OPINION: Paul Pavletich discusses how a weekend with legends of the sport highlighted everything that’s great about NZ racing — and everything that needs fixing.
Hello, fellow petrol heads.
Recently, I had the honour of being invited to Hampton Downs MotoFest and Taupō’s MotoMania during March to ride in the Legends Parade as part of the NZSBK rounds.
MotoFest was a first-class event. MNZ and the AMCC, along with Mike Marsden’s work, have really lifted the presentation level. The distributors put on a great bike show with plenty of trade stalls — a proper event, and one that felt like it had real momentum behind it.
Surrounded by history
The Legends Parade featured an area showcasing some of New Zealand’s most famous road race bikes.
Machines like Dr Roger Freeth’s TZ750, complete with original aerofoils — 30 years ahead of the manufacturers’ design teams. I always knew he was a super smart guy.
There were McIntosh Suzukis, the BSL GP bike, two YZR500s, the Britten, an assortment of TZ250s and 350s, my OW01 and FZR1000, and even Robbie Dean’s famous yellow Norton Commando that struck fear into many riders’ hearts in the late ’70s — including mine.
Old rivals, old lessons
One of the highlights each year is catching up with old friends and riding foes from back in the day.
When I was a young man, there were two local riders I battled with who taught me so much — following them, trying to work out how to keep up, and eventually how to pass them around the world-famous Pukekohe club circuit. They were Robbie Dean and Glenn Williams — two of New Zealand’s bravest riders. Robbie’s smile is infectious. It’s impossible not to catch him not smiling. I bet that the time he cut me off at the club circuit hairpin on the last lap and won, which we all took way too seriously, he was smiling too!
It’s a privilege to ride with these NZ champions, along with guys like Stroud and Slight. They carried on the legacy of riders before them — Crosby, Molloy, Anderson, Discombe, Avant, Woodley, Freeth, the Hiscocks, Crafar, Anstey — just to name a few.
There are many many more that achieved great success on the international stage. New Zealand truly punched above its weight.
So what’s changed?
It’s impossible not to look at what these riders achieved and ask what’s changed.
Our level of international success has declined significantly from those halcyon days. I put it down to two main reasons: the decline of affordable, hardcore production racing — which breeds tough riders — and the enormous cost of racing overseas nowadays.
The reality now
We need to work out a plan to make our premier class more affordable and popular. I was shocked to see only six superbikes on the grid. This is the minimum number you can run to hold a championship round. I really don’t understand the logic of running the international circuit with only six superbikes. As a spectacle, it was terrible. The six bikes racing were all doing great, with excellent lap times, but watching so few bikes was underwhelming.
I also make a similar comment; no one wants to wait over 2 minutes for 7 small-bore bikes to come around again. Please run the national circuit. Keep the spectators interested, or they will not come back.
What needs to change
Maybe we could run the Superbike trophy class and Superbikes together via a split start. At least this way, there would be 20 bikes on the track at once. Even if we were to run the national circuit until the competitor numbers increase again, hopefully soon.
When I was the President of MNZ I managed to tie the NZ Championship and some of the Suzuki series together, which I believe worked well. Unfortunately, after I departed, they could not agree on terms. This has led, in my view, for some riders to choose one series or the other depending on funds available. I suggest New Zealand is too small and economically poor, with too few road racers to continue two series competing against each other.
Hey, but what do I know?
Hope to see you at the next NZCMRR round or a ProRider track training day.
Stay safe,
Pav
