matertron

Just a note on Sundays curfew confusion. I think it caught everyone off guard, there was no discussion of a call of from what I heard prior to heat 13, and the abandonment came straight from the referee as soon as the heat was completed. From what I saw they were ready to send heat 14 in the pits until it was announced. And from what I understand it was at the request of the stadium to call the meeting at that point. I'm not certain Lakeside were even aware. At the end of the day there was nothing left to race for and I know for a fact that riders were beginning to struggle with machinery and in particular 1 panther rider who was struggling with tires. For the sake of not risking unnecessary injuries or machine damage ahead of the second leg the day after and for the sake of keeping the residents happy I have no problem with the decision whatsoever. And in regards to Ben and Alfie being replaced, as already mentioned the NLRC took priority and they had to attend, it was completely unrealistic from the start to expect them to complete that and get to P'boro in time, let alone being fit and fully prepared. The decision to replace them should have been done well in advance. Can't stand these accusations of it being tactical, if anything its a credit to Lakeside for wanting to run with their own team if they could.

Actually I would say it's more a defensive stance. Not only defending my position but also the direction the club has been forced to take. I'm certainly not trying to 'attack' anyone that's for sure. A lot of comments on here are very negative which is such a shame to see, I'm doing my best to try and keep things positive on here yet some people feel the need to pick and moan about irrelevant things at this stage and it's mildly frustrating. To be honest this whole scenario is causing a horrific divide among Lakeside fans when we should be doing our best to stick together and support the club.

Only missed 2 or 3 or only attended 2 or 3 this season? Pretty certain I have only played that song thrice this season and the other one you moaned about before twice. But if you hate my style that much at least you only have to put up with it once more. I wonder if perhaps Kent would be a better place for your speedway viewing going forward? almost silent music there and you can barely hear the announcing so nothing to moan about! admission also includes a free lack of any sort of atmosphere. But at least you are never going to hear a song get repeated sometime across a season! And I don't know what announcer you listen too but I do do it as W-Y-R-B . Now if you do have any issues please do feel free to pop up to the box on Friday and speak to me in person, this is not a thread about club announcers nor do I imagine people particularly want to be reading about it with all that's going on.

I think it's a poor mentality to be honest to say that it will no longer be the same club after this season... Everything will likely remain the same. The same announcer and music style, the majority of the same people on the track staff team, same people running pits and the same promotion and (hopefully) the same Hammers name. The only thing that is different is the venue in my eyes. It's not unusual across all sports for teams to have to change venues at some point in their history and I don't recall fans of those clubs ever claiming that it isn't their team! And it is proven to have worked in speedway too, just take a look at the likes of Coventry and Cradley having to partner up with other facilities. They are both carrying on strongly as far as i'm aware. Here is a quick story about a local Ice hockey team that has just come out of the other side of what we are about to enter... In 2013 the Romford Raiders lost their long time home ice rink in the center of Romford. A new rink was promised by the council to be built as a replacement elsewhere in the town, however, there was uncertainty about this among the fans. From the next season, the Romford Raiders moved about 30 minutes away from Romford to share a rink with another team on a temporary basis, and changed the name to the London Raiders to suit the change. Although many fans did not follow the team in this change. A small hardcore group of supporters continued to travel and support the team, a team that still maintained it's identity throughout its temporary stay. It wasn't an easy road, the club almost folded and it took the best part of 5 years, but back in February the team moved back to Romford in a brand new facility in the Heart of the town. Now, heading into the new season the club are set for a fantastic future in a very supportive new home. This was not just achieved by hope and the council coming through on their promises but was achieved by the loyal fans, who despite not having a proper 'Home' nor having the same name, never gave up on the club despite many, many low points. All i'm saying is that I have witnessed first hand that these situations don't necessarily mean the end, and a bright future awaits on the other end of a rocky road. We need to all stick with the team we love and support and help them survive. Whilst proving that there is a market for the sport in a new facility somewhere in the area that we can soon call home. Keep the faith, and let's smash the rest of this season and walk away as treble champions!!! COYH

Ken is Rye house too But to answer your question there is a second person to do the grading, and plans are being put in place to ensure the track preparation between the two meetings is as small as possible. The issue at Arena this season is as simple as there isn't a second person to do either grading or watering hence why Ken does it himself, it isn't something that he insists on doing.

That's the impression i'm getting that both sides still want to run independently of each other next season, however I cannot say for certain what leagues that will be. And of course who knows what is going to happen during the off season. It Should actually benefit both clubs financially. Rye House get a little extra income from Lakeside renting the track, Lakeside save money by significantly cheaper rent and operational costs. Only unknown is what crowd levels will be like, however if both teams run on a weekend on alternate weeks then crowds should be pretty decent as you will have fans from both clubs attending each match (hopefully). Of course if the League sticks with fixed race nights there is a chance Lakeside could make the move back into premiership with Rye taking back Saturdays in the Championship, but i think we are in for some big changes before 2019.

It's a Tunnel Trophy meeting vs Kent Kings, However there is no home leg only 1 match at Kent on the 17th September. Side to still be finalized but will include Ben Morley, Alfie Bowtell and Jason Edwards.

I am absolutely devastated about the close of Arena and the premature end of speedway there this season and I have only been going for 9 years. Absolutely love the place so I can only imagine how you who have been going for many more years than that are feeling. Should be a special and emotional night on the 14th and its an honor to be able to co-announce the final meeting ever, especially as I have only done it for this season and many a great voices of the raceway have come before me. Wonder how all of those on this forum that slag off the track week in and week out are feeling now? Hope you are all happy? Bet plenty of you will all show up next Friday calling yourself fans! Also, can I just say, I've seen a lot of discussion on a lot of different platforms about what the team should now be called... Simple fact of the matter is its the LAKESIDE HAMMERS and will stay that until we get a new venue and then beyond. As far as Rye House goes, I don't believe there is any intention of merging with Lakeside. Rye House will return next year, potentially in the same league (or a breakaway league as I have heard is being discussed) and race at home. Lakeside will continue to use Rye House short term (Just like Tottenham have used Wembley). Hopefully fans will engage with both teams equally and many will take the opportunity to enjoy potentially double the speedway on a weekly basis! As I keep saying on here Keep the faith in the management! after all they could have already bailed on the team long ago.

Having spent the day at the track Friday, spending half hour out there on track clearing the water from the first downfall and then sitting in the box as we waited for the riders to play ball. I can assure you that everyone at the club did everything we could to get the meeting on. Despite the forecast we had to try and get a result due to the limited availability of the raceway for speedway... which has caused the issues we are experiencing with lack of fixtures not helped with BSPA not approving Fridays. I as a club ‘official’ I will not talk about fixture plans for the remainder of the season. However all avenues are being looked at and discussed to get as much in before the 16th cutoff. However, as I am also a member of Rye House track staff I can confirm that I was asked over the weekend to be available for Saturday the 15th as lakeside are hoping to race that night against an unconfirmed team. This is likely to be subject to BSPA approval which may be difficult. Either way the club are doing everything they can to get fixtures in. And the management remain firmly committed to the future of speedway at lakeside. I’ve seen the passion from Jon Cook first hand. (Bear in mind a call off means the club still has to pay for the venue at the cost of ££££) That is all... apart from suggesting that most of you on here don’t comment about which you don’t know nothing about. If you have issues why not talk to Jon or anyone else involved with the club directly rather than getting all brave on an anonymous forum. Thanks

People have too high expectations of speedway that's the problem. Many think that unless all 4 riders are swapping places every corner of every lap of every heat its a poor meeting. I for one have very rarely not enjoyed a meeting. And I have experienced many one sided affairs and many meetings with very few overtakes. Its the thrill of watching 4 riders give it their all for the whole 4 laps just inches from disaster that makes most of the enjoyment. And until people start seeing this I can't see the popularity of the sport improving. The actual product is good enough over here (and in my opinion superior to the majority of Swedish and Polish League meetings) Its just the politics of it all that is the problem. In terms of the 2 meetings last week I enjoyed my trip to Ipswich and the meeting, despite the result and refereeing along with lack of overtaking. And thought that Fridays encounter was yet again brilliant at the raceway.

Yes it was a trainee referee in control but was also supervised by Mr Paul Carrington throughout the meeting. Having the luxury of being up in the box it is great to hear the decision process from the referees. I thought it was a challenging match to take charge of but I think he did a fantastic job and pretty much all decisions were agreed by the rest of us in the box too. Which certainly isn't usually the case. Ellis was certainly having some difficulty even with a few practice runs earlier in the afternoon. That being said the outside lanes weren't as strong as usual and that may be as a result of a Ride and Slide day taking place throughout the day and the track prep being therefore limited. Don't think there is another one of those scheduled for this year though so shouldn't happen again on a Friday hopefully

Sorry to hear you aren't enjoying the music Marko. I have been trying to mix it up to cater for all ages/tastes and I play songs that I know work whilst trialling out different songs. I'm sure you would have heard a few last night. Plus, I did have to play an extra hours worth of songs last night to fill the gaps. Also I'm not sure if anyone is aware but I do both the music and the announcing so sometimes I don't have the time to carefully select a song and have to go with the first thing I can. However any feedback/suggestions are most welcome, I shall take your comments on board for the next meeting.

A very rare evening at the Arena Essex Raceway. One that should not be used as an assessment of a night out watching the Hammers. Very Rarely do we have to replace airbags (in the main meeting) In fact I can only recall a few occasions in the past few seasons Very Rarely do we require the ambulance on circuit and a lengthy medical delay (in the main meeting) And very rarely do we get so many incidents in one evening. Delays like that happen regularly in speedway its the nature of Motorsport. And as a marshal at many road racing circuits such as Brands Hatch, I can tell you the amount of times we have hour plus delays for medical attention or barrier repairs. Don't recall seeing fans moaning about the delays there. All in all in my opinion it was another good meeting at the raceway and still enjoyable despite the delays. On another note great to see Alfie Bowtell getting the points he has deserved from his efforts the past few meetings. Love the noise from the crowd when he followed Ben home for the 5-1 in heat 2.