norbold Posted January 14, 2015 Report Share Posted January 14, 2015 This is getting exciting now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 and as we approach the coveted number one spot: 7 Rye House 63 seasons (1934-2015) aggregate for all three tracks (the original track was on site of go-cart circuit, but as it was within the curtilage of the same site I have aggregated them). There are some additional seasons when track was used for training, but no meetings were staged. 6 Ipswich 63 seasons (1950-2015) including an unbroken run since 1969 5 Swindon 67 seasons (1949-2015) 67 consecutive seasons of league racing 4 Poole 68 seasons (1948-2015) unbroken since opening, with one year of non-league speedway (1957) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 Rye House: The original track was where the present track is. the second track was where the go-kart track is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 and as we approach the coveted number one spot: 7 Rye House 63 seasons (1934-2015) aggregate for all three tracks (the original track was on site of go-cart circuit, but as it was within the curtilage of the same site I have aggregated them). There are some additional seasons when track was used for training, but no meetings were staged. 6 Ipswich 63 seasons (1950-2015) including an unbroken run since 1969 5 Swindon 67 seasons (1949-2015) 67 consecutive seasons of league racing 4 Poole 68 seasons (1948-2015) unbroken since opening, with one year of non-league speedway (1957) I'm all a quiver.................................................. But I know who is Number One. :party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 I reckon #1 will be Coventry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted January 15, 2015 Report Share Posted January 15, 2015 I reckon #1 will be Coventry I hope not. :shock: :shock: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Number one - no surprise - but I think 2 & 3 were less obvious. 3 Sheffield 69 seasons (1929-2015) only two blank years since 1960 2 Eastbourne 73 seasons (1929-2015) have included 1940 which is not in the records, but a programme recently appeared on e-bay. There may have been meetings in 1953 but there are no verified details. Seasons where the track was used for training only are not included 1 Coventry 76 seasons (1928-2015) includes unlicensed meetings in 1936; has staged league speedway for 68 seasons in a row 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 I would have put Coventry and Eastbourne at nos. 1 & 2. That's why I mentioned them earlier. Forgot about Sheffield though. There was a meeting at Eastbourne in 1953, The Championship of Sussex, won by Ron Barrett. It was the size of the crowd for this meeting that encouraged Charlie Dugard to revive Eastbourne in 1954. So, does that make 74 seasons? Anyway, thanks so much for all the research and presenting this Arnie. It's been fascinating, interesting and a very worthwhile project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Yes that would... and I just knew I'd get Rye House wrong! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOBBATH Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Had totally forgotten about Sheffield-ta for research Arnie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Yes that would... and I just knew I'd get Rye House wrong! A lot of work has gone in to this - very interesting. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 So 2018 update: It is now (well once 2018 is underway) tied at the top - 77 seasons each for Eastbourne and Coventry. Other major change is Wolves move up three places to 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 15 minutes ago, Richard Weston said: Hi, Just found this thread. So going back to the 2015 entries re Eastbourne and 1940. Not only was there a programme but there were reports of the meeting in the local paper at the time. I know this because the Archive feature in the 2017 programme featured 1940 towards the end of the season. So Eastbourne definitely ran one meeting that year before the war hotted up. Several tracks opened for business in 1940. There were even plans for a league. But then on May 10 Germany invaded France (followed shortly by Dunkirk) and activity reduced sharply. West Ham and California both shut up shop in May. Aside from Belle Vue who ran a full season, Rye House (11 mtgs), Oxford (8) and Glasgow White City (6) also staged more than a couple of meetings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 Rye House operated every year during the War except 1944. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 1 hour ago, adonis said: Speedways biggest problem is the law in the UK , Stadiums are prime targets for developers because ,they usually stand in a fair bit of ground with buildings on them , anyone with enough money and time can use the way British law is , to build anything anywhere , stadiums are not usually on Green Belt or even Brown belt so that's the first major hurdle out of the way , next will be objectors (least of a developers worries ) and then (working on behalf of the objectors ) local councils , developers know they can keep appealing time after time and eventually the council won't be able to defend , and providing the legal costs can be factored into the final income ,there is not a piece of land anywhere that a developer couldn't build on Without planning laws it would be even easier for developers to buy up stadiums and redevelop as residential or commercial property. The fundamental problem is the basic laws of economics. Speedway (and many other leisure activities) simply can't compete with the financial returns available for other land uses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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