singy13

We can always live in hope of a Comets return..but...your mention of Iwade brought back some nice memories....My late wife had an Auntie residing in Sittingbourne, so after the Comets had finished on a Friday night we would speed off to stay with her (not too fast in an Austin1300 _ but it was ok) this was to take in the Comets weekenders v Canterbury and then on to Eastbourne. On our first such trip we called in at Iwade on the Saturday afternoon (after a nice kip on Aunties sofa lol)...correct me if I'm wrong, it was 50 years ago, but I think it was grass track racing? Very entertaining whatever. The Comets put up good performances too..it was a long trek back to Cumbria on Sunday evening though.

It's a bad prognosis for Speedway then...as that's something like 3,000 @ £20 each (? just a guess for entry but will be near enough) = £60, 000 gate receipts...very nice income indeed. Outgoings? .I've no idea what stock car drivers earn........has anyone? But let's say at each meeting there are about 20/30 cars partaking?......say they take £1000 each that still leaves a good profit......speedway can't compete financially with the 'stocks' and promoters know it.......so sadly...bye speedway.

Backed Ian and Comets.. .Was a Brummie promoter until they were losing money.......sounds familiar for Perry Barr that.

whoops..and Tony Mole.

I know who runs the Workington Town business........yes Comets funding did help big style when Ian Thomas brought it back in 1999.

Good luck today for the Diamonds, I've enjoyed some great visits to Brough with the Comets over many years. Good racing and friendly home fans always helped. I hope the grim reaper can be kept at bay long term. I enjoy reading these posts as my sole speedway fix. And THJ is pure gold ( in many eyes ha ha) and full of facts/figures. I've picked up on another of his mentions of the 'Comets'. And sadly he is right regarding the strained relationship at Derwent Park between Rugby League officials and Speedway management. I have felt the bitter wind of non-compliance so often. I worked for the Rugby club (voluntary) in two quite important roles. This brought me close to the Rugby directors who in the main saw speedway as an irritant, and not worth bothering with. I also stood (still do) with worky Town RL fans, mainly Maryport lads, THJ may know some lol? And these guys literally hated the Comets. Making claims that they (the speeding bikes) made DP look a right mess, shale everywhere including pitch. Those with longest memories still recalled how Messrs Thomas and Brownhutt covered many rows of terracing utilising the first and second bends, not popular with RL folk. Some steps are now uncovered. I would invariably defend speedway functioning by reminding the Town directors/fans that speedway crowds brought the RL club funds via rent and bar profits, but still found it hard work to convince them of that fact. Another dig at speedway would be the 'guest system'........I couldn't properly defend that....always a bugbear of mine too. I love both sports and wish both were available on my doorstep........you lucky Diamonds fans also have an RL team nearby too, support the Thunder. Who sang Big Yellow Taxi ? can't be a*sed to look.. but the chorus says - 'you don't know what you've got, 'til it's gone'................hear, hear!!!!!! (not here, here)

Great committment, as ever, from the excellent THJ...but 'Fromafar' has hit the nail on the head this time. The people on this forum are usually genuine speedway fans...and if they have a team, locally, to support they'll do so, certainly in most circumstances. It hurts like hell to lose your team, the Comets were my passion for many years and boy do I miss them. I was interested in THJ's maths re population catchment available. Newcastle being able to contact 300,000 folk......wow that pales into insignificance the 25,000 folk residing in Workington doesn't it? Even nearby jameaters Whitehaven only add 24,000.....small wonder Laura had the inability to persuade a profit making audience to rally round when the rot set in. I'm afraid speedway is losing(lost) it's appeal to 50/50 committed folk....so many riders being team mates, then another night enemies, it's just so farcical. Second now in my view to WWE crap. I do sincerely hope the Diamonds carry on....but when the significant warning signs are sounded it does just remind of the 2018 season and a fond goodbye to the Derwent Park heroes. Sorry geordie guys, good luck.

The two pics show what is left of the Comets track nowadays...i.e. The concrete base that Ian Thomas and Jeff Brownhutt put in before adding shale, the grooves are from the scraping machines blade ....their is no shale there at DP now at all apparently all taken and dumped at Northside awaiting next track development???

I've added a couple of pics to opening post re Derwent Park....hope you can see them tho..ha

I'll try again............................................oh stuff it.............never had a problem couple of years ago.

I took some pics yesterday of the current state of the ex speedway track at Workington. That is minus the shale but still lots of concrete around the four bends ...

Just noticed on the Belle Vue site that Dan Bewley is from 'Maryland'......so it says on there marras...I think the owner of this site is perhaps from Fairyland?....

Good luck with that venture Marra...I live in this 'jamland' and have not seen a Speedway Star in WHS for a long long while....shops in nearby Worky still have it though.....

Thing is marra...............that's not a simple solution because ...I'm sure folk actually do need to read it before then judging quality?...........just saying......

That's shocked me geoff.......I've been a 'Townie' for a great many years, and always will be....yes it was awful to see the speedway track "ripped up", but I think even if it was still intact the Comets wouldn't be flying round it..............money, or rather the lack of it would have saw to that bitter end.

You are half correct Geoff....we did meet Eagles in the K.O.Cup final in October 1975.......but Comets won the 1st leg on the Friday night at DP by 47-31......then down to Eastbourne for the second leg two days later, Sunday afternoon...and got well beaten by 52-25......the Comets riders just didn't like the small tricky Eastbourne circuit....I attended both these matches..and despite the defeat it was a good weekend out.

Remember doing a southern camping tour in 1971 (from Cumbria) and stopped in Hailsham for pub Sunday lunch, lovely grub, then on to Arlington for speedway, where we pitched tent right next to car park. Along with many other holiday makers...I can still vividly hear Dave Lanning winding up the visiting Peterborough fans - asking 'where have all the Panthers fans gone'?..adding' last year you brought 40 coach loads of fans to this fixture...today just a couple, why'?..I recall it was really good entertainment for us happy campers.

So It is good then that you have such folk interested in keeping speedway alive and kicking over on the East coast.(I've seen pics on Facebook) However despite your nice closing comments THJ I just can't see us over here in the West ever again having the need for such similar input. You say you had a peek at Northside....well apart from it being a laal track, of the right shape, nothing else inspires my hopes of a Comets revival right there....it's too small and spartan. Anyway good luck to the Diamonds from 2021 onwards......I've enjoyed very many visits to Brough to support Comets and always found the fans friendly....

Wish they(NSSG) would hurry up with the answers for you THJ.......it's good stuff this forum........................mind nowt like being at Derwent Park tho...oh hummmmm.

Forgot re Barrow....and I didn't know of an illness. The last time I saw George, and briefly spoke, was when he attended my wife's funeral in 2012. I remember going to Eastbourne for a second leg knockout cup final 1970 something, his wife sat with us - Comets well beaten but George took it well and smiled all through it with great dignity. Lovely guy.

Just seen recently that the former Workington Comets promoter George Graham has sadly passed away. He was a lovely man and gave 100% to both the Comets and Workington Town RLFC, being at one stage the chairman of the RL club. I knew him well via both of those sporting involvements and he was always a true gentleman. RIP George.

Don't have any grudges personally....some fans who paid for 2019 season tickets will be upset...and so will those Comets riders still, allegedly owed pay. I've wrote on a Comets link regarding Speedway being a 'novelty sport'....so when Mr Average decides to call it a day that leaves a dwindling number of diehards attempting keep the sport afloat. Which, down the last few years, became patently obvious at Derwent Park....last seasons' magic ending saw massive crowd increases...sadly all too late.

So you did !!!!!

Ok..so I do recall this regime, I kept going til the final curtain in 1981. What I can drag from the vaults of past-time is that Eddie (think that's the correct spelling) had a nice, little, Garage on the outskirts of Lowca (Whitehaven end of village) and next to it was quite a nice house. I believe Eddie lost all of that via speedway....like you say THJ his family inheritance...I do recall having sympathy for Eddie. It's sad that speedway just has a very bad habit of creating financial hardship for those who bravely try to run a team.

west Cumbrians watching Saturday night TV.....Having BQ's......Going to paddle at St.Bees.