What about Northampton?

[FAST GATER]

2 hours ago, FishersGate said:

This what I was sent a few days ago.

Looks like a reasonable setup to me  where there is a will there is a way and the foundations for a track are there not just a field.I'm sure more informed individuals will give a whole raft  of issues and problems but IMO for s/way it looks a definite possibility. 

[Kieran22222]

21 minutes ago, DaveWayne said:

What you can't see on those photos is that the grassed area on the inside of the bends is raised several feet from the track, has steel plate on the track side of it, and there is no longer an inner kerb so the shale goes right up to the plating.

Just tell them not to ride on the inside, they will be fine. 😅

[Haza]

With the new season  3 weeks away I’d have thought there would be some kind of building work going on at Northampton by now .

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

12 hours ago, noaksey said:

Or any in the last however many months that he is 

Chris still retains his love for the sport and is still hurt by entain but he isn’t out there doing the ground work to get wolves back either at monmore or elsewhere, I spoke with him in November about J11 on the M6 but that could be 10 years away, we contacted entain ourselves just before Xmas and also spoke with the manager at monmore and that is literally all that has happened in the last 6 months, I’m sure Chris would help any person/team that tried to get wolves back but doing it himself No, I’ve been helping heathens next generation for the past few months and they are relentless for some land and we have been to look at 4 pieces of land in the last 3 weeks alone and are still trying for the rocky lane site, I just wish someone was doing the same for wolves 

[Bagpuss]

I think the day we take any notice of what a Holder has to say is probably the day to pack it all in.

[Dave Jones]

16 minutes ago, Bagpuss said:

I think the day we take any notice of what a Holder has to say is probably the day to pack it all in.

Correct, & Middlo too if we being sensible.

[SteveArena]

Holder better get some vegemite for his Monster cap.  Middlo doesnt go north of Watford anyway.

Good luck to whoever promotes at Northampton hope it is a success.

 

[noaksey]

55 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Chris still retains his love for the sport and is still hurt by entain but he isn’t out there doing the ground work to get wolves back either at monmore or elsewhere, I spoke with him in November about J11 on the M6 but that could be 10 years away, we contacted entain ourselves just before Xmas and also spoke with the manager at monmore and that is literally all that has happened in the last 6 months, I’m sure Chris would help any person/team that tried to get wolves back but doing it himself No, I’ve been helping heathens next generation for the past few months and they are relentless for some land and we have been to look at 4 pieces of land in the last 3 weeks alone and are still trying for the rocky lane site, I just wish someone was doing the same for wolves 

I don't blame him tbh, he's getting on a bit now and with the general state of the sport you've really got to find somewhere that can sustain a multi facet operation and then pull all those strings together.

I look at Coventry and it appears that its mainly being underwritten by people on the stock car side which Wolves of course don't have.

If there are any people interested in trying to get Wolves off the ground (anywhere other than Monmore) then I've not come across them 

[Biffa]

Without getting a diary out, in 2006 Redcar we’re putting the tracks clay base down in February, so there is plenty of time for Northampton to be ready for early April. I can’t remember how many facilities Redcar had in place around now, but Northampton is definitely more advanced at the moment than Redcar was. Redcar opened on the 4th April ish I think. There is a more documented state of Redcar’s beginning in another Facebook group but I can’t remember the name of the group🙈

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

13 minutes ago, noaksey said:

I don't blame him tbh, he's getting on a bit now and with the general state of the sport you've really got to find somewhere that can sustain a multi facet operation and then pull all those strings together.

I look at Coventry and it appears that its mainly being underwritten by people on the stock car side which Wolves of course don't have.

If there are any people interested in trying to get Wolves off the ground (anywhere other than Monmore) then I've not come across them 

I firmly believe the only chance wolves  have is a return to monmore, I have my theories about what the problem was/is and where we are today 2 years later and that’s why I said the MP Phillips is the man to speak to entain about this, he is on the board of the greyhound association and is also part of speedway futures Ltd, the problem(whatever it was/is is within entain the company and not the stadium itself who have told us it wasn’t them who kicked wolves out, Entain themselves said 2 years ago that injury to the dogs was the problem, I contacted the anti greyhound people to get the figures to see if the injuries to the dogs dropped after he speedway left, all they said was the greyhound association had the figures but don’t willingly publish them but did say there had been more greyhound deaths in 2024 at all tracks despite less races but they doubted entains claim about monmore and so did the MP pat macfadden in a letter to entain which I have a copy of 

[Neila]

5 hours ago, PersonalResponsibility said:

Although it is south of the Watford Gap, so he could make home meetings.

But he gets a nose bleed any further north than Oxford 

[YeOldPitGate]

Well at least Flagrags comments about deep pockets and big sponsors lined up sounds promising, he did mention the other side of the world re the new owners,can you imagine if the Glazers were getting involved that would please Mike no doubt.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

Forget Northampton, use the IOW, track and stadium ready to go, can run on Thursdays, ferry crossings being the major downside but surely something can be worked out, will they get big enough crowd ? Maybe in the summer months but out of season probably not but you’re going to lose a lot less money than Northampton and it’s not going to set you back £200,000 to get it up and running 

[Sings4Speedway]

I love IOW but they are stubborn buggers, to be fair i don't blame them. The way they were treated when they advocated change and then moved on to NORA was nothing short of diabolical. They have done a huge amount for British speedway over the years but they know the future isn't stepping in to save the current mess.

 

[InTheDeepStuff]

Is it true what I’ve heard that there’s a deadline of the end of this week to confirm if Northampton are running in 2026 or not, not sure if that’s BSPL imposed, Spedeworth or whoever? 

[Haza]

15 minutes ago, InTheDeepStuff said:

Is it true what I’ve heard that there’s a deadline of the end of this week to confirm if Northampton are running in 2026 or not, not sure if that’s BSPL imposed, Spedeworth or whoever? 

It really does show what desperate state the Premier league speedway is in that we are 3 weeks away from racing and still not 100% sure if it’s 4  5 or 6 teams racing in 2026-  definitely 4  probably 5 but still not 100% on Ipswich and possibly 6 teams if Northampton can get ready for the season - it really is desperate times . 

Edited 18 minutes ago by Haza

[mikebv]

16 minutes ago, InTheDeepStuff said:

Is it true what I’ve heard that there’s a deadline of the end of this week to confirm if Northampton are running in 2026 or not, not sure if that’s BSPL imposed, Spedeworth or whoever? 

You can not keep five other businesses waiting any longer surely?

The four who committed from day one must be seriously peed off that their own businesses impacted due to nothing to do with them...

The Speedway Star said that a five team and a six team fixture list are already done...

You do feel that this season is going to be a bit "make do and mend" (even more than usual!), and, hopefully, something radical and new will launch in 2027...