False dawn

Surely Tony should be viewed as an "expert witness" in this discussion. Most, if not all, of the other councillors will have no knowledge of the speedway tradition at Brandon first hand. He can declare a vested interest and provide input to the discussion on that basis.

The council meeting to discuss this bid is Tuesday, 13th Feb. I have written to the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport, Rois Ali (rois.ali@coventry.gov.uk) asking him to lend his support to our desire to keep Brandon open. I acknowledged the fact that the stadium is in the Rugby Borough Council area but set against this the fact that "We don't look good applying to be the City of Sport and at the same time allowing a 90 year old sporting tradition to die [for the sake of 130 houses]."

Coventry may look to add to City of Culture title Just a couple of months after being named UK City of Culture for 2021, Coventry is lining up another title - European City of Sport in 2019. The City Council's cabinet votes on whether to submit a bid when it meets next week next week and the recommendation in a report from council officers is that they enter the race. They are going to look good should Brandon continue to be closed and subsequent demolished aren't they?

You have a clear choice this year: 1. Go to Leicester and support the Bees NL team. 2. Stay home. Some of implications of each.... 1. You are supporting 7 riders trying to make their way in the sport. Some of your entrance fee will go into Mr Horton's pocket. However, this is not really relevant to the future of Brandon Stadium. Regardless of the outcome of the Leicester venture, Mr Horton has no intention of bringing speedway back to Brandon. The Leicester venture is a financial success. This at least means the Bees have one more year as a successful speedway club. You are giving your support to the view expressed by BE in their planning application in section 6.36 stating that Leicester is a more suitable (permanent) home for Coventry Speedway. This and several other statements in the said document are intended to influence the planning authorities in their favour. 2. 7 riders will suffer (assuming there aren't enough funds to pay them regardless of our attendance). You can feel good about spiting Mr Horton. The Leicester venture flops, maybe even before the season is out and the Bees team disappears from the calendar altogether, at least for the next couple of years. The fact of the failure can be seen as justification for the planning application since it proves that Coventry people are no longer interested in speedway. I suggest people make it clear to the planning authority why they are not going an extra 27 miles to watch NL racing. We must all decide on the balance of probabilities which option helps BE the most in their desire to demolish Brandon Stadium. For me, I believe I can make a case as to why I want Coventry Speedway in Coventry and why the Leicester venture can only represent a very temporary stopgap. I believe also why I can justify not going to Leicester without invoking any of the anti Horton clauses. Go down that route and the authorities will not listen. Don't get nasty (I know you want to, so do I) be polite and focus on the community/family/historical aspects of this heritage facility.

Why?

So draw the line in a fair manner. Top riders in the Premiership are not allowed to double up. Be it over 6, 7 or whatever average is thought sensible. That's straightforward and is equally penalising to all. What this rule does is arbitrary in the extreme. You have riders of similar ability being treated quite differently. And you wonder why they cry foul?

So there is no discretion? Perhaps that's what the official guidelines should say then? I've no axe to grind either way, I'm a Bees fan . But this is February and clubs are still debating various rules with the authorities which directly affect team building. That can't be right, surely?

I'm one of the 50% of the human race who has now been disqualified from comment on this subject. In fact, demonised. But hey ho. As we aren't allowed to comment without fear of retribution chaps, let's hear what the female members of the forum have to say about grid girls. Seriously, I'm interested to know if they are despised or secretly admired. Just asking.

You do know that we used have blokes in quite smart outfits, often colour coded to the helmet colours, long before gate girls, as you call them, were ever thought of? But on balance, I much prefer the girls! Happier times at a stadium I knew quite well.....

I was starting to be persuaded to support the "Bees" at Leicester. But this latest propaganda set of lies has hardened my resolve to not lend any measure of support to the venture. We are clearly being asked to support an explicit statement from BE in their planning application and thus justify their attempt to influence the planning authorities. They can appeal this until their blue in face. We haven't yet begun to fight. "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Do not go gentle into that good night."

True. But your suggestion made sense and was fair and equitable. What's actually been enacted is patently unfair.

I'm not so shy.... Scott says: Thank you @SpeedwayGB ,I’m honoured to have made an “Outstanding contribution to British Speedway” & to be a “fine servant to British Speedway” for over 20 years. Great of you to now restrict me from earn a living. I will be releasing a statement soon, this is not the end of it.

But that's not what they did is it? Two of Britain's best supported and longest serving riders have effectively been singled out. Another case of unintended consequences i.e. rules that have not been thought through.

Well I for one will be quoting this scandalous piece of propaganda in my objection to this planning application.

Cheers Matt. Can't be sure, but I don't think those details had been loaded when I found the entry. In fact the description on the first page summarising the proposal was blank. Either way, it's all there for people to see now.

A warts an' all account eh? That's not what I had in mind, but you know, that could just shake up a few people. All we now is a well written story and a film maker with the necessary skill.

I've found what appears to be the application in question but there is very few details shown??? Rugby Borough Council website

You know, there has been a thread on here about Swagman about once a year since the forum began. Isn't it about time someone made another speedway film we can all talk about? I know the sport isn't as popular as it once was, but it could still make a suitable and exciting backdrop to a film. There are dozens, maybe hundreds of star trek fan films out there on YouTube etc. Isn't there someone with the skill and knowledge to make a speedway fan film?

My only (sad) experience of this sort of problem was in the early 2000's. I was in my late 40's and decided, before it was too late, I'd better start training to be the next speedway world champion. Don't laugh, this is serious. As a result, I used to go up to Owlerton, Sheffield, most Saturdays and practice on their training track. I even had a half share in a bike for a while. I'd been to Owlerton many times over the years to regular speedway matches and never knew they even had a training track, which was situated behind the main track, out of sight. Well I never made WC (despite what my profile picture seems to indicate!). I did go on to have an 8 year "career" as a sidecar passenger and raced on grass as well as half the speedways in England and Wales (nowt against Scotland, but the nearest I got was Berwick). Anyway the point of the story was that a few years after I stopped going to the Sheffield training track, the SCB closed it down on safety grounds. And this was before bouncy castles were the thing. So what was a great facility, for new riders (Ben Wilson was starting out when I was there) and professionals who needed a place to shake down equipment etc. (Simon Stead used to ride there) was lost forever. A great shame and not in the spirit of getting new amateurs on track for not a lot of money. We have to consider carefully where our sport is heading. The strength of the amateur scene is set to become even more important in the future. There is a move in the lower end of the sport towards semi professionalism and as we move away from the heady days of a few years ago, training tracks will start to emerge. Think on SCB, embrace this side of the sport or risk killing the whole concept of a new breed of riders for whatever future the sport has to look forward to.

This unlicensed issue..... Is it to do with insurance and ensuring that tracks operate to certain standards e.g. safety fences? I don't know, but generally in other sports, sporting venues are unlicensed to save money but the money saving can be the determent of the participants in the event of a serious accident for example. I would love to see the speedway authorities put their arms around the amateur part of our sport but we must recognise the value of standards and safety in what is a potentially dangerous sport. Who would suggest, for example, that we abandon the use of air fences to save money?

Not a very complimentary description of the BSPA

BE may believe the market value is 4 or 8 times that figure (depends which rumour you listen to). And that may be a realistic valuation given planning permission for housing is granted. However, what price a large piece of land, with or without a stadium, without said planning permission? The current owners have to play a canny waiting game with regard to the co-operation of the local Borough Council. If they wait too long they may see their £2.7M "investment" reduce in value significantly. Might be time, quite soon, for them to cut and run.

Telford?

Along with 80% of riders

Is there a definitive list of riders' averages anywhere that we can all see?