Arena Essex V Kent Kings.

[whistlegang 88]

weather looks dodgy so fingers crossed.

[Falcon Hammer 576]

tonights meeting v Kent has been cancelled due to the forecast of heavy rain for afternoon/evening. Meeting to be restaged at later date.

 

http://www.lakesidehammers.co/content/

 

From twitter

Edited July 25, 2014 by Falcon Hammer

[whistlegang 88]

mistake.

[Falcon Hammer 576]

Under "Follow us on Twitter" banner

[whistlegang 88]

i meant to cancel the meeting!

[Falcon Hammer 576]

Oops sorry - forecast 60% heavy rain 15:00 to 20:00 tho

[Dave Stummings 126]

Anyone that thinks Lakeside will run a NL team next year, unless a double header with a EL match [not that the EL will run next year] you're living in a dream world, like many many other people on this forum.

 

The debate on £12 entry is a good one. I think its expensive also. It's okay for Bryn to support the management, which he always does, he usually gets a lift and doesn't pay to get in or for a programme and probably gets a free cupps or two to! Not that I have a problem with that Bryn before you challenge the statement. I know you do a lot of work for speedway in general and that has to be applauded. All I'm saying is £12 plus a couple of quid for a proggy is expensive.

Its that price at Central Park and is it worth the money?

 

I'm fully aware rents have to be paid, riders travel, points money, ref, paramedic etc etc, but perhaps the landlords of many stadiums up and down the country need to reduce their charges they charge the speedway.

 

If you look at the standard of riders currently in the EL the admission money alone is way to high, that should be £12, not the £17 you currently have to pay to watch Lakeside. But of course we all know a lot of clubs are losing money. Even by reducing the entry, numbers really don't increase, you only have to look at Birmingham!

 

Community, thats where speedway lacks. A massive Polish community in and around east London and Essex. The expats from Poland have their local radio stations, newspapers. Anything about Lakeside mentioned? Well several of my work colleagues who are Poles tell me not, nothing, diddly squat on speedway.

 

Do the promoters really go out into the local area's and promote there speedway team? Many a promoter won't give out free or reduced tickets incase it's a regular that uses that ticket.

 

What I would say is when Arena Essex opened its doors for free against Poole a few years back-thats when we had quality riders in the EL- the place was packed, the most I've ever seen at Arena/Lakeside. Perhaps pricing has something to do with it, the quality of the riders and racing then follow through.

[Bryn 413]

Having been here at the track since 11.30am and thankfully with the BTengineer having got the phonline working again, with respect to "whistlegang" I believe the call off decision was correct. Why? Because from 1pm until circa 1.40pm we suffered heavy, and I stress HEAVY, rain here thanks to a storm overhead. MORE such storms are forecasted for the area between now and 8pm.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Bryn

[whistlegang 88]

it was more a case of me being heart-broken than feeling it was the wrong decision! roll on Monday.

[Bryn 413]

it was more a case of me being heart-broken than feeling it was the wrong decision! roll on Monday.

 

I figured that whistlegang but I'm sure there are others on this forum who would go into raptures at having something else to moan about as they normally do. Now coming up to 3pm and we'll be heading home shortly - hope there's something to eat in my fridge!

[Jonny the spud 2,281]

Drove past lakeside half hour ago.

 

It was piss-istently coming down , 100% the right decision

[Storming Norman 23]

I guess it's going to be a 'Len Silver moment' for Lakeside tonight with some fans arriving in shorts and sun glasses. The forecast showers were always localised. BBC weather forecast is now dry throughout race time tonight. Shame it's been called off on a warm evening.

I predict dry pavements at 8pm - could someone locally advise if that is the case or even have a look at the track.

[E I Addio 15,845]

Anyone that thinks Lakeside will run a NL team next year, unless a double header with a EL match [not that the EL will run next year] you're living in a dream world, like many many other people on this forum.

 

The debate on £12 entry is a good one. I think its expensive also. It's okay for Bryn to support the management, which he always does, he usually gets a lift and doesn't pay to get in or for a programme and probably gets a free cupps or two to! Not that I have a problem with that Bryn before you challenge the statement. I know you do a lot of work for speedway in general and that has to be applauded. All I'm saying is £12 plus a couple of quid for a proggy is expensive.

Its that price at Central Park and is it worth the money?

 

I'm fully aware rents have to be paid, riders travel, points money, ref, paramedic etc etc, but perhaps the landlords of many stadiums up and down the country need to reduce their charges they charge the speedway.

 

If you look at the standard of riders currently in the EL the admission money alone is way to high, that should be £12, not the £17 you currently have to pay to watch Lakeside. But of course we all know a lot of clubs are losing money. Even by reducing the entry, numbers really don't increase, you only have to look at Birmingham!

 

Community, thats where speedway lacks. A massive Polish community in and around east London and Essex. The expats from Poland have their local radio stations, newspapers. Anything about Lakeside mentioned? Well several of my work colleagues who are Poles tell me not, nothing, diddly squat on speedway.

 

Do the promoters really go out into the local area's and promote there speedway team? Many a promoter won't give out free or reduced tickets incase it's a regular that uses that ticket.

 

What I would say is when Arena Essex opened its doors for free against Poole a few years back-thats when we had quality riders in the EL- the place was packed, the most I've ever seen at Arena/Lakeside. Perhaps pricing has something to do with it, the quality of the riders and racing then follow through.

 

 

It costs £13 to get into a stock car meeting at Arena and with no prize money to payand nobody to fly in from abroad the meetings are infinitely cheaper to run than speedway meetings. They have no shortage of people forking out £13 to watch a load of old wrecks from the scrapyard chugging into each other, Plenty of people fork out £40 to watch a football (yawn ) match, so clearly people can afford the price.

 

If the admission is £12 the promoter gets £10 after taking off the VAT. Do the sums. It costs around £20,000 to stage an EL meeting . Work out how many it needs through the gate to break even at whatever price you want to charge. The shortfall has to be made up by the sponsors and anything else comes out of the owners pocket. its all very well pontificating over admission costs when you are not the one whose pocket get hit if the books don't balance.

I guess it's going to be a 'Len Silver moment' for Lakeside tonight with some fans arriving in shorts and sun glasses. The forecast showers were always localised. BBC weather forecast is now dry throughout race time tonight. Shame it's been called off on a warm evening.

I predict dry pavements at 8pm - could someone locally advise if that is the case or even have a look at the track.

 

 

4.25 pm and I am just off the M25 a few miles North of the track and it is pouring down in torrents. No doubt the sun will be out at 8 o'clock but to be honest I would be surprised if the track could take much of this kind of rain.

, especially after the heavy shower we had earlier.

 

p.s. It's just starting to thunder as well now.

[Bryn 413]

Sitting here at home in Erith (just across the Thames from the track) at 5.15pm, it's been and still is raining for the last quarter of an hour or so. Luckily we haven't been hit though by the heart of the storm that this rain is obviously part of with rolls of thunder seemingly a little way away.

 

What I would say is when Arena Essex opened its doors for free against Poole a few years back-thats when we had quality riders in the EL- the place was packed, the most I've ever seen at Arena/Lakeside. Perhaps pricing has something to do with it, the quality of the riders and racing then follow through.

 

From memory the doors were able to be opened in that way for that particular meeting Mr Stummings thanks to a five figure sponsorship deal for the meeting. Do you honestly think that level of meeting sponsorship (allowing for an increase thanks to costs of staging meetings in 2014 are a lot more than back in those days) is available now?

 

PS: 17.32pm and STILL raining here (see above).

PPS: Stopped raining here 17.45pmish - sun briefly broke through but dark clouds I can see in the distance appear to be heading this way.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Bryn