James Easter Tells It Like It Is

[TonyMac]

Although we at Retro Speedway obviously focus mainly on the past, the people we interview often convey interesting thoughts and opinions on how the sport has changed over the years, for better or worse.

 

For instance, in the latest (issue 60) of Backtrack magazine, former Australia, England and USA team manager James Easter - the Travel Plus Tours supremo - has some forthright things to say about the current state of speedway with a reference to the 70s and 80s, which may well resonate with modern promoters and supporters.

 

He has also made some typically robust comments about users of this forum.

 

Here's a tiny sample of what Jimbo has to say in Backtrack. If you want to read the full, in-depth interview (including the men James believes would be most suited to the independent figurehead role he advocates to replace the BSPA), then you'll have to buy the issue for yourself from http://www.retro-speedway.com.

 

JAMES EASTER INTERVIEW

In part two of his in-depth interview with Tony McDonald, Travel Plus Tours boss James Easter recalls the highs and lows of managing three of the worlds top nations, Australia, England and USA, and his time as co-promoter at Peterborough. The outspoken Jimbo also explains why British speedway needs an independent leader.

 

Quotes from James:

 

Jimbo on managing Australia

"It didnt matter that I've never ridden a speedway bike. I used to say to them: I cant ride your bike for you. When you go through the pit gate, you are the person riding the bike. Ill just get you in the right frame of mind and organised before you go out there. Its up to you. If you dont want to do it, dont go in for it. But dont p*** me about."

 

Jimbo on trying to open speedway at Blackpool

"The stadium was right in the middle of town and although we could have put in a track, it would have taken two years to do it. There was also a noise issue that might have been a problem, so we decided over fish and chips to go into Peterborough instead. We called our new promoting company Ramsden Sports Promotions Ltd on account of where we were eating at the time."

 

Jimbo on co-promoting at Peterborough

"When you add up what I got back by selling my shares, I came out of it OK financially. I was probably one of the last people to make money out of speedway. This is what slices me off with the internet forums and all the people who go on there and tell promoters what they should be doing. Lets see if they are prepared to put their arse on the line, pay their money upfront and see if their mouth is as big as their money. Dont criticise people who are losing money hand over fist."

 

Jimbo on managing England

"We had a deal with the riders pay which was agreed between the riders and the BSPA. But when their pay slips came through, the BSPA had reverted to the old rates. They ostensibly blamed me but it wasnt my fault. In my opinion I was lied to in front of other people. It just degenerated from there and Id had enough of it."

 

Jimbo on past promoters

"It's not right to keep looking back but in the old days you had proper promoters the Reg Fearmans, Wally Mawdsleys, the wonderfully magical Ian Thomas, Mike Parker, who nobody liked but, by god, he was good, and Charles Ochiltree, who was the best there was, and then there was Lennie Silver, who is still around now. Were talking about real promoters. But today weve got a lot of people running tracks who are fans with a few bob and they idolise riders. Dont idolise them make them work and do things to promote tracks."

 

In the interview, James sets out his radical, thought-provoking proposal for a new two-tiered top flight structure: an Elite League and a British League combined

 

He says: "Some of these Polish riders who come over here have had more clubs than Tiger Woods and they are mercenaries. Its got to stop. Whether its the great British island factor, I dont know but, generally speaking, people will not support riders from other countries. I think thats one of the things Sky have been looking at.

 

"In what other business does the employee come in to work and tell the employer what he or she can or cannot do? Thats b******s. But its happening in speedway.

 

"I remember being with John Berry at one of the winter conferences at a time when he was having a lot of trouble trying to do a deal with Billy Sanders, who wanted a lot more money than Ipswich were offering him. So during one meeting of the general council, JB told them all exactly what was going on with Sanders and asked for everyones agreement not to approach his star rider or offer him more money under any circumstances. If they did, he warned them that he would never deal with them or do them any favours ever again. And they all stuck by that verbal agreement, it worked. No-one else came in for Billy and so he stayed with Ipswich on the same money as before. Promoters have got to stick together in this way."

 

I like James Easter. He calls a spade a shovel, and it's a pity more people involved in the world of sport don't.

 

(Sorry, for some reason most of the apostrophes have been erased by the formatting)

Edited February 16, 2014 by tmc

[SCB]

Jimbo on co-promoting at Peterborough

"When you add up what I got back by selling my shares, I came out of it OK financially. I was probably one of the last people to make money out of speedway. This is what slices me off with the internet forums and all the people who go on there and tell promoters what they should be doing. Lets see if they are prepared to put their arse on the line, pay their money upfront and see if their mouth is as big as their money. Dont criticise people who are losing money hand over fist."

Two issues. Firstly. I pay for a product, I expect it to be good. Don't cry to me if you're failing. Secondly, why if I was such a great businessman would I invest in a business that loses money and is as corrupt as I say on here?

[iris123]

He says "Don't criticise people who are losing money hand over fist".....then goes on to criticise them

[Humphrey Appleby]

Internet forums and all the people who go on there and tell promoters what they should be doing...

[TonyMac]

He says "Don't criticise people who are losing money hand over fist".....then goes on to criticise them

The point is, James DID put his money on the line.

 

Not that there is anything wrong in anyone making a critical opinion of something they care about.

[SCB]

The point is, James DID put his money on the line.

 

Not that there is anything wrong in anyone making a critical opinion of something they care about.

But that's just it, those of us on here moaning do care. I want to see the sport made better, O do try to have ideas rather than just moan and so do most others. For all the moaning I do on here about the sport I wax lyrical about it to mates and work colleges (unlikely the mythical "my mate down the pub..." stories).

 

However, even if I made a lot of money and had 200k to spare, I'd not buy a speedway club. No way. I'd have to have millions and be able to won half a dozen clubs before I considered it.

[iris123]

The point is, James DID put his money on the line.

 

Not that there is anything wrong in anyone making a critical opinion of something they care about.

And as fans for one meeting,one season or more than one decade we have also invested our money in the sport.It is partly due to our money that some promoters make money,some promoters don't lose even more money etc.Some have seen the sport fail over a few seasons or few decades.It hurts like buggery to see how low the sport has fallen.I don't regret spending a penny on the sport,but despair at some of the things that happened and are happening.I think everyone of us has a right to have our say

[TonyMac]

However, even if I made a lot of money and had 200k to spare, I'd not buy a speedway club. No way. I'd have to have millions and be able to won half a dozen clubs before I considered it.

Very wise.

And as fans for one meeting,one season or more than one decade we have also invested our money in the sport.It is partly due to our money that some promoters make money,some promoters don't lose even more money etc.Some have seen the sport fail over a few seasons or few decades.It hurts like buggery to see how low the sport has fallen.I don't regret spending a penny on the sport,but despair at some of the things that happened and are happening.I think everyone of us has a right to have our say

I don't think he was aiming his barb at you, Iris, nor the others deeper thinkers on here who genuinely care and put forward strong, honest and heartfelt opinions in the best interests of the sport and its future well being.

[Stokielee]

Mr Easter would actually get more respect if he named those promoters who pulled the rug on John Berry being independent commissioner. "I know their names" he says. Well tell us who these individuals were then.

The boast about being one of the last people to make money out of speedway... Is that really a positive thing?

How come he knew Hawkins was losing his licence before the man himself did? That doesn't say anything good either...

Don't criticise those people who have lost a fortune?

The fact of the matter is this: Speedway is a sport run by (relatively) rich men who are not actually rich enough to run it properly. i.e. poor tracks, facilities, stadia.

[Ghosty]

Well remembered quote to the riders when James was @ Peterborough:

"If you see a gap go for it"

The riders thought it was hilarious & repeated it constantly!

[teddy2706]

Despite James Easter losing me twice on his tours, I like him.

However, I don't much like his views.

Speedway riders are not really employees and should not be treated as such, if they were employees, you would have to pay them holiday pay, get sued if they injured themselves at work as well as having to complete RIDDOR procedures and go to prison for Corporate Manslaughter if a rider was killed. You would have to lay them off properly in winter too.

Blocking Billy Sanders from negotiating his own pay would certainly be regarded as illegal now if a monopoly or cartel were operating the block and probably was at that time too, either way it stinks.

If an employee of one travel firm left to go to another, would James Easter think it reasonable to influence that persons pay elsewhere?

 

Paying to watch a sport entitles me to hold an opinion and excercise the free speech I am entitled to.

James Easter can get stuffed if he believes that speedway enthusiasts should be silenced, censored or ignored, people died to win us that right and we have enough with a government that treats us like mushrooms, without James trying it on too.

Many of us, in small or larger ways try to support riders and smooth their way financially.

I am sure that when James was managing teams, he didn't try to stop that sort of input did he?

 

It seems we can put our hands in our pockets, but our opinions as paying customers are not welcome.

[Grand Central]

The point is, James DID put his money on the line.

 

He had a free choice to do.

And he took it.

 

But in doing so he did not 'buy' himself the entitlement to an opnion that he would deny lesser mortals.

 

The fact that he seems to think it did could say more about the man than we need to know.

[Dave the Mic]

Like pretty much everyone else on this forum, I love speedway and hate the place it's in at the moment. Like some others, I also quite like James, but his views, sadly, are reflective of the sports hierarchy in the UK today., who a prepared to take our money on the gate, but treat fans like plebs. Indeed, having worked for a few clubs in my time, some promoters and other officials refer to the fans as plebs, which is pretty derogatory, given how much fans plough into the sport year after year.

 

James' view that fans can't have an opinion just because they don't happen to run a track is as crass as it is stupid. I pay on the gate when I go and in my view that entitles me to a view. Just because I don't run a club, doesn't mean I'm not entitled to a view.

 

If I travel with James and I feel I want to comment on the service provided by his company. Then I am entitled to a view on that product, aren't I? Surely, I don't have to own a travel company to be able to comment?

 

I don't recall any promoter, past or present being forced into taking up the reins at a track and if they bleat about losing money, I don't really see why, given that they either would have carried out the necessary research, in which case they would know what they were going into and if they didn't do their research, then bigger fool them.

 

Regarding the issue with Sanders, why shouldn't a rider get the best deal he can? That is typical of the mindset of some promoters - my way or the highway. If Billy wanted to negotiate a better deal, then he should have been able to. I am happy in my job, but if I felt a change was in my interests and could get a similar position elsewhere with more pay, why should I not try to? And should my employer be able to control what other potential employers would offer me? And we wonder why speedway is in a mess. Honestly.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

He says "Don't criticise people who are losing money hand over fist".....then goes on to criticise them

i wish i was a few quid behind them. Accouts and reality can be very different

[Humphrey Appleby]

I don't recall any promoter, past or present being forced into taking up the reins at a track and if they bleat about losing money, I don't really see why, given that they either would have carried out the necessary research, in which case they would know what they were going into and if they didn't do their research, then bigger fool them.

 

I think in fairness, if some promoters didn't do that then there wouldn't be any speedway. I think it's very difficult to know whether a particular track will be viable unless it's been established for some time, and even then speedway is very susceptible to things beyond its control.

 

I do think some promoters take an excessive amount of flak when they are putting their money on the line (and often losing it), but neither do many help themselves in their dealings with the public. It's particularly the case with the fan promoters who might have been successful in their day-to-day business dealings, but fail to understand that sports requires an entirely different approach.

 

So I can sort of see where he's coming from, and he does point out that promoters themselves are also responsible for their own downfall. However, it would be more interesting if those promoters were named and shamed...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regarding the issue with Sanders, why shouldn't a rider get the best deal he can? That is typical of the mindset of some promoters - my way or the highway. If Billy wanted to negotiate a better deal, then he should have been able to. I am happy in my job, but if I felt a change was in my interests and could get a similar position elsewhere with more pay, why should I not try to? And should my employer be able to control what other potential employers would offer me? And we wonder why speedway is in a mess. Honestly.

[Halifaxtiger]

The point is, James DID put his money on the line.

 

Not that there is anything wrong in anyone making a critical opinion of something they care about.

 

’Dont criticise people who are losing money hand over fist."

 

‘’But today weve got a lot of people running tracks who are fans with a few bob and they idolise riders. Dont idolise them make them work and do things to promote tracks."

 

Whichever way you look at it, those two statements are directly contradictory.

 

I completely agree with SCB. It simply cannot be the case that fans are not permitted to be critical - as he has inferred, we are critical because we care. Failing to do so implies that fans are happy to accept poorly prepared tracks, crap facilities, the kind of 'take what you are given and be grateful' attitude that is all too prevalent within speedway and the corruption that lies at the heart of it. I call it as I see it (for good or bad) and will continue to do so.

 

Getting the criticism in context and sorting out the wheat from the chaff is what is important, not muzzling the fans of the sport because you don't like what they are saying.

[george.m]

 

I don't recall any promoter, past or present being forced into taking up the reins at a track and if they bleat about losing money, I don't really see why, given that they either would have carried out the necessary research, in which case they would know what they were going into and if they didn't do their research, then bigger fool them.

I think in fairness, if some promoters didn't do that then there wouldn't be any speedway. I think it's very difficult to know whether a particular track will be viable unless it's been established for some time, and even then speedway is very susceptible to things beyond its control.I do think some promoters take an excessive amount of flak when they are putting their money on the line (and often losing it), but neither do many help themselves in their dealings with the public. It's particularly the case with the fan promoters who might have been successful in their day-to-day business dealings, but fail to understand that sports requires an entirely different approach.So I can sort of see where he's coming from, and he does point out that promoters themselves are also responsible for their own downfall. However, it would be more interesting if those promoters were named and shamed...Regarding the issue with Sanders, why shouldn't a rider get the best deal he can? That is typical of the mindset of some promoters - my way or the highway. If Billy wanted to negotiate a better deal, then he should have been able to. I am happy in my job, but if I felt a change was in my interests and could get a similar position elsewhere with more pay, why should I not try to? And should my employer be able to control what other potential employers would offer me? And we wonder why speedway is in a mess. Honestly.

Not sure about back then, but I'd be surprised if wage fixing would be legal nowadays.

Edited February 17, 2014 by george.m

[BluPanther]

I would not even take the time to read anything James Easter had to say. Just a shame Easter or Berry never thought enough of Billy Sanders to cough up the fare to repatriate him back to his native Australia after his tragic death..

[Stokielee]

It would seem from the opinions on here that Mr Easter and his ilk are viewed to be rather more to do with the disease than the cure...

[spiegal]

I would not even take the time to read anything James Easter had to say. Just a shame Easter or Berry never thought enough of Billy Sanders to cough up the fare to repatriate him back to his native Australia after his tragic death..

An interesting remark...actually I personally paid for Bill's air ticket to Ipswich that year. I never claimed that OR other monies owed from either the estate..such as it was..or the family. Similarly John Berry paid for absolutely EVERYTHING involved in that tragic incident. There are many, many other matters both financial and private, you know nothing about...and never will.You are trying to make a "Cheap point which has absolutely no basis in fact. Sadly JB is not around to defend himself. There are about 5 people who were close enough to fully involved..and you my friend were not one of them.