Dave Stummings

Hopefully the weather will hold. They have forecast rain but fingers crossed it'll arrive mid day and finish around mid afternoon..Rain is the best watering system as Mr Tatum says, so lets hope it's not to bad. I think Rye can win this one, but it will be close. MPT will he be unstoppable again as he was a few weeks ago? Yes looking forward to this one, no moans either you'll note the medication must be working

Looking to attend this. Should be a good meeting, as all the NL standalone meetings generally are. What I would say though are a couple of things. The programme is a bit awkward, the admission is a bit high when there's a Rockets meeting the following day and track shop non-appearance is pathetic :nono: But with Mason back at his former track for Kent, Shanes and Ayres doing particularly well, throw in Baseby and it'll be a close meeting. The reserves will probably win this meeting and I’m putting my money on a Raiders win!

Indeed a spare pen or pencil and a pair of wellies required, as no doubt the crater in the car park will like be a lake! I am quite amazed the meeting is still on. I wonder if we’ll see a lot of work done in the stadium since last week. I must say the geranium flower bed in front of the long bar looked mighty impressive. At least they’ll like the rain! Talking of rain, having just walked in the grounds of the Stummings Hall, the grounds are extremely wet, well me back garden is! Let’s hope the breeze will dry the track out and assist in track preparation and we’re not talking Preparation X!

Club statement reads STOKE Speedway regret to announce they have taken the decision to postpone Saturday’s City Gearboxes National League fixture against Rye House. A further outbreak of vandalism has resulted in significant damage to the referee’s box at Loomer Road. Police investigations are ongoing and at this stage it is not possible to guarantee safe repairs can be concluded in time for the fixture. Heavy rain during Friday means track work would be required to get the match on, and this would normally be completed without concerns, but priority at this stage has to be given to the stadium issues. In the circumstances, Stoke Speedway have elected to make an early decision to avoid inconvenience on race-day, and we look forward to our next fixture at home to Mildenhall on Sunday June 7 (3pm start).

Indeed awful. I was looking forward to coming up to this, never mind, hopefully will be able to make it next time. Hope they catch the swines, but will probably get no more than community service! Good luck Stoke on catching them.

Ben is a very good rider in the NL, he struggles in the PL with Redcar. If he was to move back to Purfleet then he will certainly score points around at home, away from home i don't think he will. The whole idea i thought on keeping Adam Ellis was his better away form. Dark days at the moment for Arena but I'm sure as Alan Partridge said they'll 'bounce back'..... :t:

The top league in the UK is the PL and not EL. There are so many riders doubling up into the EL and only a splash of world class riders, that’s the only real difference in my view. Sure it would be £18ish plus programme, that's £20ish and a lot of people struggle finically, as indeed Stummo does! I personally don’t see what the draw of EL racing is. Same teams week in week out. All the world class riders elbow the UK, Sky don’t sponsor the EL so when they show a televised match they get little reward. The only reason Birmingham went up was the Sky purse and looks what’s happened to them!

I fully understand your statement Shads, but why agree to run a trackshop if you live in Suffolk? I’d have thought after Andy’s Emporium folded [he didn’t bother with standalone NL Meetings either] the club would have taken control, but that, as we know didn’t happen. Speedway trackshops aren’t the big business they used to be, no question on that, but it’s very poor to only attend PL matches. Buxton get extremely poor crowds, yes I know it’s a standalone track and the crowds are probably on par with Raiders, but they have a track shop open. Perhaps it’s me being old fashioned? With no supporters club, no track shop at NL meetings, draw tickets being pulled out by heat 4, Rye House’s attitude really does depress me at times. I thought Warren Scott would be a breath of fresh air, but I’m beginning to wonder.

Wonder if the track shop people will bother turning up! I despair at this total lack of commitment not turn up for NL meetings. If you can’t be bothered get someone who can. I’ve written to Len Silver and Warren Scott telling them that to! When I’ve taken the grandkids always bought a few bits from the trackshop, certainly boycotting them from now on! As for the Redcar match, it’ll be over quick! With 3 Rockets and 1 Bear dashing up to Wolverhampton after, expect a quickly run meeting. As for the score, can really only see a home win. Although ex rockets Robson and Roynon will score a few. Jan Graversen normally scores a few when he gates. Lasse Bjerre blows hot and cold, as does Kus. Konopka hasn’t set the world on fire and Ben Morley has been very disappointing again in the PL, can’t do his confidence much good riding for Redcar. It’ll be interesting to see how Dan Greenwood gets on today. Must have been a massive boost to his confidence getting 15 point max at Rye House in the NL for the Coventry Storm. Stummo’s prediction is a 15 plus win for the Rockets.

Cast your minds back to the first meeting of the season at Rye House. It’s March 21st and there’s an air of optimism with all the changes that are taking place to revamp the stadium. Len Silver on the PA at the start of that first meeting says “You’ll see changes every week you come to Rye House!” Now zip forward almost 2 months later and these are the changes I’ve seen. A programme with a catch phrase ‘burn down the night every Saturday’ on an all too familiar programme A track that was getting a blue groove even earlier than last year for the PL meetings A track shop that can’t be bothered to turn up for a National League match. We had this with the previous track shop proprietor with Raiders stand alone matches. Stummo’s view is if you don’t make any money from the NL meetings, then tough! My mate and his son came with me for the first time for last Saturday's match agaist Kings Lynn. In the car going I told his 8 year old son I’d buy him a badge, but of course on arrival no track shop and we had a gutted 8 year old! Why should anyone have to buy a badge online, it just takes away the excitement for a kid and surely that’s whole idea of having a track shop! If whoever runs the track shop you just want the cream, but you have to take the rough with the smooth. Some meetings you’ll make money, others you lose a very poor attitude I’m afraid. This is what happens when you have people running a track shop that are not locals or run by the club. What’s happened to Lisa Eldridge and the other young lady on the turnstiles? As for stadium improvements, err, well, have I missed something? Nothing seems to be happening! Rumours and I stress they are only rumours that riders aren’t getting paid on time I’m beginning to feel concerned about Rye House. After seeing the money that’s been spent on Glasgow I was half expecting something similar to take place at Rye, perhaps not on such a scale, but it seems to have come to a halt. So the excitement of a new look stadium seems to have just faded and sincerely hope the speedway its self doesn’t!

Interesting how these rumours start about the possible switch for Lakeside’s Elite League’s licence to Kent. Rumours normally start towards the end of the season, not at the start! From what I’ve heard [more rumours] the Woodroffe's have increased rent for each season by a considerably amount year on year. No question they, Lakeside, are well supported in the Elite League, but I think It’s a well-known fact Stuart Douglas has put a lot of money into the Lakeside team. I did hear a few years ago it was a 5 year plan when he started promoting with Len Silver for Lakeside to basically make money and get some silver ware. Would the Lakeside crowd support in numbers Premier League Speedway? Certainly NL isn’t in the equation. What race day would they race? Can’t see Rye being happy with a Saturday night rival just a few junctions around the M25. Perhaps, as again rumours suggest Rye will go Elite-god I hope not- then they may change their race day. With Kent supposedly being given planning permission to run from 7:30pm to 9:30pm only on a Friday it does make you wonder though. It’s also been suggested one of the swale Council’s conditions is that Friday night is for Elite League only at Central Park. I think had Kent been given planning permission last season for 9:30 finishes, the Elite League licence at Eastbourne would have moved to Central Park this year with the NL Licence going the other way. Certainly Central Park has better facilities but the track needs to be sorted. If, and it’s a big if, Lakeside do move their EL licence to Kent, where does that leave the Purfleet track? There have been rumours that the Woodroffe'd want to sell up. The stocks I think take each year as it comes as they’ve been told they want to keep a stadium there but move it to the area behind the 1st/2nd bend. Rumours, rumours, who knows what the future holds, but there is as they say “no smoke without fire”

Can only assume from here teaboy279! http://speedwayupdates.proboards.com/thread/14323/kent-cradley-nl-mon-30pm

Right call I think. Who'll replace him? Rye applied for 28 day guest facility starting at Somerset this Friday.

Just seen Bowen is taking a break from speedway, right call I think.

The Rockets have to battle away at Ipswich [which I just seen has been called off, strange that] and Peterborough, then its home to the Somerset Rebels this Saturday. Two meetings in 2 days will certainly have effect on both man and machine. But it’s the start of the season and all the team should be able to handle these meeting as they’re all fairly local in relation to travel. Somerset one again have put together a strong team and expect another big test for the Rockets. I was impressed with the team the Rye team last Saturday, only concerns really where Luke Bowen and Anders Mellgren. Hopefully both had first night issues that are now all sorted and the whole team will be firing on all cylinders. If this is the case, which indeed I hope it is, I think the Rockets will win. Somerset. Josh Grajczonek certainly knows his way around Rye as does Brady Kurtz. Richie Worrall blows hot and cold, Charles Wright and Leigh Lanham will no doubt score a few. Paul Starke had a good meeting last year at Rye and I believe Benji Compton maybe a nonstarter as he was injured at Peterborough last Sunday in which the Rebels won. So there are a lot of ‘ifs and buts’ but let’s hope for dry weather, a good meeting, a Rye win and hopefully a bit warmer than last Saturday!

Nope, I don’t attend every meeting at Lakeside. I did about 10 meetings there last season. Now either I’m extremely unlucky seeing duff meetings, I need another pair of glasses, or perhaps everyone else needs a pair of glasses :lol: . My mate recons every meeting at Lakeside is a good meeting, well he does need to go to Specsavers. Why do I go then will be the next question? It’s a night out with the grandkids. Bryn, quite rightly you stay mainly on the side of the promoters. No club would have any member of their staff saying bad things about the club or track. I’ve done every current operating track in the UK since the late 70’s, including Linlithgow and Northside and I travel to Europe to watch speedway. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never been involved in any shape or form with any club. I’m a speedway fan. As a well-travelled speedway fan at that and I can honestly say Lakeside isn’t one of my favourite tracks, probably least favourite in the UK. But a large section of the Lakeside faithful will disagree in what I say, but as a paying customer, I’m entitled to my view. Probably if the straights were shorter that would make the racing track better. The old Waterden Road track was the right size and shape. When they relayed the track when it became the London Lions they made the straights to long and was really a bigger version of the Arena Essex track with very little passing. So that’s Stummo’s reply, rightly or wrongly people will agree and disagree with me. Just as long as Lakeside get the crowds to support speedway then long may it continue.

Since 1995 I've been to every UK track that’s been in operation, including Northside and Linlithgow. I’ve also travelled to continental Europe to watch speedway, so I think I’m quite entitled to make what I believe to be a fair comment on Lakeside’s track. Every year I probably make 10 or so visits to Lakeside. Every time I seem to see a duff meeting! Yet when I speak to other people they seem to think with 2 passes per meeting what a thriller it was!!! Perhaps it’s just me then?

Although a 2015 Rye House thread, Bunyan in 2014 did ok for Rye. The problems were well known he didn’t exactly get on with Len. The track at Rye wasn’t up to his liking, and certainly made Len aware of that. Reminds me a bit of Simon Wigg’s one season at The Wick, he moaned constantly at dear old Bert Busch how he wanted the track prepared. I’m surprised he’s not riding this yet in the UK this year. Peterborough I thought would br one of the tracks who would have signed him this year.

Every meeting is the same at Arena Bryn, no need to make excuses for probably the worst track in the country. What I would say it was great to catch up with some people last night I hadn’t seen in ages, a fairly healthy crowd paying their respects to one of speedway's nice guys and helping out financially Emma and the boys.

The car park! I drive in there every meeting, yes it’s awful. The massive hole at the entrance from Rye Road is so deep and I’m sure many a car has scrapped there sump when either entering or leaving. When it resembles a lake that’s when it’s probably at its worst. The go kart people have their own little road, but the entrance affects them to. I’m surprised the ambulance people haven’t said under Health & Safety it needs to be at least filled in. Worst case scenario if a go-kart driver or speedway rider had spine injuries that’s the last thing they need to be going over. I would have thought Len would have sorted that years ago, but it does raise a question who’s responsible for the entrance? The pub use the car park as do there deliveries I think, as do the speedway and of course the entry for the go karts. Surely they could all put a few quid to at least improve the entry.

Chris has been very critical of the Rye House set up in the past, some quite rightly so, but I’ve not seen any positive comments from him re the new look Rye House. Perhaps we do now have the right people now at Rye. I think the new gaffer could well be the next Matt Ford or Buster Chapman but of course only time will tell. I feel rejuvenated by all the positive changes I’ve read about Rye House in 2015. New owner, Andrew running the NL side, trackside improvements for the spectators, team Kevlar’s, all making the Rockets and Raiders look extremely professional. All we need now is the presentation at the start of the meeting with a full parade of riders, throw in a roving reporter in the pits to assist Craig Saul, draught beer and decent fish back and I might even become a happy chappy and not have any Victor Meldrew moments. Have the return of a Supporters Club, have raffle ticket sellers walking around the stadium selling tickets, a revamped programme, oh my…….. Okay some on my wish list I know won’t happen. Len was far from happy regarding the Supporters Club, that’s history now, but given that I think Andrew will follow in his father’s footsteps in due course I think there is optimism for Rye Houses future.

Not sure if anyone has posted on this, but I’ve noticed the latest editions of both the Speedway Star [w/e 21st February] and Classic Speedway have a less superior paper quality. There’s no question on the articles being any less superior but I got used to reading and flicking through both magazines with what I believe to be a better quality paper. Going back to the Speedway Mail days when it was a newspaper [as compared to I suppose what would be speedway’s equivalent of a tabloid size wise in later years] I expected it to be on newspaper quality paper and if I’m honest I quite enjoyed reading the newspaper style Speedway Mail, but I have got used to reading the ‘tabloid’ size magazines which seem to be all the fashion these days. I may need correcting here, but I’ve seen no explanation in either mag’s on the paper quality. I’m assuming this is to keep costs down and stop increasing the weekly cost to their readers. It’s a shame speedway isn’t a bigger sport, I’d like to see a newspaper style speedway weekly, but in the current speedway climate I guess it just wouldn’t work with crowds down at most tracks and with the established Speedway Star selling at the tracks already it’s a no go. Interestingly the ice hockey magazine Powerplay has stopped with immediate effect stating, “Due to difficult trading conditions in the past few years and falling profits in print generally, parent company Keyprint of Peterborough have decided to close down their operations and as such there is unlikely to be any further editions of the long running title. Keyprint are however in talks with a potential buyer for the magazine, who is looking more towards a monthly frequency. The company will be in touch with subscribers in due course, as they wrap up their affairs.” Let’s hope the Speedway Star and the Retro series continue, but it does make me wonder how much longer they will carry on for. I guess with the Retro mag’s readers buy for nostalgia, but eventually all us oldies will no longer be around, so I wonder where they’ll get their new readers from. Let’s hope we don’t have to depend on the MCN for speedway news, but I guess the internet is far more up to date and generally when the Speedway Star drops through my letter box and onto my mat its news I’ve already read on the internet.

The recent press release showing the so called big meetings for 2015 shows in my opinion a total lack of thought in certain meetings being held at the wrong tracks. Leicester ELRC. Probably one of the poorest tracks in the country and in March. Farce! Traditionalists will say October for this meeting, but the BSPA’s idea is it’s just an individual open meeting in March. Why call it the ELRC? Hold the proper ELRC in September, oh I forgot the riders will be putting their continental clubs first, smack smack Stummo! Coventry British Under 21 and NL Fours Two more farces [3 so far] the televised ELRC what a joke that was last year and the NL 4’s debarkal how on earth have Coventry been allocated such meetings! Wolverhampton British Final No disrespect to Wolverhampton, but why hold the British Final there? I don’t go as it’s packed to the rafters plus the viewing only is only from one side of the stadium. Yes it’s fairly central which I guess is the main reason, oh plus it must make a lot of £ notes! Who actually gets the money these days from this meeting after all the deductions? I also wonder how many people actually travel long distances to attend this meeting. As it’s a British Championship I would have thought it would be better to hold such a meeting on a Saturday night or Sunday to allow fans to travel from all parts of the country without having to take a day off to travel, assuming you don’t live in the midlands. After all our other European friends seem to race the own countries championships and that takes preference over any meeting. Oh I forgot the almighty Sky no doubt demand it! The other venues I kind of agree with. But Mr Harkess and his band of cronies will no doubt sit in there ivory towers and do the same year after year. Quite frankly they’re turning fans away from speedway, but with their blinkers on they have no idea what’s going on around them. All the BSPA seem to be saying is look at the Major Events, funny no mention anymore of ‘shared events’. Speedway at its best a team sport. Let’s reintroduce the Inter League KOC where the so called Elite clubs HAVE to have all the nominated 1-7 riding in that competition. Start the NL clubs v PL clubs, yes there will be a few byes then introduce the EL clubs in the latter stages of the completion. It will take some working out, but that’s what the BSPA is supposed to do! How can they have allowed the KOC, once such a great competition to just fad away! I really can’t think of many positives at the moment regarding speedway. I am normally beginning to get the taste for watching speedway again this time of year, but it just isn’t happening, perhaps it will in a month or so.

I see the fixtures have produced a possible 4 day trip, Thursday 23rd Ipswich [although to be fair it does say provisional] Friday 24th July Edinburgh, Saturday 25th Berwick and Sunday 26th Newcastle. I can’t get my head around that, simple answer surely why would Len agree that date of the 23rd July as a provisional fixture in the first place knowing there was a 3 day trip starting at Edinburgh the following day a 400 plus mile journey! Of course maybe the team may fly up and the bikes go by road, but we are talking Rye House here!

Still nothing about the Raiders. With the updates from Len's new PRO (that's Shadders who is also allegedly Lens adviser) on the changes taking place at the stadium, we still await with bated breath on any team news. Seeing that Shane Hazeldene is back for Kings Lynn NL team there has to be a couple of riders who Andrew will have to sign, we after all can't do a Scunthorpe this year. Kinda looking forward to seeing soeedway again, I enjoy NL soeedway but the silence on several things at Rye House is defening