Marky_Mark

Hi there, apologies if anybody has covered this elsewhere and I’ve missed it. I was just wondering, does anybody know if this fantastic track has been ripped up now?

Ouch! The previous promotion made a loss and now you want to try and re-open paying double the rent! Don’t get me wrong you have my full support and I really hope you succeed but it’s going to be incredibly hard to get up and running and break even?

Hi there, very best of luck to you. I sure am missing my visits to Arlington this season, and it’s been one of my favourite tracks for many years. I’ll keep everything crossed for you but that’s a whopping start up cost and then it was already loss making. Interesting to read that the rent is double what you expected, does that mean the landlord has increased it since last season or it purely means that you estimated it and it was far more than expected. Any thoughts on doing a share scheme? 100 fans buying in at £1000 each for example?

I honestly don’t understand what all the fuss is about using guests. Plymouth started the season with a full 7 riders and have lost 2 to serious injuries and 1 rider has quit the team so the situation is not of their own making. We know from pre season that teams were struggling to even fill their teams so there isn’t going to be a long list of riders out there to replace them with. As a spectator, I would rather spend my money going to to a meeting and watching a team with guests if needs be in order to make it a good meeting to watch with similar strength teams on track rather than punish their misfortune.

Because he would have been at Wolves v Ipswich as the Ipswich promoter

How did you work that out? Gilkes would have replaced Eddie with a reserve ride even if he hadn’t pulled out the meeting?

1. Jason Edwards - 8.84 2. Connor King - 3.67 3. Connor Coles - 6.04 4. Henry Atkins - 5.86 5. Jordan Jenkins - 9.56 6. Archie Freeman - 3.00 7. Luke Killeen - 3.00 Total = 39.97

1. Jason Edwards - 8.84 2. Connor King - 3.67 3. Connor Coles - 6.04 4. Henry Atkins - 5.86 5. Jordan Jenkins - 9.56 6. Archie Freeman - 3.00 7. Luke Killeen - 3.00 Total = 39.97

I’m really going to miss Eastbourne in the league this season but good luck to everyone involved trying to get them back on track. Just out of interest, did the riders eventually get was owed to them?

Usually yes, but technically they haven’t folded? Company is still trading and we are told it will pay all of its debts so in theory shouldn’t have their asset base stripped and would be able to sell or pass on to a new company prepared to run speedway?

Ok thank you.

Where have you seen that Brennan has been sold? I haven’t seen anything to say that he’s become a Glasgow asset, only that he’s been signed until the end of the season?

In fact the more I think about it, I would have several questions of the Eastbourne management team if they were prepared to answer; - Why was the break even figure set at such a high attendance coming out of lockdown, what outgoings were so high, overpaying riders, staff or unaffordable rent? - Why were fans not informed sooner that there were problems, speedway fans are a big community and don’t like to see any track close. It could have led to donations, offers of support and larger attendances? - Why did they enter and then continue with a National league side, as sad as it would have been to see them pull out, it may have been a sacrifice worth making to save one of the teams. - Why were the 2 owners/directors not licensed promoters and therefore having to employ 2 promoters. I could be wrong but does this somehow imply that the BSPL already had concerns and didn’t want to give them a promoters license? - They state that the company will continue to trade for 5-6 weeks and pay off everything they owe, does that include all outstanding rent and riders pay? - Why did they start a crowdfunding page for an air fence for next season knowing that they had financial problems and therefore were unlikely to even get to next season? Surely would have been more valuable to ask for funding to get through the problems first?

Yes I’m surprised there wasn’t a call to arms, for example a crowdfunding type page set up for donations to try and get the team to the end of the season. Unless the debts were so high that they knew that wouldn’t scratch the surface, I mean after all we’re now hearing that the riders are owed SEVERAL meetings.

And Weymouth

Yes, Leicester speedway owner Damien Bates

Oh dear!! If they are already calling off meetings 2 weeks away then yes that does appear to be it. Really bad news for Eastbourne and British Speedway if it happens.

Typical BSPL though……communication and openness is definitely not their strong point and with Eastbourne having promised us an honest statement today, they have obviously requested that the club say nothing! Surely though as each day ticks past, this is going to get more and more difficult to rescue the season. Fixture dates running out, and riders missing out on other meetings if they haven’t been paid and want to be released to other teams, just 2 obvious things that spring to mind.

Yes seems positive to me, also stated that the company is trading and will be funded. Reason for ‘silence’ is due to dawn to dusk days finding funds and solutions. Statement will be released hopefully tonight once it’s been discussed with relevant parties.

Ian has just confirmed that he has not left and there will be a factual statement released tonight. He has also stated that whilst there are known cash flow issues, everybody will be paid their money. Lets wait for the statement, as he has also said that lots of the rumours are inaccurate.

Yes you beat me to it! I can understand the Hancock family not wanting to run without the income from the clubhouse contributing towards costs But.... there may well could have been a consortium/promoter out there willing to lease the track from them? Could have been made to work at NL level for example? Sadly the announcement clearly stating that’s it and it’s gone and the selling of the air fence reads to me like they have other ideas for use of the land the track sits on, particular if other units have gone up.

Connor King now confirmed in the 2020 line up leaving 6.79 for the final rider

It’s been confirmed that Danno isn’t in the team this year. With the points that they have left, they could have Connor King and it leaves approx 6.50ish left, I would say Jack Smith is probably the best value rider around that average. Others potentially in the frame around that mark would be Danny Halsey or Danny Phillips. So I don’t think Scott Campos will be in a heat leader position and therefore is good value on his low average, as although he struggles on some away tracks, he really does fly around the Smallbrook track

Interestingly, there’s been lots of rumours about Tom Brennan, just worked out that had he been signed as number 5 on his average then in my team above Scott Campos would have fit at number 3 with 0.03 to spare but I’m sure I read that they couldn’t fit Scott into the team so maybe Alfie will return

Great to see Ben back on the island, I’ll be over a few times from the mainland supporting this great promotion no matter what side gets put together but the highlight for me last year was Alfie Bowtell blasting round the track, is it possible that he could be accommodated too? I notice that Ryan Terry-Daley is also not in the Plymouth side this year so I was thinking something like this: Ben Morley - 9.13 Chris Widman - 3.32 Ryan Terry Daley - 5.22 Danno Verge - 4.83 Alfie Bowtell - 9.24 Jamie Sealey - 2.00 Chad Wirtzfeld - 2.00 A complete guess so I could be way out but anyway best of luck to Barry, Martin and all 7 riders that represent the 2019 team