25yearfan

Todays EADT reports that this Sundays scheduled NL match between Buxton Hitmen and the Mildenhall Fen Tigers has been postponed due to the ownership changes taking place at Mildenhall speedway! Lets hope that Mildenhall haven't got problems.

Jean had some far out views on speedway but she was an out and out passionate Mildenhall speedway supporter, the sort of regular that all tracks needs to keep going! She was part of the fixtures and fittings at Mildenhall speedway for seemingly as long its been going and the place won't be the same without her!

Bernie must of been very elderly because when he rode for the Witches in 69-70 he was in his mid to 40's then! Another one gone from the great pioneer days of the modern Ipswich era!

Joe Owen was a great rider who without that big crash at Hull could of gone further int he sport! Tony Mole had 2 applications to reopen Ellesmere Port in 2001 turned down bacaue of the noise and parking issues! Would make a great venue for National Leaue racing in present times!

Despicable and narrow minded atitude! Don't they see that if they were in favour of suc a move they would look better in the eyes of the local community and therefore more people will use the store?

I know the trouble Andy Galvin has got himself into must be painful for his son and his family, but they also must realise that he was a very successful speedway rider so its enevitable that once his troubles became common knowledge, it would be talked about on this forum!

Great 2nd Division rider who never seemed the brightest spark and always seemed the sort of 'playboy' person who wasn't keen on having to work too hard! Sad news!

Absolutely magic in the mid 70's! Great passer who was unlucky to not win more than 1 world title!

I'm calm apart from when I see boy Chapmans smug ignorant face in the speedway star as part of the BSPA committee who are supposed to be guiding our sport in the right direction! It wouldn't of had the same logic as the Rayleigh-Rye House and Crayford-Hackney switches cause those venues wern't to far apart and some fans would of switched over but Rye House is a long way from Yarmouth! Though I'm sure it was probably one of the many unfounded rumours about track openings that go round all the while. I know Ronnie Russell looked at Swaffham raceway a while back but that'd never be a goer being to close to King's Lynn in a low populated, low income area. I laughed when Laurence Rogers was going round TALKING (unfortunately nothing else!) about reopening at Caister Road by building a speedway track inside the stock car track - had he even been to the stadium? - no room for such a move! I like Malcolm Vasey and indeed Keith Farman when he was alive think that Yarmouth could support a speedway team though I did disagree with Keith cause he wanted to see the Bloaters in the Premier League which I didn't think would be viable! I've had my fingers crossed for a double Norfolk speedway reopening at Norwich and Great Yarmouth since both closed just like Keith did!!

Great Yarmouth Rockets! What a ridiculous name! Keith wouldn't of had that nor would any other sane long term speedway fan! Nearly as bad as daddys boy, big mouth, little action Chapman suggesting if he'd of been reopening Birmingham speedway (which in reality he would never do cause he wouldn't be capable unless his old man was pulling the strings!) he would of called them something other than the Brummies which is the original, traditional nickname of Birminghams speedway team which has a link to the area! Yes speedway reopening at Great Yarmouth would be a fitting tribute to the late, great Keith Farman but they'd have to be called the Bloaters! Like Malcom said, 3rd tier racing at Great Yarmouth, particularly during the late May to the end of August summer period would be viable!

A meeting I was looking forward much like the Swindon match in August and sadly the same end result - poor meeting with only a handful of good races! While I think the track changes will help, preparing the track with some grip would also equally improve the racing! Kevin Long gave up because of work commitments but you still see him on the terracing most meetings I've been to at Foxhall this year! Those critiscising the programme are correct - a different cover would of made the meeting seem more important though that coiver should of been changed when messrs Hampel and Lanham left the team which was ages ago! The Ipswich promotion have to be commended for their longevity at Foxhall but more effort on the promotion front would help. They only have to look at how King's Lynn is promoted!

Not the most exciting meeting but then again how many really exciting meetings have their been at Rye House this year? Dragged on an hour too long but then again in such an prestige meeting riders seem to take more risks so the likelihood of incidents is higher. Hughes desperately unlucky but sh*te happens in the sport and he can take heart that he outshone more experienced riders. Cook looks an awesome prospect and has only been riding for year! The boy needs to be fully nurtured by the BSPA like some of the foriegners are! Herne looks very quick, surprised he hasn't done more in the PL. Hart too looks a very good prospect with plenty of determination to boot as well! These 4 were head and shoulders over the rest and look like possibly the only ones in the field who will go onto better things in the sport? The tracks definately sorts out the good skilled technical riders out from the boys who've just got fast bikes and just winds them on, on tracks where you don't have to turn the bike hard. As for Rye House holding the event - It has done the event proud in recent years, Len always puts on a good show and giving the event to Rye House is reward for the effort the club has put into producing young riders and regularly putting a team in the 3rd tier which most EL and PL don't. Holding the event at a neutral non NL venue wouldn't work cause they wouldn't attract a viable crowd. This has been proved when the PL big events have been held on EL tracks and the PL attracts more fans in most cases than what the NL does.

I suspect that like some others US riders Lance King was from a wealthy family so speedway wasn't the be all and end all and in those days you could get good money riding in California!

Ipswich Witches only rode in the old 2nd Division when it was called the National League in 1989 and 1990. They wern't allowed in the 1989 4TT because of their late entry into the League but I know rode in the 4TT finals in 1990 so that would be the year!

One of the classiest Ipswich rider I've seen in my many years spectating at Foxhall! It was a shame we didn't see more of him but I'm sure his wealthy financial state meant that once he had any serious injuries like he did he wasn't going to stay in the sport until he stagnated!

I think its more a case of GRA's parent company rather than the GRA who won't allow speedway at Wimbledon as they have been been trying to get rid of the stadium for a while now and don't want tenents who need a mid to long term lease who are hard to shift which would be the speedway! I believe this is also the case at Oxford which has all the pits area and speedway track still in place! Speedway runs at Belle Vue and Birmingham Perry Bar both GRA tracks and at the other Birmingham greyhound track Hall Green the GRA would have allowed speedway to take place there if it could ever get planning permission! Yes it is so frustrating that Wimbledon along with Oxford have 2 operational former speedway stadiums that could still be staging the sport today. I'm sure that both the Cheetahs and the Dons could sustain PL racing at least! While their still standing theirs hope and that hope is that the GRA or the stadiums individually get bought by organisation(s) who want to fully exploit their potential as leisure sports venues!

Sunderland as Ian Martin said was asset stripped in 1964 in its 1st season and closed by the ruthless multi track promotion without ever really being given a chance! In the early 70's the lack of continuity with the promotion also made things difficult! The Boldon Stadium is very well appointed nowadyas and could comfortably accomodate a speedway track. Indeed the great Len Silver who promoted their in the early 70's has always said that he thinks speedway could be sustainable at Boldon! I believe it has been looked at many times in the past particularly when Newcastle were dormant or when they were having trouble with their landlords. I know of a person who looked into reopening speedway at Boldon a few years back and he was quoted a rental figure of £100,000 a year which would make it nigh on unviable. I also believe that the current Newcastle promotion have said in the past that they would strongly object to any reopening bid at Boldon because they reakon it would effect their own operation which personally I'm not sure if it actually would? With the demise of the Redcar 3rd tier team at the start of this season because of the problems in attracting fans to watch 2 teams at one track, I think a NL team running out of Sunderland could be viable cause locals in the Sunderland area who currently don't go to speedway would be attracted therefore a whole new bunch of fans who wouldn't be pulled away from the current Redcar and Newcastle clubs. I believe Boldon comes within 30 miles of Newcastle speedway so the Diamonds promotion could by rights stop any attempts to reopen there but isn't their a couple of smaller greyhound tracks not far from Sunderland which are outside the 30 mile radius of Newcastle? While I think that a PL operation at Sunderland would be difficult because of the nearby Redcar and Newcastle set ups I think a NL operation which would require lower crowds to survive could work at Sunderland and would supplement the before said nearby tracks operating as something of a nuresery track for the 2? I would like nothing more than to see the Sunderland Stars back in speedway using their smart racejacket design of 1971! Good Luck!

Has the redevelopment of Long Eatons old home at Station Rd started yet? I've said it before on here but I think the best chance of speedway ever returning to this area would be at the very plush Nottingham greyhound stadium with the team taking on the 1979/80 Long Eaton name of Nottingham Outlaws!

Having EL teams running one team in an EL then a weakened one in another League set up against lower Division tracks is similar to what was tryed in the 2003 British League cup which didn't work cause fans of EL tracks stayed away when their team was weakened! The 3 tier League set up should remain but should instead be formulated like - A new top flight called the PL featuring the current 9 EL tracks and 7 teams out of the PL. The level of this new top flight would be inbeween the current EL and PL. A minimum of 3 Brits per team. A new 2nd tier called the NL featuring the reminaing 7 PL tracks + the 4 stronger stand alone tracks out of the current NL + any new tracks reopening. The level of this League would be inbeween the current PL and NL. Any new tracks coming the Leagues wishing to stage senior League racing would have to start in this League and could not jump straight into the top flight. A minimum of 4 Brits per team. A new 3rd tier called the CL featuring stand alones like Buxton and Sittingbourne that are run at shoestring level and any reserve teams of senior tracks. The level of this League would be below the current ultra strong 3rd tier which would give more Brits a chance and their are many riders about who are capable but can't get into the current NL which is full of doubling up PL rider and others who should be in the PL. Much of what Vince says in his post is right

Norfolkman Geof Pymar is the only man who rode on Grass, cinders and shale at the great Firs stadium, Norwich. He started in 1930 and retired in around 1962 although he did retire for a spell in the late 50's when he co - promoted at Exeter! Another long serving rider with strong Norfolk connections Wal Morton also rode for a similar period alas also which some breaks! Ivan Mauger rode his 1st competitive meeting in New Zealand in 1955 and had his last competitive meeting in early 1986 although since then I believe he has infrequently had practises on various tracks up to present. I know one of the famous Perrys (can't recall which one!) rode grasstrack for 40 unbroken years!

I'll be watching with interest how Jamie Rogers fares cause he is awesome on the grass and someone I'd think could do well on the speedway! He rode for the old Sheffield Prowlers team posting good scores and looking a good bet to move into Sheffields PL team but then just stopped!

Rob Henry rode in the British League a few times for Leicester and I seem to remember Reading!

Nathan Simpson rode for Eastbourne as well as Wimbledon and Dennis Mallet rode for Milton Keynes and King's Lynn as well as Boston!

Tiddler Turner rode a few meeting for Boston (which was really an extension of the King's Lynn promotional umbrella at the time!) in his last season!