What about Northampton?

[tom]

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Edited 18 hours ago by tom
moved content to the post with the quote, which I'd meant to do in the first place

[tom]

On 3/13/2026 at 6:32 PM, Chadster said:

Good point about the police initiative. Are there any tracks that participate in these schemes? I guess it would have to be a track like Leicester or Scunthorpe where there's more or less continuous access. Running schemes like these ould be a good way of encouraging a positive view of the sport by local councils.

I don't think the visits to schools would be to encourage participation, except as spectators. Again, can the sport offer something to schools? I think Zach Cook was on one of the school visits at Poole. Could he talk to them about life in Australia as part of a Geography lesson, could someone from the club talk about the track and the sport as part of local history? A stats based sport should have some relevance to Maths lessons.

The impression I get is that, at the club I've had conversations with at least, there just isn't anyone who has the capacity, contacts and experience to set that kind of thing up. I know that certain major cities have police initiatives focused on bike crime, not all of those have speedway but Manchester is one. I imagine that when it comes round to noise complaints or fending off developers, being the in council's good books would come in handy.

 

As you say as much as anything that kind of project is about building good relations with the local community and local government, rather than directly attracting fans or even riders (although it might do those things too!). This is obviously massively important for speedway, because fundamentally, the thing that separates British and Polish speedway, and the thing that has secured Belle Vue ther stadium, is local government support. But I can imagine how these kind of long-term, diagonal strategies might seem like luxuries if you're flat-out fighting crisis on all fronts.

 

One angle that has only just occurred to me, and could well be a good seller in the current educational contexts, is that I've got a little hunch that both in terms of spectators and participants, speedway might be a sport that favours neurodiverse people. The connection to ADHD is obvious: massively intense, massively sensory, short bursts of violent action; impossible to ignore; regular hits. I think there are connections to some points on the autism spectrum too. All the numbers, the averages, then the physics, the immersion again. As a spectator it's a very attention grabbing all-senses experience (apart from the food). I would imagine it's exactly the kind of job for someone who needs to be in-the-moment. Speaking as someone who has these conditions. So... this line of argument could be used in schools and universities to students. That is a growing proportion of students (up to around a quarter in some universities) who might respond very well to a welcoming community that invites them in, especially if they've got a mega-exciting entertainment at the centre of it.

 

But again developing these kinds of projects and arguments requires a certain kind of mindset and experience which, if you haven't worked in those kinds of areas, you might not have. Which I imagine is the main reason they haven't happened. Certainly to actually get funding you need to be able to speak their language.

 

From the perspective of speedway it would be about: how can we solve a problem for someone else? That's basically how you lever them into being willing to solve yours.

 

Once you get started down that path there's all kinds of places you can take it though. Arts council? Performing rights society foundation?

[OGT]

On 3/13/2026 at 6:03 PM, piston197 said:

Not arguing about all of that, he puts bikes ( and tin cans) on the telly not so sure he promotes any motorcycle sports much ?, mostly just promotes himself and his programmes/merchandise , fortunately most viewers are too dim to realise it is just another branch of "reality TV" and as I said, if I had anything to do with Oxford speedway, as his local club, I would try to get a tie-up with him promotion wise, his dedicated disciples, and there are a lot of them, might be tempted to give speedway a viewing ?

Totally agree with you regarding Henry. He gets bikes on the telly and has introduced the genius that is Allan Millyard to a new audience. Without him, there'd be no bike programmes on TV, simple as that. 

Numpty? Nope. 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

51 minutes ago, OGT said:

Totally agree with you regarding Henry. He gets bikes on the telly and has introduced the genius that is Allan Millyard to a new audience. Without him, there'd be no bike programmes on TV, simple as that. 

Numpty? Nope. 

While these 2 and their fake tv programs should not be ignored they appeal to the old generation and they are not the future of speedway, we need to be looking to influencers, now don’t get me wrong imo they are useless twats but for some reason they appeal to the yoof and that’s where we need to be looking 

[adonis]

2 hours ago, OGT said:

Totally agree with you regarding Henry. He gets bikes on the telly and has introduced the genius that is Allan Millyard to a new audience. Without him, there'd be no bike programmes on TV, simple as that. 

Numpty? Nope. 

Only someone who knows nothing about Henry Cole , would make the sort of ridiculous uninformed comments , like piston has. 

[Nickinho]

On 3/9/2026 at 11:33 AM, heathen52 said:

Councils simply do not want Speedway.

Very true. Same thing happened to the Monarchs last year. 

[piston197]

2 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

While these 2 and their fake tv programs should not be ignored they appeal to the old generation and they are not the future of speedway, we need to be looking to influencers, now don’t get me wrong imo they are useless twats but for some reason they appeal to the yoof and that’s where we need to be looking 

Strangely enough HC does attract the "yoof" I have had the (dis) pleasure of being adjacent to him at a number of events, youngsters are queueing up to have selfies with him and buy puncture repair tins for a tenner if he signs them!

The strangest thing happened at Bromberrow last weekend, a stallholder next to me had a one gallon can in decent nick and another with the side rotted out on his stall. A lad in his 20's with a girlfriend/wife and a small child asked the price, Nigel the stallholder said "make an offer" the young lad got his wallet out and said " I watch Henry Cole's shows and know they are valuable, I only have £150 will that do ?" The stallholder replied " I cannot take that off you, you can have the good one for £20 and I will throw the other one into the deal"!!!!

[piston197]

56 minutes ago, adonis said:

Only someone who knows nothing about Henry Cole , would make the sort of ridiculous uninformed comments , like piston has. 

Uninformed ? I have had numerous exchanges with HC, have had a stall adjacent to him at Shepton Mallet, Stratford ( twice) @ Cirencester .

I have outbid him at an auction and seen his bile when he did not bid enough money to win the item, I have heard unpleasant exchanges with others.

Yes he is smart enough to get his shows on the TV, and there is no doubt there is some business sense and a lot of contacts there, his work as a freelance journalist was never in the Kate Adie sphere, but he was there doing it, he also earned enough money as a motorcycle courier to fund his drug habit, he is now clean and doing very well, but as Dean said the TV stuff is mostly Fake, I know most of the people he visits, Andrew Longfield, Sam Jones , Greg ,etc

I have had his team contact me twice once directly and once through Jake Morgan to have a poke around in my shed, and have been contacted by his team to trade at an event I run ( no they did not turn up)

So slightly better informed than someone who has just seen him on the telly, have a look in the background of his shows and you can still see a lot of the things he "sold" still there, a lot of the bikes he has "sold" come up with a private Ebay seller based in the Chjeltenham/Oxford area, here is the latest 1937 Francis Barnett Plover 150c Runs Rides Great Patina Henry Cole Shed Buried | eBay UK

here is another 

French Velosolex S3800 Moped 50cc, Runs/Rides, As Seen On Shed & Buried 1 of 2 | eBay UK

and another 

French Velosolex S3800 Moped 50cc, Runs/Rides, As Seen On Shed & Buried 1 of 2 | eBay UK

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

1 hour ago, Nickinho said:

Very true. Same thing happened to the Monarchs last year. 

Be interesting to see the councils response to the latest cradley situation,although they not keen on the rocky lane site they say they want to help, well they have been presented with another 4 sites of which 2 of them they own, we went to see those 2 on Thursday and they are as good as perfect for a speedway location, both sites are unused and have been for a number of years, so do they want to help ??? That’s the question 

Edited 3 hours ago by THE DEAN MACHINE

[M.D]

3 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Be interesting to see the councils response to the latest cradley situation,although they not keen on the rocky lane site they say they want to help, well they have been presented with another 4 sites of which 2 of them they own, we went to see those 2 on Thursday and they are as good as perfect for a speedway location, both sites are unused and have been for a number of years, so do they want to help ??? That’s the question 

2 of the gents from the Eastbourne consortium went looking for sites suitable to stage speedway and Wealdon district council (Sussex) told them that they would never grant planning for any site anywhere in Sussex and that Arlington was the only place in Sussex it could be run.

Hopefully the council your dealing with are more sympathetic.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

42 minutes ago, M.D said:

2 of the gents from the Eastbourne consortium went looking for sites suitable to stage speedway and Wealdon district council (Sussex) told them that they would never grant planning for any site anywhere in Sussex and that Arlington was the only place in Sussex it could be run.

Hopefully the council your dealing with are more sympathetic.

We are dealing with 3 separate councils over many sites and so far no they are not despite what they say in public, I can’t say too much in public but some of the stuff from the councils sometimes borders on a Monty python sketch. 

Edited 2 hours ago by THE DEAN MACHINE