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Post by Thestoremann on Mar 29, 2018 13:05:41 GMT 12
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Post by hienekenno1 on Mar 29, 2018 14:03:06 GMT 12
I know the springs lovers are going to hate me but I think it would be good if they joined with Waikaraka,the springs arn,t even aloud to prepare their track propley and they can only run 12 meetings,not good for sponsors and drivers.Spend some money on Waikaraka and make it a speedway all classes can use,just my thoughts.ok springs people give me heaps lol.
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Post by Rota on Mar 29, 2018 15:14:26 GMT 12
So most Auckland cars are going to have to race out of town every week to get some seat time while wacky park get Rebuilt? How long would it take to get make it a descent place to handle more cars & spectators? Why don't they continue the lease until it is built? How much of it will Wacky park pay compared to Springs?
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Post by magilla on Mar 29, 2018 15:41:03 GMT 12
Will have to spend a heck of a lot on the Wacky Park dump, as it is now it would be an embarrassment to bring international drivers to it.
Also those who think the Springs pits are too small, Wacky Park is half that.
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Post by Rota on Mar 29, 2018 17:42:39 GMT 12
The RFA don’t have the final say, the council do. That’s why we’ve been bombarding the council with all that nuts on fb. And it’s just been announced the council have approved the America’s cup to be held in Auckland, this is going to cost them $200m so they ain’t gonna have any spare money to move nobody nowhere
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Post by midway on Mar 29, 2018 20:10:24 GMT 12
$560,000 on a load of undecided facts that have virtually ended up in the rubbish bin . $200 million is a conservative figure ,the actual cost will be much higher .,for the Americas cup we are still paying interest on the last time ... Actions speak louder than words ,if you want to stay at Western Springs there is a good alternative ...
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Post by tonyr on Mar 29, 2018 20:43:08 GMT 12
I know it’s not finalized but I am feeling gutted! Waikaraka quite simply isn’t up to it. Pits are tiny, seating areas are tiny, it’s just a dump. I don’t mean any disrespect to those who currently attend racing there, I attend the odd meeting there too, but it just isn’t up to the standard of Western Springs and I don’t know where the money to bring it up to scratch is going to come from. The council sure hasn’t put much into the place over the years. Also there is very little time to do the work.
As an aside my ideal would be a covered venue and more meetings per year. Yeah I know I’m dreaming.
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Post by Murray Guy (Grandad) on Mar 29, 2018 22:30:49 GMT 12
BOOK YOUR CORPORATE BOXES AND HEAD FOR ASB BAYPARK
It's time, past time ....
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Post by tonyr on Mar 30, 2018 8:23:24 GMT 12
I wish Murray, I wish.
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Post by azzurro on Mar 30, 2018 8:35:38 GMT 12
$26m to upgrade waikaraka seams very cheap and shouldn’t be used to counter the argument of being kicked out of western springs. In the great sceam of things.
Don’t get me wrong - I am in full support of Western Springs staying. However there is an upside of purpose built tracks, more racing and being able to pit out of your trailer week in and out.
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Post by twincarb on Mar 30, 2018 8:49:59 GMT 12
Not a fan of leaving the springs(cricket will give the local whingers plenty to complain about) Not a fan of wacky park... But as a speedway fan AT LEAST the open wheel class will have somewhere in Auckland to Race. Why does anything in Jaffa land that is historical get knocked down or relocated ?? I'm sure if the race card(IWI) was used it will have cultural significance and a truck load of money thrown into saving and rebuilding it !!
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Post by brettgrace on Mar 30, 2018 9:18:00 GMT 12
azzurro It seems cheap until someone has to pay for it. Initially when it was tabled as an option the council were going to foot the entire bill. Now they're talking like footing 10% of it and trying to make promotions find the balance. So at present we'll be kicked out (if the vote ends up that way) and also pay for the privilege. twincarb It is a part of OUR culture. It IS significant to US. "US" is an inclusive term, no matter what colour or creed a person is if they like racing and going to the springs then they're one of US. It's a part of what's great about the place. Yes a lot of money and resources get spent on culturally significant installations, the providence of which has been extensively researched and documented before funding from a govt level occurs. It is unfortunate that providence in our instance is all around us, in every social media post, video, emailed response and yet it appears to have been ignored. It is one of the more useless things NZ does as a country and we are good at it, we'll tear down a 100 year old pub or church to make way for an installation for someone else's culture at the expense of our own. Culture is a bit of a political football and if there were some eloquent person able to make an impassioned plea to the councilors before the vote in May it could be a good angle to approach from.
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gmac
Full Member
Posts: 107
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Post by gmac on Mar 30, 2018 9:53:45 GMT 12
Apart from the cubic dollars it would take to upgrade Waikaraka Park to something like Western Springs is (no offence to anyone) I am wondering where all the room is going to come from for decent parking/pit area/seating as expansion of the current set up would encroach on a cemetery and sports fields?
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Post by jimmyj on Mar 30, 2018 10:40:51 GMT 12
$560,000 on a load of undecided facts that have virtually ended up in the rubbish bin . $200 million is a conservative figure ,the actual cost will be much higher .,for the Americas cup we are still paying interest on the last time ... Actions speak louder than words ,if you want to stay at Western Springs there is a good alternative ... So tell us the alternative Midway
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Post by brettgrace on Mar 30, 2018 11:09:08 GMT 12
Apart from the cubic dollars it would take to upgrade Waikaraka Park to something like Western Springs is (no offence to anyone) I am wondering where all the room is going to come from for decent parking/pit area/seating as expansion of the current set up would encroach on a cemetery and sports fields? The proposed plan involves using annexing the sports fields into the new speedway so yes - pit space will be ample.
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Post by orapiuwharf on Mar 30, 2018 11:50:59 GMT 12
using annexing the sports fields? What does that mean in English?
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Post by brettgrace on Mar 30, 2018 12:35:53 GMT 12
Oh I didn't have done him righting poperly?
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Post by theycallmewade on Mar 30, 2018 16:04:33 GMT 12
I don't often read the Open Wheel Board, because I am a Wacky Park person (and don't consider myself a bogan - thanks for removing that comment). It is true that Waikaraka Park is in a very run down state (I won't use the term previously posted, but agree), but please remember it has not had 1c of funding or redevelopment spent on it in over 50 years other than the money and considerable time put in by club members.
For clarity the club is a drivers club, it is a not for profit 'incorporated society' to be specific, and really has not had any support from Council other than the help offered since the old grandstand was condemned - which has been fairly limited to offering temporary seating and not amounted to any actual money to sort the grandstand and public toilets issue.
That said, it is also true (for me at least) that there has been some envy of the facilities across town at Western Springs. But lets not trivialise the money spent on lighting, track reconfiguration, club facilities, toilets etc were never for speedway - It was spent for Rugby and Concerts. The track shape and size at WS is what it is because of Rugby and not speedway. WS has had the benefit of maintenance and upgrades (that the wacky park people would have killed for) over the years - and to be fair are paying a lot more for it in their lease agreement than the club at WP.
Aside from the fact that nobody has seen the proposed plan for Waikaraka Park (maybe brettgrace has, as he seems to know a few of the details), The Auckland open wheeler fans and drivers might like to consider the following:
Waikaraka Park is a designated Motorsport Precinct in the Auckland Unitary Plan - The only others are Rosebank Rd and Colin Dale Park.
Waikaraka Park Resource Consent in place right now allows 35 speedway 'events' per year. This figure includes practice nights, but also has a clause attached to 'event' where if any event is rained out within the first 2 hours after racing starts, it does not count as one of the 35 events.
Waikaraka Park hours of operation are to 11.00pm for a normal night (Friday and Saturday) and 10.30pm on all other nights. For championship or 'special events' hours of operation can be extended beyond 11.00pm for Friday and Saturday nights.
Waikraka Park does not share its facility with any other sports code - no rugby or cricket or football to accommodate on the infield or constrain track shape or size.
Waikaraka Park is a lot bigger that the bit inside the 'stone wall'.
I believe if we are to have a true conversation about the future of speedway in Auckland, then the first thing we should ask ourselves is 'do we want our Auckland drivers / chassis fabricators / crew chiefs / suspension and engine specialists, now and in future generations, to become the best in the world?' If the answer to that question is yes, then we (from what ever side of town your heart lies) as speedway people need to ask another question - do we have a track and competitor facilities that will let that happen? The answer right now is no. WS will never get any bigger or faster or have more than 10-12 nights a summer / Waikaraka Park track will not allow that to happen in its current state, but does have the space and opportunity to change. MURRAY - Before you chime in here, Baypark is not the answer either!
I support the fight you guys have right now at WS as a speedway person, but I am also a realist and most interested in 'what might be...' Nobody has seen the proposal for Waikaraka Park yet, or heard how it might be funded. If the proposed redevelopment plan ever sees the light of day, I would be interested if the open wheel experts change their view? In the mean time - good luck with the fight.
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Post by BarryB on Mar 30, 2018 16:51:47 GMT 12
If a new proposal really is going to incorpoarate the whole of Waikaraka Park, and all classes end up using the same facility, that facility should include workshop spaces for lease so that Speedway fabricators and the like could base themselves at the track, if they choose to. I can see a lot of upside to that, and very little negative.
Barry B
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Post by magilla on Mar 30, 2018 16:52:49 GMT 12
I can't see how it can be done for $26m as that is what Bob spent when he built Baypark 20 years ago so $26m will not buy now what it bought then. Will cost a couple of million just to demolish and clear away what is there before they even start building anything
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