Sites For New Speedway Tracks, Three Routes?

[Mylor 0]

Now correct me if I'm wrong but aren't noise, traffic and parking the main objections raised when promoters seek to open a new track?

 

Just as Trelawny hardly has a noise problem, being in a quarry, and as Imerys, who are up to their ears in 'em, are trying to find them another, couldn't the same apply to other potential venues ?

 

I would think just about every area, and indeed city, would have an unused sandpit, gravel pit, clay pit, stone quarry or open cast mine or a site not suitable for landfill due to drainage or other problems.

 

They don't need to be very big, in fact small would be beautiful as, often being somewhat bowl shaped you get instant 'grandstands'. Car parking shouldn't be a problem and the trucks would have made a usable access road.

 

Success and stability should start to bring with it some permanent structures, shelter, toilet blocks, stands etc but Portacabins do a grand job at Trelawny, are quick and easy to install and, as temporary structures, should be fairly easy to get past the planning and building regs.

 

Natural ampitheatres these..........................the way to go??

 

 

 

How about venues that are already noisy, under-used during the week, and already have ample car parking and catering facilities? The country is dotted with motor racing circuits struggling to make ends meet. I'm not talking about the Silverstone's & Brands Hatches but the smaller ones used for club, banger and stock cars...........

 

Any of these near you?

 

http://www.bmrc.co.uk/

 

Ok, the stands may be in the wrong place etc, or more likely, the facilities may have seen better days and the club may welcome some help in remodelling them. They may even be trying to fund a new stand which could be double sided, race track one side, speedway the other with catering and toilets underneath. Converting the site for multi-sport use may make them eligible for regional funding etc

 

Of course this would be more costly but could produce permanent tracks of a very high quality with excellent facilities in quite a short timeframe.

 

What do you think?

Edited March 5, 2006 by Mylor

[RogH 0]

I've often thought about racing circuits, they have a large infield, and the noise problem is already known.

We have disused dock land here in Hull which has been redeveloped and is well away from housing, there is still some of it available should we need to seek a site away from Craven Park.

[Team Man 32]

I would think just about every area, and indeed city, would have an unused sandpit, gravel pit, clay pit, stone quarry or open cast mine or a site not suitable for landfill due to drainage or other problems.

 

They don't need to be very big, in fact small would be beautiful as, often being somewhat bowl shaped you get instant 'grandstands'. Car parking shouldn't be a problem and the trucks would have made a usable access road.

 

?

 

 

When I lived in Leighton Buzzard there was a lot of dissused sand pits , and tried to get the owners interested in using it for a speedway track,the owners would just shrug it off saying they would probably reopen the seam in the future,but you are right, they are the right venue being bowl shape, this is exactly what we produced at Elfield Park (Milton Keynes) when we finnished building the banks of earth up.

 

It makes woderfull viewing for the public, nobodys feet are below the top of the safety fence.

[Mylor 0]

Airports...............I forgot about airports!!

 

Most are quite busy/noisy during the summer months. An additional 15 minutes of noise in the vicinity once a week wouldn't be noticed, surely.

 

Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham, Luton....................any interest in these areas? :roll:

[Hammer 10]

Some of the suggestions are great, but, Speedway used to attract large crowds (1930's 40's 50's) I know there are many other socio-economic reasons for this but it might be partly the fact that many tracks were in inner city stadiums which were easily accessible.

 

To get to some tracks by public transport is often too difficult especially for new fans or people that want to try speedway and some of the above suggestions would fall into this category.

[Mylor 0]

To get to some tracks by public transport is often too difficult especially for new fans or people that want to try speedway and some of the above suggestions would fall into this category.

Tend to agree about the public transport point Hammer but I think there are now an awful lot of tracks with no public transport to speak of. Trelawney was in the middle of a quarrying district in a county where public transport all but finishes at about 8.00pm

 

We'd all love to see speedway in the inner cities too with excellent public transport links but, sadly, it looks like that era has now passed.

[Deano 1,318]

I think Speedway should be made compulsory and drummed into kids from a very early age. Then the council would have to 'compulsory purchase' land and property in order to build new tracks to fuel the huge demand from the masses.

[Steve_R 19]

Airports...............I forgot about airports!!

Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham, Luton....................any interest in these areas? :roll:

There's a huge amount of spare/waste land around Liverpool Airport. But for some stange reason, there were plans to build a Greyhound / Speedway Stadium in the middle of a residentail area <_< Unsurprisingly these plans have fallen through, and it's all gone quiet again. Meanwhile the weeds keep growing on that ideal waste ground.

[hullangel 0]

I've often thought about racing circuits, they have a large infield, and the noise problem is already known.

We have disused dock land here in Hull which has been redeveloped and is well away from housing, there is still some of it available should we need to seek a site away from Craven Park.

What about the old track at Hedon Rodg .......never been developed

ps any sign of that book yet ?

[RogH 0]

The old site at Hedon is still there, as you know.

The problems I see are that Hedon is a fairly prosperous village, there would be many noise objectors probably well connected people.

Also in view of the financial situation Paul Hodder has inherited, I doubt the capital would be there for investment.

Re the book, Vol 1 entitled Hull Speedway 1930 -81 published by Tempus is scheduled to be ready by March. I have spoken to Paul Hodder about it and hopefully copies will be available at the club shop.

[iris123 20,939]

Why isn`t it possible to have a speedway track at Brands or Silverstone? Too expensive? Brands Hatch used to be a grass track centre and was owned by an ex speedway rider,for instance.Also what about Lyyden.Is it still there? Santa Pod the drag racing place is that still there?

[KevH 257]

I've often thought Brands Hatch would make a good venue for speedway and wonder if it's ever been persued.

 

Lydden is still there and is now owned by McLaren for testing purposes. One drawback is that the Canterbury/Dover border runs right through the middle of the circuit. This means that planning approval has to be obtained from both councils which could prove restrictive.

 

Is there anyone who lives near Lydden on the forum who could give us any more info?

[Brian 63]

Why isn`t it possible to have a speedway track at Brands or Silverstone? Too expensive? Brands Hatch used to be a grass track centre and was owned by an ex speedway rider,for instance.Also what about Lyyden.Is it still there? Santa Pod the drag racing place is that still there?

Not quite sure where you would fit a speedway track at Brands.

 

It would have to be in the short loop section as the Grand Prix extension has noise problems with the residents.

 

Silverstone doesn't appear to have any natural area for speedway which would not incur rather large costs to instal temporary granstands etc:

[witchnut 0]

Looking at the BRMC site (link in original posting) made me think that the guys that were attempting to get Norwich Speedway running at Swaffham might look at part of the Snetterton complex. Then I thought that Peterborough, Mildenhall, my team Ipswich and Kings Lynn who took issue with the Swaffham proposal would all say it was too close to their home tracks.

 

What do you think?

 

Witchnut

[Markone 3]

Silverstone doesn't appear to have any natural area for speedway which would not incur rather large costs to instal temporary granstands etc:

I did go to grasstrack at silverstone once, there is a stock car place brafield also in northampton, i believe they have mooted starting speedway there, lack of interest. Also I go to belle vue which is in manchester, not right in he centre but only a bus ride away, and the crowds there are quite poor, so is access really an issue? More just general lack of interest, i mean 2 million people live in manchester.

Edited March 2, 2004 by Markone