Speedway 360 podcast

[MattB]

7 hours ago, YeOldPitGate said:

Without putting you on the spot Dean what;s his beef you would have thought being an ex rider of the club he would be fully behind them ? No probs if you swerve the question if an answer puts you in a difficult position.

I get the impression him and people at Cradley parted on bad terms (this goes back to when they were at Monmore), hence he seems to want revenge.  He's been very vocal in his criticism of the sport and tbe BSPL in particular and, while much of what he says has merit, he's not always the most diplomatic

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

27 minutes ago, MattB said:

I get the impression him and people at Cradley parted on bad terms (this goes back to when they were at Monmore), hence he seems to want revenge.  He's been very vocal in his criticism of the sport and tbe BSPL in particular and, while much of what he says has merit, he's not always the most diplomatic

There were no him and cradley though ,he had his issues with the 3 because in his eyes they were creaming money off the cradley name but even if that was the case and I didn’t see it that way that’s no reason to carry that on with the heathens next generation, or Workington or anywhere else he choose to pick on 

Edited October 13 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

There is a point to this question as it’s a bit of work I’m doing for the a future episode of the 360 podcast, who would you say is the 5 most popular riders in current British speedway ? Not the best but the most popular 

[PersonalResponsibility]

17 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

There is a point to this question as it’s a bit of work I’m doing for the a future episode of the 360 podcast, who would you say is the 5 most popular riders in current British speedway ? Not the best but the most popular 

Chris Harris, Dan Bewley, Tom Brennan, Paco Castagna, and then a pick between Fricke/Emil/Doyle. In my experience.

[Hackett]

Chris Harris, Scott Nicholls, Dan Bewley, Tom Brennan and Max Fricke  

 

Edited October 15 by Hackett

[IainB]

5 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

There is a point to this question as it’s a bit of work I’m doing for the a future episode of the 360 podcast, who would you say is the 5 most popular riders in current British speedway ? Not the best but the most popular 

Emil, Bomber, Bewley, Picko, Danny King 

[mikebv]

Brady K, lEmil, Dan B, Jason D, Bomber.  

[Bagpuss]

Bewley

Bomber

Emil

D Thompson

Rushen

 

[TB1]

On 10/13/2025 at 9:57 PM, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

There were no him and cradley though ,he had his issues with the 3 because in his eyes they were creaming money off the cradley name but even if that was the case and I didn’t see it that way that’s no reason to carry that on with the heathens next generation, or Workington or anywhere else he choose to pick on 

Is it just minor stuff they are ironing out with the Cradley planning application or are you having to keep it under wraps? If successful would they start NDL or go higher? Surely a club of stature like Cradley would have to aim higher? ( Thanks for the update on 360, a great watch).

[Sir Sidney]

13 minutes ago, TB1 said:

Is it just minor stuff they are ironing out with the Cradley planning application or are you having to keep it under wraps? If successful would they start NDL or go higher? Surely a club of stature like Cradley would have to aim higher? ( Thanks for the update on 360, a great watch).

Have a look here

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Rqx81Rdbk/

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

20 minutes ago, TB1 said:

Is it just minor stuff they are ironing out with the Cradley planning application or are you having to keep it under wraps? If successful would they start NDL or go higher? Surely a club of stature like Cradley would have to aim higher? ( Thanks for the update on 360, a great watch).

I can’t say what actually happened at the meeting but in a nutshell cradley have to convince the council that speedway is the right thing for the area where it is being proposed, that sounds straightforward to me and you but not to non speedway people 

[TB1]

37 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

I can’t say what actually happened at the meeting but in a nutshell cradley have to convince the council that speedway is the right thing for the area where it is being proposed, that sounds straightforward to me and you but not to non speedway people 

Thanks for the update. I've been keeping tabs on their Facebook page. In my opinion speedway could be boosted by having big names like Cradley and Coventry back at the top table.

[The White Knight]

2 minutes ago, TB1 said:

Thanks for the update. I've been keeping tabs on their Facebook page. In my opinion speedway could be boosted by having big names like Cradley and Coventry back at the top table.

Also by Peterborough, Swindon - these are also "big names" in Speedway too.

[TB1]

25 minutes ago, The White Knight said:

Also by Peterborough, Swindon - these are also "big names" in Speedway too.

Agreed I was just naming two.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

45 minutes ago, TB1 said:

Thanks for the update. I've been keeping tabs on their Facebook page. In my opinion speedway could be boosted by having big names like Cradley and Coventry back at the top table.

It could unfortunately councils couldn’t care less about cradley or speedway 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

Cradley heath was known worldwide for 2 things, man hole covers and the speedway and both of those have gone,sadly if you live in cradley and  you were born after 1995 you would have no idea just how much they put cradley heath on the map and it’s that level of thinking that speedway is up against 

[noaksey]

So the site proposed by Cradley is green belt?

 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

1 hour ago, noaksey said:

So the site proposed by Cradley is green belt?

 

Yes but that’s not an issue for a sports facility and it’s private land 

[1 valve]

16 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

It could unfortunately councils couldn’t care less about cradley or speedway 

Councils have to be given very good reasons to become interested and care for something new in their jurisdiction and the fact that they had a famous team at a time when the whole sport was entirely more profound and popular 40 years ago is not something that would rock their boat today. They need selling something that is relevant today and something that will grow and appeal to many across multi cultural society...Is that something speedway truly does? I fear not.

Regarding Cradley Heath manufacturing past, it was most famous for chain link manufacturing including that used for the Titanic's anchor. Also general foundry work which included manhole covers, Nail making and of course mining Now all but all gone as Cradley becomes  primarily a residential area, though it retains some manufacturing and commercial zones the focus is on building new homes on former industrial land to meet housing demand and we know how speedway sits with new housing developments. 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

44 minutes ago, 1 valve said:

Councils have to be given very good reasons to become interested and care for something new in their jurisdiction and the fact that they had a famous team at a time when the whole sport was entirely more profound and popular 40 years ago is not something that would rock their boat today. They need selling something that is relevant today and something that will grow and appeal to many across multi cultural society...Is that something speedway truly does? I fear not.

It’s not Dudley council so it’s not even something they had 40 years ago