1 valve

Jonathan, Thanks for confirming the dateline of Sams involvement etc. There is somewhere a youtube video of DH introducing Ermolenko to the supporters for the first time which supports your feedback although didn't realise you had been pushed aside once DH had got things sorted, though I did wonder why you had not continued your involvement alongside Ken Naylor and others. so a belated thank you for all that the tremendous work and effort you put contributed in getting the Lions back up and running in Leicester.

If things were signed and sealed then signed and sealed by who? following your logic there was somebody other than DH who arranged everything without any input whatsoever from him. If that was the case then why didn't those people carry on with the project instead of simply letting DH take over? for you to say "Hemsley brought nothing back" is an inaccurate statement. Clearly there were people involved prior to DH but ultimately he was the one who made it happen similarly he played a part in his own downfall.

the bottom line to this debate is that speedway returned to Leicester due to the efforts of many including DH. I am sure there were opportunities for others to arrange funding and provide a viable promotion but for what ever reason they did not materialize and ultimately DH got hold of the reigns. As we now know, over time DH made mistakes which were avoidable (isn't hindsight a wonderful thing) and has paid the price. Now we need to look forward in the hope that others will learn from the mistakes made and along with the sport in general, become better organised, profitable and thus able to go from strength to strength. With thanks to all of those who have gone before whom without, there would be no opportunity to take advantage of I say GOOD LUCK TO ALL CONCERNED - Hope we have a sunny summer!

There have been (many ) times since as a 10 year old and now some 40 years later that I have screamed, shouted & hated what the Bees have dished out to the Lions - on track. I also resented the role no matter how big or how small the CO played in the closure of what was fast approaching a derelict Blackbird Road stadium. I also loved it beyond almost anything else (sporting) when the Lions came out on top (rare) and so when speedway returned to Leicester & when the rivalry returned (albeit so less emotional than way back) the journey from the dark days of no speedway in Leicester was complete. Why do I say all of this? simple. If there is anything which Leicester or anyone can do to avoid another speedway club being lost to the sport, and in the case of Coventry & Leicester saving one of the greatest historical rivalries in speedway then they should do it. After all, Many would rather have 4 chances every year of beating the Bees on track than willingly being part of a one off event of ending Coventry Bees for good....Actually If the bees did have to ride at Leicester, that would be great, I could go along every week and cheer for the opposition just like I used to do at Brandon whilst the Lions were missing for those 20+ years

Its a good question which any fan of speedway, not just Coventry, should be asking. The sport has a long history attached to it and Coventry, love em or "hate" em (only in sporting competitive terms) have been a significant part of it both as a club and as a team with world class riders attached to it. However, what we have to face up to is that today, we have owners and promoters attached to the Coventry club who have considerable personal interests vested in matters associated with the entity which we know as Coventry Bees and like it or not, the outcome of the deliberation between those parties is going to have to be settled first and the current fan base and history of this iconic club is not the priority to those involved. As stated elsewhere, it is a complex matter, and frankly one beyond what we fans will be told about because (as much as it may hurt) these are financial and contractual matters which does not directly concern those who pay to support the Bees & speedway however, we can hope that matters do get resolved allowing the Bees to race in 2017 and that this heralds the beginning of a new exciting chapter for Coventry speedway and slowly but surly the whole sorry mess of the past few years can begin to be consigned to history.

The league may not have too many riders racing in Sweden but most of the number 1's of the teams do so if the Lions did ride on a Tuesday (which they wont) the other promoters would have something to complain about and we fans would miss seeing what is left of the best riders in the league racing at Leicester. Much better for the Lions to go with a race night which can be established as the regular race night and a second night which makes sense too. Monday, Thursday and Friday remain the best three nights to perm any two from. just hope we get to know what night that will be soon and hear news of the riders who will make up the team.

There will be no alterations that effect the perimeter of the stadium for which the lease applies. The land outside of the current speedway stadium is designated for other sporting purposes. So don't expect moving of fences and temporary stands, but do expect changes to bends 1&2 to reduce the length of the straights meaning less entry speed and more room in and out of the turns ...less speed, more room, more lines = more opportunity to pass...if the riders are good enough, if they are not good enough?, well that would explain why they aren't in the lead in the first place

How would you would know that new owners do not have the money required for track alterations?. But to put things into perspective, last year bends 3 & 4 were altered at a cost below £5k (which DH did not fund) so why would it take more to make similar alterations to the first two bends?...it wouldn't. Incidentally Last years alterations were meant to include bends 1&2 which would have been done had it not been for the weather interfering causing delays and leaving insufficient time to complete the job before the start of the season after which alterations are not allowed.

No. The reason why the claim for compensation stands up is that the promoters abandoned the event and offered no alternative date for the meeting to be re-run. In effect they cancelled an event and didn't refund any money for which they had charged customers for. The cause was an unfit track, legally what the riders did was bring this matter to the attention of the officials who agreed that the meeting could no go ahead. Had the official said "the track is fine" and the riders then refused that would have been a different matter as the riders would have broken their contracts...Which they didn't.

You raise some good point but things are not that complicated - if you follow contract law and normal business practice. 1. Does the lease holder play ball with the BPSA. The presumption you are making here is that the lease holder is also the speedway promoter. However, as a lease holder there is no need for him/her to play ball with the BSPA other than to ensure the stadium/track is suitable for speedway should he wish to promote the sport or hire it to a promoter. 2. I am sure if they have problems, then the lease on the land could be cancelled. The only grounds that would give cause for cancelation of the lease by council would be if monies due for the lease were not paid or if the property was being used for activities outside of the specified purpose. standing empty and unused would not constitute suitable cause if the lease was being paid for - Unlike as it appears the NSC in Manchester. It appears some people think that as the leaseholder DH will be out of pocket without speedway he should cut his losses and just walk away. However, the facility has a future value which like it or not DH has created. i.e. there is a stadium which a promoter can run meetings and earn money from. So it would be a fair presumption that DH as the leaseholder is (as is his right) to seek compensation for the use of the stadium for which he is the rightful tenant either by sub letting (if the lease allows) or selling the lease. I do agree that so we fans know for certain we will have speedway at Leicester in 2017 it would be great to see this matter sorted sooner rather than later. However, we also need to recognise that there are business interests being served here and they need to be sorted out to the satisfaction of the vested parties. clearly some serious and detailed negotiation are going on and frankly, we don't need to know the details, just that they have been concluded and that the Lions will roar (Hopefully with more effect on track than in recent times) next season.

The track can be used between 08:00-22:30 daily - there is a limitation on actual meetings of 50 - Practice does not constitute a meeting. This is to prevent crowds, parking as well as noise en mass becoming too common.

Leicester will be.

and still we said Leicester was a track made for gaters...

The approved planning permission states the track cannot be used outside 08:00-22:30 daily and no more than 50 meetings can take place a year. There is no mention of a restriction to Saturdays of any kind. It has been reported that DH has said there would be nobody to unlock the stadium other than Saturdays..But frankly that is something easily overcome...if there was any truth to that statement in the first place.

No.

Any thoughts or better still knowledge what the regular race night will be?

Uh? "sorted and deals agreed" - surely suggests everything is very close to finalization? Time required to finalise the small print and crossing t's etc? looking forward to the news breaking soon - thereby ending the rumor's and our frustrations/worries/etc

looks like there is more to this than meets the eye - or put another way, more than what we have been told, which is not a lot. speculation of who and what is behind the cause of this terrible state of affairs is doing us no good, though maybe it helps release the disappointment & frustration being felt by many. Feels like Sandhu & Horton have arrived at some sort of stalemate re part of the negotiation for the use of the stadium and for reasons not known or understood Sandhu has retaliated with some pretty strong actions. Usually its best not to do such things in the heat of the moment and this maybe something done which ultimately nobody will benefit by. Not sure whos nose has been cut off to spite whose face, but seems like speedway fans will suffer the most. such a shame - I hope it can get sorted...I have loved hating the BEES (cus I'm a Lion through & through) since the 60's and would hate to see them go especially this way..so unfair to the history of a great club.

A meeting of what committee?

It wasn't a case of fly tipping but the tipping of acceptable rubble etc from excavation work approved by LCC.

It will all be down to negotiation and who holds the position of strength (perceived or otherwise) On the one hand it could be said DH without a speedway promoter will have a white elephant on his hands (the stadium) which will be costing him money to own so he needs to be able to rent it out. However, a potential promoter needs a stadium, without it there is no promotion and as the promoter sees Leicester as a business opportunity then he needs a place to make the money from. So the crux of the matter is both parties need each other...but who needs each other the most? Good look with the negotiations chaps - us fans need you to sort it out so we can watch some speedway in Leicester during 2017 and beyond

Is there the distinct possibility that there is more than one party interested in running the Leicester promotion, both of whom convinced the BSPA that they have the necessary backing/knowledge to do so, and therefore we are now waiting on the final decision on who it will be, maybe even an amalgamation to provide the way forward. or Maybe there is only one player in town but there are still numerous i's to be dotted & T's to be crossed before any real progress can be made which over and above settling with the BSPA on fundamentals such as race night may also include reaching agreement on the ownership/use/rent of the stadium. or Maybe its a combination or permutation of all of the above. If any of the above does exist then I guess the promoters elect know by now that there is a hard core of folk who would like to know what is going on, but lets face it, currently very few teams if any know too much for certain about what is in store for their team in 2017....and so the wait goes on..hope it will be worth it.

I agree that the entertainment plays a large significant part in attracting and retaining new fans. It is worth considering that over the past few years BV have not been that dominant in terms of league position and once new visitors have got over the spectacle of speedway, the hard reality of promoting a team event means that the team performance does need to be taken into account when retaining fans. Not every team can win the league, in fact some never have done so. but being competitive and winning the majority of home meetings is paramount to long term growth and success. Also, fans need to relate to the team they are expected to support. team line ups that keep changing week to week never mind season to season will struggle to build loyalty. As an example, remember the days of PC & CM etc...almost the same line up week in week out - season to season. This meant fans had allegiance to the team and the team members not just as it is today "the brand".

No word from the AGM confirming that Saturday nights is a no go for top tier speedway aka EL now The Premiership. Not sure what to make of this, but cant help but think if any team believes it can compete with any resemblance of a strong team in 2017 then Saturdays are out of the question. Also other Elite/Premiership clubs said last year was the last as they struggle to field their strongest line ups on Saturday. If Saturdays race nights are going to be allowed and the Lions do just that then we are going to see lots of guest riders, a weak team and another dismal season...

Has it been confirmed that; There will be no top league (whatever the EL is now rebranded as) racing on Saturdays There will be one or more race nights in the top league (whatever the EL is now rebranded as) or is that still open for discussion? Is there to be a different race format than 2016? what about fast track riders? This for starters.