Somerset Closure

[Skidder1 7,634]

18 hours ago, mikebv said:

You would hope that the closure of yet another track would make those running the sport take notice and ponder "does anyone amongst us actually really think we are doing things right"?

Unfortunately it is hard not to think that the first thought of some when hearing the news was  "quick get on the blower and see if we can sign 'so and so'" for next season"....

I think that is now seven tracks gone in the past four or five years...

In no particular order....

Coventry, Buxton, Rye House, Lakeside, Somerset, Workington, and Stoke...

With only a rarely built new stadium saving Belle Vue from joining the list this year and Swindon still waiting for 'summer' to start so the builders can build their new facility...

WOW!...

All of which are down to the stadium owners rather than the speedway promoters!!

[moxey63 1,785]

9 minutes ago, Skidder1 said:

All of which are down to the stadium owners rather than the speedway promoters!!

It is down to stadium owners. However, speedway's short-termism for almost 100 years means it owns very few stadiums and is not fully in control of its own destiny.

[East End Fan 426]

1 hour ago, moxey63 said:

It is down to stadium owners. However, speedway's short-termism for almost 100 years means it owns very few stadiums and is not fully in control of its own destiny.

Not a very practical view.  Had Speedway only taken place in stadiums owned by the promoting companies, we'd have about 6 tracks operating.  Even in the happiest

of times for Speedway attendances, there would have been very few clubs earning enough money to buy their stadiums.

[mikebv 10,263]

3 hours ago, Skidder1 said:

All of which are down to the stadium owners rather than the speedway promoters!!

Somerset, Rye House, Lakeside, Coventry and Buxton were all owned at one time by the Speedway Promoters weren't they?

Somersert currently, and Rye and Coventry not long ago...

Buxton still is owned by the promoter there I think..

And Workington could very much still be in existence if it hadn't (ironically), had been so successful and been allowed to have ridden on nights when it could get it's best crowds..

It says much that the owners of the tracks tried to promote the sport then let someone else have a go and pay them rent instead..

[Hawk127 1,359]

6 hours ago, moxey63 said:

It is down to stadium owners. However, speedway's short-termism for almost 100 years means it owns very few stadiums and is not fully in control of its own destiny.

Add to this that some dictate when you can run your business irrespective of the fact that the race night will not necessarily attract the biggest possible crowd. Who would want to run a business/franchise where a dictatorship who have not invested in your business singularly decide what works best for you notwithstanding that their decisions may not serve the interest of the wider community at the track location and ignore those locally who are in the know and understand when they can attract the best possible numbers through the turnstiles and make a go of it. No wonder the sport is in the state it finds itself. Those in charge will bring speedway to its knees. Regular weekly speedway is now history and the current format does no work. When will these people in charge wake up to the fact?

[East End Fan 426]

2 hours ago, Hawk127 said:

Add to this that some dictate when you can run your business irrespective of the fact that the race night will not necessarily attract the biggest possible crowd. Who would want to run a business/franchise where a dictatorship who have not invested in your business singularly decide what works best for you notwithstanding that their decisions may not serve the interest of the wider community at the track location and ignore those locally who are in the know and understand when they can attract the best possible numbers through the turnstiles and make a go of it. No wonder the sport is in the state it finds itself. Those in charge will bring speedway to its knees. Regular weekly speedway is now history and the current format does no work. When will these people in charge wake up to the fact?

There are still a few promotions that try to run every week, my "new" club, Kent is one of them.  It has to be good for business to be on every week on

the same day and time.  Go back a few years and ALL clubs ran like that.  I don't understand why it all changed.

[cityrebel 2,960]

4 hours ago, Hawk127 said:

Add to this that some dictate when you can run your business irrespective of the fact that the race night will not necessarily attract the biggest possible crowd. Who would want to run a business/franchise where a dictatorship who have not invested in your business singularly decide what works best for you notwithstanding that their decisions may not serve the interest of the wider community at the track location and ignore those locally who are in the know and understand when they can attract the best possible numbers through the turnstiles and make a go of it. No wonder the sport is in the state it finds itself. Those in charge will bring speedway to its knees. Regular weekly speedway is now history and the current format does no work. When will these people in charge wake up to the fact?

Never.

[Skidder1 7,634]

It amazes me to think that any promoter of a 'once-a-week' (at best) sport like speedway would take a big risk on building/owning a stadium without a variety of other revenue-earning activities to keep it sustainable!!

[Ghosty 500]

Copied from tougher Zomerset tread.

I would like to think the Hancock's will give a more in-depth interview on the overall reason why Somerset Speedway is no more, the loyal fans deserve it & other promotions could learn from it. 

I have said it before: I'm sure the year in the Premiership created huge debts, this hopefully would under normal circumstances have been clawed back over the last few years but with forced race nights & covid this didn't happen. 

To their "credit" the Hancocks never presented the begging bowl to the sponsors or the fans, maybe they should have? Maybe if they had been more open with any problems a solution might have been offered. Maybe, Maybe, Maybe, what is fact another one bits the dust.

[East End Fan 426]

On 5/28/2021 at 3:34 PM, mikebv said:

Somerset, Rye House, Lakeside, Coventry and Buxton were all owned at one time by the Speedway Promoters weren't they?

Somersert currently, and Rye and Coventry not long ago...

Buxton still is owned by the promoter there I think..

And Workington could very much still be in existence if it hadn't (ironically), had been so successful and been allowed to have ridden on nights when it could get it's best crowds..

It says much that the owners of the tracks tried to promote the sport then let someone else have a go and pay them rent instead..

Lakeside was never owned by the Speedway promoters. It was owned  originally by Chick Woodroffe, the ex Stock Car champion who lost both his legs.

I think it was subsequently owned by his daughter when he died.  Chick did promote the Speedway himself for a short while but then rented it out.

[skydog 156]

Is anyone able to tell me the length of the Somerset track? And the width in the straights and the bends?

Thanks in advance 

[womble53 359]

56 minutes ago, skydog said:

Is anyone able to tell me the length of the Somerset track? And the width in the straights and the bends?

Thanks in advance 

Track length - 300 mts

Straight width - 11 mts (approx)

Bend width - 14 mts (approx)

Hope that helps

[skydog 156]

Thanks, much appreciated. 

[bigcatdiary 3,165]

On 5/27/2021 at 2:02 PM, Skidder1 said:

He's been at Poole most weeks anyway!!

Not sure if he still does but he did used to live locally

[Moranboys 411]

Somerset are a massive miss...track generally produced excellent racing and was a staple diet for many on pairs day before the grand Prix,myself included.