Dave Stummings

This demise of once a great family sport in Great Britain is now on its last legs thanks mainly to the BSPA. You ran the sport your way for years and years. When speedway was on a high, as it was in my opinion up until probably the mid-eighties, you took the fans and riders for granted. Now you’ve ruined the sport and you have got the nerve to ask now for a National Supporters Group to meet 3 times a year at various venues around the country. “To provide a structured platform for supporters (each representing one of the sport's tracks/clubs) to meet with the BSPA to air their views (however critical!) and provide ideas. The BSPA see supporter engagement as critical to the future of the sport - seeing the formation of this new Group which it believes will add significant value to the sport's continued development.” I love this part ‘will add significant value to the sports continued development’! Poppy cock!!!! When emails have been sent to BSPAHQ asking questions and making suggestions they the BSPA have not even had the decency to reply! What great public relations that is! My speedway fix will probably be at Lydd/Rye House when they have a meeting or training school, both of course black listed by the SCB and at Iwade, not black listed. Perhaps that’s where speedway’s future lies, away from the BSPA? Somebody from the BSPA must read the forums and wouldn’t it be nice if just for once they had the decency to actually reply…….

All the talk by various people “in the know” including Len claimed Warren Scott was a millionaire and had money to burn, hence taking on Rye House. Well obviously his millions ain’t no more! As for Steve Jensen he started as the man with the keys, then co promoter. He’s tried his best but with the total lack of speedway knowledge he was kinda thrown in at the deep end. Perhaps his man management skills could do with a tweek here and there but I’m guessing he’s also now jobless along with the charming Emma. Presentation at Rye was truly awful I saw a post that said Rye House had become stale in Lens latter years. Yes it had and if you go to Central Park Sittingbourne Lens track there’s very poor presentation and it’s stale to, but at least it’s still going. I did here rumours that Warren Scott had pulled his interest of the speedway before the start of the season and passed it on to his brother, how true that is I don’t know. But perhaps this could explain a few things?

Not sure how it works £ note wise but I believe the go kart track is part of the 99 lease that was bought by Len in the early 2000’s so I would think the gokart track comes under the control who ever owns BMR.

The speedway club I believe submit their accounts as Carter & Bailey. This company has gone back donkeys years at Rye House. Len traded at Rye under this name may have sold the company name to BMR.

Not sure if this has already been posted but doesn’t make good reading from the Dragons Speedway Club “Hi everyone, sadly the meeting this Sunday (8th) at Rye House is cancelled. Our next event is Sunday 29th July 12-4pm at Rye House. If you would like to enter please contact Claire on: Mob: 07904 234022 email: dragonsspeedway@gmail.com”

And possibly in the Championship to! Let’s look at the reason Rye House is such a mess after so much was promised a few years ago by the wealthy owner Warren Scott. Firstly the ludicrous decision to make the long bar a motorcycle dealership. Can someone explain how this benefits anyone? The presentation is awful. That’s no criticism to Craig Saul who does a sterling job alone, but it’s basically flat! The way the meetings are run as though no one has a care in the world, well the Rye management may not have, but the few paying punters that are there most certainly have. The meeting against Belle Vue, one of the air bags was punched. Already delayed by a sun break the replacement air bag was sought and it took ages to come from the pits. Surely they should be on the bends ready in case of such an instance! Then we come to the moto cross effort that is now in place of the centre green. Are they getting massive crowds for these events? Have they actually had a meeting yet as such on the jumps? The awful stand by the starting gate which has steps that are so steep! How on earth the H&S people passed that I have no idea what’s so ever. The viewing platform by the top bar [by the starting gate] on top of the container is an accident waiting to happen with uneven planks of wood! The suicidal decision to move to the top league and loose there Saturday race night was probably the biggest mistake they have made. Even with good crowds last year there’s been money spent on the stadium no doubt but I’m not sure in what part. Who’s to blame? Ultimately the promotion but the also the blame is partly with the cronies at the BSPA. If speedway is to continue at Rye House then it needs a team the club can afford, race on a Saturday night and Bank Holiday Mondays and in a lower league. Unless the dithering idiots at BSPA HQ decide to make more changes next year [which they’ll have to] speedway really will be on its last legs in the UK. Probably six man teams and have a combined 1st/2nd Division and a NL for those who basically can’t afford to run higher league speedway, which will probably be most teams. One final point the start line girl who holds the blue umbrella needs a new one as its basically had it!

Saturday, old habits indeed! Yes of course your correct Hammer1969, Wednesday lol lol. But due to work I won't be there so will be dependent on others views.

I read with interest the stadium cross track that has appeared on the centre green at Rye House. The stadium, as in Len’s day, isn’t cheap to run and as many activities need to be run to enable to keep the stadium a viable proposition. Let’s not forget when Len sold the lease to Warren Scott that also included the go-karts, which must give a fairly good rental income. Was it a mistake to perhaps remove the dog racing? My personal view is Rye should have stayed second tier and therefore could have kept that Saturday night mantle. With more clubs in the second tier and a good crop of riders to, we could have had variety. But alas we have the boring top tier, but of course many will say Rye was brilliant last year, really? But let’s look at the reasons why staying in the Championship didn’t happen. When Len became involved with Central Park, Sittingbourne [Kent Kings] in 2013 it was a stone’s throw from where he lived. While he was running Rye House he would spend time sleeping in a caravan as well as being co-promoter at Kent, it was obvious he couldn’t do both. So Len decides to sell Rye House to Warren Scott. The stadium was, let’s be honest becoming very run down and new blood was needed. So the last year of Len’s reign, at the start of the season we were told there would be improvements you would see every week at the stadium. Well that never happened, a part from the flower bed by the turnstiles. Len leaves and Warren Scott and Steve Jenson take over. The bright lights of TV money, more exposure of the BMR brand could only be a good thing and of course the top league racing was what Scott wanted from the word go to promote team BMR. A new motorcycle outlet was being built [is it finished yet?] in place of the long bar and all would appear to be rosy! Well that’s what a lot of people thought and still do. All these people who have said the ‘wow’ factor was at Rye House must have been referring to the Rye House pub. The stadium was and probably still is a mess. The old wooden terracing by the start had to go, no question, but a farcical situation of putting the ref’s box back to the old box it spent many years in. Putting a temporary ref’s box for the TV match last year, exposed to the elements, the continual building work of the motorcycle dealership on the long bar and crap viewing, but two years before just to remind you we were told there would be improvements every week! I for one have not been impressed with the promotional team at Rye. It obvious all the changes have been made track side. Looking at the video the straights of the stadium cross track seem fairly high and as for the bends well………. Nicholls, Harris and Kasprzak will be on good deal financially which the club can probably ill afford. Can only assume Barker wanted more £ notes thats why he left? The Lakeside fans won’t bother with Rye as they have in my opinion a very good and exciting team. Crowds will drop considerably at Rye and especially being mid-week. I fear for speedway’s future at Rye. The general public seem to be the least of BMR’s concerns. Am I, along with other paying fans being taken for granted? Facilities are important for the paying public and making them feel comfortable. That I’m afraid hasn’t been the case at Rye in the last few years. No doubt this Monday’s meeting won’t take place as the winner will probably be Mother Nature, so we will all have to wait until Saturday week to find out if it's as bad as it looks!

I think I read that the greyhound stadium is going the same way as Wimbledon’s stadium in Plough Lane. I’m sure there are restrictions on numbers in the stadium due to health & safety issues. If it’s true it's a very familiar story, run it to the ground and sell it off for housing. As for a Romford Reunion bring it on! Great times with fantastic rivalry between Brian Foote and Crayford’s Tony Childs. Dave Lanning [and his Eastbourne Eagles] had a love/hate relationship with the Bombers fans, George Major and Alf Wells weren’t particularly popular either! As for Len Silver and his Rayleigh Rockets….. 1976 World Speedway Champion Peter Collins had one meeting at the Brooklands Stadium in 1971, wonder what he made of the place? In those days promoters were a different class to the muppets who ran clubs today! Maurice Morley now 93 I believe is in reasonable health and wouldn’t it be fantastic to see at the Romford Reunion!

In years gone by Len Silver would have run an anniversary meeting at Rye House as it's probably the nearest track to High Beech. It's a shame the current Rye promoters didn’t have a meeting the night before the Celebration of Speedway at Rye. Yes the weather could be iffy but it couldn’t be as cold as in 1978 although of course rain may be an issue, but that can cause mayhem during the summer. But no doubt the BSPA would want a fortune to run from Rye House [or any other track] to hold a meeting out of season. But surely this would have been great PR to run a meeting close to that original date/venue and support the event. But I'm afraid in my view the sport is run by pot-bellied old men, with little or no interest in promoting speedway other than that of their own track, but what do I know!

I’ll be off to this year’s Celebration of Speedway as it is an enjoyable day out. But I do have reservations over the price that has increased to £10 per person this year. If I am correct the event was originally free if you produced a copy of the Speedway Star advert. Then I recall it became a voluntary donation, then it was £5 and now it’s up to a tenner. Prices for drinks and food aren’t exactly cheap either and I’m sure they would still make money by charging less. I fully except the admission price to walk around the Wildlife Park is considerably more but not everyone wants to walk around the park as nice as it is and especially if the weather is inclement! I’m sure there are people who take advantage of the cheap price on the day to use all the facilities on site but as I say not everyone want to use them. Surely the Speedway Star idea should still be used? I do think the event is now becoming a money earner for the park. Does money on the day go to the World Speedway Riders Association, to the park, the speedway museum [is that part of the World Speedway Riders Association?] or do they all benefit? Maybe as an olden these days on a pension I expect too much. High Beach the spiritual home of the first meeting did outgrow its self but it would have been an idea perhaps to have something there this year as after all it is speedways 90th anniversary.

It’s a shame for me as work commitments make it very difficult for me traveling to either Rye on a Wednesday or Arena on a Friday, so much for their excuses 18 months ago about issues with Friday night racing. The team put out by Steve Jetson were born around the same times as Hanna-Barbera, originally ran The Jetsons in 1963. There’s no disputing Nicholls and Harris on their night around Rye can be truly ruthless, risking life and limb. But they’re another year older and perhaps a bit wiser? The same can be said for Stuart Robson. With Harris also racing for Glasgow, plus probably meetings on the continent how long before he burns himself out? Eddie Kennett and Ben Barker are at the moment the youngsters of the team and hopefully Kennett with far less pressure on his shoulders in 2018 than in 2017 can rekindle the form around Rye we all know he can do. Barker is very up and down but did start to pick up towards the end of 2017. Max Clegg hasn’t really impressed me and as the baby of the team I’m not expecting too much from him. My worry is away from Rye. I can see them struggling. But what about KK, is he the missing link? We all know when his confidence drops he is truly awful. Every year he seems to become a total disaster at some stage during the season. If as expected KK does sign the benefit of Stanstead just up the road will be of some help to him but can Rye afford to have him drop out of form with the other six team members? But let’s look on the plus side. We have the fantastic Rye House website updated monthly, the stadium will have been completely renovated, the old long bar may now well be a dealership and may even be finished, [what benefit that is to speedway at Rye House I have no idea] the bars will be selling tinned beer, the club shop will be run by the club, then given back to the Barbers mid-season after they fail to make enough money, the chip bar will be selling cod and not some fish substitute, tea and coffee will still be £1 [great value], the referee and announcers box will be on the start/finish line and in a proper box and not open to the elements as it was towards the end of last season and finally we still have speedway at Rye House. Personally I think Rye made a big mistake moving from Saturday’s and should have stayed in the second tier of British speedway. With the shower at Arena racing on a Friday in speedway’s Championship, I can see many who left Arena to go to Rye returning back to Purfleet. But what do I know, just an old git typing his thoughts, but if it’s bought the smallest smile to your face, fantastic!

Speedway at the end of September at Lakeside, wow! Think Lakeside will probably win the home leg, but will it be enough for the second leg? Hopefully Belle Vue will have Dan Bewley available. After yesterday at NLRC there should be some good races with Morley

The tyres supposedly went to Sheffield! Bowen and Bewley made the meeting acceptable; otherwise I'm afraid it was a typical Leicester meeting. I have to say Luke Bowen is fearless, his outside manoeuvres trying to pass Ben Morley were breath-taking. Think the few fans on the 3rd and 4th bend had quite a bit of dust [or was it shale?] to wash off when they got home. League Riders Championships were once meetings when it was the cream of the league representing their club. Obviously injuries played there part yesterday but Steve Boxall non-inclusion is baffling. Another baffling decision was NOT to announce dates and matches for the play-off semis at the meeting. This was after all the NLRC and surely would have been an ideal time to announce the dates! What should have happened the promoters of all the NL Clubs should have been in attendance [were they?] and they would have been giving interviews over the PA doing there bit to promote their meeting, but needless to say nothing! We've had to learn later that evening the dates and who has chosen who. But typical that Eastbourne haven't announced their home leg date with Kent yet! Speedway could be run so much better, the little things can make all the difference, but I guess when you have Muppets running British Speedway you can't expect anything less. And finally can we have the NLRC somewhere different next year please.........

With the uncertainty of various clubs for 2018 I wonder what the BSPA have planned for next year. Will promotion/relegation continue? Has it or will it been a success? I’d like to see the tactical substitute rule changed to when a team are 6 or more down a inform rider can replace a reserve or out of form rider who is the main body of the team. Will the six man teams be put back on the table with the apparent lack of riders? Regional speedway leagues don’t practically wet my whistle, although with only a handful of teams in the upper league perhaps if it gives more variety of teams and riders I may change my mind. With the uncertainty with Lakeside, Plymouth and Cradley’s participation in next season’s 3rd division I wonder if we’ll see anyone replacing them should they not run, Rye House maybe?