singy13

Great posts from THJ and Taylorj...................sadly Speedway suffers from the 'circus' syndrome..i.e. Guests/doubling up etc.etc. The 'Townies' I stand with see it as a boring sport - without actually seeing any of it - I try to dissuade their views but it's hard work...... The Comets of the 1970's provided the Rugby club with a monetary lifeline...i.e. Stadium Rental/bar takings...the latter would have been good given the Comets had 2500 regulars..(.not all of them big drinkers mind lol)........but not sure if that financial aid is still the case for Town seeing only a few hundred are present nowadays... Yes we now have a Comets team worthy of more support........hopefully history will be made and then those in "the corridors of power" will find a future for Speedway Workington style.

Talk is on Town forum now.....12,000 capacity.....and you are right no one will normally need it that big.....although Town (Scotland then) have had 7,000 plus for RL World Cup matches a few years back.

I don't really want to be a prophet of doom....but as a former boy scout let's 'be prepared'. I'm concerned regarding the main topic of conversation by Townies near me at the Workington Town match last Sunday. Yes I watch both Comets and Town at the 'good old stadium'...and found it rather scary at the talk of a new stadium being planned at the Borough Park/former greyhound track site..with a 4G pitch. Scary..? why ? well it's ok to hear of the Rugby League and Football clubs/fans/players to have spanking new facilities....but seemingly with no speedway included....oh crap!! I asked what of Derwent Park's future then ?..........'to be demolished' was a response...wow...no way.???? While I really don't see a new stadium, as aforementioned, being built for some while - so no panic............but let's be prepared to get speedway somehow involved in the new plans at Workington.

What a great life......idyllic for a speedway fan.....

Trick track torture?

Think they were at Workington on Saturday ?

I think the Derwent Park track is a favourable racing circuit for the majority of riders in the sport.....unlike that at the 'Blue painted rusty corrugated tin sheeting arena'......think the 'Dan' effect took its toll that night.

I sensed apathy within Newcastles' team on Saturday......that was the worst Diamonds effort I have seen at Derwent Park (haven't seen them all mind)...although one of the riders perked up greatly when riding as a guest in the second match, which seemed rather strange??? Given the historical past at Brough Park will 2019 be on the cards for Diamonds? ( or Comets....or/or/or/or..sad times ahead?)

Here comes the sun doo doo doo doo Here comes the sun and it's alright.....................

Don't think that any 'newbies' will attend tonight...given weather conditions and doubleheader costs. The sad thing is after a long hot Summer...one making the record books....the promoters are having to suffer this end to the season.. for example injuries/bad weather - fixture completions all add up to a right mess. And it's not the Workington promoters fault by any means.....British Speedway, or more accurately those running it (ruining it), needs a reality check to assure more fluency/continuity for next year.....that's for those that do actually make it to 2019 of course !!!!

Hope so....but it's sad to see it pouring down in Whitehaven...looking naff.

I intend to pay full again.......hope young Dan is ok soon...

Maybe jenga will know lol............??????

Will Comets have a full team available for the Redcar meeting on Sunday ?( i.e. any Poland comittments ?)

The opening sentence jenga makes a very valid point regarding the current state, and future, of British speedway.....Those who 'run' the sport are very close to 'ruining' it and thereby losing their jobs.... You mention fixture planners, perhaps suffering insomnia, then you rightly slam the bspa/scb as guilty parties...so what about the riders? their UK jobs must be in jeopardy...Can all please wake up and smell the danger hurting British speedway and by any means all concerned try to revive this great sport...?

"if they dont know where we are now they never will"............yep true enough....but the key factor is.... when.!!!!!. And therein is a major problem regarding 'fixtures'..... it's been well documented that even die-hard regulars are finding it difficult to fathom them out this crazy season.....

Great post Taylorj......the Comets 2018 are up there with the best ever at Derwent Park.....however appealing for support on here is probably not very effective given that it will be the already committed Comet fans who read it.......with perhaps a few who used to turn but now just 'read all about it'. It might be a bit late to save the Comets but a campaign of some sort needs urgent attention to try and capture 'new support' from the west Cumbria region.....doesn't advertising always pay?(e.g News and Star/Times and Star/Whitehaven News)...flyers, roadside boards..anything to make folk aware.

Ok....................you will have probably seen the Comets legend Carl Stonehewer riding on one of your visits tho.....

Workington Comets of the Lou Sansom, Mal McKay, Taffy Owen, Reg Wilson, Bob Valentine era were a Friday track, with some Sundays - so 1970 to 1981...........only changed to Saturdays when Mole/Thomas re-opened track in 1999.

Whilst the actual racing was the main factor of your speedway fix......other factors had the crowd excited...sometimes incensed...and at Workington the original promoters, messrs. Thomas and Brownhutt, certainly knew how to fire up feelings during a meeting....e.g. home riders rushing to centre green phone to lambast ref... or an upset Comet racing into pits, apparently to sort out 'dirty' rival...it all made for excellent entertainment. I have read past posts with ref. to this and don't think such antics will ever surface as frequently again.....more's the pity.

The heading is 'The continuing decline of speedway' and most of it is interesting reading...makes you wonder why decline is the keyword when so many obviously still love the sport? But it seems speedway is always used to a rollercoaster existence........attendances especially. I first met up with speedway at Workington in 1970.....the novelty of it had crowds in excess of 3,000..all mad for the Comets...I remember travelling watch Workington soccer team play at Crewe during that year, and decided to have a look at the Crewe Kings track en route.....did this and was surprised to see a bloke appear from a caravan next to the track....wow it was top Comet Bob Valentine who seemingly helped with Crewe track?..... great stuff and we had a good craic with 'Bluey'...... he mentioned he had been at Wolverhampton, so I asked what crowd did they get.....his answer of around 1000 shocked us...blimey 1st Division only pulling in that many?...we had 3 times that at Derwent Park.....but as the years rolled by those figures plunged..and that is what happens with speedway....the novelty wears off and is hard to rekindle.....what is the answer to maintain interest....I've no idea!!!!!

Yes I agree.......it's just something that's been in place many years, a difficult prob, and we fans tend to accept it while ignoring what 'outsiders' think? I mean we turn the proverbial 'blind eye' to the situation because of loving the sport !

I'll never forget sticking up for Speedway when the Workington RL club Directors were slating the sport during a coach journey with them.....speedway, incidentally, did bring much needed earnings to the RL hosts...(maybe still does?). However to a man they were convinced that Speedway was seriously unreal....the example they touted as their evidence was when Stoney had guested, and scored well, for Newcastle who were challenging the Comets for honours, how could that happen?...They wouldn't wear the 'guest' system at all.......and maybe other non fans see it similarily.??

It's a very very windy Whitehaven.

Yeah you are right with that ha,ha....and there's an Asian - ish meeting at Somerset tonight..i.e. 'Chanpionship Pairs'...