25yearfan

Dudley Heathens is an entirely different entity to any other NL team! Dudley have evolved out of the old top flight Cradley Heath set up which was one of the, if not the biggest supported and passionate fanbases in the Country. They are certainly no Wolves 2nd team (although in essence they do act like that for local NL basedriders) and no gimmick from the Wolves promotion like the Hackney team was this season. In fact they only started cause Cradley still had a large fanbase despite not running at their track since 1995. If Cradley got their own track they could probably go straight into the EL cause the fanbase would support that level. As for the NL becoming completely amatuer, thats never going to happen. Theirs always been a conflict of interests in the NL with standalone teams needing to have experienced riders in order to attract a crowd and 2nd teams of higher League tracks running basically a junior outfit in order to produce riders. Also tracks that get decent crowds like Mildenhall, Dudley and Stoke will pay their riders more which is fair cause the riders should share in the clubs profits cause afterall the crowds are there to see the riders race. Anyway the money that probably 75%+ of NL riders receive as payments for points they score wouldn't go anywhere near covering their costs. Also the NL has to remain open for standalone tracks otherwise Stoke would of probably closed last season, Mildenahll wouldn't of reopened and other tracks in the past unable to afford PL or EL would of fallen by the wayside!

Ipswich speedway was success in 2011 apart from the general PL problem of too many meetings caused by the ridiculous phase 2 fixtures. The EL only works for clubs like Poole, King's Lynn, Birmingham, Lakeside who can subsidise that level through income from crowds and sponsors or the other clubs being totally bankrolled by rich businesmen. The Louis' couldn't bankroll EL speedway and also couldn't speculate/risk the future of the club by overspanding which led to continual cheap weakish teams which led to the woeful 2010 season when crowds at the end were the lowest I've ever seen in over 50 years of watching speedway at Foxhall. Aparently in the winter the club had talks with a prominant local businessman with a view to a buy out but the prospective new owner pulled when he saw the figures for EL racing! These reasons perfectly justify dropping down and whilst like many I think Ipswich speedway should be top flight, building the club up in the 2nd tier like they did in 1969-71, 1989-90 and like King's Lynn did from 2003-2010 is the best way forward. Whilst I think the Louis promotion have got complacent and a bit tired in the past through being at the helm since 1989 with the knowledge the Witches have always had a good solid hardcore supporter base, Aljack needs to get real!

Karls been around for a while now and has had a good crack at making it! Hes been declining now for a number of years so calling it a day now, is the right decision! Good luck in the future and at least you can say you done it at a more than reasonable level, unlike most of us!

Superb speedway! For £10 adult admission price, you won't get better value for money anywhere in any sport for that price!

Heeps was very lucky in the Morley incident but he had nothing to do with Roynon falling, he fell on his own.!

Class rider who never fulfilled his undoubted talent which would put him behind many other great British riders!

The referee and the hand signals from various Stoke riders didn't help the situation! Had the referee done her job properly then the scenes after heat 13 wouldn't of been anywhere near as severe. - Simon Lambert unintentionally T boned Jack Hargreaves yet wasn't excluded - a very very poor decision. Simon Lambert then uses some hand gesturing and arguing with fans on the way back to the pits. He should of kept quiet and be grateful he was allowed in the re-run when he shouldn't have done! All said another great performance from Lambert at Mildenhall!

Lambert Blackbird Heeps Garrity Have all got to be in the 7, can't think of any others!

Quite a good meeting considering the IOW aren't the strongest team and yet again the promotion and team done all the right things to ensure the meeting ran smoothly and in the Fen Tigers favour!

I only mentioned Newcastles up and down post war history. I think their pre war history was also sketchy with a number of closures and reopenings!

Sheffield could comfortably cope with top flight racing particularly the watered down version of the EL this season, although I think this years EL has been the best EL for a number of years because of the extra variety caused by King's Lynns and Birminghams incluson! Newcastle maybe but they had their hands burnt badly in 1984 when after years of NL domination they felt they had to move up only to last one season and shut down! Poole opened in about 1948. Peterborough opened in 1970 and have ran every season since! Lakeside opened as Arena Essex speedway in 1984 at a stock venue that had been running since the 1970's and have been running every year since although they changed name about 3 years ago! King's Lynn opened as an open licence track in 1965 and entered the BL in 1966 as a Norfolk replacement for Norwich speedway who closed in 1964. They ran top flight speedway every year until 1996 when they closed for one season. They reopened in the newly formed EL in 1997 and stayed EL until the end of the 2002 season. From 2003 till 2010 they ran in the 2nd tier and this season moved up. I believe grsstrack racing was staged at the venue in the early 50's when it was a greyhound track. Ipswich 1st opened as an open licence track in 1951 using the circuit that is now the stock car track at Foxhall. They ran in a number of Leagues in this circuits with a couple of closures until finlly finishing in 1965. In 1969 they reopened by building a new track inside the original one and have ran every season since! Reading opened at the old Tilehurst stadium in 1968 and ran there until 1973 when the stadium was redeveloped. They reopened in 1975 at a brand new stadium at Smallmead and ran continously until 2008 when they vacated the stadium due to a pending redevelopment. Oxford opened in the late 1940's and ran every season until 2007. I'm not sure if they ran pre war? Glasgow have had many stadiums and spells. Since the war they have ran at White City, Hampden Park, Coatbridge*, Blantyre, Craighead Park, Shawfield and finally present stadium Ashfield where a seperate team ran (Ashfield Gaints) ran their in the late 40 and early 50' when Glasgow White City also running. * Edinburgh also ran speedway at Coatbridge and in 1996 a team called the Scottish Monarchs formed after Edinburhg lost their stadium and Glasgow folded ran at Shawfield. Edinburgh - I think speedway ran at a place called Marine Gardens pre war. Meadowbank opened after the war and staged speedway albeit with a few missed years until 1967. They then ran at Coatbridge till 199 when the team moved lok stock and barrell to Wembley London. Open licence meetings were staged at a venue near Edinburgh around 72/73 then Powderhall opened in 1977 and ran until 1995. Since 1997 the club have raced at Armadale! Plymouth - I think they ranspeedwya there pre war. After the war they ran tthe Pennycross stadium on and off until 1970. Amazingly after a 36 year absence they reopened at their present venue in 2006 and have ran there every yaer since. Exeter - The County Ground opened around the late 20's early 30's spell. Leicester had 2 tracks in the early 30's, one at long term venue Blackbird Road and another called Leicester super. Newport 1st opened in 1964 at Somerton Park where they raced until 1977! Norwich speedway opened as a grasstrack in 1930 and was one of the few tracks to use grass, cinders and shale during its spell. The firs ran until 1964. A black licence track down the road at Hevingham was used in 1976 for one meeting and training. Southampton not sure but they must have ran pre war? Stoke ran as Hanley for a lot of years and I think ran pre war? Middlesbrough - Pre war? Halifax - Some meetings were staged at the cricket ground in the early 30's. The Shay 1st ran in 1949 then had a spell from 1965 - 85. Cradley opened in the late 40's as a nursery track for Birmingham Wimbledon - 1928. Wembley, West Ham and New Cross - late 20's. Hackney - mid 30's.

They haven't had solos continously in this spell!

A very messy debate cause noones had an unbroken spell and the tracks have changed in the long running stadiums! For instance Belle Vue started at Kirky Lane in the late 1920's, probably on a different track to the current Kirky Lane, only rode there for 1-2 seasons then moved to Hyde Road and speedway didn't start there again until 1988! Newcastle must have the record for the number of closures and reopenings it has been through in its long history! I know post war they shut in the early 1950's, reopened in the early 60's, closed after the 1970 season, reopened 1975, closed after the 1984 season, reopened 1986, closed after the 1987 season, reopened again in 1989, closed in 1994 and then have been running continuously since 1997!

For sure we'd all love to see more Britsh riders coming through and in the case of Mildenhall a return to the glory days of the 1970's when the team was nearly entirely made up ofrecruits from their successful training school! Until then standalone clubs like Mildenhall and Stoke can't afford to many stragglers in their respective teams, so they will enevitably have to utilise that great speedway rider producing conveyor belt called Australia!

Simon Lambert was awesome yesterday, the difference between a very comfortable less interesting win for Mildenhall rather than the very exciting and very interesting battle right up until the end, meeting we saw! Simon Lambert met the criteria at the start of the season end off. Hes ambitious and doing everything he can to try and make a career out of speedway which is something many other young Brits can't claim! If riding in the NL helps him move on to better things then the NL is doing something right and lesser riders racing against him will be dragged along by his pace! Anyway the NL teams are struggling to get riders so if the authorities prevented more riders from competing then it'd be even more of a struggle! Also Stoke just fresh out of the PL and a standalone club needing to keep up viable support levels cannot afford to have a weak team cause such a weak team would put the tracks very existance into doubt! As for Heeps he qualifies through having recent British ancestry and like Lambert yesterday, take him away from the equation and the meeting would of been of a much lesser quality! Those who say Heeps is taking the place of Brits should look more closely at the facts. He replaced Nick Laurence who in all honesty, while being a committed trier and nice guy to boot will never make the grade, who Mildenhall gave a good few meetings for him to prove himself and his NL appearances since leaving Mildenhall back this up. The other rider who briefly appeared before Heeps came along was Adam Portwood who is not NL standard yet as his recent dropping by Dudley prove so keeping him in the team struggling miles of the pace at the back would be counter productive both for him and the club! Mildenhall fans have nowt to moan about cause things at West Row are pretty good at the moment, with a very capable promotion being assisted by good staff, with a decent team and great crowd figures I didn't think I'd see there for NL racing providing a good atmosphere!

I think Wimbledon could still be a viable track in either the EL or PL with the right track and right promotion, the 2002-05 CL era proved that the Dons still had the support. I also think one other London track in the North could be viable - Romford Bombers (yes its Essex, but virtually London!)if the owners of the Greyhound track could be persuaded and planning permission given.

You've largely hit the nail on the head! This seasons Hackney experiment at Lakeside and Rye House has been a half hearted affair aimed at drawing a former teams support by using the Hackney for a team that are really Rye Houses NL team. Hackney wern't ever supported very well not even in the 60's and 70's compared to other tracks. Indeed Len Silver got out in 1983 when he'd had enough of struggling to keep it going. Without Crayford also closing at the end of the 1983 season, its possible Hackney speedway wouldn't have survived after 1983. The 1987 move back into the top flight was an expensive low supported project aborted after just one year. Hackney Hawks last ran in 1991 when they had to close due to poor crowds. Thats now 20 years ago. The 1996 London Lions venture also only lasted one year, wasn't well supported and thats now 15 years ago. With no serious attempt being made to get a new track in the Hackney area combined with Hackney not having many fans anyhow, especially after all these years added to the half hearted nature of ressurrecting the Hackney name and fans of the tracks senior teams only being able to afford and/or want to watch the senior team, the likelihood of Hackney meetings getting viable crowds at Lakeside and Rye House were very minimal. Rye House 3rd tier meetings have been poorly attended for years anyway and apart from Dudley who are a different case to any other team ( a massively well supported team who closed because of redevelopment, reopening at an existing venue 8-10 miles down the road) no 3rd tier running at an EL or PL venue has ever regularly got viable crowds. The NL has been much more productive than what the old reserve Leagues ever were in producing riders and many current tracks would of probably not opened or like Rye House reopened without the intervention of the 3rd tier in its different forms since 1994. Thats why funding has to be given to encourage tracks to run 2nd teams in the NL.

Very true! While reopening at former centres is very difficult, it does happen from time to time! Aparently theirs people still on the case, so finger crossed its happens sooner rather than later! I think Hull speedway failed because in their last 3-4 seasons the Vikings were run by promotors who didn't have the necessary clout to do it properly much like Oxford did and the stadium owners got a bad impression. A person mentioned that Hull Council aren't interested because speedway wasn't included at the KC stadium. In fairness theirs been loads of new football grounds built over the last 16years and how many have included speedway? None is the answer because the football clubs don't want a shale track around their pitch which puts the fans further away from the pitch. I'm sure Hull City didn't want a shale track around their pitch and this probably had a lot to do with it even though the KC is a council stadium. I recall when Southampton movd to their St Marys stadium in 2002 the possibility of speedway being included was put to them with even Southampton speedway legend Bary Briggs putting a word in yet they still wern't interested! Unfortunately football is massive business while speedway in most cases isn't so therefore football clubs aren't interested. Even in the 1960s and 1970s very few football grounds had speedway tracks and few would entertain it! Has the Boulevard, home of Hull speedway from 1971 - 1981 been demolishd yet? Hull speedway ran by a promotion capable of doing it properly can be successful in the future!

Unfortunately Michael Lees comments were harsh but true! You couldn't knock Nick Laurence for enthusiasm and commitment to the cause but hes been around for quite a while now, isn't competitve at NL and isn't going to get any better! Maybe Lee should choose his words more carefully and also realise that nearly everyone who trys speedway aren't going to find it as easy as he did!

Superb track conditions! Superb meeting with a massive crowd! Fen Tigers look a solid team! Very professional presentation and show! Keep up this quality and there will be no problems at West Row!

Good luck to Mildenhall speedway! If things are done properly, or more closer to the truth, the promotion are allowed to do things properly then speedway at the stadium can be successful!

Michael Lee rode a few meetings for King's Lynn in 1985, 1986 and finally in 1991. Flawed genius on a speedway bike who should of done much much more!

You couldn't be further from the truth! I think that Iwade has done a terrific job for speedway since it started about 1970-71! Its just never going to really crack it as a League venue and if Central Park does finally get going then the Iwade should look to assist it as much as possible and vice versa and lets not have any of this mindless self interest that we see so often in British speedway!

Having been to Central Park I know how good a venue for speedway that place could be but since talk of speedway opening there has been going on for the best part of 10 years I'll not build up my hopes until it actually happens particularly since this episode with Roger Cairns has been going for quite a while now! But I've said it before on here and I'll say it again now, if speedway does start up at Central Park in the middle of Sittingbourne and they won't be called "Sittingbourne speedway" while Iwade (which will never be nothing more than a training track with basic facilities which struggles to stage viable 3rd Division level speedway) a few miles out of town is called "Sittingbourne speedway" that will be a ludicrous state of affairs that will not help either venue!

Anyone who thinks that Hackneys return can be as well supported as Dudleys last season are living in cloud cuckoo land! Cradley speedway were one, if not the best supported track in the Country who only closed cause their stadium was sold from underneath them! Hackney struggled for crowds for years and finally closed in 1991 because the struggling couldn't prop up a track that was not well supported! In 1996 Terry Russell reopened speedway at Hackney and again it was not well supported!