Goat track

[Steph #49]

Neo, i can see where you are coming from,but..... :shock:
i am a kid (well junior) and when you ride your heart out to get the first or second , or what ever it is you are going for, If you found that the lap scorers have put you down in the wrong position or a DNF, it feels like everything that you have done is a waste . i believe that we should get out there and have fun, but it is not only the seniors that are out there to compete, some of the juniors are as well, that is why this sport is fun, the friendly competition. :lol: :twisted:

[BoneGraft]

Neo, I agree with you about some parents getting abit excited about things on their kids behalf but this happens in all sports and I gotta tell you what goes on in PB racing is nothing compared to other sports. Some of the kids though may well have aspirations of getting sponsored rides and some of the competition is FEARCE :twisted: so clearly they may also be upset about the way race results may be inaccurate at the end of the night or if the meeting is poorly organised. Most kids are brought up to respect their elders and display "good sportsmanship" and not complain, and may be uncomfortable saying anything about it, I know I did when I raced as a junior. A good parent will pick up what their kids think and feel and I have no problem with them airing grievences on their kids behalf if its done in an adult way.
The bottom line is that this was a race meet and should be run as one, it wasn't a practice or ride day where results other than personal ones aren't part of it. PB racing has a social side which is the great thing about it, but it also has a business side with sponsored riders, entry fees and structured racing. And people who race are by definition competetive and don't appreciate starting behind traffic when your have earned a place at the front of the grid or having hard won race results taken from you by an officials error. Nothing that we have spoken of will deminish the pleasure of those riders who just go out to have fun, but a properly run meeting will certainly make things less stressful for everyone who does take their racing seriously.

Matt.

[Neo]

Yes, I know your very competitive Steph and win most of the races which is through your ability and good riding. I was mainly referring to the majority of the kids and there were alot of juniors racing on Saturday night. Most of those kids wouldnt know where they came in the race and most of them couldnt give a damn, as long as they enjoyed it and finished the race. I was only referring to the comment about the bad lapscorers. We are all fallible and I believe the lap scorers do a good job and are not out to personally make a riders position worse than it is. They do make mistakes but as I said, the kids don't complain, its the parents ego's that are hurt if there kid is placed lower than they should be. If you went to the grid, and asked most kids where they came in their previous race, exlcuding you, as you are nearly always first and a couple of other riders, the rest of them wouldnt have a clue because theyre concentrating on their riding and some are only 11 and 12 years of age. I just dont like parents bitching because someone makes a mistake and I hope it is a genuine mistake. If the parents think they can lap score better than the people doing it, then all they have to do is ask. Thats my lot.

[PITCREW]

Neo, my son is 11 years old and always knows where he finishes, either from his own knowledge of the race, or from me as he insists I note his position.

I was not upset about him loosing about 8 grid positions in the final - HE was. I just told him to keep smiling and wear it on the chin

The kid next to him (younger) also knew he was out of position but had gained several places, so he was very happy.

There is a large core of kids who have been racing regularly there for some time now and boy, they are all competitive on the track. Off the track they all love the social aspect, as do the parents. (We also have a heap of fun too 'cause we all love the sport).

As Bonegraft said, It is a RACE meeting in every sense, and accurate results are important to many/most racers irrespective of age. Sure mistakes can be made, but Sat night for whatever reason was a bit over the top.

[Catfish]

Hi steph, heard that you were carving it up on this saturday night (mentioned above) from people that went down for a look. They didn't realize you came off bad. Recover well.

Other concerns told to me were that the marshals on motor bike things dont wear helmets, and that communications between them leaves much to be desired. A suggestion for 2-way radios between all marshals and the ambulance was told to me. A young rider had a decent crash and a marshal had to ride over, ask if he was ok, then go get the ambo on the other side of the track as a precaution, then the ambo had to drive over. The onlooker wasn't impressed at how long it took for all this to take place. 2-way comms would let people know stuff as soon as it happens.

Parklands will lose a lot of riders if safety measures aren't put number 1 in my opinion. A few people I know have said they dont particularly like it there for this reason mainly.