Time to review, reflect and improve? (Read 6,130 times)

[tank11]

Ok all.
Good points?
Where can we improve?
What would you like better?

Just the things that can be done please, We can't shift the track or city.
Streaming at your place is your problem, the feed worked well in Aus and in the tower.

Could do with a couple more cameras next year.
The speaker system couldn't be heard during racing, but with the cars making that much noise I'm not sure it could be fixed, do they run FM for head sets?
Wasn't advertised, I was asked but didn't know, used too but not sure now.
Needed a "little" more volume even in the quiet times between racing at turn 3.

Info coming out was often only once, but then if they kept saying it, others would say it was repeated too much.
Unofficial was given, would like more "official" scores.

Entertainment was good in the afternoon, those two kids are good, seen them plenty, still like their choices.

Score out of 10----------8.5/10

For a track plenty weren't sure would be suitable for stock teams racing, even heading towards 9.

[splinta67]

All and all a good meeting. As for the speaker system not being heard during the racing be grateful because the commentary was less than good. Apart from that awesome from a spectators point of view

[Les]

Take some more banking out of the track. It's still a bit too much I think.
Better lighting. The track wasn't so bad, but 2 metres back from the fence was pretty much in darkness.
Get rid of the flags from the top of the poles around the track. They got in the way.
Better response to hard hits where the crowd is obviously pointing out something wrong. 5 laps for a driver who was unconscious for 3 laps is pretty bad. If they don't touch the car, there's no outside assistance, so it's just a safety thing.

[The Observer]

I'd be interested in hearing from those that made the big effort to attend. Was it awesome seeing teams racing at this track?

with the same number of teams, Would you go back next year?

Would you recommend to others to attend?

Should the track find a way to get another 2000 seating into the event?

Can the track afford 110,000 to invest in the three rees stockcars - is the event staying in Gisborne worth that much to the club?

I don't think you should get extra camers for the footage - more cameras mean more operators trying to get close ups, which means more action missed. firmly beliver in stockcar teams racing the less cameras the better.

sounds like a great meeting look forward to hearing more feedback from a spectator perspective. Well done to all involved.

[knownotmuch]

I thoroughly enjoyed the event will definitely be back next year. Many positives about the way the club ran it. One being how helpful and cheerful the volunteers were, what a great bunch you have at the club.

If you are looking for things that could be improved then the sound system should certainly be on your list. Need a more consistent sound quality and a link so the infield and tower commentator's can communicate with each other.
Seating would be something worth looking at for next time. It would be good to be able to pre-book a particular seat, I for one would have no qualms about paying double the amount to have a guaranteed premium positioned seat.

As for the idea put forward that the club should buy the Rees Stockcars, in my opinion it would be a terrible thing for the club to use any profits they made on this. The whole club put the effort in to make the weekend what it was, so any spend should be things that benefit the whole club, not just one class for one meeting.

Would give the meeting a solid 8.5 out of 10 and would recommend to anyone that it is worth the trip. The racing was brilliant and every team should be congratulated for the spectacle they provided we spectators.

[mcfly]

From this spectators point of view;

Good points
From the moment we turned from the road into the gates we were greeted by efficient friendly volunteers/staff, these guys/girls are a credit to the club.
Access, and more importantly exit from the track and car park were very good.
The Lions crews walking around selling chips and hot dogs were great addition.
The track surface appeared well prepared and did not break up under the pressure, even with several cars ending up with rims only!
The competitors - wow, these guys really turned it on, they were brutal and I for one was glad to be watching and not receiving some of those hits!

Bad points
Commentary was almost impossible to hear in turns 3 & 4 so the only way to keep up with placings and points was via live laps - although from reading on here we didn't miss much commentary wise
Spectator lighting - almost non existent so very hard to read program.
The wall - turns 3 & 4 took a hell of a beating and there were big chunks of concrete coming off. This was responsible for some of the car damage in my view and will need to be fixed properly before next year. It is dangerous as it is.
Officials - communication between the in field and tower officials was poor and left hurt drivers vulnerable for too long, particularly on the first night.

Possible improvements
Lighting and speakers - need more
Seating - additional seating to suit the numbers for this meeting would be an advantage. This might stop late arrivals from putting seats up in front of others and blocking their view.
Crowd control - hoards of people running down and standing at the fence when a car was being seen to needs to be controlled more effectively, security were there but did nothing. It was great to see so many family's attending, but a reminder that it is not a free-for-all playground for little ones to run around screaming all night long would be appreciated
Teams - organising somewhere in town on the first day for punters to have a look at the cars in one place could be a good promotional tool
Security - for a track that had a rule of no glass the bins around us were over flowing with beer and pre-mix bottles so perhaps better bag checks could also be carried out.

[Admin]

There was far more good than not so good about this meeting.

The good stuff
First and foremost well done to the drivers and teams that made the supreme effort to be at Gisborne , there is no denying the place is a long way from everywhere.
The racing was awe inspiring for the most part and while I had thought the banked track may hinder the spectacle it in fact aided because the speed of the cars was so much increased. 

The Gisborne club ran a slick show and were quick to juggle the program around when rain threatened to deny us the grand final, as it turned out all the teams races were able to be run but it was good to see the organisers were on there game in that respect.

What can I say about the Gladiators , we all expected them to win and they did. They deserved to as well, they were the toughest there and were expert in their execution of the challengers although there were glimpses of vulnerabilities that meant nothing was absolutely certain until after the final was underway. 

The team that most impressed me was Nelson's Tasman Thunder mostly because I hadn't expected a whole lot from them. I was happy to applaud them as they rose to the challenge and grew in confidence as the meeting unfolded. To achieve 2nd at an event like this is something to crow about. 

The pre meeting music performed by a couple of very talented locals was great, not too loud and middle of the road so most would have enjoyed and did so judging by the applause.

Less pleasing,
The commentary, not so much what was said but the fact we only heard about 10% of what was said. It amazes me that speedway has been running umpteen million years and yet we still suffer from problems in this area. Just before the final I did hear a commentator rabbiting on about go carts or some such thing.

The lackadaisical way infield staff went about checking on the well being of drivers once the reds had been activated was not nice to watch. Drivers are the first priorities not picking up bits of concrete etc. from the track. There were some angry people down near where we were. This certainly was an aspect of running the meeting that Gisborne appeared to falter in. If there are staff tasked with checking on drivers there are either not enough of them or they are just too darn slow.

Some of the grids took ages to form up and I don't know why, it was like drivers were hanging back waiting for some direction that never came from a track official but I may be wrong. Curious more than displeased.

Things I would suggest to consider for next season
Sort the sound system out and import a commentator or two that understands teams racing, knows the teams/drivers that are competing and understands what spectators are keen to hear about. Were there any pit reports? I have no idea.

Consider reducing the track banking , while it was spectacular to watch I did worry it was too dangerous. Analyse the injury/damage count and poll the drivers for their thoughts. Some of those hits were deserving of needing a medical certificate on the driver before he competed in any other teams races.

Where I sat at the far end (turns 3 and 4) at the top of the stand there were too many things in the eye line. The light poles are quite thick but to make matters worse there are flags flying from them that are a nuisance. Add in the center field pole with the ball on top (what is that about?) and the odd infield vehicle and the insignificant becomes slightly more significant. 

Sort your website out, god knows why it wasn't used to promote and inform properly and while I saw loads of signs around town I think they were only saying Speedway was on not what was on. At least it wasn't obvious to me as I drove past. There was room at the venue for more people than what turned up although there was a good sized audience both nights.

Overall
It's a pass mark for Gisborne , not often do they host a grand event like this and they carried it off well in most aspects.

[tubala]

Feb 28, 2016 6:40:39 GMT 12 tank11 said:

Streaming at your place is your problem, the feed worked well in Aus and in the tower.

That is much too broad a statement, just because a number of people did not have problems does not prove that there is not a problem. There is evidence in the streaming thread of the server rejecting connections, which is a supplier side problem.

SpeedwayLive or whoever needs to look into their authentication system, as it took up 40+minutes for us to connect each night and it was 100% an issue with their server. 

[tank11]

Feb 28, 2016 16:37:36 GMT 12 tubala said:

Feb 28, 2016 6:40:39 GMT 12 tank11 said:

Streaming at your place is your problem, the feed worked well in Aus and in the tower.

That is much too broad a statement, just because a number of people did not have problems does not prove that there is not a problem. There is evidence in the streaming thread of the server rejecting connections, which is a supplier side problem.

SpeedwayLive or whoever needs to look into their authentication system, as it took up 40+minutes for us to connect each night and it was 100% an issue with their server. 

I agree, but it wasn't the "club" that supplied it.
They can get it looked at, but say someone else supplies next year,what can they do to make it work?

[tank11]

Feb 28, 2016 16:37:24 GMT 12 Admin said:

There was far more good than not so good about this meeting.

The good stuff
First and foremost well done to the drivers and teams that made the supreme effort to be at Gisborne , there is no denying the place is a long way from everywhere.
The racing was awe inspiring for the most part and while I had thought the banked track may hinder the spectacle it in fact aided because the speed of the cars was so much increased. 

The Gisborne club ran a slick show and were quick to juggle the program around when rain threatened to deny us the grand final, as it turned out all the teams races were able to be run but it was good to see the organisers were on there game in that respect.

What can I say about the Gladiators , we all expected them to win and they did. They deserved to as well, they were the toughest there and were expert in their execution of the challengers although there were glimpses of vulnerabilities that meant nothing was absolutely certain until after the final was underway. 

The team that most impressed me was Nelson's Tasman Thunder mostly because I hadn't expected a whole lot from them. I was happy to applaud them as they rose to the challenge and grew in confidence as the meeting unfolded. To achieve 2nd at an event like this is something to crow about. 

The pre meeting music performed by a couple of very talented locals was great, not too loud and middle of the road so most would have enjoyed and did so judging by the applause.

Less pleasing,
The commentary, not so much what was said but the fact we only heard about 10% of what was said. It amazes me that speedway has been running umpteen million years and yet we still suffer from problems in this area. Just before the final I did hear a commentator rabbiting on about go carts or some such thing.

The lackadaisical way infield staff went about checking on the well being of drivers once the reds had been activated was not nice to watch. Drivers are the first priorities not picking up bits of concrete etc. from the track. There were some angry people down near where we were. This certainly was an aspect of running the meeting that Gisborne appeared to falter in. If there are staff tasked with checking on drivers there are either not enough of them or they are just too darn slow.

Some of the grids took ages to form up and I don't know why, it was like drivers were hanging back waiting for some direction that never came from a track official but I may be wrong. Curious more than displeased.

Things I would suggest to consider for next season
Sort the sound system out and import a commentator or two that understands teams racing, knows the teams/drivers that are competing and understands what spectators are keen to hear about. Were there any pit reports? I have no idea.

Consider reducing the track banking , while it was spectacular to watch I did worry it was too dangerous. Analyse the injury/damage count and poll the drivers for their thoughts. Some of those hits were deserving of needing a medical certificate on the driver before he competed in any other teams races.

Where I sat at the far end (turns 3 and 4) at the top of the stand there were too many things in the eye line. The light poles are quite thick but to make matters worse there are flags flying from them that are a nuisance. Add in the center field pole with the ball on top (what is that about?) and the odd infield vehicle and the insignificant becomes slightly more significant. 

Sort your website out, god knows why it wasn't used to promote and inform properly and while I saw loads of signs around town I think they were only saying Speedway was on not what was on. At least it wasn't obvious to me as I drove past. There was room at the venue for more people than what turned up although there was a good sized audience both nights.

Overall
It's a pass mark for Gisborne , not often do they host a grand event like this and they carried it off well in most aspects.

Are you STILL going on about that pole, lol............

I'll ask what it's for Gordon.

To lessen the banking means lifting the infield, have a guess how much soil would be needed? A bit more than a couple of wheelbarrow loads.

[Admin]

Feb 28, 2016 20:18:04 GMT 12 tank11 said:

Feb 28, 2016 16:37:24 GMT 12 Admin said:

Are you STILL going on about that pole, lol............

I'll ask what it's for Gordon.

To lessen the banking means lifting the infield, have a guess how much soil would be needed? A bit more than a couple of wheelbarrow loads.

Ha ha , love to know what it's there for and when even the locals don't know it's more intriguing. It's actually quite cool looking if only it wasn't where it is.
Does it mark a spot or represent something? someone must know.

I imagine it would take a lot to flatten the track just as it must of taken a lot to make it like that. Driver safety first and foremost though. All I'm saying is analyse that aspect and if all is well then I'm more than happy to watch the spectacle.

Always was a pretty good Stockcar track back in the day.

[hbhornets]

will say my thoughts here. i couldnt hear the speaker system at all so had no idea of anything, but i dont mind not hearing it makes it excieting and enjoy why you do follow stockcars. 84b was taken out of the race lead via an attack from the grass. not happy lol maybe because im biased. the three teams four groups i didnt like, would much prefur if it was two rounds more fair for finals night format. i loved the finals night format. reckons it works very very well. hated the classic stockcars. would of much prefured a streetstock best piars event where gissy drivers must be paired with out of town cars. but thats just to show streetstocks aint dying in the north. i thought the flag man was very slow and late to wave his flag offen left me wondering if he even got the right car, just that 4 seconds earlier would fix this confruzen. as he would wait until the car had often gone pasted before waving the checked flag. a few minor details for mind. very successful weekend where the best team won. all that bullnuts with the palmy car i didnt even notice it went on. the weekend just carried on and i accpted a protest had been made, did nelson had 5 or 6 cars for night two? i didnt had a clue. sometimes knowing less makes it just so much more enjoyable. please gissy dont fix your speakers was refreshing not having to listen to whats going on and letting me make my mind up for myself. reckon i wouldnt of enjoyed it as much if they did have a functing sound system. i mean that!

[hbhornets]

Feb 28, 2016 22:20:55 GMT 12 Admin said:

Feb 28, 2016 20:18:04 GMT 12 tank11 said:

Are you STILL going on about that pole, lol............

I'll ask what it's for Gordon.

To lessen the banking means lifting the infield, have a guess how much soil would be needed? A bit more than a couple of wheelbarrow loads.

Ha ha , love to know what it's there for and when even the locals don't know it's more intriguing. It's actually quite cool looking if only it wasn't where it is.
Does it mark a spot or represent something? someone must know.

I imagine it would take a lot to flatten the track just as it must of taken a lot to make it like that. Driver safety first and foremost though. All I'm saying is analyse that aspect and if all is well then I'm more than happy to watch the spectacle.

Always was a pretty good Stockcar track back in the day.

from a unreliable gissy streety, track was banked because faram said he would turn it into a spritcar track. do not know how much truth behined that.

[woodart]

great meeting, what a brilliant track, raspberries to those who want to lower the banking. better lighting would be good and improved sound system. will definitly be going back again,

[Deleted]

Personally I think that the Gisborne Club can take a bow for the great effort at running this meeting .
A few points that need addressing that have been pointed out and I'm sure they will take these issues onboard and sort out .
I haven't been to Gisborne speedway for over 15 years and I was quite impressed with the venue and running of the meeting .

A bit of fine tuning with the following and the next NZ Teams will be even better .
Sound system , commentators need to lift a couple of gears , and infield staff need to be a bit more on their game .

Track Banking ??/ I would leave it as is , there was nothing at all wrong with it .

Good stuff Gisborne , it was a great show and finally you guys deserved to win the championship back to back as there wasn't any other team in the same league .. Fast and clever racing right through..

[sk72]

Feb 28, 2016 16:15:27 GMT 12 mcfly said:

From this spectators point of view;

Good points
From the moment we turned from the road into the gates we were greeted by efficient friendly volunteers/staff, these guys/girls are a credit to the club.
Access, and more importantly exit from the track and car park were very good.
The Lions crews walking around selling chips and hot dogs were great addition.
The track surface appeared well prepared and did not break up under the pressure, even with several cars ending up with rims only!
The competitors - wow, these guys really turned it on, they were brutal and I for one was glad to be watching and not receiving some of those hits!

Bad points
Commentary was almost impossible to hear in turns 3 & 4 so the only way to keep up with placings and points was via live laps - although from reading on here we didn't miss much commentary wise
Spectator lighting - almost non existent so very hard to read program.
The wall - turns 3 & 4 took a hell of a beating and there were big chunks of concrete coming off. This was responsible for some of the car damage in my view and will need to be fixed properly before next year. It is dangerous as it is.
Officials - communication between the in field and tower officials was poor and left hurt drivers vulnerable for too long, particularly on the first night.

Possible improvements
Lighting and speakers - need more
Seating - additional seating to suit the numbers for this meeting would be an advantage. This might stop late arrivals from putting seats up in front of others and blocking their view.
Crowd control - hoards of people running down and standing at the fence when a car was being seen to needs to be controlled more effectively, security were there but did nothing. It was great to see so many family's attending, but a reminder that it is not a free-for-all playground for little ones to run around screaming all night long would be appreciated
Teams - organising somewhere in town on the first day for punters to have a look at the cars in one place could be a good promotional tool
Security - for a track that had a rule of no glass the bins around us were over flowing with beer and pre-mix bottles so perhaps better bag checks could also be carried out.

I think I agree with everything you mention above.

I haven't been to Gisborne speedway for a few years but i'm pretty sure they had scrutineering outside the Cosy club on Grey St for the superstock nationals back in the early 2000's. Would be good to see a set-up like that again for day 1.

[skid]

bad lighting and only 2 food places one on each end of track. Didn't feel like lining up and missing 2 races. To many chilly bins on the seats, would of been a lot of room made if these where removed to ground. Needed more room for pit crews to watch or make it a non fold out seat area. There was a few people getting pissed off with the gate getting shut on them by the toilets when they needed to get in the pits to fix cars coming off the track, I had fun will be heading there next year. that's my 2 cents.

[Speedway Central (David)]

Mar 1, 2016 11:58:36 GMT 12 skid said:

bad lighting and only 2 food places one on each end of track. Didn't feel like lining up and missing 2 races. To many chilly bins on the seats, would of been a lot of room made if these where removed to ground. Needed more room for pit crews to watch or make it a non fold out seat area. There was a few people getting pissed off with the gate getting shut on them by the toilets when they needed to get in the pits to fix cars coming off the track, I had fun will be heading there next year. that's my 2 cents.

Track lighting? There were 38 lights around track>

[4zfed]

Tank..do you think you could compile a list of things from here that may be of concern and that could contribute to making next year even better and hand over to the club?

[hbhornets]

grand parade was far to early missed it both nights, dont see the piont showing up hours early.