tonyd

Went on Saturday and thoughly enjoyed the meeting, track was fast and smooth and the riders gave it there all in every race. It was the biggest crowd for a meeting I have seen for years outside of the SGP's, which goes to show how Tai is respected and loved by all. Have a happy retirement Tai and enjoy whatever you get up to in it. 🙂 Got a couple of questions as in who was the man on the mike? I had never heard him before but I feel he needs to be employed at a few other tracks to liven up the crowds. Second question is regarding the food outlets, and who tried them? We looked at them and plumped for the salt and pepper chicken which we found hot spicy and delicious, are these outlets open at a normal Northampton meeting? (it was 5 star dining in a foil bag compared to what is offered at Sheffield)

A while ago after a meeting at Sheffield a rider came out onto the track for a few practise laps, rider looked smart with kelvers and bike in the same colours. The rider looked fast and smooth and the people staying behind were interested until it became clear that the rider was Garrity where upon the majority of those watching turned away from the track and headed out towards the exit. Maybe that highlights the feelings that many fans have for the man.

I think you are right where are the riders going to come from? For me if speedway is to make a return to Arlington then maybe the powers that be should grant it an open licence to opereate in open meetings and challange matches with a team made up of riders from other teams on a day they are not racing for them (ie Sundays) This system worked for years at Rye House and was well supported by regular fans and racers alike. Everyone talks about what league they should enter if a return should happen but lets be honest no one knows what format the current leagues will look like from one year to the next let alone who will ride in them. The powers that be and possible promoters have to look at the teams that currently run under the NORA banner and maybe accept change is needed, 15 heats of 500cc racing is not the be all and end all of speedway these days an organised afternoon / evening of various racing is more likely to hold peoples interest every couple of weeks rather than "thats your 15 heats now bugger off and we will see you in a couple of weeks or maybe even a month for some more racing. Just my thoughts and maybe the wrong thoughts for many but I think unless things change in this sport Arlington could reopen for a two month or so season each year because there is no one left to race against.

Because junior riders want to race whenever and wherever they can, and accept track conditions they get to ride on, lets be honest normally they are riding after the main meeting the track is worn through to the base with a few crumbs of shale pulled back over it by the tractor. Where as profesional riders on the other hand have to think of where and for who they are riding for the next night and of course there income. Injury at this stage of the season could be very expensive for them around Europe. There is no way a profesional rider is going to risk anything like that. One has to ask why the track staff did not pack the ruts in the track while they prepared it for the meeting? If the ruts can be seen before a wheel has been turned surely something is wrong. I can remember back in the day (yes its that quote again) the likes of Len Silver before a match at Hackney or Rye house driving round and arround the tracks in his car packing it in before taking the tractor around once more making it safe and as rideable as he could. Different era, different bikes and different riders I suppose.

Will the back straight be open at Sheffield for the CLRC next Saturday? If not I think all the supporters on the home straight and bends 3&4 are going to feel like sardines in a can with the large crowd that's anticipated.

Lets be honest that picture just about sums up British Speedway, a professional sport amateur run with a leave it in the corner over there attitude. That pile of tyres represent the problems within the sport where them that rule walk past it every day with blinkers on saying to themselves if we ignore it all will be ok.

selling boxes of matches on a street corner is possibly a better business model than UK speedway at present 🤣

If necessary / urgent repairs quoted are around £500,000, add to that general stadium repairs and maintenance, legal fees, insurance, the cost of buying the lease, general stadium running costs then the total adds up. Spedeworth are obviously looking at a long term future there so are willing to invest but I would not be surprised if they run close to the figure I quoted in the first year, I can also see the steel rope safety fence being removed and being replaced with a concrete and steel one like Mildenhall and Aldershot while the repairs are going on. Obviously I do not know if any of this is factual but seeing how they rebuilt Mildenhall after the fire they show that they are not afraid to do things right and do things once to maintain a long term future.

And very please we all are that you did write the book Norbold 👍🙂

If Deane / spedeworth have taken on the full lease of the stadium under a normal repair and maintain lease and ready to spend and carry out the repairs / conditions required to open it up to the public and racing again then I am sure he would have made sure he can sub-let within that lease. To purchase the stadium lease, carry out the required repairs and then allowing for other costs involved I bet he will not have much change from around a million to get the racing going again and the public back in supporting it

Deane Wood of Spedeworh seems very much a general motor sport fan and a business man, If the right people approached him regarding speedway we could possibly see it return to Arlington sometime next year. I don't know if he has the full lease at Ipswitch but speedway runs alongside Spedeworth there, Mildenhall and Northampton and if Arlington got added to the list there could be a nice partnership in the making. 🤞👍

Just set up the Final to record on my Sky Q box and my Mrs said look at that, and at the end of the blurb about the British Final it had ep1 series 1. Is this a hint about possibly more ITV television coverage? We live in hope 🙂

The trouble with fans on here is that you do not understand the minds of those who run the sport. Any rule implemented is followed by the clause " unless of course we change our minds or it does not suit one of the members /fellow promoters or any other reason we can think of ", of course any reason given does not concern the fans because they do not need to know because we are the rulers and they are here just to hand over there hard earned each week. Mind you if Richard and Tom had not raced for the Tigers last night I think the score would be closer to the maximum 75-15

Statements like that from councils is about as reliable as the rule book in speedway, time and money talks. I bet a asset company has already started there phone calls offering big bucks and are ready to sit on the land and a slowly dilapidating stadium until the council has further thoughts on the situation.

As with most decisions and agreements in speedway its more than likely not worth the paper its written on, what happens if a club is sold and the new owners do not wish to run premiership? What if the present owners have decided that they have lost enough money already and don't fancy another season of it? Remember this is British Speedway and its made up of what ifs and maybe's, nothing can be taken as gospel or a certainty.