PHILIPRISING

AGREE that they should not have run the meeting after being warned that the track would not hold up. But I do believe messrs Gordon and Morton (especially the latter, who should know about these things) thought that it would be all right on the night. Sadly they were mistaken. That was the point of the escrow account as far as we can ascertain but a combination of delays to the final construction and the backers wanting more control than DG and CM were prepared to relinquish resulted in them being handed their money back, which is when George Carswell and his family stepped into the breach. In reply to Arthur Cross and his post of Nov 8 which I actually didn't see, the answer is none.

IT already is ... by Humphrey

AND to the standard required. They got about 75 per cent right but not the other 25 per cent for reasons which we now know. Obviously selling tickets for opening night well in advance was to help with cash flow but it was a never to be repeated event and one which, quite rightly, they anticipated a full-house and pre-sale of tickets was a practical idea. BV had no expectation of the track not being 100 per cent and it was only that, and not the stadium as a whole, which caused the chaos that ensued. BV will argue, with justification surely, that the ramifications of that night affected on-going attendances and especially the delayed Wolverhampton fixture. Whether or not BV would have escaped all the financial problems that afflicted them throughout the season had these meetings been successfully staged is a moot point. Some of the early backers who came on board with considerable funds, believed to be held in an escrow account, withdrew sometime before completion and the fact that the project still moved forward was in no small part due to George Carswell and his family. In reply to one of Humphrey Dumphrey's early comments, I can give no assurances that all will be fine. All I do know is that several parties are working hard and negotiating to ensure that speedway continues at the NSS.

OF course having to return the money was a huge blow. Having a bumper opening crowd and with it substantial revenue was vitally important for them. It was money they were never going to get again and the loss of four more home meetings, including the traditionally lucrative Good Friday fixture against Wolverhampton was another body blow. It would appear that it all went pear shaped from then which is why Gordon, rightly or wrongly, lays much of the blame at the door of MCC

I HAVE already stated on here that while some people were prepared to talk off the record, and we wouldn't betray that, others had little to offer that we didn't already know. And the vast majority of SS readers don't trawl the internet and actually rely on the magazine to provide them with the sort of information that we did last week. I don't know why you always think Speedway Star should effectively be dishing the dirt, if there actually is any. Our greater responsibility is not to publish anything at this stage that might seriously jeopardise the continuation of speedway at the NSS. I make no apologises for that. We are not a tabloid newspaper and sometimes have to take the view that some things are better left unsaid. British speedway is in a precarious state as it is without SS rocking the boat still further. And if that, as you so nicely put it a few days ago, means I have long lost all journalistic credibility then I can live with that.

LET'S hope you are wrong. The BSPA seem confident that Belle Vue will continue in 2017 and there are people working to make that happen. The Council may or may not be entirely blameless for what happened this year and that could yet have a bearing on how the situation moves forward.

NO one has suggested the riders haven't been paid at all. I spoke to Mark Lemon, who insisted when he took the job that riders be paid regularly, in Torun he said that there were arrears but that riders were being paid. No doubt Zagar would have got his dosh first.

EVERYTHING won't carry on as normal. There will be new people involved, not encumbered by the debt that the previous promoters brought with them from Kirky Lane.

CONSIDERABLY more than that.

BSI and the FIM will no doubt be happy to go back to Belle Vue if and when a new management structure is in place. The staging of the SWC there this year was a nightmare for both of them although, of course, the meetings themselves were terrific. There is a lot going on behind the scenes right now but it is confidential and the last thing I or Speedway Star would want to do is rock the boat and endanger the prospects of a sustained and viable future for the NSS. I do think that is entirely possible but at the time BSI had to notify the FIM of a venue for a SWC round it was sensible to plump for King's Lynn, which after all has done so very well in the past.

THE figure you quote is unsubstantiated and probably off target

DEC 1st is an error ...

16.30 British time

STILL a pretty impressive squad!

And Nicki Pedersen

HE certainly did not.

IF an outside party comes in they would still need someone acceptable to the BSPA/SCB to attain a promoter's licence which is the direction I think this is going.

INTERESTING. Hadn't heard that one.

MANY small non-league football clubs have to come up with all sorts of money raising schemes to implement turnstile revenue and that what is needed at Belle Vue.

IT'S not what I think but must respect a confidence and not say anything until the dates are officially announced. Others will do as they please, especially Polish websites.

THANK you ...

HAD this nice email from Russell, Dave's eldest son (along with another from his brother Phil) today ... The outpouring of tributes since the horrors of losing dad seven days ago has been so sad for all of us - but at the same time so lovely. Among so many, I will forever cherish your words. You absolutely summed up dad in the most beautiful way. Because for all his razzmatazz broadcasting, presenting and promoting flair, the one thing dad wanted to be known for more than anything else was a writer. He drew pictures with his words and his skill as a broadcaster was his natural ability to write a story with his voice. You captured that so succinctly. I can't begin to tell you how proud dad would have been reading your piece. Above anything else written this past week, I know he would have said: "I'm bloody touched that Riso has written that about me." Thank you so much. Simply beautiful. Warmest regards. Russell

NOT talking about a wedding ceremony but reception. The Peter Craven suite is ideal. There is already a hockey facility as part of the village and how could they pay for the NSS? I never said it could survive on turnstile revenue alone. It was always in the business plan to make use of the stadium for as many days of the year as possible. That still has to be the aim and with an innovative stadium manager I'm sure much could be achieved. The interminable delays undoubtably cost them potential sponsors but it appears others might be in the pipeline now that the previous management have gone. NOT talking about a wedding ceremony but reception. The Peter Craven suite is ideal. There is already a hockey facility as part of the village and how could they pay for the NSS? I never said it could survive on turnstile revenue alone. It was always in the business plan to make use of the stadium for as many days of the year as possible. That still has to be the aim and with an innovative stadium manager I'm sure much could be achieved. The interminable delays undoubtably cost them potential sponsors but it appears others might be in the pipeline now that the previous management have gone.

THAT'S quite right but it cannot be far away now ...

AND who paid for them? NSS is best speedway stadium in the UK, let's be content with that, and while never sustainable on just speedway gate revenue alone, with other usage and some decent sponsorship and proper management can still be a viable proposition. MCC must think so otherwise they wouldn't be pulling out all the stops for speedway to continue there.