Anton

Can I just say a big thank-you to everyone that assisted in any way, or came along to support both the meeting and 'An Evening with Lou Sansom' and so helped make them both very memorable evenings for everyone that was there - whether they be a rider, ex-rider or supporter. Maybe we can do it all again in 10 years time at our 50th Anniversary. Many thanks, Tony Jackson

WEATHER UPDATE At 12:20pm the weather in Workington is Blue sky, virtually no cloud and beautifully sunny. It is all systems go for a great night. Many thanks, Tony Jackson

Thanks very much to everyone that attended the 'Evening with Lou Sansom' last night - It was a truly great evening. Now the focus moves on to the meeting itself tonight with the 40th Anniversary Trophy plus lots of very special guests as a host of ex-Comets return to Derwent Park for the evening. And, we have the Steve Lawson v Geoff Powell match races to look forward to. Meeting starts at 6:30pm. Many thanks, Tony Jackson

AN EVENING WITH LOU SANSOM There will also be some TICKETS (priced £5) for the 'Evening with Lou Sansom' to be held in the Washington Central Hotel on Friday 26th March at 7:45pm, available on the door on the night. A perfect chance to not only listen to him in conversation with John Walsh and answering questions from the audience but also to have a chat with him and take photographs in calmer surroundings ahead of the 40th Anniversary Meeting the following day. Thank-you, Tony Jackson

AN EVENING WITH LOU SANSOM TICKETS (priced £5) for the 'Evening with Lou Sansom' to be held in the Washington Central Hotel on Friday 26th March at 7:45pm will be on sale at the programme kiosks prior to the meeting versus Redcar on Saturday evening (20th March). They will also be available from the speedway office after the meeting and then in the bar under the grandstand. Thank-you, Tony Jackson

COMETS LEGEND LOU SANSOM COMES TO WORKINGTON FOR 40th ANNIVERSARY MEETING From WORKINGTON COMETS 2010 SPONSORED BY THE THOMAS ARMSTRONG GROUP AND NEW TEAM PARTNERS PRESS RELEASE No 6 – March 4th LOU Sansom, Workington’s first speedway superstar, is jetting 24,000 miles to be a special guest at the Comets 40th anniversary meeting on March 27. Sansom, now 63, says he would even like to have a “tootle round Derwent Park on a bike to wave at the fans” just for a leisurely spin round the track again. The popular Australian rode in Workington’s very first meeting and will be one of three riders who faced Berwick that night who will be attending the celebrations. Ian Armstrong and former Sheffield team manager Reg Wilson will join Sansom. Vic Lonsdale and Maurice Wilson are both dead while Mal McKay and Dave Kumeta are in Australia. Comets team manager Ian Thomas, the original promoter in 1970 and who signed Sansom to ride for the Comets, said he was thrilled that the former go-karts star was coming back to west Cumbria. “I think it’s true to say that there have been two legends as far as Workington speedway is concerned. Carl Stonehewer certainly from the second era, and definitely Lou from when we first launched in 1970. “It would have been nice to get the two of them together for the night but unfortunately Stoney has a prior engagement,” he said. When he was putting his team together Thomas was recommended two young Aussies by a friend, Dennis Gavros – his younger brother Jimmy Gavros and Lou Sansom. “I did the deal to bring both of them over but tragically, days before they were due to fly over, Jimmy was killed in a racing accident. Lou came on his own and the rest, as they say, is history,” explained Thomas. Sansom rode in the very first race at Derwent Park in 1970 – and didn’t make an auspicious start as he fell off on the first corner after a clash with Berwick’s Andy Meldrum. He then fell off in the same place in his next ride too, before winning his last two outings. Ironically, when he returned in 1975, after a year’s absence, he fell off on the first bend of his first race again too. He is the all-time top Comet in terms of appearances and points from the first era (1970 – 1981), riding in 213 official matches he scored 1,960 points and 109 bonus points for Workington. While riding in Comets colours he recorded 36 full and 11 paid maximums and topped the Comets averages in three of the six years he rode for the club – 10.51 being his best in 1973. The 1973 season was his golden year in which he topped the Second Division averages and scored an incredible 20 full and 2 paid maximums from 42 matches. . That year he finished third in the Division Two Riders’ Championship at Wimbledon, behind winner Arthur Price (Boston) and Bobby McNeil (Eastbourne). In 1975, as well as riding for the Comets, he rode some Division One matches for Ian Thomas at Hull, and in 1976 he rode matches for Birmingham in Division One before joining the Brummies full-time in 1977. He averaged 5.00 for them before returning home for good with his wife Linda, who hails from Workington. Now working as an RAA patrolman in and around Adelaide he has been back to the UK for a visit once before, in the summer of 1995. This week, from his Adelaide home, he said: “It will be absolutely fantastic to come over to Workington to see everybody again. I’m really looking forward to it. “To see all the fans again and also to meet up with a lot of my old team-mates will be something really special. “I get updated as to how the Comets are getting on and I’m keen to see how the track has changed since my day. But this 40th anniversary meeting is the perfect time to come over and see it for myself. “I'm all sorted at this end, I have my ticket and am raring to go!” The returning Workington hero will be available for commercial engagements during his short trip and on the Friday night before the anniversary meeting will be chatting to local journalist John Walsh and answering questions for “'An Evening with Lou Sansom' to be held at The Washington Central Hotel on Friday 26th March at 7:45pm. Tickets for that event are £5 and can be obtained from Tony Jackson, a close friend of the rider, on 01900 65963 or at Press and Practice (March 13) during the ‘meet the riders’ night in the Derwent Lounge.

No, they've changed them to Thursday this year. However, with both Eastbourne and Swindon now having the same race night Eastbourne have to move off their race night to host Swindon. They have therefore chosen to ride on a more profitable Saturday night and are getting it in early before other commitments - i.e. GP's etc. prevent them doing this, which is a shame for us.

Unfortunately the fixtures have gone against us - Simon Stead is riding at Eastbourne for Swindon that evening in the first Elite League match of 2010. Regards, Tony Jackson

FURTHER HELP WANTED I am struggling to find a contact number for former Comet Blair Scott, as the number I had no longer works. If anyone has a contact number for him I would be most grateful if they could PM me. Many Thanks. Tony Jackson

I have now tracked down and spoken to Arthur Price - thanks for the help given. Still looking for information to contact Mick Blaynee, John Frankland and Wayne Jackson. Many thanks. Tony Jackson

APPEAL - INFORMATION AND HELP WANTED: I am currently assisting the Workington management in tracking down as many ex-Comets regulars as possible to be guests at our 40th Anniversary Meeting at Derwent Park on Saturday 27th March, and so far we have located, and been in contact with, quite a lot of former Comets from both the first era (1970 to 1981) and this era (from 1999 onwards). A recent appeal in Speedway Star found a couple more but we are still very keen to track down the following: Mick Blaynee (Workington 1979) who then went on to ride for Milton Keynes and was, I believe, based around the midlands. John Frankland (Workington 1981) who later rode for Long Eaton before being forced out of the sport through injury. Wayne Jackson (Workington 1980 and 1981) and still living in the Manchester area I believe. Arthur Price (Workington 1978) based in the midlands and, the last time I remember seeing his name mentioned, he later went on to record a song that he was selling at a few tracks several years ago. If anyone has any information, suggestions or even better, contact numbers, for any of the above we would be delighted if they could PM me. Many thanks, Tony Jackson