Mildenhall 2025

[secsy1]

[ONTWOMINUTES]

45 minutes ago, secsy1 said:

Any idea of line up or more importantly the admission price?

[NeilWatson]

Mildenhall Speedway Supporters Trust CIC Press Release dated 01/09/25  [PR 16/25] Speedway returns to West Row this Saturday (6/9)!

Saturday 6th. September is the big date for all involved with the revival of Speedway at Mildenhall Stadium – when the Fen Tigers finally return to their home of half a century, in their Golden Jubilee year.
The opponents are long-time rivals, Rye House Rockets – themselves a club in the midst of a long campaign to see them return to their track.  For the Herts club that prolonged battle goes on, but for the Fen Tigers Saturday represents the successful conclusion of a journey, albeit with many a bump in the road which has seen them battle back from closure nearly two years ago, an unsuccessful attempt to move up the divisions, a near catastrophic fire at the stadium in West Row, the established Speedway authorities failing to accept the style of foam safety barrier erected to deal with the new Stock Car fence built as part of the arena refurb and the club opting instead to go under the alternative licensing body, NORA92.
But all of that is behind them now and rather it’s all hands to the pump to ensure all goes well when a large crowd is anticipated on the Suffolk Fens to welcome the club back.

And for one of their young riders it’s been a long and patient wait also.
20 year old Kenzie Cossey was introduced to the fans (supporters who at the meeting back in February took the decision to form the Community Trust which has ultimately been the financial and promotional model to get the club back on track) as one of the new breed of riders who will be donning the famous orange and black Fen Tigers’ race jacket and gave an insight into his racing background then.
“I’ve been riding Grasstrack, initially as a schoolkid with the Norfolk Star club, since I was only about six years of age – and had a successful spell in the youth ranks winning the GB championship in 2014.
“Moving up to the seniors I was unsure at first how it was going but when I came third in the GB 250cc championships it gave me a big boost.  And increased my determination to follow in my family footsteps and move onto Speedway”.
That family connection goes back two further generations because Kenzie’s grandfather is a GB Speedway legend: 33-times-capped by his nation, World Finalist and winner of the FIM Internationale, former Norwich Star, King’s Lynn, Wimbledon and Hackney rider Trevor Hedge.
“My granddad is a bit of an idol of mine as he was one of the very best in the sport back in the day.  And of course he’s also very famous in the sport for his company which produced and serviced Speedway engines so having had him in my corner has taught me so much on and off the track”.

And there’s a family connection to the Mildenhall club also as Kenzie’s uncle and long-time mentor was the late Gavin Hedge – son of Trevor and one of the most popular ever Fen Tigers’ riders.
“Yes my uncle was Fen Tigers captain for three years (from ’99 to ’01) and to me it’s such an honour to be following him into the Mildenhall team myself.  I have to say with Trevor and Gav to live up to I am glad that my surname isn’t actually Hedge as it takes a little bit of pressure off!”

And the youngster from Barford near Norwich has made a great start in those Fen Tigers’ colours with a paid double figures return, including a first ever race win in senior Speedway at Mildenhall’s away win at fellow NORA club Isle of Wight last week,
“It was a first for me riding the Isle of Wight circuit, but I couldn’t have asked for a better night, coming away scoring 9+1 and to win a race around the very same track that Gav won many races at was a lovely feeling!
“And to be selected as the Mildenhall Rider of The Night was the icing on the cake.”

Kenzie also revealed a familial connection to the very beginnings of the Mildenhall track that hasn’t been commonly known.
“My granddad Trevor was called in, being an East Anglian based rider, to help the group who first built the Mildenhall stadium for Speedway to help design the track in the mid-1970s.  So I’m so looking forward on Saturday to be racing there representing the Fen Tigers – the fulfilment of a long-held dream.
“I’m so pleased we got our Team Manager Kieran Phillips off to a winning start in his role – I cannot thank him and the club enough”.

And Phillips has another third generation Fen Tiger in his side for that opener, with Connor Coles (whose grandfather Bob Coles was one of the original 1975 team).  Coles will be joined by twice Grasstrack European Champion, the locally-based James Shanes plus the experienced duo of Rhys Naylor and Sam Woods and Hull-based Polish racer, Patryk Daniszewski.

The Rockets will be led by the rider who’s ridden West Row the most times as an opposition rider, Ben Morley and the trophy up for grabs will remember a legendary Rockets rider sadly passed away, the late Kelvin Mullarkey, who lived in West Row.
Steve Ribbons has taken a huge lead in the campaigns to revive both clubs and was a great friend of Kelvin’s.
“We really wanted to use this opportunity to remember Kelvin and we hope his daughter Leigh will be in attendance to present the trophy in her father’s name to the winning side.  
“Big thanks go to the School of History at UEA who are bringing their ‘Speedway In the East’ exhibition along, for their sponsorship of the meeting along with long-time Mildenhall supporter. Local businessman Troy Dudley.”

Ribbons explained that on this occasion they’ll be no second half racing but it’s very much in the plans for future meetings,
“It’s really a Herculean feat on our hands getting everything ready for this first meeting and organising a second half has proved to be a step too far.  Riders interested in racing on the new track can though come along to our practice session on Sunday – places are available but filling up fast”.

The Fen Tigers vs. Rockets action in The Speedway In The East Challenge gets underway at 7.30pm on Saturday 6th. September at Mildenhall Stadium, Hayland Drove, West Row, Suffolk IP28 8QU.  Admission (by cash or card) is £15, accompanied children aged 15 and under go free.

[RacingintheEast]

We look forward to completing our tour of East Anglia’s tracks by being part of the Fen Tigers’ long-awaited return to race action this Saturday. The ‘Racing in the East’ exhibition will be on display, accompanied by a free booklet. A feature in the meeting’s programme - ‘Cold War, Hot Fen!’ - will shine a light on fifty international years of Mildenhall speedway. For more, see the ‘Racing in the East’ website. Hopefully see you there!

[NeilWatson]

Meeting scheduled for Saturday 6/9 OFF
 
The very inclement weather this week causing serious issues with planned track maintenance ahead of Mildenhall Speedway’s planned comeback meeting has sadly left the club’s coordinators no choice but to make the decision today to cancel Saturday’s (6/9) match vs. Rye House.
 
Speaking on behalf of the club Steve Ribbons announced the news on Wednesday morning,
“We took delivery at the stadium from storage yesterday of the wooden panels and air fence which were due to be put up in the next couple of days - with maintenance to be carried out on the track surface and to the panels.
“It needs to be remembered that with no Speedway on the West Row track for virtually two whole years now, this time period between now and Saturday was always going to crucial to us”.

Ribbons continues,
“The last thing we needed then was this spell of very heavy rain, which has meant we’ve needed to take the decision, extremely reluctantly, to call time on these efforts; as it’s clear that getting the track surface ready and to carry out the repairs and some wooden fence panel renewals (as in storage, some had become rotten) wouldn’t be possible in the time scale we had because of the adverse weather conditions.”

This of course also means that the practice session planned for Sunday 7th. has also had to be called off – refunds are being issued.

Attention now shifts to redoubling efforts to get everything ready with improved weather conditions forecast for later in the month in anticipation of what will now be the reopening meeting, vs. fellow NORA club Isle of Wight Warriors on September 20th.
 
Ribbons concluded,
“We apologise to all our fans (many of whom of course have a stake in the club as Trustees), to other spectators across the area and the sport who were making plans to come on Saturday, to the riders, to all those working to get us back on track and to the numerous sponsors particularly ‘Speedway In The East’ and Troy Dudley whose injection of cash into our opening meeting was so welcome, for this decision to call off.  We are just pleased that at least we could make this decision early enough to stop greater inconvenience to all and now look forward to an improvement this month in the weather.”
 
Fellow club coordinator, Kieran Phillips added his comment,
“I’d like to add my apologies to all the fans who had planned to attend - but our vision has always been to deliver a quality product; and track wise, with the weather we might not be able to achieve that.  You, the fans have been so patient with us we don’t want a sub-standard meeting”. 
 
To clarify, the Mildenhall Speedway meeting scheduled for Saturday 6th. September is now OFF. The opening meeting will now be on Saturday 20th. September vs. Isle of Wight Warriors.