The White Knight 9,039 Posted January 16, 2015 Yes that would... and I just knew I'd get Rye House wrong! A lot of work has gone in to this - very interesting. Thank you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arnieg 3,651 Posted January 31, 2018 So 2018 update: It is now (well once 2018 is underway) tied at the top - 77 seasons each for Eastbourne and Coventry. Other major change is Wolves move up three places to 8. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
00000 1,279 Posted January 31, 2018 5 minutes ago, arnieg said: So 2018 update: It is now (well once 2018 is underway) tied at the top - 77 seasons each for Eastbourne and Coventry. Other major change is Wolves move up three places to 8. Hi, Just found this thread. So going back to the 2015 entries re Eastbourne and 1940. Not only was there a programme but there were reports of the meeting in the local paper at the time. I know this because the Archive feature in the 2017 programme featured 1940 towards the end of the season. So Eastbourne definitely ran one meeting that year before the war hotted up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arnieg 3,651 Posted January 31, 2018 15 minutes ago, Richard Weston said: Hi, Just found this thread. So going back to the 2015 entries re Eastbourne and 1940. Not only was there a programme but there were reports of the meeting in the local paper at the time. I know this because the Archive feature in the 2017 programme featured 1940 towards the end of the season. So Eastbourne definitely ran one meeting that year before the war hotted up. Several tracks opened for business in 1940. There were even plans for a league. But then on May 10 Germany invaded France (followed shortly by Dunkirk) and activity reduced sharply. West Ham and California both shut up shop in May. Aside from Belle Vue who ran a full season, Rye House (11 mtgs), Oxford (8) and Glasgow White City (6) also staged more than a couple of meetings. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norbold 7,117 Posted January 31, 2018 Rye House operated every year during the War except 1944. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arnieg 3,651 Posted January 31, 2018 1 hour ago, adonis said: Speedways biggest problem is the law in the UK , Stadiums are prime targets for developers because ,they usually stand in a fair bit of ground with buildings on them , anyone with enough money and time can use the way British law is , to build anything anywhere , stadiums are not usually on Green Belt or even Brown belt so that's the first major hurdle out of the way , next will be objectors (least of a developers worries ) and then (working on behalf of the objectors ) local councils , developers know they can keep appealing time after time and eventually the council won't be able to defend , and providing the legal costs can be factored into the final income ,there is not a piece of land anywhere that a developer couldn't build on Without planning laws it would be even easier for developers to buy up stadiums and redevelop as residential or commercial property. The fundamental problem is the basic laws of economics. Speedway (and many other leisure activities) simply can't compete with the financial returns available for other land uses. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites