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V8s Girls strut their stuff on the grid

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:41:59 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3

Girls strut their stuff on the grid

Serenaded by the relentless roar of V8 engines and egged on by a sea of drooling men, 28 bikini clad Grid Girls fought it out for the inaugural Miss Hamilton 400 title at the weekend.

In less than tropical temperatures the contestants shivered yet smiled their way on to the Seddon Park stage in three heats over three days.

There were still plenty of backstage butterflies on Saturday but many said they fed off the raucous crowd that was hundreds strong and almost entirely male.

Each contestant was asked if they were supporting Holden or Ford and, while most were backing the former, Rose Burleigh's ambivalence won the day when she declared: "I swing both ways".

But while the contestants were on stage on Saturday an underwear thief apparently raided the Grid Girls changing room. When they returned after the pageant, three or four g-strings had disappeared.

And just for the record the inaugural Miss Hamilton 400 winner was Pipi Sopp.

pigs love the V8s

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:30:47 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3

Clip Source: www.stuff.co.nz

V8s 'windfall' goes to the pigs

A Hamilton cafe owner has been left with a $4000 debt and was yesterday forced to feed 1200 burger buns from the V8 weekend to pigs.

Zeal Cuisine owner Louise Bourke said the promised 160,000 visitors to Hamilton failed to reach her doorstep. Ms Bourke, who runs a boutique cafe at the north end of Victoria St, was left with hundreds of surplus burger buns and was trying to sell cuts of meat to friends and family. She blamed the Hamilton City Council for over-hyping the event, which encouraged her to ditch her usual gourmet specialist menu and to open over the weekend. Ms Bourke described Victoria St as a "ghost town" and said ads playing on the radio throughout the weekend telling people to avoid the city had made too much of an impact.

"We were down unbelievably because our regular customers were scared off by the V8 hype."

On top of the drop in customers, he said, restaurants cancelled orders as the crowds failed to show.

Cyclists go too fast sometimes

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:14:04 GMT

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Clip Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

Doug Humby, who snapped this sign on the 100K Flyer cycle race course from Rotorua to Taupo, says, "Cyclists go too fast sometimes".

like the road marking?

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:06:28 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3

Clip Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

Driving on Symonds St last week, Jan Hendrix of Henderson came across this chaos-causing road marking.

Adults wear socks only

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:43:31 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3

Clip Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

My wife and I thought this sign at a local Lollipops Playland in Tauranga was quite indecent, writes a reader.

Swastika symbol in fruit

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:41:01 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3

Clip Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

Nobody was more surprised than me to see a swastika symbol in my feijoa, writes Dan. "I considered placing it on Trade Me, but gave into temptation and ate it. It tasted pretty good."

V8s view Blocked it is our fist year ok next year

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:08:06 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3
clipper's remarks: When asked if organisers would consider refunds to unhappy spectators, Mr Calvert ruled out that option.

Clip Source: www.stuff.co.nz

VIEW BLOCKED: Hamilton man Rex Tinkler in the Stadium stand from which he can't see the Hamilton V8s' action.

His view up the straight is obscured by a giant TV screen and a tree, and the cars pull in too close to the left of the track before turning the corner, meaning they are obscured.

He said an engineer could easily have realised the grandstand seating wouldn't give spectators a good view.

"You would be better off going and sitting in the general admission seats. Probably next year I'll watch it on TV."

She also said the picture on the giant TV screen opposite was ruined by the sun, and the glare meant the view was poor.

V8 promoter Dean Calvert acknowledged they had slipped up with the angle of the grandstand.

" Listen, it is our first year. We will be making changes next year, definitely.

When asked if organisers would consider refunds to unhappy spectators, Mr Calvert ruled out that option.

"You only get a refund if something is cancelled."

Toilet paper bride is flushed with success

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 05:13:00 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3
clipper's remarks: Something old, something new.

Clip Source: www.stuff.co.nz

Toilet paper bride is flushed with success

Something old, something new, something borrowed from the loo.

Flushing Christchurch bride Vicky Heir strutted her toilet-paper wedding dress creation on the red carpet on Christchurch's Victoria Street yesterday, leading up to the city's Wedding Expo tomorrow.

Heir won a promotional competition with her Cottonsofts gown, beating seven other designers.

Expo manager Peta-Marie McLeod said the designers were allowed to use two four-packs of the double length Cottonsofts toilet tissue -- about 16 normal rolls -- to make their dresses.

"Most dresses took about eight to 10 rolls. They were absolutely stunning. It was just amazing -- the amount of effort some put in. They looked like the real thing."

The competition was something fun and lighthearted to promote the Wedding Expo, which would be held at the Christchurch Convention Centre tomorrow from 10am to 4pm, she said.

Hamilton 400 V8 Supercars fires up today

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:21:46 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3

Clip Source: news.google.co.nz

Motorsport: Wheeling up for the real deal
New Zealand Herald, New Zealand - 4 hours ago
The Hamilton 400 fires up today and over the weekend 162000 petrolheads, and a fair few of the just plain curious, are going to experience the magic of V8 ...
Little margin for error in Hamilton 400 Newstalk ZB
On the road The Dominion Post
Motorsport: V8 locals ready to give it heaps New Zealand Herald
New Zealand Herald - The Press
all 30 news articles »

50 facts about the Hamilton 400
Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand - 15 Apr 2008
Hamilton has the rights to host the V8s for seven years. 7. In its first year the event will cost about $22 million to put on, mainly because of track asset ...

Operation 400 media briefings Hamilton V8s
New Zealand Police, New Zealand - 16 Apr 2008
Waikato Police will be holding briefings for media covering the Hamilton 400 V8 racing event on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The briefings will cover ...

Hamilton 400 V8 Supercars

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:17:11 GMT

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Clip Source: www.v8supercar.co.nz

Hamilton 400 V8 Supercars

JUST AROUND THE CORNER...

With The Hamilton 400 V8 Supercars just around the corner make sure you're organised and up to date with the details.

Ticketing and Corporate hospitality are on Sale now as well as Limited Edition merchandise so get in now to avoid missing out.

Information about the event and details for transportation, accomodation and bookings can be found online, or join us for regular mail outs with up to the minute information leading up to the event.

Record 22 million Australians tune into V8 Supercar Championship Series

Hamilton 400 V8 Supercars N Z

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:49:55 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3
clipper's remarks: on to day

Clip Source: www.v8supercar.co.nz

JUST AROUND THE CORNER...

With The Hamilton 400 V8 Supercars just around the corner make sure you're organised and up to date with the details.

Ticketing and Corporate hospitality are on Sale now as well as Limited Edition merchandise so get in now to avoid missing out.

Information about the event and details for transportation, accomodation and bookings can be found online, or join us for regular mail outs with up to the minute information leading up to the event.

Hamilton 400 V8 Supercars

UFO invades lounge

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:53:41 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3

Clip Source: www.stuff.co.nz

Mysterious UFO invades lounge

Mystery today surrounded an unidentified flying object that smashed through the roof of a Hawke's Bay house, landing on the lounge floor yesterday.

The resident of Whakatu, eight kilometres northeast of Hastings, was home but in a different room.

It was first thought a small mechanical part had fallen from a small plane, but the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has discounted that theory.

CAA spokesman Bill Sommers told NZPA an aeronautical engineer studied the part and found it was not from a plane.

"So we don't know what it's from."

The metal object had rust on it, was about 11cm long, 4.5cm wide and weighed about a kilogram, Mr Sommer said.

It would be "impractical" to consider that it had fallen out of the plane somehow, he said.

He also discounted the object coming from outer space.

"It's not the kind of thing you'd want to put into space because it's too heavy," Mr Sommer said.

"So it's a bit mysterious."

Survivors barred from calling home

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:46:40 GMT

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Clip Source: www.stuff.co.nz

Survivors barred from calling home

Elim Christian College pupils on the ill-fated Tongariro adventure course were ordered not to phone or text their parents to let them know they were alive.

"That was the worst thing," Tom Cozens, 15, said. "We weren't allowed to contact our parents because the parents of the dead students didn't know." With cellphones already confiscated on arrival, they had no choice but to comply.

Six pupils and a teacher, part of a group staying at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre, died after flash flooding turned a gentle central North Island stream into a torrent.

Their classmates from the Auckland college endured an agonising wait while three survivors were brought back to camp - then eventually were told no more would be returning alive.

Tom said his parents were among the last to find out their child was alive, as there were two Toms in the group and it took them a while to work out which one was dead.

"People at home knew before we did," Tom said.

V8s Hamilton New Zealand TV 850 m

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:29:24 GMT

clipped by: hotdoge3
clipper's remarks: I will see it.in my City.

Clip Source: www.stuff.co.nz

V8s by numbers

Maximum worldwide television audience - 850m

Estimated extra money into the Waikato economy - $20.3m

Fans expected overthree days - 150,000

Concrete barriers- 2096

Race related jobs - 1000

Weeks to build the track - 6

Clip Source: www.stuff.co.nz

Hamiltonians, start your engines. After more than two years of planning, preparing, painting and paving New Zealand's leg of the V8 Supercars is less than a day away.

Maximum worldwide television audience - 850m

Man found not guilty over LPG lighter death

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:49:32 GMT

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clipper's remarks: I dont get it,so LPG & lighter?

Clip Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

Man found not guilty over LPG lighter death

A young man accused of killing his friend by flicking a cigarette lighter after huffing LPG gas in a car in Blenheim has been found not guilty of manslaughter.

Thomas Kelson Hillman, 18, died of heat-related internal injuries after an explosion in the car on October 30, 2006.

In the High Court at Blenheim yesterday, a jury took two hours to decide Tristian Ceciel Grant Beckett, 19, was not responsible for Mr Hillman's death.

Beckett had said he never thought his action would cause an explosion.