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Sad news indeed - a fantastic race track and some really lovely people involved! Fair play to Debbie for making a detailed statement - but not sure too many people will buy the as if by chance conversation etc! With Bungalow Bill holding a high rank locally, he quite understandably has cashed in on prime land, who can blame him in current times! I'm also sure he could have got planning applications through around speedway and use if he really wanted too, so part of her statement has tarnished things a bit for me! Just be honest and say we are making a tidy sum by flogging the land, instead of losing money running speedway! No one can blame them for that!

why hasn't it been offered for someone else to promote

The loss (??) of Isle of Wight is very different. That is purely down to the incompetence and selfishness of certain members of the BSPL because had due and correct procedure been followed they would almost certainly be part of the National League. I am, however, saddened to read of the loss of Somerset Speedway and have little doubt that the circumstances indicated by Debbie Hancock are true. Perhaps the loss is greater than normal because the OTA's reputation as a fine racing track was much deserved. For me, I'll never forget an astonishing night in 2015 when Plymouth Devils turned up and battered the Rebels, much to my amazement and the delight of my pals from the south west.

Gutted. Was a regular supporter from the time I was attracted back to speedway just missing a few weeks from the very start. Barr the odd meeting due to holidays, never missed any despite being the only one left out of a crowd of original regulars but making new friends there instead. Will miss DaveT, Statman, Bish, Najjer and my new friends Brian and Liz as well as loads of others I chatted to but never got to know their names. RIP Somerset Speedway.

The sentiment is effectively “we’re closing - we aren’t saying anymore about it.” - that doesn’t come across very well to be honest. Especially when everybody who has been associated with the club has been thanked.... except the ones who kept the club going, the fans.

At the end of the day it's their land and they are entitled to do what they see fit. Business is business. However the loyal Somerset fans who have spent their hard earned cash at both the speedway and the clubhouse over the years deserve honesty. The Hancock's would have more respect out of this if they were just honest and said "look, we've had an offer on the land we can't refuse and have sold it". Disappointing yes but at least honest. Hiding behind the Covid curtain and blaming it all on that is just a blatant lie. I was in the area last month and went and had a nosey. The land was being dug up and most of the signs for speedway were being removed. It was fairly obvious what was happening. Honesty goes a long way.

I think the powers that be thought that it could be filled with NDL second strings and reserves looking for extra rides. The fact is that these riders are not going to travel the length and breadth of the country for naff all and to wait around all night for a few rushed through heats at the end. Had all the Prem teams committed to joining the MSDL, then something more workable could have been achieved. It could have even been re-named and split into more local groups to assist with the overall travelling. There are plenty of opportunities to generate meaningful second half racing and offer a little more value on ever more expensive race nights but sadly the deluded board of directors miss it almost every time.

.......and ALL the noise from building this!! The new industrial park which has been given the green light by the council!! IS it really needed,spoiling the land,and it just shows how councils operate,ie NO to extra speedway training schools,YES to large industrial units,the build and also the continued use of the units.crazy

For me the highlight of the Cardiff Gp weekend was Friday evening at Somerset and the Pairs the racing was far better than anything we ever saw in Cardiff the following evening. Such a shame sad day for British speedway .

Its the close of the previous season (2020 being declared null and void) so 2019 is where the rules point to and whilst Halder was unlucky again at the start of that year he was not in the 1-7 at the end of the year and therefore Leicester were not entitled to a covering facility

Sad times. Lets hope that everyone reads the whole statement which gives all the reasoning rather than reacting to just the headline and trying to 'point a finger'!!

Get 14 riders down to a track.... Make the most experienced two the team captains for the night... Line the remaining 12 riders up against a wall... Get the two captains to turn away and the ref can randomly number the lads 1 to 12.... Each captain then takes it in turn to shout out six numbers... Two full teams of riders guaranteed.... And doing it this way will also mean no one feels upset, depressed or anxious at being picked last because it will be random selection.. We are all winners here....

But it still doesn't matter,,, he is contracted to race for Sheffield on Mondays and or Thursdays,, so he is with holding his services,,, and I'm sure that comes with a 28 day ban,,, or it used to. I would imagine a conversation went something like,,,,, hello Simon it's Jack,, I'm really awful at Foxhall,, even on my last visit I had to fake injury, so maybe you should use rr for me and I will stay in or go to Poland, it should be okay cos speedway fans are mugs and will buy the BS and turn up anyway.

It’s tragic really when you think over the last 20 years or so, the loss of Trelawny, Exeter, Newport, Reading, Swindon and now Somerset. That was one of the main cores of the league back in 2002/2003. Some great times visiting those places.

A sad situation for the supporters etc and a blow to speedway in general but from a business perspective one can only bang your head against a brick wall for so long. It is seemingly the right decision for the family and it is after all their money not the sports or the supporters and perhaps you should applaud them for sticking at it for so long. When you look at the governing body, the state of the sport with lack lustre decision making or reformatting of the sport in what is a difficult ‘trading’ year, why would anyone throw money away at a lost cause. This really should serve as a wake up call to the cohorts who run speedway and have overseen its decline for many years. We should thank all involved with Somerset for their contribution to the sport and move on.

Agree ,no shame selling up in the current climate,and the state of the Sport in GB.Only owners with deep pockets and Supporters Club Donations keeping most Clubs afloat.

I don't think many would mind if the rules are relaxed/amended/ignored for one season given the circumstances as long as that was the publicly stated stance on it all and all teams had to operate by the same model. As it stands the year will be a mess as we know so why not ditch RR for a season altogether? Every team must track 7 riders, guests up to the average of the missing rider and job done. Yes there will be a few ringers as always but at least the age old request of 7vs7 will finally be answered.

Spot on post .. we give up on speedway to makes lots of money .. nothing wrong with that so no need for the bull crap .

Given Bill holding a high rank locally, I'm sure he could have got planning applications through around speedway and use if he really wanted too! They sold out for a big wedge, fair play, any business savvy individual would, so don't really see the point in the Scunthorpe comment in the press release.

This is the nail well and truly hit on the head. Many promotors tried before the Hancock’s (Hewlett, Toogood, Golding, Pavitt and even Mark Saunders and co from Sharp amongst others) but ultimately if the Hancock’s can’t make it pay, or can earn a lot more from other avenues, when they owned the food/drink, car park, land and just about everything else in between - then there is no chance of leasing that to someone else. Somerset has I feel been somewhat in reverse and on the wind down since our final season in the Premiership. A very attractive team and the World Champion in a bid to conquer everything didn’t come cheap and was, in my opinion, the beginning of the downward spiral to where we are today. As I said earlier, such a huge shame for it to end this way.

It was a struggle for the Kings, very much hampered by the loss of Tom in his first heat, but you have some talented youngsters and I was impressed with young Jake. Glasgow are extremely strong at home and a few teams will struggle at Ashfield. I hope the Kings have a good consolidating season and I look forward to seeing my first live meeting when I come down with a few other Glasgow fans on June 8th

I for one am grateful for your sterling work in keeping us well informed many thanks

Yes, had trouble with it freezing for the first 2 heats, but all worked OK afterwards. Very good to see Jake , who has yet to complete a full season in speedway yet, fighting for points at championship level.

Really was a special feeling walking back into the old girl Saturday night. 4000 was the restricted limit and that felt empty still. Cracking venue.

Contact the Club

Stop upsetting Dick

See also the following regulation, noting 010.5.p with reference to Leicester's team line-up (Jamie Halder was not in Leicester's final team declaration for 2019). 010.5 FACILITIES No facility is permitted to replace a rider, who although included in a redeclaration has not made an appearance for that team since being redeclared. A team may utilise a facility to cover the absence of a rider(s) who is: - a) FIM World Speedway Championship and FIM World Long Track duty b) FIM Speedway of Nations duty c) FIME Speedway European Championship duty d) FIME U21 Championship duty e) engaged elsewhere at a BSPA shared or purchased meeting f) recalled in accordance with the FIM ISLB regulations g) injured whilst speedway racing, within 48 hours of the injury occurring. If no evidence is available, a Medical Certificate must be sent to the SCB; failure to do so will result in the mandatory suspension of the riders SCB Registration for the next home fixture. The Directors cannot overrule the suspension h) sick or carrying a non-speedway injury, the rider must immediately inform the SCB and their club. A Medical Certificate must be supplied to the SCB within 48 hours of the sickness/injury occurring in which case the rider will receive a mandatory 7 days suspension of his SCB Registration from the day of the first meeting missed i) suspended by the FIM, ACU, SCB or riders FMN j) in dispute with his club, provided that the circumstances have been accepted by the BSPA Directors who will determine the facility and period of the riders inactivity k) retiring during the current season a facility will be granted for a period of 28 days. After which the team must re-apply for a further 28 day facility outlining the steps they have taken to find a replacement. An extension up to 28 days may be granted at the BSPA Directors discretion. In these circumstances a rider cannot return to ride for any club within 28 days, effective from the date of notification to the SCB l) a Championship rider who’s own FMN does not have a current agreement with the BSPA and is competing in another FMN’s National, League or Open Meeting. This will result in the riders SCB Registration being suspended for one (1) season and the riders team will be automatically granted a facility for a maximum period of 28 days, after which that team must re-declare m) awaiting medical clearance for the riders FMN n) NDL only: absent for any other reason - applicable to riders 18 years old and under, providing 3 days’ notice is given o) a rider with an assessed MA p) has been approved in a teams declared 1-7 at the start of the season, a 28 day facility may be granted at the BSPA Directors discretion. In the NDL this only applies if the rider was in that teams 1-7 at the close of the previous season.

Tyres must be on the Homologation list & will be ordered prior to the event by the rider/team & fitted on race day at the allocated time, For practice any tyres can be used. As long as an engine meets the requirements within the current regulations there is no reason why a proto-type could not be used. Silencers as with tyres must be homologated, & the frame again if it conforms it can be used. Each rider can present 3 machines for race day but can only have two in their pit bay at any time, a third (spare) machine would need to be kept in the Parc Ferme area under the supervision of the Machine Examiner & can only be removed if replaced by another machine.

I think it would need more than that. Out of curiosity, I wonder what offers/help was offered to keep the venue going?

The eligibility of NDL riders to guest in the Championship used to be noted on the NDL Green Sheet, that information doesn't appear so far this season. Eastbourne's team Rising Star level is 2*, as Jake Knight is a 3* rider he couldn't guest for Eastbourne in that position, his eligibility to guest in another position would be based on his applicable NDL average divided by 2.

Think it was always lip service to the idea of a junior league in the Premiership, but would always be sub standard to the reduced level NDL and not really any better than the MDL to be honest.

I'll check in the rules, probably get back to you within the week,although no need to really as very few seem to apply at the moment! I would imagine both scenarios would be ok to be honest but not 100% sure.

Teams aren't completed yet, those that have been are only better end MDL standard and those riders know little more than the general public. With fixtures slipping by and riders requiring a sensible level of time to plan such journeys it feels highly unlikely that anything will happen....shock

Think it highly unlikely tbh

Probably at championship level at the moment would go for r/r for Tom and Jake Knight for Drew, a lot of experience at Arlington, maybe just a too big a step for Nathan at present even for one meeting, but certainly by the end of the season think he'll be near that level.

Terrible shame. Great race track, great memories. I made some good friends at the Oak Tree Arena.

Well put Najjer . I was at Exeter when they closed and migrated to Somerset. I've made some good friends at Somerset including yourself Najjer, Mr T , Ian and all the boys on the back straight. I've some great memories and photos . Thanks Debbie; Bill; Gazza all the track staff and those behind the scenes. Thanks Ian H

Don't know if Paul was allowed to be programmed to ride due to various sick rulings but he is certainly healthy enough to be on a bike.

Apologies if my topic replies came across abrupt/condescending......certainly no intention. I totally agree with your views of the sports integrity/rules etc.... I hope Berwick have a good season...I remember the days of the 'Templeton bros' (Doug/willie) if I remember correctly.... however I was only 7 years old at the time

If you Google FIM world speedway championship regulations 2021 you will find a FIM 39 page document which should tell you everything you want to know.

The way things are going I am sure we might see that before this season is out

He's only doing it so you post! lol. Oh....now I have too! double loll's

Entries already closed for the 2021 annoying knob of the year awards Congratulations on your win (as this is Speedway related there is no trophy and no financial reward -enjoy)

No disputing that, our team is awful, imo, and has been since we signed them in the winter of 2019 I’ve said you deserve the win, Nicol or not. Would of been even more embarrassing if it was a NL guest

Maybe they should, I think British fans know the Poles are pulling the strings ...... on the other hand if this is going to be a problem with Jack on a lot of Thursdays something has to give? Basically it's not fair on clubs that meet Sheffield with Jack racing .....

Would guess he’s been told to be in Poland 24 hrs before to ensure he doesn’t have last minute travel issues forcing him to miss his Polish match, no one will want to say this officially though

Interesting what Gasser90 has just posted but, if Holder definitely isn't riding for Sheffield, it looks like we've all been led astray by the wording of the Ipswich website article. So what is the reason Holder is missing from the Sheffield team? Is it just down to flight availability - could it really be, for instance, that there is no suitable return flight to get him back to Gorzow on time for Friday, and so he is staying in Poland? Why not just be forthright and state the real reason, rather than come out with some twaddle about a rearranged match?

RR is allowed but its "normally" not allowed when a rider hasn't ridden for that particular club otherwise a rider with no intention of riding could sign and then the team could utilise RR all season long. The rule has been broken its just been broken across multiple leagues....does that make it any better?

They had pretty much a 'free pass' this season.. They could have tried some new operating model with six or five man teams based on UK domiciled riders who are not riding overseas... They could have tried a new heat structure, they could have ran with less heats but reintroduced a full 2nd half for juniors... They could have done lots of 'experimenting' to see what worked and what didn't... Instead it's the same old, same old... A gift horse looked fully in the mouth.... Takes some doing to waste a 'free pass'....

Can't see Crumpy passing many riders if he misses the gate and when he was off gate 4, I turned to my mate and said he would come last. I know it's early days but he needs to be more aggresive. 8 points for Plymouth in the championship doesn't look good either. Some of our riders need to learn to ride wider as the meeting goes on. Jake had a good meeting but he really needed to ride the outside line in heat 15 as he was a sitting duck on the inside. I think we were fortunate to get away with a draw.