Ashington Speedway

[jackofdiamonds 53]

Can anyone remember anything about the Arrows. I recall it was at the

 

football ground, and in the stand you were so close to the riders you could

 

touch them. I have forgotten the promoter and any of the riders. As far as

 

I recall there was only about six open meetings.

[cyclone 943]

2 meetings only - opener vs Birmingham, 2nd & last Northumbrian Champ.

 

Geoff Brownhutt was promoter, not sure if his sidekick Thomas was also involved.

 

Robin Dixon was one the original Arrows - he used to wear the racejacket @ Berwick 2nd halves

[jackofdiamonds 53]

Thanks Cyclone, only 2 meetings. Is this an unwanted record? Has there

 

been an official track that has only had 1 meeting?

[Exiled Bandit 0]

Skegness didn't last too long ... although certainly more than one meeting, back in the depths of time the likes of Celtic Park were used for just the odd meet

[arnieg 3,651]

Thanks Cyclone, only 2 meetings. Is this an unwanted record? Has there

 

been an official track that has only had 1 meeting?

 

How about Sydney olympic stadium?

[cyclone 943]

Norwich Hevingham only ever held one meeting in the seventies, under Cyril Crane, before the local council nuked poor old Cyril.

 

Mute point may be whether this was ever an "official" meeting, which was won by Andy Buck (Eastbourne version) when he was under 16.

[DW 11]

I think Motherwell ran only 1 match in 1972 although they had a New Year long track match

[Lioness 1,455]

That was probably because the locals had nicked all the tyres tho DW :clown :twisted:

[cyclone 943]

Motherwell's 1972 meeting (vs Teeside) was run on the same site as used from 1950 - 54 & 1958, though I believe not on the same track previously used.

 

In 1972 were also scheduled to meet Barrow, but I think this fell foul of the weather.

[scarletrider 66]

Saw the Northumbrian Champ meeting, an unbelievable number of riders pulled out of their rides, the track was appalling. The programme was a mess due to the alterations that were made. Definately the worst speedway track I have ever seen!

 

"The Mackem"

Edited January 21, 2009 by scarletrider

[britmet 233]

I was at the Ashington opening mtg v. Birmingham, as mechanic to Brummies' Skipper George Major.

If asked today I too might have said Ian Thomas was involved in the promotion, but reference to the programme makes no mention or suggestion of him. Mind you, there's no mention of Jeff Brownhut either. The front man in the promotion was Geof Penniket, who mentions their "association with Mike Parker and Bill Bridgett".

Brownhut had started running stock car meetings at Ashington the previous year, and the 1972 Fixture list has alternate weeks of speedway and Hell Drivers.

We know that the only other speeedway meeting was the Northumberland Open a month after the Brum match, (won by Phil Crump,) but 2 others were programmed in between those dates interspersed with the stox. Were they rained off ? (But no programmes circulate amongst collectors, so presumably not a late cancellation. -? )

Scarletrider's posting suggests why the track was not going to be a success for bikes, if so many riders were pulling out. Was it rain-soaked as well as rutted by cars ?, ( the bane of speedway tracks !)

 

One-off Official Meetings - ?

How about Ballymena, N.Ireland. Cradley Heath v. Ivan Mauger's World Select, 13 July 1982.

With 3 past/present/future World Champs riding it was never going to be anything but 'official'. Again the track was usually for cars, but here it was tarmac specially covered on the day with shale just for the speedway meeting, ( and had to be removed afterwards.)

In conversation with the promotions' local participant just a year or so ago, he reckons the crowd wasn't big enough, (press figures of 4-5000,) though I feel that they had overstretched themselves, cost-wise, with the riders, - Mauger, Penhall, Carter, Gundersen, Collins(Phil,) , etc. - , and the track modifications undertaken.

Edited January 22, 2009 by britmet

[Tsunami 10,219]

I was at the Ashington opening mtg v. Birmingham, as mechanic to Brummies' Skipper George Major.

If asked today I too might have said Ian Thomas was involved in the promotion, but reference to the programme makes no mention or suggestion of him. Mind you, there's no mention of Jeff Brownhut either. The front man in the promotion was Geof Penniket, who mentions their "association with Mike Parker and Bill Bridgett".

Brownhut had started running stock car meetings at Ashington the previous year, and the 1972 Fixture list has alternate weeks of speedway and Hell Drivers.

We know that the only other speeedway meeting was the Northumberland Open a month after the Brum match, (won by Phil Crump,) but 2 others were programmed in between those dates interspersed with the stox. Were they rained off ? (But no programmes circulate amongst collectors, so presumably not a late cancellation. -? )

Scarletrider's posting suggests why the track was not going to be a success for bikes, if so many riders were pulling out. Was it rain-soaked as well as rutted by cars ?, ( the bane of speedway tracks !)

 

.

 

A little update on Ashington for those who might be interested.

With the closure of Newcastle at the end of the 1994 season, the hunt was on to find an alternative venue. I was in touch with Ashington FC and started discussions to bring speedway back at Portland Park. I knew the then Chairman of the football club and we were talking a deal. On the night that George English and myself went there, for me to measure out the track, a certain person who had been passing on the flyover stopped in to see what was going on as the floodlights were on. That certain person was the 'glycerol' who also writes on this forum.

Unfortunately, although a deal could have been concluded I then got a phone call from the Dennis Murphy, the then leader of the council and now the MP for Ashington, to advise us that they would not let the football club sub-let the stadium and privately told me that they would not allow any development as they were considering demolishing the stadium and build a supermarket. The football club were subsequently evicted from Portland Park and the new supermarket built.

Ironically, the main problem, if the project had got underway, was the fact that fans could have stayed outside the stadium on the said flyover and watched the speedway for nowt.

Happy days.

 

All ended up well eventually when we got back into Brough in 1997.

 

Edited February 6, 2009 by Tsunami