OldBulldog

Thank you

Hi, not been to the Abbey for some while but intending to take this meet in first one for about 4 years. I read that parking at the stadium is limited? If so what time should I aim to get there is order to get a space? Travelling from Bristol Thanks for any advice anyone

GI used to be called Bristol Stadium Ltd many years ago, and owned Eastville stadium. They evicted my beloved Rovers in 1986. (thats for a different forum) They then became the BS Group, then they became GI. Before that of course, Bristol Stadium ltd housed the Bulldogs in 77 & 78, and we had crowds of 10,000 regularly. What days those were. The Council kicked up a fuss (planning permission) and that was the end of the Bulldogs at Eastville. The outcry in Bristol was massive, Bristol Stadium ltd (GI) pledged to fight it with the fans etc etc. The campaign to keep the Bulldogs had a petition with 100,000 names (yes you read that right, one hundred thousend) Bristol stadium pledged to fight the council more, blah blah blah. Eventually, the fans group actually got planning permission for Speedway at Eastville a year or so later, with masses of planning requirements finally being met. What a job that was. The work to do it was massive. Only to find out that Bristol stadium ltd (GI) had secretly signed a documemt with the Council undertaking to never allow speedway at Eastville again. Will never be forgiven. This will all end in tears. As regards Torquay, they were either badly advised or desperate. Or Both, as that will end in tears too.

Hi, hope this is the right place, and apologies if not. I'm having a clear out: I have about 120 Speedway Stars, from 2005 until present. Most are issues immediately following the GP's. Are they worth putting on E bay or something and if so is there much of a demand? Any advice welcomed thanks

The last time I went to a meeting 2 years ago there was not a single pass the whole meeting. There was huge 'gaps' during the meeting when nothing was happening, so it was a matter of listening to the music over the PA. It took a couple of hours to see 15 processional 'races' and not much else happened. Fair to say there is a bit of room for improvement.

Would that be in issue 71 or is there a later edition out? many thanks

Well I for one, (and I know some others are the same) religously buy it for the reports and reviews of the GPs. I dont usually buy it on non GP weeks.

Fantastic memories. Crowds of 10,000 each week, tremendous promotion - wheelie contests, interviews, visits to the pits. Great memories. Hard believe it was nearly 40 years ago. All ended due to politics and the petition to keep the sport at Eastville totalled 100,000. Yes, you read that right One hundred thousend. Still find it hard to believe how it was allowed to happen, it was an utter disgrace.

Would be interested to know if Phillip is aware if there were other bids on the table.. Last time it kind of fell onto the lap of Eurosport, who one would assume would have been interested in keeping the rights. Will be interesting to know what plans BT have (any idea Phillip?)

Disappointed to find that this season the additional pages following each SGP are no longer there. Seems much more low key coverage of the SGP this year. No trackside gossip or additional features, just a few comments from the riders. Really hope its not like that all season. Don't buy the Star every week but always do have following each SGP due to the previous excellent analysis. Any comments from Phillip ?

Many thanks for the clarification - I assumed it was probably due to cost. Response is much appreciated however.

Maybe you should be asking why i only go once a year perhaps?

People should remember a few things when hoping Sky come back to the table: 1)You have an Elite league that does not have the elite riders in the sport 2) You have a Premier league that is not the top level of the sport. 3) You have a fixture list where you take on some clubs more times than others. 4) All of a sudden you can have a situation where in a race you score a different number of points, (a bit like a goal couting double just because you are losing heavily) 5) You have random 'guests' who although they ride for other teams, they suddenly show up and ride for you (a bit like Stephen Gerrard suddenly playing a match for Man U). Then they go back to their real team. 6) The people making the rules are the same people running the clubs. (A bit like Jose Mourinho, Arsen Wenger and David Moyes making up the rules, and deciding what happens to each others clubs) Do people honestly think Sky are interested in paying money to cover this shambles?? You just squirm when thinking what people would make of the Belle Vue Poole farce, the use of guests, teams calling off a match earlier in the season just because they wanted to, or multiple cases where the tracks are so poor there is simply no overtaking. I took someone in my annual match this summer and there was not a single ocassion where a rider overtook. The only good thing that night was the smell. Anyway, you probably get the drift

Yes the initial meetings were on a 'dual' surface but that didnt work out so they then started laying the sand down. I cant remember how long they persisted with the initial idea. Both didnt really work very well. I can remember several riders walking out in protest at difefrent times, Dave Jessup, John Davis and Malcolm Simmoms I recall.

Yep the stadium was owend by the Greyhound company and they experimented by putting a load of sand onto the track for the dogs then taking it up again for the speedway. Didn't really work. The reason it was banned was because the stadium owners always maintained that Eastville was a sports stadium, in which sport was played (football, greyhounds) and so planning permission was not needed for speedway. But the Council disagreed and maintained planning permsission was needed..and promptly said No, despite its overwhellming popularity.

Fantastic memories. Eastville is now a bloody IKEA superstore. Bulldogs on a Friday night, and the Gas (Rovers) on a saturday. What a weekend, best days of my childhood, I was 14 or 15. Rovers are now up the road at the Memorial ground (hopefully soon to be at the new UWE stadium) Going to Rovers at the same ground allowed me to get a feel for attendances and I can tell you that most weeks it was at least 8,000 and often 10,000 in attendance. Can tell you too that the petition to keep the sport on got 100,000 signatures (yes, one hundred thousend) and they still didnt allow it. Dont get me started, but it was all down to politics. The councillor helping drive this is a top man, he also supported the recent planning application by sainsbury which should allow the Memorial Ground to be develpoped which is key to the new UWE stadium for Rovers. More memories: The start marshall was Lee Harris. Steve Gresham and Tormod Langli together were a terrfifying combination. Such memories, it was so well promoted, remember the wheelie contests, the interviews, the Bulldog breed club - there was always something going on on what was a real lesson on how to promote speedway. terible track though, but I didnt use to care at the time! I found all my programmes in the loft, every one ever published in 77 and 78 by Bristol. I bet they are worth a few bob.

Scheduled to be 6pm to 8pm only according to all the listings, with live Tennis taking over at that time. Seems lots of live events on Sky saturday night, surely they are not going to leave it half way through?? I do see there is a scheduled 3 hour re-run at 10.30pm

Maybe another letter to the Councillors is in order...

I wrote to the Councilor in charge of Planning at Bristol City Council a couple of years ago just having a winge about the lack of a speedway track in Bristol and got a phone call at work a few days later from someone in their leisure department who thought I was a prospective developer! (sadly not) Bristol City Council have taken a lot of stick of recent years about lack of sports facilities and I would like to think this publicity has made them a bit more open minded to sport in the city. But, what is needed first is a site !!

Interesting.....Swanswick comes under Bath & North East Somerset Council (same as the other site). Bit of an unknown quantity to me as far as these kinds of developments go, though I do know there has been talk of relocating Bath Rugby club fron their town centre ground. Best of luck.....keep at it !!

Did the trip to Newport a few times a couple of years ago but havent been for a while! Tried Somerset once too, but neither was like supporting your home team. The sad thing about Eastville is that after a massive campaign by the supporters, planning permission WAS eventually obtained after several applications were put forward by the fans. Conveniently enough however, Bristol Stadium Ltd gave an undertaking that they would not allow speedway at the site and that was the final nail. Co promotor Wally Mawdsley took over Swindon the next season and promptly signed Crump and Gresham knowing full well the Swindon crowds would be boosted massively by the Bristol fans - and he was right (for a while) Bristol Stadium Ltd also kicked Bristol Rovers FC out in the mid 80s. Just to prove how sport loving the council are, they did all in their power to prevent Rovers returning to Bristol at the Memorial Stadium Rugby Ground in 1996. It was only when the Council solicitor allegedly told the Councillors that legally they could not prevent it because the site was registered as a sports ground that they returned. Rovers took over ownership a couple of years later but strangely enough have found it difficult to upgrade the ground due to Council opposition! The old Easville site is demolished and its place a monstrosity of a building known as IKEA. Imagine the traffic......but lets not go there as it winds me up even now! Speedway will never return to Bristol unless there is a massive change in Council attitude. The Colours may change over the years but the attitude doesn't.

They experimented for the first few meetings with the sandy type surface which was also used for the dogs. It didnt work though and after a few meetings they were laying sand down for the dogs and taking it up for the bikes. I dont think they ever cracked it though, but I recall Mauger, Olsen, Autrey etc never having a problem whenever they rode. Dave Jessup and Malcolm Simmons walked out though! The campaign to keep the sport was massive and the petition got 100,000 signatures (yes one hundred thousend) and the council still banned it. Quite bizarre.

Brings a tear to my eye those memories! We used to average 8000 every meeting, tremendous atmosphere. It was so popular the council decided to ban it! There was a recent publication advertised in Speedway Star 'History of Defunct Speedway Tracks' which covered Bristol, which covered both years 77 & 78. Phil Crump, Steve Gresham, Tormod Langli, Nigel Boocock!! Cant believe it was 27 years ago!