Chris

Steve Ribbons is still fighting to get speedway back at Rye. The new leaseholders(kart track owners) have had planning for football pitches refused & from what the planning officer said, is very unlikely to get planning permission in the future. Plus they have pissed the council off by breaking planning laws at the site already. They must have spunked a hell of lot of money on the site for little return so far, so they either let the speedway back(which already has planning permission), appeal or put in a new application. The planning/decision took about 3 years for the football pitches, so they'll have to decide soon I would have thought. Do they bite the bullet & accept £40k a year from the speedway?

https://publicaccess.eastherts.gov.uk/online-applications/files/61441642788B2DFCC60005842C620437/pdf/3_21_1522_FUL--2020751.pdf Planning Officer's decision explained. Certainly raises a few questions

This happened at Rye House where the new leaseholder changed the stand into a gymnasium and they removed the track without planning permission. The council just nodded the retrospective planning application for the gymnasium through. It was only when people started asking questions and making a nuisance about the track that they told the leaseholder to kindly stop breaking planning laws. The Council were next to useless and they would have built over the track without planning permission if they could have gotten away with it.

AEPG will pull it apart pretty quickly after the farewell meeting. Is there anything that can be done to prevent it from happening though?

Wouldn't be a surprise if they took the stand down and all the associated buildings within a short time of the last meeting taking place. They'll then let the area turn into an overgrown jungle until they get planning permission eventually. A disgrace but have seen this all before.

Complete negligence from Louis/Hawkins to not replace Riss early on in the season. To wait for a rider with his illness symptoms and a bottom end made worse by choosing Joe Thompson was shambolic. Other teams have proved that there were riders out there who could've been signed, but Louis doesn't come across as someone with a lot of knowledge of the foreign market.

They shouldn't be taking world championship events to venues like these. Track is to narrow for any decent racing & has no banking. Basically another Teterow. The surface was cutting up in the son2 as well. No lighting either & day meetings are usually poor.

Pathetic from GB. Not sure why Vatcher is in charge either. Hardly motivational or someone who can pass on any knowledge. Worrying the lack of talent. Rowe the best but has a horrible style on the bike. Kemp & Gilkes a complete waste of time. Soft & weak on track. Where was the British u21 champion, Bailey, who is better than both? Who on earth chose this track for a GP?! Way too narrow & track breaking up. Not in for a classic tomorrow.

Celine Dion

Worrying comments by Chris Louis on Twitter. The sport needs to remove people like Buster Chapman from it if it has a chance of a future. A comment like that backing up one of the cartel shows why the sport is in the s*it. The BSPA have been very kind to him as Chapman was more than happy to close down Rye House after a couple of difficult months. Zero sympathy for the bloke & nice to see a bit of karma.

The lease agreement with the new landlords and council permission has still to be signed off I think, but certainly seems a lot more positive. The landlords have seemingly given up on their plan for football pitches and are going to put in for planning permission to restore the track. New landlords shot themselves in the foot by building without planning permission and ripping the track up without permission. A stop order was put on the land by the council so it hasn't been touched for a couple of years. They have put in a couple of planning applications but I don't think they've ever been heard. The council have been abysmal through the process anyway by waving through retrospective planning permission when they knocked the stand down and generally not being interested in the landlords breaking planning laws until they were threatened with legal action. Fair play to Steve Ribbons as it would have been artificial football pitches by now if not for him. Still a couple of hurdles to go though, but they want to run in the Championship in 2024 if all goes well.

Wasted talent. Remember when he signed for Rye on his 15th or 16th birthday. Could tell he was going to be good early on. Certainly a lot more talented than someone like Danny King who was on the same side. Professionalism was always an issue with him as his bikes were an issue, his weight seemed to go up and down and don't think he had any idea mechanically. He certainly didn't get the backing the likes of Kennett, Bridger and King received. A shoulder injury in 08 just as he was scoring big points in the EL killed his career really. I think I read on here that he tried to put it back in place in the pits by running into a wall and messed it up even more?? I believe he was stabbed at a Rye P&P day as well by Tyson Nelson if I remember correctly. Saw a video of him riding for Rye at the IOW last week and still looks good I think it said in the SS his drugs ban has finished.

Missed the point completely. Thick as sh*t.

How long has Hoggart been out of the sport? ha

Zmarzlik would win titles in any era. Special talent. Laguta(and Emil) must be reinstated next year to offer him some competition. The problem is the tracks they choose and the lack of characters and personalities. How the f does Teterow get anywhere near a GP? Embarrassing for the sport. Gorzow, Malilla, Vojens, Prague and Teterow aren't even the best racetracks in those countries. The riders are way too pally with each other. The sport is crying out for another Nicki P who was box office in the GP's and was happy to put anybody in the fence. Gollob as well was happy to dive bomb regularly and move riders out of the way. Crump was a grumpy sod who wouldn't be pals in the pits and have a laugh and a joke with his rivals It's all way too respectful

You've completely embarrassed yourself on here over the last few months chasing round posts about Chapman. Pathetic and you've now got egg all over your face. "What I've been told by my sources is correct" haha

Don't forget the fake heart attack

Tickets purchased for race off and final. Very simple process Look forward to a visit to probably the best racetrack in the world

What on earth was the ref doing in heat 13? Masters with one of the worst flyers you'll see

Abysmal coverage. Whoever thought those camera angles were acceptable is a moron. No co-commentator either and the whole production came across as cheap and lazy.

A pretty grim effort from the GB riders. Two years in a row now that no one has qualified for SGP2 on merit. There doesn't seem to be a lot coming through and can't see any of the current lot and Brennan making much of an impact at the top of the sport.

Buster Chapman and Rob Godfrey, the pair of clowns in charge of the sport at the time, certainly played a significant part in the closures of both Rye and Arena.

9 weeks before the event and no tickets are on sale Complete shambles and disgraceful organisation. Who's responsible for this nonsense? The club or Discovery?

Didn't see what the outrage was all about. 50/50 call for me. Zmarzlik had got ahead of Doyle Regarding out-of-control riders-Bewley knew he messed up. If he would have kept the throttle wound on he would have passed Lindgren. He got a bit spooked and knocked the throttle off killing his race. If you want to be world champion you don't knock the throttle off there. Zmarzlik, Lindgren or Doyle wouldn't. Keep it wound on or react quicker. Should come with experience.

Holder riding in Poland on a designated race night for Britain? Haha Good old Godfrey. What an idiot the bloke is