Garry1603

Great servant to the sport and appears to be a good guy. In the event of the tragedy in Poland at the weeked, let's celebrate a good career and be thankful that he has come out of it healthy and with the respect of most fans. Hope you stay in the sport Davey in some way and thank you for the entertainment!

Tomasz is one of the greatest motorcyclists ever - fingers crossed that the news is not as bad as it appears.

My personal happiness that Belle Vue seem to have been saved and have a secure future has been flattened by the news about Coventry. One of the great clubs in speedway history has potentially been lost due to the greed and ego of people who shouldn't be allowed near a track again, let alone run a club. I feel so sorry for the fans and riders who deserve better. A sad, sad day for the sport.

I have to say that it rekindled my interest in the sport about 15 years ago after being a regular at Belle Vue in the 70s and 80s. I eventually started to go again maybe half a dozen times a season and have been to Cardiff three times. So for a former fan I think it's a great reminder of just how good the sport can be (and the Sky coverage was generally excellent), but I'm not sure that it would attract new fans necessarily. The rules are too complex for a non fan to comprehend and the amount (and concept) of guest riders must make the sport look very amateurish I'm afraid.

No point on speculating until we get an official press release. It might be days or weeks from now, but let's just wait and see. All we can do is hope that there is good news (whenever it happens)

Great news for the Aces and their fans. Let's hope that Coventry will be saved as well.

Young Briggo was a very talented young rider who's career was sadly cut short by injury. I saw him a few times and he certainly looked like he had the ability to go far. I'm sure with his Dad's backing he would have been a star.

Terrible news for speedways history and of course for the Coventry fans. Losing Wimbledon, Coventry and possibly Belle Vue would be like losing a vast part of the sports heritage. Another big nail in the coffin of the sport in this country.

Maybe it's not totally the sport itself which is the issue. A top speedway meeting is still one of the best night's entertainment that you can get in my opinion. The problem is that not enough people know about it or have assumed it to be consigned to history. I know of many people around Manchester who used to go to Hyde Road but lost track of the sport completely when they moved to Kirky Lane. The lack of 'promotion' of the sport is staggering both at local and national level. An easy comment make, I know, but if we had a Dave Lanning (or for the older fans Johnnie Hoskins) around today they would be banging on the doors of the press to get some publicity for the sport. Maybe if a rider could somehow get themselves onto a program like I'm a Celebrity, Strictly Come Dancing or any of the other reality shows which have become so popular with younger viewers, the knock on effect for the sport could be great - at least people would realise that it is still around (just). Surely contacting someone who has worked in the media to act as a consultant would be a good place to start.

I think that comes from the perception that stock cars ruin the speedway track rather than any problen with the sport per se.

Sadly, it has been reported on Facebook by Dave Morton that former Belle Vue, Sunderland and Middlesbrough rider Russ Hodgson has sadly passed away. Russ was, by his own admission, never a top rider but his enthusiasm and happy nature made him a big part of the Aces team in the mid 70s. After he retired he had a salvage business in the West Indies and his boat appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean! Condolences to his family and friends.

Ah, fair enough.

As technology becomes more and more advanced, maybe we need to make attending a match a more 'interactive' experience. Most people have smartphones these days so why not insist that every rider wears a helmetcam and spectators can follow the race 'live' and get the feeling of how exhilerating riding a 500cc motorcycle with no brakes actualy is? (it may even tempt one or two to give it a try), There could be apps developed which would allow you to switch between riders or maybe even let the fans see what the referee sees. A small charge could be levied as well. You could also have fans predicting the outcome of the following race by pressing the relevant button on their phone with a prize if anyone got them all right at the end of the night. There could even be a predictor league competition between fans. A decent presenter announcing the 'fans choice' before each race could get a bit of a reaction as well.

Half the trouble is that the 'older generation' (and promoters) don't want to change the sport that we've all loved for 40+ years. However, in order to attract the next generation we have to accept that by putting up with:- management who see customers as a nuisance poor standards of presentation, inadequate food / drink, 'team' speedway where the 'team' changes most weeks no interaction with fans (whether by social media, internet, youtube etc) ........... means that there isn't really a product to sell, unless it becomes a 'treat' whe it's a couple of times per year. We have to make the regular weekly meetings an event that fans want to return to. The teenagers / 20s of this world demand more (rightly). So we have to either adapt or die out. Like the dodo in fact!

Then let's try to get Sky involved - say a £50k winner takes all. Marketing is the key to get anything like this going and to capture the public interest.

I agree. Keep the league winners as 'The Champions' and have the playoffs as a separate trophy (say the BSPA Shield) - you could even have the Championship winners / runners up taking part as well to spice it up and generate extra gate money for them.

... and that's true.

I agree that Chris shouldn't have any part in the management of the new operation (whatever that might be), but his experience would be invaluble to younger riders in particular. I hope that there is some way in that he can get involved. Unfortunately, mud sticks in this type of situation, so would suppliers be willing to do business with someone who didn't pay them first time around? I doubt it. It does seem to be disolving into a bickering match though, which isn't good for anyone, especially the club. No doubt George Carswell will be invited to share his opinion soon.

Great post - couldn't agree more. What's happened has happened and there's undoubtably fault in many areas, but there's a superb facility there for a real entrepeneur to drive forward for the future of British speedway. I still feel for David Gordon and Chris Morton who must be in a very bad place right now having seen their dreams destroyed (whoever is at fault)

Good point - I didn't mean it to read as anything other than a commercial arrangement, but I think that they knew the writing was on the wall. As you say, a sad tale.

Taken from the Manchester Evening News Website:- Belle Vue Aces bosses say they are not to blame after club had speedway licence revoked They were effectively shut down under their current management yesterday after having their speedway licence revoked by the sport’s governing body due to ‘concerns over financial management’ The bosses of Belle Vue Aces say they are not to blame for the crisis that has engulfed the historic club. They were effectively shut down under their current management yesterday after having their speedway licence revoked by the sport’s governing body due to ‘concerns over financial management’. Their tenancy of the brand new £8 million National Speedway Stadium in Gorton was also ended, after just seven months, with the council saying they had been paid no rent. The Aces management have expressed their dismay, laying the blame squarely at the door of the contractors who built it and their landlord, the city council. In March, disaster struck when the stadium’s grand opening had to be abandoned due to issues with the track, which was declared unsafe, with the club having to offer refunds to the 5,000 capacity crowd. A further four home meetings also had to be cancelled whilst emergency repairs were carried out. Belle Vue’s former chief executive David Gordon, who ran the club with ex-Aces rider Chris Morton, said they never recovered from the financial impact of the debacle which ‘spelled the beginning of the end’. And he says the stadium builders and the council, who were project managers, should shoulder the blame. The city council have refuted this, with sources saying the club’s financial problems run much deeper than the effects of one or two cancelled meetings. They also say they offered lots of support, including the offer of loans, the kind of which no other club in the country received. In a statement released on Thursday night, Mr Gordon, who stood down earlier this week, said: “The actions of other people are the cause of the problems we have faced this season. “Those responsible are the stadium and track builders, ISG, and, as a consequence, Manchester City Council in their role as Project Managers. “A report by structural engineers, Arup, clearly put the blame for the defective track on the builders.” He added they never recovered from the ‘financial impact’ of the grand opening failure. Mr Gordon added they would be pursuing legal action. ISG said they were not aware of any litigation. An ISG company spokesman told the M.E.N: “We are saddened to hear that Belle Vue Aces has had its licence revoked, as we forged a strong relationship with the club over the course of the development of the new National Stadium in Manchester. “Undoubtedly, the cause of the Belle Vue Aces’ financial position is multi-faceted, however we firmly reject any suggestion that the club’s current issues arise from our delivery of the new stadium facilities. “We can confirm that there has never been any form of legal dispute between ISG and Manchester City Council as a result of the stadium’s delivery, and we continue to work closely with the council delivering projects across the region.” Belle Vue have been promised a spot in next year’s top division but their affairs will now be taken over by the British Speedway Promoters Association (BSPA). whilst new promoters are found. The Aces were run under the BV Group of businesses. A Manchester City Council spokesman said: “Early track issues were rectified quickly to ensure that races could be fulfilled, including the successful Speedway World Cup event in July. “Following completion of these works, the track has been fully operational allowing the club to race their full schedule of elite matches this year, and has been acknowledged for its high quality within the speedway world. “The council also allowed BV Arena Ltd to occupy the stadium rent free during the period of time when the track issues were being rectified to ensure they could continue operating. “At the request of the BV Arena Ltd, the city council offered further financial support through a commercial loan. “The directors of the BV Group of businesses decided to not take up the offer. “Following completion of the works, BV Arena Ltd have not made any payments due to the Council for use of the stadium. “The fact is that both the BSPA and Manchester City Council now have major concerns about the financial management of the BV Group companies – accruing significant debts with the City Council and other parties - which has had a far more detrimental effect on the club than any postponed matches. “The important thing is that the team will race at Belle Vue next season under new management, and through our partnership with BSPA, speedway will have a sustainable future in Manchester.” If true, the fact that the management declined the offer of finanical assistance means that they knew the business would have to fold at the end of the season.

I think Greg Hancock has had his 'Bruce Penhall at White City moment' where he has gone from most people's affections to someone who has brought the integrity of the sport into question. Congratulations on being an all time great rider, but I think that your legacy has been tainted forever.

Totally agree. Hard but fair is a fundamental part of racing. The only trouble is that a person's definition of hard but fair depends on which rider you like!

I knew it would be our fault!!

Let's not tarnish a brilliant night of speedway. Great racing, great atmosphere and great drama. When speedway is good, it's VERY good. I'm disappointed in the result but not with the occasion. Well done Wolves!