Speedway In Cornwall

[Bruiser McHuge]

Why did Trelawny close ?

 

The pictures of its setting looked really good although I never went there

[Tsunami]

Why did Trelawny close ?

 

The pictures of its setting looked really good although I never went there

The clay mine owners wanted to extend their working area for clay.

[Ray Stadia]

The clay mine owners wanted to extend their working area for clay.

I went to the track, when on holiday a number of years ago and it looked like an area that had already been mined! Also, I thought English China Clay had specifically allocated the area for speedway, as it was surplus to their needs. Perhaps I am wrong, memory is fading!

[ancient mariner]

[quote name="Ray Stadia" post="2589498" timestamp="1427309024

I went to the track, when on holiday a number of years ago and it looked like an area that had already been mined! Also, I thought English China Clay had specifically allocated the area for speedway, as it was surplus to their needs. Perhaps I am wrong, memory is fading!Leading with my chin here, but here goes!

 

When Trelawney first raced at Nanpean it was in a disused china clay pit. English China Clay (ECC) were then bought out by IMERYS (I believe they were a French company and were famously referred to as the anagram 'Misery'. IMERYS subsequently claimed the workings back (and hence the track) on the basis that they wished to re-commence working the china clay and hence Trelawney were wiped off the map.

 

I'm happy to be corrected - Barncooseboy will be able to give chapter and verse, I'm sure.

[The White Knight]

[quote name="Ray Stadia" post="2589498" timestamp="1427309024

I went to the track, when on holiday a number of years ago and it looked like an area that had already been mined! Also, I thought English China Clay had specifically allocated the area for speedway, as it was surplus to their needs. Perhaps I am wrong, memory is fading!Leading with my chin here, but here goes!

 

When Trelawney first raced at Nanpean it was in a disused china clay pit. English China Clay (ECC) were then bought out by IMERYS (I believe they were a French company and were famously referred to as the anagram 'Misery'. IMERYS subsequently claimed the workings back (and hence the track) on the basis that they wished to re-commence working the china clay and hence Trelawney were wiped off the map.

 

I'm happy to be corrected - Barncooseboy will be able to give chapter and verse, I'm sure.

Bloody FRENCH!!! :mad:

Edited March 25, 2015 by The White Knight

[ancient mariner]

Bloody FRENCH!!! :mad:

Let's face it - they had to get their own back.

 

Agincourt. Crecy. Poitiers. Waterloo. Blenheim. Malplacet. Ramilles. Heights of Abraham. Oudinarde. And all the rest!

[The White Knight]

Let's face it - they had to get their own back.

 

Agincourt. Crecy. Poitiers. Waterloo. Blenheim. Malplacet. Ramilles. Heights of Abraham. Oudinarde. And all the rest!

No they didn't. :mad:

 

Trafalgar, Badajoz, Talavera, Almeida, Vitoria.

 

The French Army weren't that great - the only time Napoleon came up against Wellington - he lost (Waterloo). Close according to Wellington - but crucially - not close enough.

[jim3751]

I found this track whilst on holiday in 2002 and it re introduced me to speedway since the 70s.

I found it more by luck than anything else because it was before the satnav and in the dark. I followed a car with a speedway sticker and even that was lucky because the driver drove like a rally driver around the twisty lanes. I remember parking on a pretty steep hill then getting boxed in but the racing was fantastic due mainly to a young Chris Harris.

I drove to the area the following day in daylight and couldn't see any obvious signs of it's existance.

[Mr Ore]

Let's face it - they had to get their own back.

 

Agincourt. Crecy. Poitiers. Waterloo. Blenheim. Malplacet. Ramilles. Heights of Abraham. Oudinarde. And all the rest!

I appreciate this is all banter but as I heard it Imreys were always going to want to excavate again so it was known that it couldn't be a permanent site. My feelings are that rather than criticise them for its demise a vote of thanks for providing a location to be used whilst the site was idle is in order.

 

Went there several times. I always remember when Sheffield won at Exeter on the Monday followed by a visit to Trelawney the following night. It started to rain around heat 13 of the Exeter match followed by a downpour for nearly 20 hours afterwards. I am sure that had the Tigers team / fans not been in the area an early call off may have happened. The track was saturated at start time but they got the meeting underway around 9 p.m. Can't remember which heat but Sean Wilson and Chris Harris raced side by side for 4 laps for one of the best races I've seen anywhere; Chris praising Sean's ability and fairness over the tannoy which allowed him to also race like that.

 

Agree that it was sad when it closed but don't feel that our French friends should be viewed as the villains.

 

Monsieur Ore He Ore.

[The White Knight]

I appreciate this is all banter but as I heard it Imreys were always going to want to excavate again so it was known that it couldn't be a permanent site. My feelings are that rather than criticise them for its demise a vote of thanks for providing a location to be used whilst the site was idle is in order.

 

Went there several times. I always remember when Sheffield won at Exeter on the Monday followed by a visit to Trelawney the following night. It started to rain around heat 13 of the Exeter match followed by a downpour for nearly 20 hours afterwards. I am sure that had the Tigers team / fans not been in the area an early call off may have happened. The track was saturated at start time but they got the meeting underway around 9 p.m. Can't remember which heat but Sean Wilson and Chris Harris raced side by side for 4 laps for one of the best races I've seen anywhere; Chris praising Sean's ability and fairness over the tannoy which allowed him to also race like that.

 

Agree that it was sad when it closed but don't feel that our French friends should be viewed as the villains.

 

Monsieur Ore He Ore.

Oh yes they should!!

 

He's behind you!!! (De Gaulle) :rofl:

 

By the way - the French are no friends of this Country.

[cityrebel]

I found this track whilst on holiday in 2002 and it re introduced me to speedway since the 70s.

I found it more by luck than anything else because it was before the satnav and in the dark. I followed a car with a speedway sticker and even that was lucky because the driver drove like a rally driver around the twisty lanes. I remember parking on a pretty steep hill then getting boxed in but the racing was fantastic due mainly to a young Chris Harris.

I drove to the area the following day in daylight and couldn't see any obvious signs of it's existance.

 

that's because it didn't exist, it was all in our minds, just a dream!

[barncooseboy]

I believe that when the Abbear family first opened the Moto Parc they were given a 7 year term this was in fact extended, the original Trelawny team moved into the Moto Parc as a temporary measure whilst applying to build a new track on the site of an existing Moto Cross track at Mitchell about a 20 minute drive from St Austell. The circuit had planning under a certificate of lawful use certificate but to allow groun d works to build the track, fence and other facilities it required further planning permission.

 

Unfortunately a locally influenntial solicitor had moved into very close proxinity to the proposed track and used his influence to get the council to reject the scheme at a chaotic council meeting where the meeting was run in such a way it was probably illegal.We were advised by our then planning consultant that an appeal could cost up to £50,000 so it wasnt appealed.

 

It costs the objector though, the land owner who had tolerated him using his land for the turning and parking of vehicles built a brand new Cornish hedge which stopped that and insisted he stuck to his legal rights of way to reach his house, in addition the Moto cross track became a weekly operated practice track with moto cross happening every Saturday and Sunday from 10 to about 5 plus complete weeks during the summer period. After the moto parc track closed moves were made to move to St Eval and on the very day that I talked the planners at Bodmin into approving the track, their main concern was that we wouldnt pay for new signs to the track, the landowner who had taken over 3 months to sign a bit of paper sent to him by the council, decided it was taking too long and withdrew the application. WE WERE THAT CLOSE. The track base was actually laid.

 

I wasnt involved in the B odmin application, however I believe a fundamental error waas made, because it was on the site of Bodmin Rugby Club which was an approved Sports Stadium and already had planning as such, I believe that instead of a whole fresh planning application being made an application should have been made for change of use from Rugby to Speedway both being sports.

 

The objection from The National Trust to Bodmin was not in fact from the Trust it was from someone using their headed note paper snaffled from Lanhydrock House, the TRUST knew nothing of the objection but that wasnt known until some 3 years later.

 

So you can see the shenanigans that have gone on to get a track opened in Cornwall over the years. And thats without the true reason that Trelawny was closed by Imerys THAT I will never commit to print, in all the time we were allowed to use their land we never paid them a single penny in rent, in fact they refused to accept any payment, citing that their accounts didnt allow them to accept rent moniies from us. Imerys built the safety fence using one of their maintenance teams, used one of their garden teams to grass the centre grreen and kept a close eye on the site with their security teams, they were damned good landlords.

It should of course read ANNEAR family, finger went one key to the left

[Truro Robin]

I believe that when the Abbear family first opened the Moto Parc they were given a 7 year term this was in fact extended, the original Trelawny team moved into the Moto Parc as a temporary measure whilst applying to build a new track on the site of an existing Moto Cross track at Mitchell about a 20 minute drive from St Austell. The circuit had planning under a certificate of lawful use certificate but to allow groun d works to build the track, fence and other facilities it required further planning permission.

 

Unfortunately a locally influenntial solicitor had moved into very close proxinity to the proposed track and used his influence to get the council to reject the scheme at a chaotic council meeting where the meeting was run in such a way it was probably illegal.We were advised by our then planning consultant that an appeal could cost up to £50,000 so it wasnt appealed.

 

It costs the objector though, the land owner who had tolerated him using his land for the turning and parking of vehicles built a brand new Cornish hedge which stopped that and insisted he stuck to his legal rights of way to reach his house, in addition the Moto cross track became a weekly operated practice track with moto cross happening every Saturday and Sunday from 10 to about 5 plus complete weeks during the summer period. After the moto parc track closed moves were made to move to St Eval and on the very day that I talked the planners at Bodmin into approving the track, their main concern was that we wouldnt pay for new signs to the track, the landowner who had taken over 3 months to sign a bit of paper sent to him by the council, decided it was taking too long and withdrew the application. WE WERE THAT CLOSE. The track base was actually laid.

 

I wasnt involved in the B odmin application, however I believe a fundamental error waas made, because it was on the site of Bodmin Rugby Club which was an approved Sports Stadium and already had planning as such, I believe that instead of a whole fresh planning application being made an application should have been made for change of use from Rugby to Speedway both being sports.

 

The objection from The National Trust to Bodmin was not in fact from the Trust it was from someone using their headed note paper snaffled from Lanhydrock House, the TRUST knew nothing of the objection but that wasnt known until some 3 years later.

 

So you can see the shenanigans that have gone on to get a track opened in Cornwall over the years. And thats without the true reason that Trelawny was closed by Imerys THAT I will never commit to print, in all the time we were allowed to use their land we never paid them a single penny in rent, in fact they refused to accept any payment, citing that their accounts didnt allow them to accept rent moniies from us. Imerys built the safety fence using one of their maintenance teams, used one of their garden teams to grass the centre grreen and kept a close eye on the site with their security teams, they were damned good landlords.

It should of course read ANNEAR family, finger went one key to the left

It sounds like Trelawny could have possibly carried on for longer than they did then? What a shame, if that's the case.

 

I only saw 3 meetings there when on holiday but the track was one of the best of the dozen or so that I've visited. Watching Frank Smart racing there for Newport was a real highlight.

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed for speedway at Fraddon, hopefully in the near future!

[spinkox]

 

 

 

I wasnt involved in the Bodmin application, however I believe a fundamental error waas made, because it was on the site of Bodmin Rugby Club which was an approved Sports Stadium and already had planning as such, I believe that instead of a whole fresh planning application being made an application should have been made for change of use from Rugby to Speedway both being sports.

 

So why not apply again??

[Mr Ore]

The objection from The National Trust to Bodmin was not in fact from the Trust it was from someone using their headed note paper snaffled from Lanhydrock House, the TRUST knew nothing of the objection but that wasnt known until some 3 years later.

 

So you can see the shenanigans that have gone on to get a track opened in Cornwall over the years. And thats without the true reason that Trelawny was closed by Imerys THAT I will never commit to print, in all the time we were allowed to use their land we never paid them a single penny in rent, in fact they refused to accept any payment, citing that their accounts didnt allow them to accept rent moniies from us. Imerys built the safety fence using one of their maintenance teams, used one of their garden teams to grass the centre grreen and kept a close eye on the site with their security teams, they were damned good landlords.

It should of course read ANNEAR family, finger went one key to the left

 

Many thanks for an excellent and informed report. I admit that my own post was based on memory but I am pleased that you have not only supported my beliefs regarding Imerys contribution to speedway but gone beyond to advise how much more they gave to the local community for nothing in return. Definitely not a reason to be uncomplimentary towards them

 

As a member of the National Trust (Yes we younger people also show an interest in preserving our heritage) I knew that there had been no objections in the manner suggested to Bodmin and yet many sheepishly followed with insults towards them on this forum. I must admit until now I only knew of the NT's innocence in all the allegations but had no idea of how it was assumed they had objected or that an outsider had (ab)used their stationery to support his or her own equally unjust prejudices . If the poster who proudly boasted at the time that he told the NT where they could stick their application for membership because of their "stance" would like to bend over and spread them I am sure they would willingly allow me to return the compliment on behalf of their wrongly maligned membership. KY gel not supplied.

 

Surely the object in starting this thread was to support the good people of Kernow in their efforts to get a track to support again but the unnecessary and ill informed overtly xenophobic insults and borderline racist comments towards those who have put far more into this, than they would ever do themselves, at best doesn't help but equally could sway opinion in the opposite direction. Still the motto of many on here is, “never let the facts get in the way of a good moan”.

 

More power you your elbow Barncooseboy and even greater thanks than before to the French who gave several years of positive support to the great Cornish speedway nation.

[Ray Stadia]

 

Many thanks for an excellent and informed report. I admit that my own post was based on memory but I am pleased that you have not only supported my beliefs regarding Imerys contribution to speedway but gone beyond to advise how much more they gave to the local community for nothing in return. Definitely not a reason to be uncomplimentary towards them

 

As a member of the National Trust (Yes we younger people also show an interest in preserving our heritage) I knew that there had been no objections in the manner suggested to Bodmin and yet many sheepishly followed with insults towards them on this forum. I must admit until now I only knew of the NT's innocence in all the allegations but had no idea of how it was assumed they had objected or that an outsider had (ab)used their stationery to support his or her own equally unjust prejudices . If the poster who proudly boasted at the time that he told the NT where they could stick their application for membership because of their "stance" would like to bend over and spread them I am sure they would willingly allow me to return the compliment on behalf of their wrongly maligned membership. KY gel not supplied.

 

Surely the object in starting this thread was to support the good people of Kernow in their efforts to get a track to support again but the unnecessary and ill informed overtly xenophobic insults and borderline racist comments towards those who have put far more into this, than they would ever do themselves, at best doesn't help but equally could sway opinion in the opposite direction. Still the motto of many on here is, “never let the facts get in the way of a good moan”.

 

More power you your elbow Barncooseboy and even greater thanks than before to the French who gave several years of positive support to the great Cornish speedway nation.

I am amazed that Bodmin speedway did not happen, due to a forged National Trust letter. Surely, following the letter being received, the prospective promoters would have wanted a face to face meeting with a member of the National Trust to see if a compromise could be found and in which case, the imposter would have been revealed.

 

Regarding Imerys, it still appears the 'lord giveth and the lord taketh away'. I imagine the reason why Imerys wouldn't take any rent was to ensure they had no contractual arrangement, as they may have known they would eventually reclaim the site. I wonder if the Annear family look on Imerys with the same affection?

Edited March 30, 2015 by Ray Stadia

[Mr Ore]

Regarding Imerys, it still appears the 'lord giveth and the lord taketh away'. I imagine the reason why Imerys wouldn't take any rent was to ensure they had no contractual arrangement, as they may have known they would eventually reclaim the site. I wonder if the Annear family look on Imerys with the same affection?

AFAIK the arrangement was always only ever going to be temporary and all sides knew that. As Barncooseboy has alluded they even allowed the site to be used for longer than originally agreed They could have set up a lease with reversion rights very easily had the above been the case and pulled the plug a couple of years before they did. I don't know if there was any bad blood between the Annear family and Imerys and don't feel we should speculate to try to prove a point but Trelawney ran for 3 further seasons after their involvement, which hardly shows them as bad guys as far as speedway in Cornwall was concerned.

 

There seems something underlyingly wrong when incorrect assumptions have to be made to tarnish someone who put loads into speedway. It maybe would have been better for them to have never even considered providing the site and covering establishment costs. Nobody would have been any the wiser even the Cornish folk who would have had no speedway on their doorstep for a longer time. Again someone heavily involved with speedway promotion in Cornwall and dealings with them has stressed what great landlords they were so why do people from hundreds of miles away and possibly having never visited the facility see a need to be disparaging towards them?

[The White Knight]

AFAIK the arrangement was always only ever going to be temporary and all sides knew that. As Barncooseboy has alluded they even allowed the site to be used for longer than originally agreed They could have set up a lease with reversion rights very easily had the above been the case and pulled the plug a couple of years before they did. I don't know if there was any bad blood between the Annear family and Imerys and don't feel we should speculate to try to prove a point but Trelawney ran for 3 further seasons after their involvement, which hardly shows them as bad guys as far as speedway in Cornwall was concerned.

 

There seems something underlyingly wrong when incorrect assumptions have to be made to tarnish someone who put loads into speedway. It maybe would have been better for them to have never even considered providing the site and covering establishment costs. Nobody would have been any the wiser even the Cornish folk who would have had no speedway on their doorstep for a longer time. Again someone heavily involved with speedway promotion in Cornwall and dealings with them has stressed what great landlords they were so why do people from hundreds of miles away and possibly having never visited the facility see a need to be disparaging towards them?

Because they are French perhaps....................................

[Tiggertoo]

Mr Ore

 

Before you come on here telling us what a wonderful company Imerys are,I suggest you get your facts right first.

 

The Annear family started the St Austell Gulls at the Moto Parc in 1997 while the pit was owned by ECC International.

Imerys bought out ECC in 1999.

 

I would suggest that it is possible that if the French company had owned the land 3 years earlier , speedway may not have come to Cornwall at all.

[Truro Robin]

Mr Ore

 

Before you come on here telling us what a wonderful company Imerys are,I suggest you get your facts right first.

 

The Annear family started the St Austell Gulls at the Moto Parc in 1997 while the pit was owned by ECC International.

Imerys bought out ECC in 1999.

 

I would suggest that it is possible that if the French company had owned the land 3 years earlier , speedway may not have come to Cornwall at all.

If you read previous posts on the thread, I think you will find that Mr Ore is merely re-iterating Barncooseboy's informed comments.