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9 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

I've only been to Northside once, for the British youth championship a few years ago. Is the site still in good order. I know they've had problems with vandals in the past.

Was down last week some sort of car rally was on , the road looks like a bomb site was alot of motor x riders having fun , but i thought anyone without a car would struggle to get down its a long walk from main rd.

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7 minutes ago, geoff100 said:

Was down last week some sort of car rally was on , the road looks like a bomb site was alot of motor x riders having fun , but i thought anyone without a car would struggle to get down its a long walk from main rd.

Is the track still used for training and practice.

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11 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

Is the track still used for training and practice.

I think so yes, only thing that could be a problem are the houses at " siddick" although they are used to noise during the day would they be happy if their were racing in the evenings .

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5 hours ago, cityrebel said:

Is the track still used for training and practice.

Heard a few bikes going round a couple of weeks ago, but that was before the Monsoon's hit west Cumbria :)

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22 minutes ago, Neila said:

Heard a few bikes going round a couple of weeks ago, but that was before the Monsoon's hit west Cumbria :)

Must have been rory and todd then :rofl:

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5 hours ago, cityrebel said:

Is the track still used for training and practice.

Yes it is. It holds regular training session per month, weather depending.

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4 hours ago, bigdave said:

British Speedway Rewind

TUESDAY AUGUST 11:
SOMERSET: Somerset vs Workington (PL, 2016) from 7:30pm
Website : http://www.somerset-speedway.com
YouTube Backup : https://youtu.be/6ZhagU2lHu0

 

as i have mentioned before, we are getting more meetings than when we ran from the rebirth of the cornets !

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Responding to 25 Year Fan's query about Bordesley Green, the venue has recently been taken over lock stock and barrel by a new owner who happens to be the original stock car promoter from when the site opened in 1984 - Phil Bond. Apparently, Mr Bond has made it known that he would be more than interested in staging other motor sports as well as stock cars. The old speedway track has been tarmaced over for the cars for many years, but there is plenty of additional unused room available on the site, so it might be possible at some future date to perhaps put down a training track like Northside. Very much a long shot at the moment I agree - but this is an option that hasn't been available to us in the past, so who knows?

I'd certainly second the opinions that several people have made regarding the merits of third division racing. It was Birmingham's salvation in 2015 after the Alan Phillips shambles, and fortunately, Birmingham folk didn't turn their noses up at the entertaining fare on offer -and hopefully, Workington supporters won't either.

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order a curry and get the cider out of the fridge , sit back and see zummerzet take on wuckintun  cornets tonight. .   on a computer near u ..

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A bit strange that a Workington site has been sidetracked a bit to a discussion about Norwich! I agree with 25 year fan that Norwich could easily support a speedway without detriment to King's Lynn,Ipswich or Mildenhall.

In my opinion, Norwich is a City crying out for speedway. I visited the old track at the Firs numerous times and was always impressed with the size of the crowds and with the quality of the racing. Not only that, the stadium used to have a fullsized ballroom underneath the main stand, and after meetings would host dances with a full sized orchestra which were always well supported.

I was there one Saturday night with ex Norwich rider Sandor Levai who was a very old friend of mine, and was highly amused to watch Ken McKinlay insist on dancing with Mrs Levai. Ken was about 5' 2" and Ilse Levai was 6' 6"" so it was a comical sight!

Perhaps, we could lanch a site dedicated to the return of Norwich - if ever a City deserves a Speedway it is Norwich!

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At least it keeps the comets on the 1st page of the forum :D

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On ‎8‎/‎10‎/‎2020 at 4:56 PM, brianbuck said:

Responding to 25 Year Fan's query about Bordesley Green, the venue has recently been taken over lock stock and barrel by a new owner who happens to be the original stock car promoter from when the site opened in 1984 - Phil Bond. Apparently, Mr Bond has made it known that he would be more than interested in staging other motor sports as well as stock cars. The old speedway track has been tarmaced over for the cars for many years, but there is plenty of additional unused room available on the site, so it might be possible at some future date to perhaps put down a training track like Northside. Very much a long shot at the moment I agree - but this is an option that hasn't been available to us in the past, so who knows?

I'd certainly second the opinions that several people have made regarding the merits of third division racing. It was Birmingham's salvation in 2015 after the Alan Phillips shambles, and fortunately, Birmingham folk didn't turn their noses up at the entertaining fare on offer -and hopefully, Workington supporters won't either.

That's wonderful news about Bordesley Green Brian, but surely the owner Phil Bond must be getting a bit long in the tooth (like myself!) if he was running things there in 1984? What are the long term prospects for the venue continuing as a motorsports (or as the name of the venue says - Wheels) venue?

 

I've long thought that while Birmingham Wheels wasn't right for Birmingham speedway, with the location being in the middle of the Country a National speedway training venue would of found an ideal home there. Then again I've often thought if funds could subsidise it a Birmingham 'Wheels' or Birmingham 'Bulls' National League team.

 

Makes a nice change for a motorsports venue to be retained rather than built on.

 

Any more latest news regarding the Workington Northside plans?

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4 hours ago, brianbuck said:

A bit strange that a Workington site has been sidetracked a bit to a discussion about Norwich! I agree with 25 year fan that Norwich could easily support a speedway without detriment to King's Lynn,Ipswich or Mildenhall.

In my opinion, Norwich is a City crying out for speedway. I visited the old track at the Firs numerous times and was always impressed with the size of the crowds and with the quality of the racing. Not only that, the stadium used to have a fullsized ballroom underneath the main stand, and after meetings would host dances with a full sized orchestra which were always well supported.

I was there one Saturday night with ex Norwich rider Sandor Levai who was a very old friend of mine, and was highly amused to watch Ken McKinlay insist on dancing with Mrs Levai. Ken was about 5' 2" and Ilse Levai was 6' 6"" so it was a comical sight!

Perhaps, we could lanch a site dedicated to the return of Norwich - if ever a City deserves a Speedway it is Norwich!

I keep including a Workington angle in part of all my posts on this thread!

 

I agree wholeheartedly about your views on speedway in Norwich Brian!

 

Norwich Stars speedway at the Firs was an institution not only in Norwich and Norfolk but also East Anglia. I know many people from Suffolk and Cambridgeshire went to the Firs regularly.

 

Speak to anyone 70+ years of age in the Norfolk area and its highly likely they took in spectating at the Firs at some point. As you say with the ballroom and Firs pub (now a Tescos!) across the road, the social scene around the speedway was tremendous! - Was Sandor Levais wife really 6'6"? - Sandor wasn't over tall!

 

I've heard it said that Norwich City FC had a lot of influence on the local Council in them days and saw the speedway as big rival in terms of crowd pulling so made things difficult for the numerous attempts to reopen speedway in the City. Nowadays with the Canaries getting 27,000 sell outs despite one of the poorest seasons I've ever seen, a speedway track wouldn't be any threat!

I'd be interested to know how many people from Norwich go regularly to watch speedway at Ipswich, Mildenhall and King's Lynn. I'd suggest it wouldn't be more than a few hundred at the very most so like you say I don't think a new speedway track in Norwich would be any threat to the local tracks, in fact it would help to stimulate extra interest and fans?

 

The Norfolk Showground is in my opinion the most ideal location for a new speedway track in the Norwich area!

 

I've always liked Derwent Park as a speedway venue but Workingtons history there is one of initial boom - early 70's in the 1st era then 1999 - 2004 in the second coming then when the novelty wears of it struggles to be viable as the crowds drift away. Therefore I reckon the best chance of a viable long term Workington speedway set up is for a self owned Somerset/Scunthorpe like venue at Northside where all income streams go to the speedway. - That said a Somerset/ Scunthorpe like venue would go down well in Norwich!  

 

Edited by 25yearfan

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the only thing i can remember from Norwich was Nicholas Parsons  and his quiz of the week on tv . i know jack about the speedway there .

north side , you are bound to get @ least 50 travellers every  week to at the speedway if it ever gets off the ground ..pity they will all be in the car park !

i will attend , but will park my car in Whitehaven and get the train to Workington , then its a wee walk to northside ....

good luck tho .. 

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