mike7164 96 Posted October 27, 2017 Did you get wet Mike? I was way up in the grandstand keeping dry! What an incredible downpour. Never seen anything like it! Back to the unpleasant matter in hand. When is the meeting that George says he will put us out of our misery after? Yes I did John and it was difficult for me to get back up to the top of the stairs to get out of the stadium, McDonald's on the fossway was closed as it was flooded out and I fell over on the Slippery Floor at KFC Byker as we were unable to get back home as roads were unpassable! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
topsoil 2,498 Posted October 27, 2017 Came down from Berwick to watch that meeting in 2005, never seen rain like it in such a short space of time. Came out of the stadium and got to a part of the road with a dip in it (can't remember where exactly) but at the bottom of this dip was a parked car. All you could see was the roof. Best turn back then? Can remember the bottom couple of rows of terracing being under water. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tsunami 10,219 Posted October 27, 2017 (edited) Came down from Berwick to watch that meeting in 2005, never seen rain like it in such a short space of time. Came out of the stadium and got to a part of the road with a dip in it (can't remember where exactly) but at the bottom of this dip was a parked car. All you could see was the roof. Best turn back then? Can remember the bottom couple of rows of terracing being under water. That was the car and Bridge that I was referring to in my post Topsoil. Presume you were trying to get to the Coast Road and up to the A19 which was the direction I was trying to go. Had to go through Wallsend eventually, but i'm OK now. It was about 4 rows under water eventually. The car park emptied all the rainfall in one stream through the grandstand gap and filled the bottom steps. Never seen that either before or after. Edited October 27, 2017 by Tsunami 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bringbackHalifax 238 Posted October 27, 2017 Alan and his family have walked away from the speedway.They ran the snack shop and the track shop. Sapphire (Alan’s Company ) will no longer be main team sponsor. Don’t think they will be enticed back , but I don’t believe at least some support from Sapphire is totally out of the equation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike7164 96 Posted October 27, 2017 That was the car and Bridge that I was referring to in my post Topsoil. Presume you were trying to get to the Coast Road and up to the A19 which was the direction I was trying to go. Had to go through Wallsend eventually, but i'm OK now. It was about 4 rows under water eventually. The car park emptied all the rainfall in one stream through the grandstand gap and filled the bottom steps. Never seen that either before or after. Yes Dave we were also trying to get to Wallsend then too and went past that car from two directions in trying to do so and to no avail, it is ironic as now I live around the corner from that very spot ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Terrace Grumbler 337 Posted October 28, 2017 Lawrence Heppell played "Mr. Blue Sky" as we left the stadium, iirc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ruffdiamond 6,115 Posted October 28, 2017 Lawrence Heppell played "Mr. Blue Sky" as we left the stadium, iirc. he must have one of those sense's of humour,,, I remember just after Lewis Kerr had the accident when he left one of his fingers in his gloves,,, he played 'turning japanese', which I thought Lewis wasn't and probly wouldn't have been for some time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
balderdash&piffle 720 Posted October 28, 2017 he must have one of those sense's of humour,,, I remember just after Lewis Kerr had the accident when he left one of his fingers in his gloves,,, he played 'turning japanese', which I thought Lewis wasn't and probly wouldn't have been for some time. All while tuning a piano Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dantodan 314 Posted October 30, 2017 We have stared at the face of closure before: - Â 1930 (Don't know why it closed) 1939 (Due to 2nd world war, with the Diamonds top of the league) 1951 (Possibly due to the entertainment tax) 1970 (After losing Star Men Ivan Mauger & Ole Olsen) 1984 (After a disastrous season in the top flight) 1994 (Don't know why it closed) Â George English took the plunge as promoter in 1997 and has been there until 2017 and a lot longer I hope. Correct me if you can about any of our closures. Newcastle are now one of a handful of tracks who started at the beginning 1929 and are still operating in 2017 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tsunami 10,219 Posted October 30, 2017 (edited) We have stared at the face of closure before: - Â 1930 (Don't know why it closed) 1939 (Due to 2nd world war, with the Diamonds top of the league) 1951 (Possibly due to the entertainment tax) 1970 (After losing Star Men Ivan Mauger & Ole Olsen) 1984 (After a disastrous season in the top flight) 1994 (Don't know why it closed) Â George English took the plunge as promoter in 1997 and has been there until 2017 and a lot longer I hope. Correct me if you can about any of our closures. Newcastle are now one of a handful of tracks who started at the beginning 1929 and are still operating in 2017 1994 closure was due to Kevin Wilde the owner who got sick of Speedway in his stadium. That was a surprise because our rent and extras went toward funding his attempt to be a professional gambler. Our consortium still proceeded to buy the speedway off Richard Bailey in the hope that Kevin would change his mind, but unfortunately he didn't. We then sold all the riders assets and I promised I would bring speedway back using my share of the money. As it happened the then accountant bought Wilde out and contacted us, as he knew we were looking at every stadium and land within a 13 mile radius. We then went into a partnership with 5 other tracks and were setting up a 'pirate' league when the BSPA got wind of our plans, and they were forced to drop the big league and formed the cheaper Premier League for 1997 that is still with us now with another name. The accountant then went bust in our first year, and we looked like we had lost it again. Happy days, all cloak and dagger, might write a book about it sometime. Â Â NB The 1970 closure was about Allied Promotions swapping our licence to their new track at Reading, hence the inclusion of Newcastle's Dag Lovas in their team from that year. Edited October 31, 2017 by Tsunami 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TesarRacing 1,825 Posted October 31, 2017 1994 closure was due to Kevin Wilde the owner who got sick of Speedway in his stadium. That was a surprise because our rent and extras went toward funding his attempt to be a professional gambler. Our consortium still proceeded to buy the speedway off Richard Bailey in the hope that Kevin would change his mind, but unfortunately he didn't. We then sold all the riders assets and I promised I would bring speedway back using my share of the money. As it happened the then accountant bought Wilde out and contacted us, as he knew we were looking at every stadium and land within a 13 mile radius. We then went into a partnership with 5 other tracks and were setting up a 'pirate' league when the BSPA got wind of our plans, and they were forced to drop the big league and formed the cheaper Premier League for 1997 that is still with us now with another name. The accountant then went bust in our first year, and we looked like we had lost it again. Happy days, all cloak and dagger, might write a book about it sometime. Â Â NB The 1970 closure was about Allied Promotion swapping our licence to their new track at Reading, hence the inclusion of Newcastle's Dag Lovas in their team from that year. Â Thanks for that insight Dave, most interesting. Speedway seems to be one of the most intriguing sports around when you hear the in's and out's! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ruffdiamond 6,115 Posted October 31, 2017 Thanks for that insight Dave, most interesting. Speedway seems to be one of the most intriguing sports around when you hear the in's and out's! and you wonder why folk want transparency 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tsunami 10,219 Posted October 31, 2017 and you wonder why folk want transparency To be fair, most sports have something going on at any one time. Speedway is not alone. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cityrebel 2,960 Posted October 31, 2017 Geoff Curtis also went from Newcastle to reading in 1971. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
semion 2,192 Posted October 31, 2017 Tsunami. Was your involvement with The Diamonds prior to you leaving Dexys or after ? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites