cityrebel

Bacon injured at Mildenhall tonight. I don't know how serious, i'm just going by the updates.

The saddest thing about this whole episode, is how the club has been allowed to die with just a whimper. It doesent matter how cookie dresses it up, when the Hammers move to Rye, the game is up. We have had hardly any home meetings to attend, to share our memories and say goodbye. The fact that Arena Essex will still be staging motorsport until early November, is the hardest thing to accept. What a shambles.

The cost in purchasing the stadium, and the renovation works to bring it up to scratch, would cost a small fortune. Who would commit such a financial outlay for two sports in terminal decline.

Definitely the latter. The championship could do with blooding a few more British youngsters.

The reality is, the sport can't afford the top riders anymore. I can see some sort of training league, like the SDL, for the smaller clubs that can't compete financially. Similar to what Kent have been running at Iwade this season.

Totally agree.

Strong rumours of only two leagues next season, minus the NL!

You have to fear for the future of a lot of clubs.

I've left two abandoned meetings this season before they were officially called off. It's the first time I've ever done this in nearly 50 years of being a fan. Both meetings were off, so it was the right call. I never expected them to be completed, so why Waste my time. Running just 10 heats is like winning the lottery to present day promoters.

A combination of the two clubs is the only way forward.

That is assuming, the Rye House promoters get their licence back to run meetings, instead of just being landlords.

They better have deep pockets, if they do go down that route.

The problem is, Arena got a bad reputation for having a fenceless track in the 1980's, that has never gone away.

The recent TV meetings I've watched in the polish league, were crap compared to the NSS.

I've heard very similar myself. Let's hope we don't get any more track closures during the winter.

A few of my memories are, the awful fenceless track of the 1980's, the all conquering team of 1991, the year in the CL, after the promoters had cleared off to Hackney. The return to the top flight in 2003, and the massive crowd for Lee' Richardson's memorial meeting. This season started with such optimism, and will end with sadness and disappointment. RIP Arena Essex, you will be missed by those of us that really knew you, not by those that criticised you at every opportunity.

Enough reminiscing. My mate Jon Stevens is doing a display of Arena Essex & Lakeside race jackets and memorabilia at the last ever meeting. He is trying to convince me to loan him some stuff from my own collection, to go with his own items. Wether I can let it out of my sight is another matter. It should be an emotional night, if the weather behaves itself.

My first ever meeting at West Ham was Christer's debut v Wimbledon in May 1970. 39 -39 draw, the best birthday treat I've ever had!

As a lifelong Wimbledon fan it was a blow, but far more important that the track survived. The CL era saw speedway return to plough lane, but not as most of us remembered it!

Understandably, there was a lot of doom and gloom post Lokeren at Custom House. But I was a wee lad at the time, and it was all exciting stuff to me. The sight of Christer Lofqvist in full flight, ensured I became a speedway fan for life.

I suppose until the structure of speedway in 2019 is decided, no one will commiting to anything.

It will be very interesting to see how many fans back this new venture. The crowds were never brilliant at Custom House, when Romford moved in.

Geographicly the vast majority of my meetings now are at NL level. Mainly at Eastbourne, Kent and the IOW. The closure of Rye House and the limited amount of meetings being staged at Arena, has reduced my attendance in the top two leagues. I still make the odd trip here and there, and I will be making the pilgrimage to Rye on Saturday week.

I live in Surrey, but work in London. I always go by train to Arena straight from work. It's no hardship, much better than tackling the tunnel and the M25. Although it wasn't very pleasant walking back to the station after the Newcastle rain off. Having just one meeting to say goodbye is my biggest gripe. We should be seeing the season out at our home track, not squatting somewhere else. More effort should have been made to rearrange meetings earlier in the season. The whole episode has left a lot of us Arena regulars felling very bitter about the way it's ending.

If they stay injury free, I can't see anyone stopping mildenhall. Drew Kemp was superb last night, his ride from the back in heat 15 was sublime.