From Across the ditch it was great to see Puke back on the tele. Emasculated to a degree yes, but still the best couple of corners on the V8 calender.
Printable View
From Across the ditch it was great to see Puke back on the tele. Emasculated to a degree yes, but still the best couple of corners on the V8 calender.
Was the track not wide eneough that he had to drive on the kerb and cause his own problem,not the walls fault,.We in our little old single seaters are only half as big as the V8s, are moving at half their speed ,but we might take out our wheels ect. because the wall is to close!!!words fail me.Actually reminds me of a chap now living in a cold country up north had a Morgan plus a Cooper ,he would practise and then ponce around in his race gear and time and again his car would not start.the problem was known to a few ,he made shure of not starting by taking the roater out {rota} {roter}???
Still can't understand from a functional perspective why they had to use so many concrete barriers around the track - seems to have unnecessarily turned an open circuit into a semi street circuit. Only reason seems to be commercial in that the AV8 share of the "investment" into Pukekohe was the left-overs they got from Hamilton so they had to use all the concrete barriers irrespective of whether they were actually needed. Also, I hear that the concrete barriers and the mesh fencing impedes spectators view in some parts of the track.
Just in case Jim thinks this is putting the boot in - there are clearly some beneficial improvements made to the circuit but like others I struggle to see where the reputed $10m has gone to - although I hear on the news this morning that Auckland Council has spent $60m in the last two years on PR so maybe PR takes a chunk of Pukekohe's $10m.
When we taxpayers can shell out 2 mil. to have an old wooden boat on the waterfront for ONLY elevin days during the world cup, we give 170 mil. to a tribe not at the talks .Dunedin has backing for two hundred mil. for a rugby grandstand and their team cant win a game this year!!! 6 mil,,10 mill 20 mil who cares
Well; after watching the V8's on TV yesterday I am convinced that the new dogleg adds nothing to the show
Well, after seeing the "new, upgraded Puke" from a hotel room in Perth, I'm not impressed. It looks horrible. How the hell do you see anything behind all that concrete and wire? And the chicane at the end of the straight......wtf is that all about? Delusions of a mini Bathurst? As a bike rider - it doesn't look very bike friendly - track days for an average punter like me on a 1000 sports bike, now look decidedly more dodgy.......
According to the Herald this morning, the investment by Auckland Council was on the basis that the "new improved" track would get Category 2 FIA status. However, after an FIA inspection it only got a Category 3 approval (which is the same as it had before). An international track designer was quoted as saying it would need another $15m spent in order to get Category 2 status. I wonder if AV8 put one over the really smart people at Auckland Council ...............
The effect of what they've done is to turn an 'open' circuit into a 'street' circuit. I have a horrible feeling that, apart from the annual V8 races, they've effectively killed Pukekohe as a viable track. I can't imagine that many racers that don't have big corporate budgets will be that keen to race in a concrete jungle.
I've been going to Pukekohe as a spectator since it first opened but it remains to be seen whether that will continue or not.
I'm not really that worried though because Hampton Downs is closer to me.
Imagine if HD had got the nod.... all that concrete and high mesh fencing everywhere would have completely stuffed what we have now.. I reckon we should thank our lucky stars that it didn't happen.
It seems that the new 'chicane' at the end of the back straight, rather than provide an extra spot to pass, has actually got rid of the one really good passing place on the old track.......that dive into the hairpin......the late braking specialists corner. Has always been great to watch the antics of drivers over the years, as they come flying into the corner on tip-toes to claim a couple more places, or come to grief bigtime.........
However Auckland has done what Hamilton tried in vain to do.....get in the spectators. Obviously despite everything being said on here, 35,000 people found places to park their cars.......and that was yesterday. Today will be chocka block.
And the difference between Hamilton and Auckland.......well population density for one, but I believe the biggest difference is that Puke is not a bloody street circuit, despite attempts to turn it into one with the placement of all the concrete barriers.
And despite all these barriers and wire grills, it is still possible to see a good bit of the track, instead of about 100 meters either side of your vantage point. Ok, Hamilton had big telly screens. So why not stay at home and watch it on your own telly.......much more comfortable AND you can drink your own beer and eat YOUR chips!!!!!!!!
No one will ever convince me that a street circuit is a good idea for spectators.....might be fine for TV, so I suppose that's where the money is.
On the good side as they didnt get an upgrade ,they can forget the new part ,and take the seal out to the wall,save them fron getting stuck in the sand and pos.be safer. Carlo did not the Gov. stand behind the rugby club over the $200 mil,not saying they payed the money only will help out if needed????
HD didn't need any of the Hamilton infrastructure, so it would not have changed. HD also didn't need the $6.6 million 'upgrade', as it was already ready to go. One of the reasons Cochrane went to Pukekohe was to use the Hamilton infrastructure that he had paid for.
It might have reduced the passing under brakes at the hairpin but some can still get a good entry and exit passing maneuver. Good crowds all weekend so for that type of meeting the changes work. The jury is still out in my mind as far as other meetings go.
I have no idea whether it was good at the track, but I would have to say that the TV did a great job. Rather special to see Brad Jones Racing and Jason Bright take out the Jason Richards Memorial.
I'm pretty sure the new chicane is so they get another chance for good vehicle profile shots for the TV coverage. If you look at some of the blatantly repetitive slo-mo profile shots of some cars at a certain corner at Bathurst last year, it gives the impression they sell a certain number of 'spots' to sponsors.
Interesting to see the speed and the gears used approaching the hairpin. It works OK for them as they have tremendous grunt and were back up to 5th before braking again for the hairpin. For those of us with lesser cars we just about get up to top speed on the old track and braking for the hairpin was often the only safe passing place.
Classics are not normally rubbing door handles, as it is distinctly risky trying to pass in places that are deemed OK for the V8s where they are happy to wipe out door mirrors.
It is still a great track for a fast lap or a hot lap, but racing is all about sharing track space and in that respect, it is fine for one or two weekends a year but I fear that quite a few classes would rather not race in concrete tunnels.
Great TV though and an emotional win for the Brad Jones outfit, but with no photo opportunities, I can't see me going as a spectator.
Good point Ray, speed plays a big part in those new corners at the end of the straight. It works for the V8 supercars and it was great racing to watch on the TV. Classics and other classes like I stated above the jury is still out.
Very fitting for the Brad Jones team to take out the Jason Richards race of the round.
And I'm not looking foward to clambering over concrete walls to flag...from what I hear the old "flowerpots" have gone, so the flagpoints are $^!+ now...maybe the track should be left now for the V8's, other NASCAR type events, and truck racing.
Um...the new pit complex...isn't that just bigger tents?
Fantastic weekend at Pukekohe. New infrastructure looks brilliant. Additional corners add a new exciting dimension. Great job done by all. Looking forward to racing there. I like racing at HD but also like having a local alternative.
I don't see why not.
However, as I understand it, there are classes that are unhappy about the close proximity of the concrete walls and I really can't see the track management moving barriers and catch fencing now they are in place. The back straight complex is an easy fix but race promoters will need to let drivers know in the ASR's whether or not they are using the old or new track. Unless stated otherwise, I would assume they will use the 'new' layout. In fact the regs for the first HRC meeting, early May, make no reference whatever to the track configuration or the track length.
Purely and simply this smells like an exercise in retrieving value from the Hamilton investment - for AV8.
1. Getting better pit facilities is a plus but the rest IMHO is questionable. Without having had the benefit of having watched the event live and only watched a few laps on TV (the V8s don't do much for me to be honest) the racing didn't look as great as the Murph years were.
2. I don't get the layout change. It seemed to result in a lot of slip road indiscretions which make for a nightmare for stewards in the absence of TV replays.
3. The TV suffers from high camera angles necessitated by the height of the catch fencing. Height, especially when translated across all 8 or 9 or whatever track cameras brings a diminishing of apparent speed and the ability to see the car's dynamics. In a word it makes the shots look BLAND. To me it looked for the most part like another Oz street circuit.
4. The lining of the track with concrete at track's edge make an off a more expensive event.
5. For bikes it has now become an unsanctionable track from what I am told. The history of Puke and bikes is - for all you car only types - as rich as cars at Puke. It's a sad day for those of us who have seen it's demise as a bike racing track.
6. While having HD down the highway was impacting on the usage of Puke, now I can see Puke being a one trick pony. When the Cochrane mob tire of the issues of an old track I can see it could truly be HISTORY.
In a way it makes a change to see the taxpayer general throwing dollars at motorsport it seems to be a con job by Cochocorp with little to commend it from the enthusiasts point of view except we kept the event in New Zealand.
Re staying at home and eating your own Chips Amco72.....nothing to do with motor racing but I was at the Paul Simon concert last week in Dunedin and a lady in front of me at the bag search!!!! had a block of chocolate taken from her as it was something she could buy inside the stadium.
How ridiculous.
I stepped in and said she was my wife and I was a diabetic and I needed it in case I had a hypo and handed it back to here and on we walked inside.........and she was so dumbfounded she said nothing. The security guard had the same look as the the Mayor of Hiroshima....'what the f... was that'.
Ok I am not a horse person but with from watching on TV the pits/race control tower looked to be removable and given the track is used for horses how can the punters see the all important part of the track - the home straight - from the stands (someone who was there or has been there might like to comment on this as state only going by the shots I spotted on the TV) with these in their current place.
So it might be good to have those facilities but the horse based events might mean they come down and will not be available for meetings - so V8 Supercars only? Anybody know the answer?
[QUOTE=RogerH;27385]Still can't understand from a functional perspective why they had to use so many concrete barriers around the track - seems to have unnecessarily turned an open circuit into a semi street circuit. Only reason seems to be commercial in that the AV8 share of the "investment" into Pukekohe was the left-overs they got from Hamilton so they had to use all the concrete barriers irrespective of whether they were actually needed. Also, I hear that the concrete barriers and the mesh fencing impedes spectators view in some parts of the track.
Just in case Jim thinks this is putting the boot in - there are clearly some beneficial improvements made to the circuit but like others I struggle to see where the reputed $10m has gone to - although I hear on the news this morning that Auckland Council has spent $60m in the last two years on PR so maybe PR takes a chunk of Pukekohe's $10m.[/QUOTE They spent $10mill over two years, going to places out of nz.
I went and I will put on spectators hat and say it was the best Supercar meeting I have been to in NZ. Security/Gatepeople were awesome and could not be more polite. You were allowed to bring drink and food in aok.
Sitting in the grandstand (as I have for every V8 event I have been to) I was concerned about the new control tower etc blocking view but it was as before. The barriers on rear straight do block out lower part of car. Walked around everywhere including the new corners and for non grandstand people there were heaps of spectator areas with good views.
Food was reasonably priced but drink was crazy ($5.00) but you can bring your own in...so cannot complain really.
The format of 4 V8 races etc was brilliant and eliminated some boring nose to tail 60 lap races of the past. There was plenty of action ie NZ races to watch and I thought the balance of racing versus displays was excellent so that you could shoot down to pits etc.
The toilets (which have always annoyed me) were pretty good and I noticed cleaners in there all the time...never happened in the past.
Parking was easy, we parked right by the entrance gate in the track car park (you bought tickets online) and it only took about a 1/2 hour to 45mins to get out.
From my view it made Hamilton look like a complete mess and this was a view shared by the people who sat around me. Cannot think about many (if any) negatives from a spectator view and will be back next year.
PS: My only gripe was the standard of driving from the HQ driver (SW) who I watched run two people off the track (hitting one) in Musclecar Qualifying. There were other drivers going at same (and faster) pace who showed respect to slower drivers....good on them.
The barriers down the inside of back straight seemed strange, as mentioned before by somebody, no where to pullover, why not down the outside of horse rail. Over the hill not as bad as people were saying earlier, the new kink in back straight looked interesting, and there was still braking duels and passing at hairpin, maybe bit more than before, but i do feel it will not suit alot of 'ordinary class's and motorsport competitors'
Top format the 4 race set up and good racing, believe 'Frosty' was shown the map to Waikaraka Park, but it wasn't his fault, it was every one else. 2 meetings in a row he has made a complete tool of himself, and it is a big mouth and they are the easy ones to shut, normally by a lot smaller guy. Another rumour has him going to NASCA and flatting with Stewart and Danica.
I agree about the barriers down the inside of the back straight Rod. The appeared to run half way down and just stop. What is the desired option there, Armco? grass?
I first went to Pukekohe with my Dad back in the 60s. I was 8. I had been to a couple of events at Ohakea and the bug had bitten, but it was at Puke that I can clearly remember thinking that not ony were the drivers as brave as Spitfire pilots but completely crazy as well.
I hope Auckland is big enough to support 2 great tracks, and that Puke survives and keeps making steps forward.
In answer to BRY3500's question; "Would it be possible to reinstate the old section for Historic events?" It could be reinstated, but the circuit license doesn't permit the old back straight to be used. The focus of the circuit is V8SC's. I hear there were drainage problems at race meeting on saturday?
Apparently they are going to get the "old" straight configuration licenced, but there is a bit more work to be done first.