they didn't last too long at it.

[on_to_it]

Originally Posted by Icarus_nz

ScottyD tripped over himself in a Sentra coming onto the straight

I was standing on the train tracks at Castrol at the time. Scottie crawled out on his hands and knees with a pillow race-taped to his arse!

[Jerico]

An over cast morning. Cars out on track can't remember what session but only one or two cars out. Cold track cold tyres. Guys are all busy in the pit working on the car, when out of the mist a terrible tyre scream brakes the morning quite, it seemed like it was never going to come to an end. Roger Daltrey like. All the heads rose swiftly and eyes darted around the faces in the pit. And then silence you could hear a pin drop. You could see the relief on the faces as the heads started to drop. And then BANG that unearthly sound you get when something big and heavy collides with something very hard, the kind of noise you can feel as well as hear. The mountain had just claimed another victim. End of their weekend and never to race nzv8 again.

[on_to_it]

Ouch, sad story. I wonder how this weekend will pan out...

Will there be another sad tale for someone to remember in the future?

[Mr Revhead]

Originally Posted by Icarus_nz

Got to witness the porker up the fence AND the Lighting Direct car into the stand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Hmo...eature=related

Well bugger me, I clean forgot it fell into the stand, I have a pic somewhere that I now realise must be mid crash, I thought it was with the car stuck in the fence.

[nistfan]

Originally Posted by socram

Don't forget Dean Fulford's Lighting Direct Porsche jumped the safety fence at a SC round, just about on the start/finish line.

Motorsport in New Zealand was very Lucky that day, that was pretty Close to Le Mans 1955 all over again. We had been sitting just up from that spot the day before

[Goat Boy]

Originally Posted by Mr Revhead

It didn't go over, it got stuck up the fence

No way man, I was there and not far away, Fulford's Porsche went up and right over. Luckily no one was on the other side. My kids freaked!

[Goat Boy]

Originally Posted by Mr Revhead

Well bugger me, I clean forgot it fell into the stand, I have a pic somewhere that I now realise must be mid crash, I thought it was with the car stuck in the fence.

I should read the whole thread first...

[peckstar]

isnt it good that as part of the upgrades we will get real catch fencing on the main straight instead a home made bargain basement job

and a modern fence instead of 1950's style fencing

[Goat Boy]

Let's not forget THAT truck crash there too... can't find a clip though

[isoskim]

Originally Posted by Goat Boy

Let's not forget THAT truck crash there too... can't find a clip though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYNCj6AeTcA

Uploaded it for ya

[Woolley]

Although it won't stop a truck necessarily, concrete barriers are generally good at keeping cars within the confines of the circuit, and with pits one side and grandstands the other that has to be the major criteria.

Concrete can be OK depending on the angle of impact. Anything other than straight on generally deflects cars rather than stopping them suddenly. The angle of the track there means most accidents are going to be moving along the wall not straight at it and so in my opinion it's a better solution than the current set up.

Armco can help the driver better by deforming to soak up some of the impact, but once deformed it's useless and as those clips show that can then turn it into a bigger accident or allow the vehicle to escape. SAFER barriers are designed to allow some movement and give a bit of the best of both worlds although I don't know the build requirements as to what kind of walls they can be fitted to - not moveable street circuits, for instance (although that obviously doesn't apply here).

In the end, all circuit design is a compromise as what helps in one accident can make another infinitely worse. Ideally you want to keep a vehicle inside the track confines and right way up without introducing a sudden stop. The first of those is the most important as the driver is taking a calculated risk by being out there and uses car build and personal protection to mitigate that risk. The marshals and spectators are not taking the same risk and need the higher level of protection.

[Icarus_nz]

Originally Posted by Mr Revhead

Well bugger me, I clean forgot it fell into the stand, I have a pic somewhere that I now realise must be mid crash, I thought it was with the car stuck in the fence.

The year previously there was a Porsche went end for end and got hung up in the fence. There's always someone has to go one better tho.

Originally Posted by Jerico

An over cast morning. Cars out on track can't remember what session but only one or two cars out. Cold track cold tyres. Guys are all busy in the pit working on the car, when out of the mist a terrible tyre scream brakes the morning quite, it seemed like it was never going to come to an end. Roger Daltrey like. All the heads rose swiftly and eyes darted around the faces in the pit. And then silence you could hear a pin drop. You could see the relief on the faces as the heads started to drop. And then BANG that unearthly sound you get when something big and heavy collides with something very hard, the kind of noise you can feel as well as hear. The mountain had just claimed another victim. End of their weekend and never to race nzv8 again.

A poetic epitaph to the end of the Huzzif dream...(?)

It seems if you get loose enough and sideways enough coming over the hill the danger is the left rear digging in and sending the car cartwheeling down the road in the case of the Porsches or ,as discussed, suddenly hooking up again and spearing you into the inside wall.

Mark Munro had a massive shunt in a TRS car going straight ahead at the top of the hill, breaking the car in two and cartwheeling along. The roll hoop dug into the dirt along the way and he ended up with a visor full of mud. Could have been VERY nasty

[Southern Man]

Another add to the list, the Japanese driver who dismantled his Group A AE86 Toyota coming down off the top of the hill. In my minds eye I can still see the engine sitting out on the trackside.

[Chappelli]

Then there's the barrier separating the pitlane entrance from the track..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yUYjeIC5aw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SXStaIvAHM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuxlcCtFnXE

[Chappelli]

Originally Posted by flyingduck

A camaro hit the pit wall in the wet and smashed moved one of the fence poles into the pit lane and some of the car hit the start finish crew who were waving the chequered flag.

I remember that one, was listening to the scanner and remember there was quite a bit of concern for the driver as he didn't immediately get out of the car... turns out his crotch belt wasn't as tight as it could have been... end result was an injury resulting in temporary paralysis for the driver and watering eyes for everyone watching.

[socram]

The unfortunate part of the whole safety issue is that the spectator viewing experience is always forfeited. There is nothing worse in my opinion, than either being so far from the track that you may as well not be there; only seeing a rooftop or a helmet; or caged behind a wire mesh fence that basically renders taking decent pics impossible.

That is why I enjoy Goodwood so much - and Hampton Downs is also a photographer's dream. Pukekohe has very little appeal these days as a spectator/photographer.

Looking back at old race photographs, with nothing more than a bit of rope or a few hay bales around the circumference of the track, the most remarkable aspect is the 1,000's and 1,000's of spectators. That we never have had a Le Mans 1955 repeat is fortunate but with the high speeds achieved today, who knows what COULD happen. I am pretty sure that when they put the fencing in along the Pukekohe front straight, that they were absolutely convinced that a car wouldn't hop over it.

Ditto, that famous Wellingon Street race incident where the errant wheel went bouncing over the fence.

Modern racing might be faster, the cars and tracks stronger and safer, but from a spectator's perspective, there has been no improvement in the enjoyment at all and maybe that has something to do with overall poor NZ spectator numbers as only a few events a year get really good crowds, but TV viewing isn't too bad..

[Goat Boy]

Originally Posted by socram

The unfortunate part of the whole safety issue is that the spectator viewing experience is always forfeited. There is nothing worse in my opinion, than either being so far from the track that you may as well not be there; only seeing a rooftop or a helmet; or caged behind a wire mesh fence that basically renders taking decent pics impossible.

That is why I enjoy Goodwood so much - and Hampton Downs is also a photographer's dream. Pukekohe has very little appeal these days as a spectator/photographer.

Looking back at old race photographs, with nothing more than a bit of rope or a few hay bales around the circumference of the track, the most remarkable aspect is the 1,000's and 1,000's of spectators. That we never have had a Le Mans 1955 repeat is fortunate but with the high speeds achieved today, who knows what COULD happen. I am pretty sure that when they put the fencing in along the Pukekohe front straight, that they were absolutely convinced that a car wouldn't hop over it.

Ditto, that famous Wellingon Street race incident where the errant wheel went bouncing over the fence.

Modern racing might be faster, the cars and tracks stronger and safer, but from a spectator's perspective, there has been no improvement in the enjoyment at all and maybe that has something to do with overall poor NZ spectator numbers as only a few events a year get really good crowds, but TV viewing isn't too bad..

Yes the fences do make it impossible to take good pics unless you are an accredited photographer who can get behind them. Melbourne GP was like that too, even from the best stands.

HD is much better isn't it, love that paddock by the hairpin - great viewing!

[HProject]

Even being accredited media at Pukekohe isn't that flash. I'll be at Puke this weekend taking shots for a few people, and after a couple of dummy-runs the last two Saturdays (round 2 of the HRC Summer Series and the track day last Sat) I can safely say HD's much more fun for pictures. But that's probably simply because it's got more corners and is much more technical than Puke. The new 'bus-stop' section at Puke will at least introduce one new viewing spot.

That said, walking around the outside of HD - in places - is like walking through quick-sand. Pretty sure there's some dead bodies out there.

[TrueBlueFlyer]

Originally Posted by HProject

That said, walking around the outside of HD - in places - is like walking through quick-sand. Pretty sure there's some dead bodies out there.

yes, lots of injured pukeko's that get hit by cars

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by socram

The unfortunate part of the whole safety issue is that the spectator viewing experience is always forfeited. There is nothing worse in my opinion, than either being so far from the track that you may as well not be there; only seeing a rooftop or a helmet; or caged behind a wire mesh fence that basically renders taking decent pics impossible.

I agree that the spectator view CAN be restricted or made distant but "nothing worse"? I'd suggest having a car barrel into a spectator area, or parts of the car in any case would probably be worse. I know you're only using a figure of speech but in a more safety conscious world, the safety approach is what is going to win.

[RogerH]

Legal action to stop Pukekohe races?

From the NZ Motor Racing site :

Legal action likely to curtail V8s at Pukekohe

From the editors desk....
Unless the immediate concerns of local residents are addressed by the local council the likely hood of legal action against the noise levels emanating from motor sport at Pukekohe Park Raceway, Auckland, is rapidly increasing. This could see an injunction against the running of the next major motorsport activity being the Australian V8 Supercars in April. The council faces a quandary in the need to satisfy residents and ratify a noise control plan within the next few weeks.


The preferred venue for the Australian V8 Supercars (V8SC) has been pushed ahead with the support of the Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) with funding from Auckland rate payers.

It is now becoming clearer that this has been done so without the consideration for the future of New Zealand domestic motorsport. This is a result of the key stakeholders only interested in their own immediate benefit. V8 Supercars want to utilize their assets from Hamilton, ATEED want Auckland only to benefit from the influx of people and the promotion of the province.

The owners of Pukekohe Park, Counties Racing Club (CRC) gets an upgrade of their facilities with little internal funding required and the prospect of more revenue from motorsport. The local council gets an influx of people into the area and more reason for gaining funding for upgrading their transport systems.

Motorsport NZ has been very quiet on this issue. There appears to be no consideration or consultation to the wider motorsport community that they govern. This silence is being heard as full support for the V8SC event at Pukekohe.


However, the whole exercise could trip up on such a small matter as the local council not taking full consideration on the environmental impact on local residents, and not having planned for this. This is also borne out in documents gained by nzmotorracing.co.nz that other stakeholders also don’t consider this a priority.

While CRC have been conducting noise monitoring over the past few weeks they still have to present their findings to council who have the responsibility of formalizing a noise management plan.


Greg Mitchell the general manager of CRC argues that they have everything under control and that there are only a couple of residents that are unhappy with the current situation. That the monitoring will all be within the limits required in the future council plan.

But not so says a spokesperson for concerned residents, who doesn’t want to be named for fear of reprisals.

They represent a very balanced approach saying that while they are not against motorsport using Pukekohe Park, it is the total disregard by the council and more particularly by ATEED to any concern for the environment with regard to noise. On a request for a copy of a noise management plan this was refused as “that the document alleged to contain the information requested does not exist or cannot be found”. In other words there is no plan.

On the 5th of October the council position regarding noise from the track was - “Council officers are of the opinion that the current noise levels emitted as a consequence of motor racing at the Pukekohe Park Raceway are not unreasonable in terms of S16* of the Resource Management Act 1991.”

However, the grounds for this claim were shown to be irrelevant as the expert report council relied on to justify the position that the noise was reasonable apparently does not support that claim.

Reportedly the council were shown their claim that the noise from the track was reasonable may not be legally sustainable. This leaves them in a vulnerable position and open to a legal challenge that may impact on the V8 Supercars event.

Hence the council last week wrote to residents stating “ In relation to the raceway, I am very aware that noise issues are of particular concern to a number of residents and feel that it is very important that you are fully involved in the future process.”

However even with council’s offer to involve residents in the future process there remains the possibility that if their expectations are not met an enforcement order may still be sought to force the council to carry out its duties under section 16 of the Act and thus possibly derail the V8 Supercars event in April 2013.

The implications of the immediate requirement for a decision is that it will affect the finalizing of the purchase of the second hand equipment from Hamilton city.

The question has to be asked, why has no noise control plan been instigated before today, and is it going to be too late.


ATEED in their venue analysis summary have not taken noise into consideration on the environmental impact.


Let us be clear. ATEED are there for the backing of events that will benefit Auckland only. Their agenda does not include the long term benefits to motorsport in New Zealand. Hence they do not want the event held elsewhere (Hampton Downs). The presentation by ATEED of best options for the event is lacking in depth is short on quality. It is Auckland orientated and bias.

This is not necessarily wrong, as that is their priority. It is wrong when weight is given to this proposal by other stakeholders or when the national government relies on recommendations that are not balanced and considered.

While ATEED undertook a ‘high level’ of review of Whenuapai Air Base and Hampton Downs, the latter was never an option as they see it as only benefitting the Waikato region and therefore should be backed by the appropriate Waikato organizations. After the Hamilton fiasco this is not expected to happen in the short term.

The short comings of the inept approach by the stakeholders are starting to unravel. While they may stand firm and hold their ground it may be lack of consideration to local residents that foot trip their endeavours. It may be their noise that determines the outcome.


*Duty to avoid unreasonable noise

(1) Every occupier of land (including any premises and any coastal marine area), and every person carrying out an activity in, on, or under a water body or the coastal marine area, shall adopt the best practicable option to ensure that the emission of noise from that land or water does not exceed a reasonable level.
Media: Benjamin Carrell 29th Oct 12

[Armco Bender]

Someone remind me why the track needs changing?...there was more passing yesterday at Puke than in the the last 30years of F1.

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by Armco Bender

Someone remind me why the track needs changing?...there was more passing yesterday at Puke than in the the last 30years of F1.

you might want to see some of the you tube clips in this thread.

there is one minor change to the track. the rest are all safety related

plus a track re-surfacing