I have just read Weymouth Track Review in the Speedway Star and i would just would like to point out a few facts.Anybody reading the Bartlett spin story would think that Weymouth Speedway was unviable which is not true if weymouth speedway was run right.
I was Commercial Director (a big name for it) in 2006 /2007 for the wildcats. Me John Hawkins Ray Collins Julie Martin and with Paul and Ross from influx marketing We were the ones that did all these promotions ( Bartlett was on about SS)
ie leaflets in every hotel, leaflets on every car in the car park, giving kids go free tickets on the seafront ect. We also made The Dorset Echo, Wessex Fm and Littlesea Holiday Park Media partners.
In 2006/2007 we also gave away free tickets for people to sample speedway and hopefully they would pay the next week (which was working well) Weymouth Speedway has catering and bar rights for wessex stadium (we were averaging £5.00 ahead on top of admission price)so more people in the stadium the more money made.
In 2006/2007 Phil Bartlet did none of the promotion work for Weymouth Speedway and in fact he thought it was a waste of time.
In 2007 Weymouth Speedway were averaging 487 paying people per meeting we were also getting 30 plus people with free tickets so we were averaging over 500 per meeting. We run 23 meetings in 2007 and broke even over the season.So Weymouth Speedway can break even if it is run right.
To sum up Phil Bartletts business skills in 2007 Weymouth Speedway was paying £1200 per meeting (23 meetings x £1200 = £27,600) In 2008 Bartlett went to the landlord for a meeting to reduced the rent and came away thinking he had done well. Since 2008 Weymouth Speedway has been paying £38,000 a year in rent you could not make it up