Hawk127

Free exit before the end of a painfully boring meeting or no charge for sugar with a hot drink unless it is soup. Alternatively, how about a second half with NDL riders to give both punters and riders some optimism that the sport has a future.

Take your point. If they start charging it is not going to go down well. I would rather watch Mildenhall if that charge is introduced. I use to avoid speedway meetings when the tendency was for six man teams with that guy using the pseudonym of R/R. Now they want to charge you to park, an exorbitant amount to get through the gate for which you get just fifteen minutes of entertainment, a programme that no longer fits the board bought twenty years ago and the current cost of a cup of tea use to buy you three pints of Watneys Red Barrel or two and a half pints of Double Diamond back in the early seventies. What is the world coming to, I need to get me coat and get back on the trolley bus to New Cross.

The trouble with any pricing policy is that you are competing for a dwindling pot of disposal income. If a family of four have for example Sky and one of the other streaming services it could feasibly be costing circa £100 per month, then if the children have mobile phones that is another potential £80 to £100 per month for all four and then the children have other activities which have associated costs and then you can see with general household expenditure and a mortgage etc, not a lot left to spend on going out. That is where you look at value for money and you then hit the argument of x amount for tickets for fifteen minutes of entertainment and compare that to say banger racing or stock cars where you get several hours of racing. Not an easy problem to solve but punters will probably look at value for money and speedway does not cut it if you are trying to attract a new generation of supporters at a price point that makes it an attractive option with everything else that is trying to attract your hard earned pound.

Spedeworth do not own Ipswich, they lease the stadium and provide a sub lease to Ipswich Speedway. The bangers and stocks get good support and for some of the bigger meetings the numbers on the terraces are something that every speedway club would die for. Speed weekend is packed and the bonfire bonanza is a huge draw. Bank holidays get super crowds. Yes you are right it is a win win for those that run meetings. At Ipswich, you pay to park in addition to the entry price. Parking at speedway is free.

It is a shame that Eastbourne is not available having just watched a video of a recent banger meeting at Arlington. I am sure you have many detractors from the idea that a former track could run temporarily if the funds are guaranteed and the covenant is good even if it is for one year while someone develops Northampton. Money speaks volumes if the right figure is on the table and it could be that Swindon, Newcastle and even Wolverhampton could be an option as along as it is temporary. I am sure that more contributors on this forum could come up with other options. Even Iwade or Kent could be thrown into the mix as a short term solution. I just feel that in the case of Northampton a fool and their money will be soon parted if they dive in to the league at this late stage in the preparation for the new season.

I think that is the less risky route if you can guarantee the rental for even one year. If that was/is the case then a number of former tracks that are idle could become a temporary home for the ‘Nomads’. I am not saying that these are possible or viable but I guess if money talks and the covenant is good, you could have Newcastle, Swindon, Kent and possibly one or two others. Shame about Eastbourne having just watched a banger video featuring racing from Arlington, but it is what it is. Not sure if Iwade could be a possibility. Many others on here would know what if other defunct tracks could be brought back to life with the right incentive and I know Dean has said Wolverhampton is a non starter but with the right offer could they have a re-think. Anyone’s guess but Northampton seems like a a case of a fool and his money will soon be parted.

John will be turning in his grave at the way CL has handled this. Another opportunity to use the local media to the Witches advantage lost. What has become of Ipswich Speedway that for so long has been a big part of Suffolk sport with a rich heritage of home grown riders and a management team who were true Suffolk folk. Yes things move on and new blood is needed to take the sport forward but the link between local home grown riders and local folk is now gone. Another chapter but hopefully not the final one. A question mark sits against Mayfield as to whether they have understood on the broader picture what they are/have bought into given the inept promotional structure and the lack of vision by too many self interested parties who have spent too many years failing to deal with the here and now. The corporate philosophy of Mayfield may well be the down fall of the league in the UK. Time will tell and we can only hope that they can overcome the obstacles and influence the future direction of the sport otherwise it is curtains.

A reincarnation of Allied Promotions perhaps?

What dummkopf I am. How about one of the German riders (and I do not mean Bloodorn)?

Leon Madsen?

You rarely transfer a lease but tend to assign and the landlords would want to ensure that at the very least they are not in a less advantageous position and most landlords taking on new unknown tenants would seek security of payment in terms of the rental income. This could be by way of a cash deposit, bank guarantee or SBLC in order to ensure they are no worse off. We do not know when the lease was due to expire, nor do we know the potential new term or the rent increases during the term of the lease and whether it is full repairing etc.. Suffice to say it appears to be a factor which has caused a delay but is not insurmountable. The fundamental point is CL as a seller knew the status and could have anticipated a potential delay and if not his legal representatives would have be aware of the possibility so the press release is flawed and should be taken with a pinch of salt. No doubt all will be resolved and 2026 will hear the bikes roar at Foxhall. Just a shame the reputation has been called into question because of the failings of a few.

That is not strictly true. The lease sets out the terms under which a tenant acquires the right to use the facility but unless the terms of the lease include guarantees regarding the rental monies, if a tenant fails to pay the rental they forfeit the lease and it reverts back to the landlord who can then let the premise to another tenant. The chances of it ending up in court are slim given that the costs outweigh the result. Even if CL had done a deal before putting the club up for sale, it would still involve an assignment and that in turn involves due diligence etc. The landlord still has to approve an assignment, the tenant cannot simply reassign a lease.

Chris Louis said the lease was the issue in the statement released. If you take a look at the statement in which he said “the club sale has stalled due to the renewal of the stadium lease” so I am not sure why you think that the other poster and I do not know that. If CL is saying why are we wrong? Renewal of the lease would suggest that it was due to expire or has expired. It does not suggest that JL had forfeit the lease and new terms needed to be agreed with new tenants. It is irrelevant anyway but the whole point is the sport has been dragged down over this and other factors. It is a shambles and Ipswich/JL and others are complicit in making the situation worse than it needs to have been.

The stadium issue which is seemingly lease related will have been known for some considerable time and the renewal date would have been set out in the terms of the previous lease so no excuses. It was possibly a matter of public record if the lease/sub lease was registered but I am not prepared to pay a fee to corroborate the position. Even if the lease or sub lease was not registered, CL would have known the position and could easily have made a short statement regarding the lease coming to the end of its term and hence a delay could be expected. Yes the lease holder (Spedeworth) need to carry out due diligence on the new will not want to be in a position that is materially different to that which they were in with the JL (e g bank guarantees underpinning rent payments etc..). I do not think it is a case of the new owners being more professional, anyone involved in acquiring a business that has a leased asset would face the same issues and potential delays. But you have to go back to the fact that the date would have been known so to point the finger at Spedeworth as being the reason for the delay is a tad unfair. When JL decided to sell he would have been fully aware of the lease position. The team building and release of names does make sense but in the overall scheme of things, all parties have a made a dogs dinner of proceedings and the statement does little to deter the detractors of the sport who think it is run by amateurs who have little business acumen and that is why it cannot attract any decent sponsorship that would make a real difference and give it a modicum of credibility. All who have been involved have done the sport no favours.

The sad thing is that nothing ever changes and it is business as usual for those running the sport. Even those fans looking at the Championship fixtures are moaning so it is a case of as you were all round. Do think anyone would listen/take notice of the paying punters if collectively supporters boycotted just one home meeting to make a point and leave the riders performing in front of empty terraces? Another point which comes to mind, if Mayfield have taken over Ipswich, will they have to wait a few years before they are allowed to sit at the top table? Oh well just sit back and wait for the moans from promoters about the lack of support and enthusiasm from the punters and the repeated threats of closure. All part of the speedway business model.