Is Wgnt really a family Speedway ? (Read 6,830 times)

[Wiseowl]

Is Wellington really a "Family" Speedway as proudly advertised on their Web Site ?

I write this sentence with hesitation, as I know how passionate Wellingtonians are about their Province,People & Sport.
However.... Is their statement correct.

Last night I attended the NZ Stockcar Champs. I had previously this season been to the NZ Stockcar Teams Event at Te Marua also.
Last night ...........
7 pm start
12.15am finish
5 hours
18 races
over 20 minutes per race

Can anyone explain ............

1. Why is it, that the BIG events held there seem to go on till past MidNight ?

2. How can any "Normal" parent expect to be able to take their children along and get them home at a "reasonable" hour especially if they are from out of town ??

3. Is it fair on drivers who are racing to perform to the best of their abilities on the 2nd night, to have a reasonable chance with no sleep ?

4. Is it right that without question, many of the crowd are gone.. well before the meeting ends, leaving only the diehard followers to see the end ?

5. Why is it that this has been "the norm" with Te Marua for YEARS ??

6. Why is it that Western Springs, BayPark & Palm Nth can run major Championships to a time limit schedule... and never get near MidNight ??

These 3 venues would get closed down by their respective City Councils if they went anywhere near MidNight...

...Please help to explain to an "old bird" whos watching days have included many trips to Wellington.. only to find it "Hard to get off the perch in the Barn " the next day

P.S
I am sure I am not alone with these thoughts either !!

Cheers

Wiseowl

[Abb0]

Did the Ministocks and/or the Minisprints run?

Cause if they did then Phill B will blame them so be prepared.

[Wildcat]

Hard man to please night owl ,that would have to be one of the best action packed night of stockcar racing ive ever seen and it was only qualifying Roll on tonight ps North Islands at Meeanee finished about same time last week Remember going to Parmy NZ Super Saloons finished 12 30 am and NZ Supers at Woodford Glen midnight ,happens everywhere ,,Hop back into ya nest and have a big kip and be refreshed for tonight

[rageykiwi]

I world rather attend meetings that go over the cut off time,past experiences ive had is you attend and they cut the programme due to 10.30 pm curfews.
Having said that perhaps there were delays between races for a number of reasons.

[Wiseowl]

Jan 24, 2009 8:21:14 GMT 12 Wildcat said:

Hard man to please night owl ,that would have to be one of the best action packed night of stockcar racing ive ever seen and it was only qualifying Roll on tonight ps North Islands at Meeanee finished about same time last week Remember going to Parmy NZ Super Saloons finished 12 30 am and NZ Supers at Woodford Glen midnight ,happens everywhere ,,Hop back into ya nest and have a big kip and be refreshed for tonight

Understand all you say Wildcat..
No worries about the ON TRACK ACTION. It was awesome
.....not my point though

But my question is ....
Late finishes....

Is that acceptable?

I am more thinking of advancing speedway into the future. Trying to encourage more than just the "true-blue" speedway supporters.. the diehards always go and stick it out to the end

Why oh Why do 18 races take 5 hours... families go home before the end... Announcers get frustrated etc.etc.

[Deleted]

Jan 24, 2009 6:24:49 GMT 12 Wiseowl said:

Is Wellington really a "Family" Speedway as proudly advertised on their Web Site ?

I write this sentence with hesitation, as I know how passionate Wellingtonians are about their Province,People & Sport.
However.... Is their statement correct.


6. Why is it that Western Springs, BayPark & Palm Nth can run major Championships to a time limit schedule... and never get near MidNight ??


Cheers

Wiseowl

Hi wise owl, Not to defend Te Marua running past midnite, Cause I don't know why. The meeting started on the knocker of 7pm and maybe by leaving the hot cars on the infield and bringing the next group on first, then sending the cars just raced off, 20 mins thru the night might have been saved, But I hate seeing hot cars left on the track longer than need be.

Just to correct a point or two, I can well remember a couple of meetings at PN running well past 11pm.
If it was being held at baypark or Western springs I venture to say it would be done in USA format and the one race format would mean just one good race of the weekend.

This meeting is known for running over time, and maybe it's time to look at pre qualifying for this meeting so that maybe the top 104 (four groups of 26) turn up for NZ champs weekend.

[Visacard]

Jan 24, 2009 8:21:14 GMT 12 Wildcat said:

Hard man to please night owl ,that would have to be one of the best action packed night of stockcar racing ive ever seen and it was only qualifying Roll on tonight ps North Islands at Meeanee finished about same time last week Remember going to Parmy NZ Super Saloons finished 12 30 am and NZ Supers at Woodford Glen midnight ,happens everywhere ,,Hop back into ya nest and have a big kip and be refreshed for tonight

Yea but woodford glen only starts at 7.30 and i think you will find it was run alot more slick than it was in wellington last night. Seemed to drag on forever

Hope they can run it a bit better tonight

[Deleted]

We just seem to be looking at empty track after each race for a couple of minutes. If you add that up between 18 races there's an hour or so saved. It was the same during Stockcar Teams.

I'm hearing you ramjam, but get the next group out so they can fluff around gridding up while the other cars drive off.

Also there seems to be zero urgency when separating cars that are locked together in the wall - takes an age compared to some tracks.

These two minor adjustments, would make a huge difference in my humble opinion. A midnight finish would easily then be an 11pm finish, and would make the excellent on track action seem so much more enjoyable without the long pauses.

Personally I dont mind watching til midnight, but there were a hell of a lot of people leaving halfway through the third round of heats, so it does put some people off.

[scotty 911w]

170 cars to organise,i blame the out of towners ;Dlol,no not really but on club nights were all done and dusted by 9pm
i say run the prodys were always lined up ready to go before the previous has even started,
awesome night tho we'll be back forshore,doesent everyone know that here in welly weve got our own time,1 of our hours equalls 1.5 hours of other tracks time
and on the family side of things well done to the crowd ,i saw no yahooing or clowns to ruin it ,plenty of kids,and the first time speedway watchers sitting next to us thoroughly enjoyed themselves,

WELLY 1,2,3 NZ

[Brett85p]

Something to keep in mind if live TV coverage was to become a reality for national speedway events.........

The TV audience is more likely to switch channels and start watching something else instead of going for a hot dog!

[FrankTheTank]

It seems as if Wellington expect big meetings to run late, so they just go with the flow. They could at least show some urgency!

Don't grid up the cars for the first heat, and then send them off on another lap, and then grid them up again to start. Cut down the time between races, and actually get cars separated quicker.

There is one hour that should have been taken off last night's programme.

I thought that the breakfast menu was going to appear at the hotdog stand last night.

Yes, the on track action was great, but that is to be expected at such a meeting. But we are here for a good time, not a long time people. Get on with it!

[MadMarty13B]

Meeanee finished just past midnight q night because there was a 45 minute delay in fixing the fence,on finals night there was also a 40 minute delay after rain and wheel packing but still finished at 11 or just before,yes lots of cars scrut like welly started at 9am and was non stop till 6pm a very long day and night

[sup100]

Wellington always puts on a good nights racing no problem there its only they call themselves the family speedway 12:15am finish its not rocket science too late for kids! if you live in wellington kids would get to bed about 1am and thats only the first night. Would first time watching familys come back to watch another good nights racing in wellington knowing that 12:15am finishing time again?

Another thing about wellingtons family speedway the teams event that i attended end of 2007 (great teams racing by the way), took my kids along one guy in front of us and another lady beside us were smoking throughout the whole meeting. I asked them politely to stop smoking because the 2nd hand smoke kills. Response was, there was no rules against smoking at the wellington family speedway. Makes you think about the name doesn't it.

[MadMarty13B]

It is something called consideration for others when in a crowd I smoke i move away and smoke I did this at the teams even lost my seat because of it but really its all about consideration for others

[chunkey]

I would say a minority would be disappointed rather than a majority. But hey that was the best qual meeting i have seen for years. kids sleep dont they? my 4year old did.

[Deleted]

Not so much disappointed overall, but in my opinion it's just the little things like this that inhibit a GOOD meeting from becoming a GREAT meeting. If that makes nay sense?

[tank11]

Totally agree Baz.

Turn it from a GOOD meet to a GREAT one by being efficient.

[percy]

Jan 24, 2009 10:32:29 GMT 12 chunkey said:

I would say a minority would be disappointed rather than a majority. But hey that was the best qual meeting i have seen for years. kids sleep dont they? my 4year old did.

Just remember that this forum only attracts the die hard fans. The fringe fans that attend once or twice a season aren't coming back for night two. 12:15am finish is an absolute joke for a speedway that so clearly attempts to cater to a family audience.

I have a couple of pet hates in the sport at the moment. Alcohol and the three heat format for non-contact classes. Late finishes is about to be added to that list.

What is disappointing is that I managed to this this issue on my second ever night at Te Marua Speedway (night 2 Stockcar Teams) yet those in charge don't do anything about it/don't care.

To suggest "oh this happens everywhere" is hardly a valid reason as you are rating yourself against the worst rather than the best. The advent of electronic lap scoring should also allevaite many problems experienced in meetings gone by.

To suggest that Western Springs and Baypark get some sort of advantage by using the outlaw format is a bit ambitious. Both tracks would use that format 2-3 times a year and time trialling cars is hardly a way to get ahead in the programme. Yet both tracks 95% of the time run their events successfully.

If they are one minute behind schedule you can see the change in urgency on the infield. If they get further behind time support classes see races wiped so punters get to see the advertised main event.

And lets not forget that Baypark ran the NZ Stockcar Champs within time constraints a few seasons ago.

If speedway is to move forward and to reach it's potential as NZ's number 1 summer sport it's nights like this at our premier events that need to stop happening.

[Wingnut99]

to me they were pre-occupied with making sure all the drivers we contented
with out a concern for the fans
there was no urgancy all night
the pits were in a "laid back" style and did not hastle the drivers to get on the dummy grids etc
at some other places - the first thing you would notice on a big night is that group one would already be assembled to start racing dead at 7 not doddle out about 7 ish to finally start racing at 7.10 litle things like that on a big night means time lost never to re-gain
all tracks should volenteraly put themselves on a curfuew as something to strive for

[Deleted]

[quote author=percy board=general thread=8925 post=104391 time=1232755334.

I have a couple of pet hates in the sport at the moment. Alcohol and the three heat format for non-contact classes. Late finishes is about to be added to that list.


If speedway is to move forward and to reach it's potential as NZ's number 1 summer sport it's nights like this at our premier events that need to stop happening. quote]


curious as to what you mean in regards to 3 heat format for non con tact classes, please explain, is this for champs or just normal meets,

also i like others think you should put your hand up to be an advisor to spanz,im sure they would love some help on how to improve things from the outside ;D ;D