The annual report of Speedway NZ contains information to members on the activities of the

organisation for the year July 2011 – June 2012.

This report contains feedback from all of the Board members in the following categories:-

DAVID JONES: President’s Report, Technical Enforcement

WILLIE KAY: TV, Promotions, Health & Safety, Personal Safety and Open Wheel Classes

RICKY BOULTON: Superstock, Stockcar, Streetstock, Ministock and Safety Fence

SANDRA BIRDLING: Electronic Lapscoring, Rulebook and Officials

LEWIS DAWSON: Marketing, Sport NZ and TAB

MEL HILLS: Super Saloons, Saloons, Production Saloons and Modifieds

JOHN McCALLUM: Motorcycle Speedway and Quarter Midgets

Traditionally the Chief Executive has also put together a brief report, however with the Board doing

such a thorough job of analysing the last 12 months it would be fairly repetitive. Instead, there are

the Financial Reports in Section 7 (page 130) and the Speedway Snapshot (Section 8, page 150),

which contain insights and information from the CEO.

I am proud to present my first AGM report to you as President of Speedway New Zealand. My fellow

Directors and myself extend a warm welcome to you all and trust we can have a very positive

conference to ensure our sport continues to progress.

Speedway in recent months lost a tireless worker in Jake Pulman. Jake has been SNZ’s only Chief

Stipendiary Steward since SNZ was formed. Jake will be sadly missed and SNZ has passed on its

condolences to the Pulman family. SNZ and the Pulman family have created a new award “The Jake

Pulman Award of Excellence” which will be presented for the first time at the Awards Dinner.

I am pleased to announce that there have been no appeals in the last 12 months. I believe this is

the first time for 28 years. I would like to think that the right decisions are being made by SNZ and

its officials and this could have contributed to this.

A special thanks to all our staff: Tim, Gary, Laurie, John, Mike and Clyde and all the others involved

with the SNZ operational side. It is very important that we continue to up skill all our officials,

especially in man-management skills. I believe we need to put more resources in to this area.

Safety is a major concern. This year we lost a member of SNZ in Ray Channing. Ray will be sadly

missed by many SNZ members, particularly in Rotorua where he was a very popular Stockcar driver.

We are looking at all aspects of safety and while you are at the AGM we invite you to take a look at

the safety equipment displays. Please pass on any information to your competitors and clubs.

I was very fortunate to attend many meetings at different tracks around the country. Most meetings

we run well and where the Promoters and SNZ worked well together, the meeting seemed to go very

smoothly.

At the last SNZ AGM and SPANZ AGM we were asked to see if we could come up with a formula to

combine the two organizations. Both parties have worked well on this and an agreement has been

reached to present to both AGM’s. If this is accepted by both parties I believe Speedway will make

more progress in promoting itself. There is also room for some fine tuning if needed.

It is impossible to write everything down in a report so I invite you to ask me any questions over the

course of the weekend.

I wish to thank my fellow Directors for the past 12 months work. I believe they have worked well

together to make sure Speedway keeps moving ahead. Directors meetings in most cases have been

productive. Lewis Dawson is retiring after three years as a Board member, and I’m sure you’ll join

me in thanking him for his service and wishing him well for his future endeavours.

I also wish all tracks and competitors all the best for the upcoming season.

TECHNICAL ENFORCEMENT

This is an area where we need to undertake more training. We undertook a considerable amount of

vehicle checking throughout the season and it was disturbing to find out that not everything went

well. It is also very disturbing to find discrepancies with our Whistler compression tester and we are

presently undergoing an enquiry with the manufacturer to remedy this.

Technical enforcement is not usually popular so therefore I must thank all the people involved.

David Jones

TELEVISION

At the last AGM, the Directors were given the mandate to continue with television exposure of

Speedway with the emphasis on direct advertising and a generic ad if it could be considered to be

financially viable.

After investigation seven television advertisements were produced.

These consisted of one generic advertisement and a further six for

New Zealand Championships that were selected by the Directors.

These were for the Super Saloons, Superstocks, Midgets, Saloons,

Stockcars and Sprintcars. The ads were produced using available

footage that was not considered to show any favouritism and to

portray Speedway as an exciting activity providing great

entertainment and good value.

From early December and through until early April 142 advertisements were aired on TV1 at various

times and in various programmes selected for best exposure and available budget. The generic ad

was shown 85 times, the Stockcars 12 times, the Super Saloons and Midgets 10 times each, the

Saloons 9 times, and the Superstock and Sprintcars 8 times each.

This is the first time that the Speedway NZ budget has been dedicated to direct advertising rather

than subsidising Championship coverage, and the feedback received by the office has been

positive.

While a decision has yet to be made whether to continue with television, any future campaign would

benefit from a budget increase. Should the members elect to continue with the current direct

advertising option and events, there will be some saving by using the existing visuals, and only

changing the graphics and voice over portions of the ads. There may also be opportunities to

provide further benefit to those tracks hosting the individual Championship events.

PROMOTIONS

Being the SNZ Director holding the Promotions portfolio has been an interesting experience. Sitting

on both the SPANZ executive and the SNZ Board has provided the scenario for some difficult

discussions. Working through the proposed changes and the terms of reference as mandated by the

floor at the last AGM, and being the messenger to both organisations, was taxing at times to say

the least. Moving SPANZ into a subcommittee of SNZ, should the members of both SPANZ and SNZ

elect to do so, will mean some changes will occur. Regardless, I feel that the member tracks

deserve greater support and assistance from both SPANZ and SNZ, and I hope that this will happen

in the near future.

There have been many issues that SNZ has had to deal with regarding Promotions, and it is obvious

that there are some rules that do not provide for the needs of the tracks, and these need to be

presented at remits at the next AGM. Many of the issues, such as the number of competitors in the

final of the NZ stock car championship for example, which has been granted dispensation for a

number of years, should be addressed. Also, the cooperation between member tracks regarding the

scheduling of Championship events could be improved. Both organisations need to be strategic and

proactive to ensure Promotions and tracks are able to operate at their best.

There are many ways to assist the Promotions at tracks, and I hope that whether there are any

changes or not, there will be opportunity to contribute. Promotions can, and should be, an exciting

undertaking.

HEALTH & SAFETY

As we have in the past, and we will have in the future, we have again experienced another tragic

reminder that our sport can be dangerous. We have also had incidents that should have been

preventable, and we should be in no doubt that we need to be vigilant and proactive with regard to

Health and Safety.

There have been examples of rules and regulations not being followed, with the subsequent

exposure to risks that can be expected.

We cannot legislate all risk from our Speedway and more rules and regulations is not the complete

answer. The basic principles of Health and Safety may not always suffice, and we need to keep the

training of officials as a top priority.

Whatever our involvement in Speedway, we are all responsible for Health and Safety, and we need

to do our utmost to keep each other safe at all times.

PERSONAL SAFETY

It is abundantly obvious that some competitors are not wearing, or using all the safety equipment

that is available to them. There may be many reasons for not doing so, such as availability, cost, or

the acceptance of something new that they haven’t had the need for in the past.

Speedway NZ is still gathering data about many of the safety items available, and there are more

items coming onto the market at a steady pace.

It may well be that SNZ will have to legislate the use of some items that are currently optional, as

and when more information becomes available. As in Health and Safety, we need to strive to

eliminate, minimise or isolate items and issues of risk, and personal safety items are of the highest

priority.

OPEN WHEEL

The Open Wheel sections have been relatively stable, with the

exception of the Midgets, which required a rule to be implemented

during the racing season. This created the awareness of omissions in

the rules for some of the Open Wheel sections, and there is an

obvious need for some strategic planning by the Directors regarding

the rules and regulations. As with all competitors, the Open Wheel

section deserves to have rules and specifications that provide

stability for the foreseeable future, and it will be the responsibility of

the directors and Technical Committees to implement the process.

To this regard, seminars have been held with the TQ’s and Minisprints, with the other sections to

follow. Feedback from these discussions will provide the frame work for suggested rules to be sent

for consultation.

The open wheel sections include some of the oldest racing classes in speedway, and they deserve

to have a positive future.

Willie Kay

Midget 1NZ: Michael Pickens. Photo by James Selwyn

STREETSTOCKS

This grade has been well behaved this year. They had a few issues

with manifolds at the beginning of the season but the Board saw fit

to compromise and give these guys the ability to race their car at

minimal expense.

We also had an issue with mesh on the radiator hoops which again

the Board and Technical Committee advised we should give

dispensation to allow the 6mm mesh instead of the 4mm as per the

rule book.

As far as the grade goes country wide they have been well behaved. We have had very minimal, I

actually can’t think of any referrals to the board for competitors misbehaving, so it is quite obvious

to me that this grade has now realised that if they are well behaved and tidy up their attitude that

they do have a place within Speedway NZ, and it’s a grade that people love to watch and easy to get

into.

STOCKCARS

This grade has had its up’s and down’s. The ups including Peter

Rees wining another NZ title (congratulations to him), and the

outstanding teams events that this grade has produced throughout

the country to entertain our fans. This grade continues to grow with

enthusiastic young fellas coming into the grade giving the older

fellas a run for their money.

We have had a few issues with roll cages collapsing, and few

various accidents. Some comments out there were that the roll cage did not collapse in a rollover.

Unfortunately roll cages aren’t only there to protect the driver in a case of a rollover, the cage is to

protect them at all times, so we have sent all relevant information to a structural engineer in a

hope that he can come up with some recommendations (be it good or bad) so we can make the

correct decision.

We had a few hiccups at our national events. Cars turned up non-compliant, but luckily for these

competitors our officials allowed them to go away and change their car. This will not be happening

in the future as ignorance is no longer a form of defence. Competitors need to learn to read the

website updates (if they don’t have a computer find a friend that does) read and understand the rule

book (if you cannot read find someone to read it to you).

The Stockcar grade nationally has been reasonably well behaved apart from a few young fellas and

their crews attacking each other and SNZ Officials on Facebook and other forums. This will not be

tolerated. I believe that more clubs need to educate these competitors and the crews on how they

should act away from the track as much as they do at the track. Finally we had a tragic death of Ray

Channing in a latter part of the season. My condolences go out to his family and to all that were

involved and knew Ray. We have also had some bad injuries that have ended some racing careers,

we must never stop looking for ways to make our sport safer.

Streetstock 1NZ, Dave Hampton, Stockcar 1NZ, Peter Rees.

Photos by: Graeme Hughes, Sportsweb

SUPERSTOCKS

Still the glamour grade of NZ speedway. We have had a few issues

on roll cages with this grade as well, and hopefully we will get the

same answers from the engineers report as we do the stockcars.

We have had a few issues with drivers in this grade thinking the

rules don’t apply to them and using the safety card as a way to get

radical stuff passed for racing. Reality is the rules are made by all

the drivers not just one.

We have had a few trial tyres and trial engines approved. Not much to report at this early stage, but

hope to have more info for ya this time next year.

MINISTOCKS

Great feeder grade for speedway in NZ. We are holding a meeting this weekend regarding changes

to some of the rules – we will be able to report on some of the ideas at the end of this weekend or

through the course of the year.

Behaviour within the Youth Ministocks is still proving to be a problem. SNZ is still having to deal

with petty shit (e.g. Facebook rubbish, Twitter rubbish, parents fighting parents and parents abusing

SNZ officials). At the end of the day clubs should be dealing with 80% of the problems that get

brought to SNZ. The board should not have to deal with some little jumped up 13 year old that

abuses an official or makes a comment on Facebook, we’ve got better things to do. If you need help

with some ideas go talk to the Huntly or Rotorua delegates and ask them, because we never get

problems with kids from these two clubs.

FENCES

This year is crunch year for many of us to get our venues up to the new standards. I know some

clubs have been and will be struggling but if you are unsure on the best way to fix your fences ask

other clubs for help and advice. Neighbouring clubs should be sharing resources and manpower to

accomplish the new standards. Let’s all try and work together to keep all clubs racing.

Ricky Boulton

Superstock 1NZ – Joe Faram. Picture: Kenley Brown

OFFICIALS

The Board is pleased that there has been an improvement in the behaviour and decision-making

from the majority of officials this year while recognising that in some cases there are still issues

with interpretation of the rules, enforcing local rules (which are not included in the rulebook) and

despite training, an attitude of “I’m the Official at this track and what I say, you will do!”.

It is also pleasing to report that:

• Technical Officials have identified 20 non-compliant engines during the 2011/12 season.

• For the first time in 28 years, there have been no appeals to the Board this season.

Speedway NZ Officials are nominated by the promotions and the Board approves the appointments

acknowledging that sometimes a lack of willing volunteers means that those nominated are not

always the “best person for the job”.

It is unhelpful for the Board to receive grief from the promotions about the actions of their

nominated Officials during the season and it’s time for the promotions to take some responsibility

for the actions of their nominated Officials.

The Board would like to thank all the Officials for their dedication to Speedway during the 2011/12

season.

ELECTRONIC LAPSCORING

In August 2011 the Board approved travel to Natsoft and Dorian in Australia by the Operations

Manager Laurie Callender and taskforce member Nic Gibbs. The visit was primarily to discuss

updating the software specifically for Speedway and included updating the operators manual,

championship formats and points used in Speedway, championship events involving multiple groups

and points. They also took with them the backlog of transmitters that required repair.

The visit to the Dorian factory meant that they could see first-hand the assembly and repair of

transmitters as well as the testing of these. They were shown the testing of Track Side Receivers

(TSR) and the software used to adjust these including a dummy loop, set up around a cardboard box

so a transmitter could be passed over it. A TSR tester has been supplied and has been used on NZ

tracks to check each loop in the track for condition and leakage to earth. To date 10 tracks have

been checked and all have been passed.

All track ELS operators, that Speedway NZ has contact details for, have been given access to a web

based tool to assist them, www.elsofficial.proboards.com. The forum is available to assist ELS

operators. Promotions will be asked to provide contact details for their operators to the Speedway

NZ office for the coming season.

The updated operators manual has been completed and includes the latest software version screen

shots. The latest software has been copied to all tracks and ELS operators need to ensure this is

uploaded so they receive the full benefit of changes that have been made to the system for

Speedway.

The transmitter repairs backlog has been reduced. It has also been noted that a lot of repairs only

require a kick start of the batteries, as if transmitters have not been charged over winter and the

batteries won’t always kick into life. A “Booster Charger” has been designed and is being used by

the Speedway NZ office as a stage 1 check to repair transmitters.

Speedway NZ has purchased a supply of the Dorian

hardwired transmitters (Dorian TX8000 Direct).

Mounting brackets, instructions and new

measurements have been developed and are

supplied with a kit of correct bolts and nuts to

mount these transmitters. (see sample right).

A resource plan to assist ELS Operators with

Championship support during the 2011/12 season was achieved. It is worthwhile noting that there

were very few timing issues at championship meetings during this past season. With the scrutineers

being more diligent in the area of incorrect transmitter mountings the rate of non-compliant mounts

has dropped providing more consistent results.

The Board would like to thank the ELS Taskforce and all ELS operators for their dedication to

Speedway during the 2011/12 season.

RULEBOOK

The format of the technical specifications and racing rules, Sections T and R is a jumble of

repetitive paragraphs using different words to describe the same part of a race car e.g. engine and

motor. In some places it is difficult to understand what the correct meaning of the statements are

and that in turns leads to difficulties faced by Speedway NZ Officials to enforce the statements.

The taskforce have been working to structure Section T into the following groupings:

1 Frame/Chassis

Bumpers/Nerf bars/Materials/Rollcages/Wheelbases/Body/Wings

2 Engine

Carburettors/Fuel Injection/Cylinder heads/ Exhaust system/Fuel Oil systems/

Throttle controls etc

3 Electrical

Batteries/Ignition/On-Off/ELS

4 Wheels and tyres

5 Drivetrain

Clutches/Flywheels/Driveshafts/Transmission/Gearbox/Differential/Rear end

6 Brakes and suspension

Steering/Brakes

7 Safety Equipment – generic where possible

Seats/Belts/Nets/Clothing/Helmets/Restraints

Sections E and S have also been reviewed, with the intention of moving much of the information

contained in these two sections into the relevant T Sections. To date, the Solos/Sidecar section has

been rewritten but not progressed any further and the Open Wheel section has been rewritten

excluding rollcages.

The Board would like to thank the Rulebook Taskforce for their dedication to Speedway during the

2011/12 season.

Sandra Birdling

After three years as Director I have decided not to seek re-election to the Board. Speedway in New

Zealand is a dynamic sport and I feel privileged to have contributed to the sport in a governance

role.

I discussed in my last report the role of marketing and how to apply it to our sport. When applying

marketing to a plan we look at the macro and the micro environment. In short we look at the bigger

and the smaller picture, looking at past and future trends that could have an impact on our sport.

The bigger picture sees the current global economic crises still not showing any signs of recovery.

We have to ask the question what effect do these world events have on our local speedway tracks.

Just this week Fonterra has dropped the payout to Diary farmers because of a current oversupply of

milk products and an increase in competition. This macro event will have a flow on effect on tracks

that rely on the rural sector for competitors and fans. Even though New Zealand seems to be riding

this economic crisis well, we still need to be mindful of any sudden changes worldwide that could

have a trickle-down effect on our sport.

This highlights the uncertainty we still face as a sport which could see outside market forces having

a major impact without us having any control over these outcomes. Two ways to counter any of

these influences is 1) to tighten our belt to ensure we do not live beyond our means and 2) the

promotion of our sport.

Recently SNZ conducted an online survey with the major trend from the more than 400 respondents

being the promotion of the sport. Historically SNZ has been more of a regularity and technical

organisation with little or no place for marketing. Overwhelmingly the respondents to this survey

highlighted the need for the promotion of our sport. The findings from this survey backed up the

outcomes from the Promoters forum held last year. So the will is there for SNZ to take a lead in the

marketing of our sport. The proposed merger of SPANZ with SNZ to create a promotional team is a

great step in the right direction. The moving of our head office to Wellington and now the proposed

merger of SPANZ are two major strategic initiatives that bode well for the health of our sport in the

future.

However last season as a whole saw a downturn of our some of premier classes, and an overall loss

of 94 competitors across all classes. These are trends we need to be mindful of as they are not good

reading especially if the economic crisis continues over the next few years. The merger of SPANZ

and the consequent marketing of our sport should see a halt to this slide and hopefully a reversal of

fortunes.

TAB

Covered 13 events (was 12 last year) and turnover was up a total of 26%. For the 12 existing events

the turnover was up 15%, so strong growth there. TAB turnover for the six months to 31 Jan 2012

was up 3.9% so we are doing well.

SPORT NZ (FORMERLY SPARC)

We have held our funding at $20,000 per annum and are just about to start the next reporting and

negotiation round with them. Obviously they have no additional funding from the government so

things are tight. As of 1 February 2012 they changed name to Sport New Zealand too.

Lewis Dawson

MODIFIEDS

Although not huge numbers the class makes up for it in quality.

Numbers have dropped at some tracks yet increased at others so

overall numbers have stayed roughly the same. No major headaches

with this class over the season however upon investigation a

change in right rear wheel hubs may be inevitable.

SUPER SALOONS

Despite being under the consultation process, competitors do not

want to know about being involved with looking after their class

until a major event and then all hell breaks loose over silly items

that were put out for their consultation earlier. In all it makes you

wonder whether the class would be better under the remit process.

I can see this class having difficulty next season as drivers try to

push boundaries and invent things that are not in the rule book.

SALOONS

Saloon class is increasing in numbers especially in the South Island.

This could be due to Cromwell holding the NZ title in 2013. This

class still has a couple of niggles with the way some of the rules

have been written after the split from being combined with the

Super Saloons section in the rulebook with a couple of competitors

exploiting these.

Overall not a bad year for this class but at a major meeting it was

highlighted that careful selection of class representatives and explaining their roles and authority is

of upmost importance.

PRODUCTION SALOONS

There was a decrease in numbers for this class this season. Whether this is because people are

using this as a feeder class like it was intended or not. I cannot be sure but with any issues quickly

cleared up by the Directors and Technical Committee we are doing our best for the competitor.

More modern and better presented vehicles seem to be the norm at most tracks.

Mel Hills

Modified 1NZ: Richard Pierce, Super Saloon 1NZ: Steve Flynn, Saloon 1NZ: Jeff Barron

Photos By: Graeme Hughes, Sportsweb

SIDECARS

Although the numbers of sidecar competitors has remained

relatively static for the past three years, we have seen an increase

in the quality of machinery and the level of competition within this

section.

The tidy-up of the rule book to bring the sidecar rules more in

alignment with FIM rules means our competitors can compete in

international events on an equal footing.

This year we had several teams travel to the FIM Gold Cup meeting in Adelaide where they were

able to race competitively with Australian and English competitors.

There was a selection process held within New Zealand to establish the competitors that would

attend this meeting, those riders selected represented New Zealand well. Unfortunately, the level

of organisation in running of the meeting by the FIM was not up to the standard of a world

championship and was disappointing for all.

In February the sidecar section had a very successful New Zealand title run at Rosebank Road

speedway for the first time.

Rosebank speedway although long established as a motorcycle venue, had never before hosted the

New Zealand sidecar championship. This championship ran without a hitch with Rob and Deane

Miller of Gisborne coming out as deserved winners.

After the running of the South Island sidecar championship at Moore Park, I was contacted by the

Club President Mike Provost to comment on how pleased they were with the South Island meeting.

The number of entries they received being well up on what this meeting had attracted in the past

and the quality of racing was also a vast improvement on what had been seen in previous years.

The event attracted strong spectator interest which continued a trend that has developed over the

past two seasons with promoters all over New Zealand being pleasantly surprised by the crowds

attracted to quality sidecar events.

SOLOS

The running of the FIM world championship at Western Springs in

March this year provided a huge boost for solo racing in New

Zealand. Through this event we were able to advertise our local

solo clubs to attract new competitors. There have been several

enquiries as a result of this publicity. We were also able to take a

group of junior and developing riders to practice day for this event

and have them addressed by a selection of Grand Prix riders on the

rigours of being a professional speedway rider and where our young

riders should be aiming to place their stepping stones to reach this pinnacle.

Sidecar 1NZ Rob & Deane Miller at the World Sidecar Champs. Photo by Shelley Clark

Solo 1NZ Jason Bunyan at the Speedway GP. Photo by James Selwyn

Of course we had three representative in the meeting itself, Jason Bunyan was riding for New

Zealand as he has done for several years. Jason performed admirably when considering he was

competing against the best 15 riders in the world.

Also involved in this meeting were the track reserves, Sean Mason and Grant Tregoning who got to

participate in all aspects of the Grand Prix including the Thursday and Friday practice sessions, the

media launch, various other media and social functions attached to the event, and were in the pits

on race day as track reserves. Although not called on to ride they were able to learn a lot from

speaking to other competitors and being part of the Grand Prix environment.

Further to that Sean Mason has since attended the first round of the FIM World Under-21

Championships held in Holland where he scored a creditable 6 points finishing in 10th overall. He

was unfortunate to fall in his last ride, had he have scored points in this race he would have almost

certainly progressed to the next round of the World Championship.

Sean Mason and Jamie Moohan have now based themselves in the UK under Jason Bunyan’s

tutelage and are seeking rides with British clubs in the third tier or national league of British

speedway.

Also travelling to the UK for six weeks from the end of May is junior rider Bradley Andrews. Bradley

has just turned 14 and is going to compete in the British 250cc championships held at three venues

across the UK.

All these riders have come through the system of junior development and training set up by MSNZ.

We are now seeing the results of this group’s hard work by the quality of riders being produced.

In the tier below this we have several promising junior riders who are about to make their mark in

the senior ranks. The last group involved with MSNZ being the pee-wee riders have increased in

number by over 30% in the last season.

TRAINING MANUAL

Over the past two seasons an extensive training manual has been compiled

by a professional trainer.

Andy Paterson the person charged with compiling and assembling this

manual is an ex-British soldier now based in New Zealand who previously

worked with the development of the British cycling team, who went on to

become a world force through following the programmes developed by Andy

Paterson.

This manual is 90% complete and when fully operational will provide a tool

that speedway has never had before in regard to offering training to our

young competitors.

Although parts of this manual are specific to motorcycle racing it has been developed in such a way

that it can be used for all youth classes, as it has a real focus on training the trainers so we have the

right people teaching the skills in a uniformed, structured and proven manner.

BUDGET

The dedicated motorcycle speedway funding scheme of $100 per adult licence and $50 per youth

licence continued in 2011-12, being made available for disbursement by the MSNZ sub-committee.

The unspent income from the previous season was also carried over into the 2011-12 season

budget.

The total funds available to MSNZ for 2011-12 were $40,175; the total money spent for the season

was $17,333. The unspent amount of $22,842 is carried over to 2012-13.

As you can see by these figures it is not simply a case of spending everything that is available; we

are very selective on what money is spent on, ensuring that it is going to return some value to

motorcycle speedway in New Zealand.

Through this system we have been able to save the motorcycles classes from extinction and see

them develop in strength and depth.

I would like to commend the work of the MSNZ sub-committee who work diligently and without

payment to see that this operation continues to run smoothly and funds allocated from SNZ are

spent wisely.

QUARTER MIDGETS

This class is administered by a very enthusiastic group of predominantly parents with the bulk of the

competitors being based in either Auckland or Christchurch. Throughout the season we have had

some issues with technical matters that have been dealt with efficiently and effectively by the

technical committee.

A focus for this division is to keep a restraint on cost so ¼ Midgets do not become out of reach for

people wishing to enter into this division.

Quarter Midgets continue to be the breeding ground for open-wheel drivers with another group

having moved into the senior ranks last year, predominantly into TQ’s and Midgets.

Innovations adapted by this class through the season included a very successful open day hosted at

Waikaraka Park that was well attended by current competitors and supporters but also by people

interested in joining this class. As a direct result of this day we have seen three new competitors

join the ¼ Midget ranks in Auckland.

To aid this open day and other club practice days, ¼ Midgets have been able to work with SNZ to

implement the same youth training licence structure already utilised by junior solos, allowing more

prospective competitors the opportunity to have a go in the Auckland ¼ Midget club’s training car

and so get a taste of the sport without any large initial outlay.

These innovations have seen an increase in the car count in both Auckland and Christchurch.

Once again, thank you to the members of the technical committee who have been responsible for

administering the rule changes and clarifications throughout the 2011-12 season.

John McCallum

Financial Total Total Surplus/ Total Retained

Year Revenue Expenditure Deficit Assets Earnings

2011/12 $794,508 $806,689 -$12,181 $333,389 $293,936

2010/11 $784,470 $781,584 $2,886 $339,670 $306,116

2009/10 $782,136 $821,155 -$29,418 $345,595 $303,230

2008/09 $759,600 $732,843 $49,656 $363,303 $332,647

2007/08 $719,212 $755,228 -$36,016 $324,338 $282,991

2006/07 $746,223 $664,384 $81,839 $325,119 $325,119

2005/06 $581,010 $537,502 $43,508 $228,833 $228,833

2004/05 $535,410 $532,459 $2,951 $229,155 $184,032

2003/04 $496,834 $489,873 $6,961 $223,957 $164,080

2002/03 $558,304 $558,078 $226 $217,596 $155,501

This section is broken into three parts:-

The audited financial statements for the year to 31 March 2012 begin on the next page.

They show a shortfall of $12,181 between income and expenditure, versus a projected surplus of

$8,806. This differential is partly due to a reduction in licensed competitors, with 3.5% less

competitors than the year before. With over half of Speedway NZ’s income coming from licenses,

this does have an impact.

The expenses side of the ledger is generally more of a known quantity to the organisation, so tend

to differ when a conscious decision is made to spend more than anticipated. There are exceptions,

such as NZ title rainouts, that incur additional expenses for the governing body.

Overall, the general aim of Speedway is to live within its means, and that was mostly achieved in

2011/12.

The table to the right

shows a ten year

comparison of key

financial indicators.

This information is not part of the formal accounts, but provide a look at some of the more relevant

and topical sectors of the organisation that are of interest such as:-

Motorcycle Speedway New Zealand

The Technical Fund

Directors Fees

Television

The Rulebook Taskforce

Note that any shortfalls in these areas are funded by general expenditure.

The requirement of the AGM to approve a budget is shrined in the constitution, so the indicative

budget for 2012/13 is enclosed.

Solo Competitors

2008/09 82

2009/10 88

2010/11 91

2011/12 75

Sidecar Competitors

2008/09 169

2009/10 177

2010/11 190

2011/12 181

Junior Solo Competitors

2008/09 19

2009/10 26

2010/11 19

2011/12 21

Peewee Solo Competitors

2008/09 0

2009/10 0

2010/11 8

2011/12 11

All Motorcycle Competitors

2008/09 270

2009/10 291

2010/11 308

2011/12 288

The dedicated motorcycle speedway funding scheme was extended for a fourth season by the SNZ

Board in August 2011, with $100 incl GST per Adult licence and $50 per Youth licence available for

disbursement by the MSNZ sub-committee. The unspent income from previous seasons was also

available.

Expenditure for the 2011/12 financial year is shown below, along with competitor numbers by

relevant class over the four year period.

MSNZ Financial Summary as at 31 March 2012

$ $

Previous unspent income bought forward 18001

2011/12 Income

Licence fees 20000

Travel assistance from Motorcycling NZ 2174

Total Income 2011/2012 22174

Total Income available 40175

2011/12 Expenses

Travel assistance - New Zealanders overseas 8543

Travel assistance - overseas competitors to NZ 4000

New Zealand Team Manager 1800

FIM Clerk of Course Training 1000

MSNZ Meeting expenses 1511

R&M - Training bikes 88

Bike transport Akl - Chch 391

Total Expenses 2011/2012 17333

Unspent at 31st March 2012 - carry over to 2012/13 22842

Technical Fund Summary for the 2011/12 Season

$ $ $

2011/2012 Income

1886 Adult 4 wheel competition licences @ $25.50 ($30 incl GST) 48095

2011/2012 Expenses

Repairs and Maintenance to existing equipment

Scales 669

Sound Meters 180

Trailers 4319

Compression Testers 314 5482

Purchase of new equipment

ELS testers 387

Tyre testing equipment 894

Class-specific equipment 874

Compression tester (Whistler) 2776 4931

Technical Stewards expenditure

Daily Rate 4958

Accommodation 4256

Travel 4627

Mileage 13875

Training Seminar 4415 32131

Technical Advisor 6000

Fuel Sampling Kits & Testing 8057

Total Expenses 56601

Deficit -8506

$30 per Adult competition licence from the four-wheeled classes is earmarked for expenditure on

Technical requirements. Motorcycle and Youth competitors do not contribute to the fund.

This was an area of major focus this season, and some of the highlights included:-

All existing equipment was returned to SNZ Head Office for servicing and assessment. As a

result, some equipment was refurbished and other new equipment was purchased. For

example, all five sets of SNZ scales were calibrated on the same day, using the same load to

ensure consistency.

Two Technical Stewards attended the major allocated titles where possible, to ensure

greater coverage and more thorough inspections. This could be responsible for an increase

in the technical infringements issued this season, up from 2 last year to 11 in 2011/12.

123 fuel samples were also taken, with Asure Quality again undertaking the testing on our

behalf. No irregularities were found, which is pleasing to note.

Board Meeting Attendance

2011/12

David Jones 11

Lewis Dawson 11

Mel Hills 11

Willie Kay 10

John McCallum 10

Sandra Birdling 9

Ricky Boulton 8

Total Meetings 11

TV Financial Summary for the 2011/12 season

$ $

Income

23 tracks @ $434.78 ($500 incl GST) 10000

Expenditure

Perspective Group Ltd - Creation of Ads 2600

TVNZ - Broadcasting 13169

Total Expenses 15769

Deficit -5769

Rulebook Taskforce expenditure per annum

2009/10 3 meetings New Plymouth, Wellington, Palm Nth 4226

2010/11 3 meetings Nelson x2, Wellington 5502

2011/12 3 meetings Wellington x2, Hamilton 7547

Total cost to date 17275

Board meetings from November to April are held during the week, to avoid

clashing with speedway meetings. From May to October they are held on

the weekend to avoid board members having to take a day off work.

Directors attending board meetings have received $150 before tax since

September 2009. In the 2011/12 financial year the cost of this activity

was $10,950 (down from $11,400 in 2010/11).

The attendance record of the current Directors is included in the table to

the right.

This was the first year that Speedway NZ’s $500 TV levy had been directed

towards a general advertising campaign, rather than subsidising the

production of TV shows for premier race meetings.

The adverts appeared on TV One during a variety of timeslots from January

through to March.

With the costs of the Rulebook Taskforce to come from the organisations reserves, it is important to

itemise these separately from general expenditure. The rewrite is nearly half complete after three

years, with Sections C, M and Technical rules for 6 classes reworked, amounting to just over 100

pages. With the Taskforce not having a strong Technical background, more assistance is being

utilised for the rewrite of Section T.

Speedway NZ 2012/13 Budget

2012/13 2011/12 2011/12 2010/11

Budget Actual Budget Actual

Operating Revenue

Competitors Licences 321,415 292,908 322,898 300,840

One day Licences 58,971 57,252 59,617 59,609

Technical Fund 49,539 48,095 50,615 50,403

MSNZ Fund 22,838 22,174 - 23,337

Competitor Infringement 12,045 11,395 10,000 9,240

AGM Income 44,574 61,082 50,000 47,168

Electronic Lapscoring 99,760 98,165 105,174 96,655

Grants Received 20,000 20,000 60,000 20,097

Promotions 965 4,647 7,348 2,047

Track Fees 42,826 47,567 48,351 37,450

Permit Fees 118,137 117,983 114,264 111,944

Technical Equipment Sales 4,130 4,214 5,652 5,344

Training Income - 487 450 439

Gross Surplus from Trading 795,200 785,969 834,369 764,573

Less Expenses

Administration and Financial Expenses

Accountancy Fees 3,000 2,860 3,000 2,800

Accident Compensation Levies 3,000 2,881 3,870 3,632

AGM Expenses 44,000 61,832 60,000 58,884

Audit Fees 1,800 1,650 1,800 1,650

Bank Charges 4,540 4,406 4,100 4,056

Communication Costs 11,900 12,529 16,000 14,628

Computer 5,575 5,903 6,500 6,347

Competitor Infringement 1,100 1,411 2,500 2,442

Executive Meetings 52,800 51,282 43,300 41,151

Electronic Lapscoring 88,250 105,723 100,500 103,472

Fringe Benefit Tax 4,600 4,560 10,000 9,513

General Expenses 540 506 800 3,656

The information contained below mirrors the reporting in the audited financial statements for ease

of comparison, with the addition of the budgeted figures for the 2012/13 financial year and

2011/12.

Some points to note:-

There have been no budgeted fee increases for tracks.

Competitor licences fees up $10 to $180 adult and $90 youth respectively, the first increase

in two years.

Assumption is that the Motorcycle Speedway sub-committee will spend their entire available

funding.

An additional staff member will be recruited, primarily to allow for the start of an overhaul

from a paper-based to an electronic organisation. This will be a long-term project, and all

indications are that a new staff member will be more cost-effective than outsourcing.

A small surplus of $11,281 is predicted.

All figures exclude GST.

Insurance 13,705 13,043 9,590 9,135

Lease Equipment - 1,013 3,036 3,078

Lease Vehicles 2,756 11,636 16,356 16,356

Legal Expenses - Deductible 4,800 4,538 3,000 3,219

Licences 18,850 30,421 37,777 15,774

Officials Expenses 4,200 5,000 3,525 3,198

Permit Fees Expenses 70,340 77,327 76,473 73,319

Printing and Stationery 5,925 5,794 5,000 5,105

Rent/Lease Property 10,395 10,348 13,000 11,632

Training 17,000 22,275 29,250 26,102

MSNZ Expenses 46,591 16,422 18,000 29,532

Vehicle Inspection/Compliance 8,500 7,047 8,300 7,831

424,167 460,407 475,677 456,512

Operating Expenses

Advertising 25,350 24,465 52,297 22,245

Electricity 1,595 1,402 1,200 1,179

Freight & Cartage 9,215 8,943 13,500 13,455

Low Value Assets - 835 - 346

Track Inspections & Insurance 22,020 16,685 24,609 17,976

Vehicle Expenses 16,500 16,295 15,000 13,546

Wages 247,481 214,800 210,357 205,948

Technical Expenses 49,300 52,212 43,000 39,767

371,461 335,637 359,963 314,462

Non Cash Expenses

Depreciation 8,481 10,645 8,293 9,647

Total Expenses 804,109 806,689 843,933 780,621

Operating Deficit before Other Income -8,909 -20,720 -9,564 -16,048

Other Income

Interest Received 7,700 8,539 8,380 9,902

Donations in Kind 12,490 9,990

Gain on sale 9,990

Loss on sale -958

Total Other Income 20,190 8,539 18,370 18,934

Net surplus/deficit(-) before tax 11,281 -12,181 8,806 2,886