Now Len Silver Resigns As Co Promoter Rye House

[cityrebel]

Would also like to thank Len & John for their devotion in keeping speedway alive at House. Reckon with lower crowds & the cost of necessary improvements to the stadium, it was more than he was prepared to take on.

Hope we run a Raiders team next year & when Len returns we can all give him a cheer & thank him personally

Lens going to miss driving the tractor at House, hope they let him have a go on the one at Kent

i don't want him anywhere near the tractor at kent dave. The curfew would be breached every week!

[E I Addio]

I wasn't using the Defunct Stock Car reference re the sale of Rye House to Len Silver as support to my previous comment but as a reference to a subsequent comment by Aan Jones that mentioned the item. You must follow these threads more carefully W 1 Addio!!

 

I now have no doubt that what happened in regard to the departure of stock cars from Rye House is correct;

Utter twaddle. You said the notice to quit may have delayed stadium improvements but it's quite clear that an organisation that did not own the stadium would not be spending money making improvements to it. Try reading what Len Silver says in his book.

 

The point is you are always posting in here what a n accomplished Speedwáy journalist you are, but the function of a journalist is to uncover reliable information and explain it to his readers in clear and understandable terms, not to print nonsense then try to blame the reader because he doesn't know what you are talking about.

 

 

E. I. Addio,

Press And Publicity Officer, Neasden F.C.

Edited October 22, 2015 by E I Addio

[Guest]

Utter twaddle. You said the notice to quit may have delayed stadium improvements but it's quite clear that an organisation that did not own the stadium

The point is you are always posting in here what a n accomplished Speedwáy journalist you are, but the function of a journalist is to uncover reliable information and explain it to his readers in clear and understandable terms, not to print nonsense then try to blame the reader because he doesn't know what you are talking about.

 

 

E. I. Addio,

Press And Publicity Officer, Neasden F.C.

 

This is simply more nonsense from you - I have never made any claim that I am "an accomplished journalist" on this forum or any other forum. I may have briefly mentioned when supporting a point that needed it that I worked - and retired in 1997 - as a journalist, but never sounded a trumpet regarding my accomplishments in that sphere.

[waiheke1]

lol. you cant make a dozen posts without mentioning your journalistic bsckground and websites you moderate!

[Guest]

 

This is simply more nonsense from you - I have never made any claim that I am "an accomplished journalist" on this forum or any other forum. I may have briefly mentioned when supporting a point that needed it that I worked - and retired in 1997 - as a journalist, but never sounded a trumpet regarding my accomplishments in that sphere.

 

 

lol. you cant make a dozen posts without mentioning your journalistic bsckground and websites you moderate!

 

Can you show proof of your claim that refer to my working life? I very much doubt it. All this is another Post by waikekeaces to jump on the 'let's belittle gustix' band wagon! By the way, I understand that there's another book regarding 'unknown' Barry Butterworth of New Zealand on the way! And have you ever seen this http://www.barrybutterworthracing.com/

Edited October 23, 2015 by Guest

[Odds On]

i don't want him anywhere near the tractor at kent dave. The curfew would be breached every week!

 

If Lens in charge you wont need a tractor!

[Ben91]

Bit of a pointless argument really, all boils down to who you chose to believe, Len Silver in his book or the defunct banger track website or whatever it's called. Either could be right and the other wrong, or alternatively they could both be wrong.

[Guest]

I agree with Blazeaway. As one of his own Staff at Rye said to me a couple of years ago, he used to be one of the best but he has lost the plot and is still stuck in the 1980's. Len is a very single minded and determined man. At times that can be a good quality and certainly was when he bought the Rye House stadium, kicked out the stock cars and put it on its feet as a viable Speedwáy venue, a fantastic acchievement but in recent years his single mindedness seems to have made him a grumpy cantankerous old curmudgeon who doesn't know how to get on with people. Not exactly Mr Popularity at Kent by all accounts.

 

I think Rye House is a lovely little stadium for Speedwáy on a summer evening. I really hope the new owners can get the track sorted and the stadium organised again. And some decent fish and chips once more. I look forward to going back there if the do.

 

 

 

I don't think that Len Silver actually 'kicked out the stock cars.' As I understand it he BOUGHT the lease from then stadium main tenants Spedeworth International who themselves wanted away from Hoddesdon because they felt the facilities available were unsuitable for the cars with access especially a problem for their drivers attending meetings.

 

 

 

The Defunct Stock Car Track site has got it wrong. Len Silver bought the lease from Eddie Lesley and immediately gave Mark Eaton of Spedeworth notice to quit.

 

 

That is correct according to what Len says in his book.

 

 

 

 

 

Then that notice to quit by Len Silver to Spedeworth may have delayed possible stadium improvements at Rye House when one considers what Spedeworth International have achieved in regard to upgrading and spectator improvements at Ipswich's Foxhall Heath?

 

This is what the Defunct Stock Car website says about Rye House: "Rye House passed into stock car history in 2000 when the lease was sold by Spedeworth to a speedway promoter who shaled over the tarmac track then later flattened it a little later and rebuilt it all specifically to speedway requirements. The original 50s track was actually alongside the current one and is now under the Kart track."

 

 

For someone who claims to be a journalist you are very slapdash about your sources.. Alan Jones has already told you that the Defunct Stock Car track site has got it wrong.

 

Len bought the stadium from Eddie Lesley. He then says in his book "We completed the purchase on 14th July 2000.........the next day I gave Mark Easron notice to quit." Obviously as a tennent Mark Easton would not be investing money in a stadium he didn't own.

 

I have to say that although I am critical of Len in many ways as he is now but the way he bought that wreck of a stadium and made it into a decent Speedwáy venue is one of the really remarkable achievements in the whole of British Speedwáy history, equally remarkable is the way he started his Silver Ski company from scratch and turned ift into a profitable organsation able to provide healthy sponsorship to his Speedwáy track

 

 

 

 

 

I wasn't using the Defunct Stock Car reference re the sale of Rye House to Len Silver as support to my previous comment but as a reference to a subsequent comment by Aan Jones that mentioned the item. You must follow these threads more carefully W 1 Addio!!

 

I now have no doubt that what happened in regard to the departure of stock cars from Rye House is correct;

 

 

Utter twaddle. You said the notice to quit may have delayed stadium improvements but it's quite clear that an organisation that did not own the stadium would not be spending money making improvements to it. Try reading what Len Silver says in his book.

 

The point is you are always posting in here what a n accomplished Speedwáy journalist you are, but the function of a journalist is to uncover reliable information and explain it to his readers in clear and understandable terms, not to print nonsense then try to blame the reader because he doesn't know what you are talking about.

 

 

E. I. Addio,

Press And Publicity Officer, Neasden F.C.

 

 

 

This is simply more nonsense from you - I have never made any claim that I am "an accomplished journalist" on this forum or any other forum. I may have briefly mentioned when supporting a point that needed it that I worked - and retired in 1997 - as a journalist, but never sounded a trumpet regarding my accomplishments in that sphere.

 

 

Bit of a pointless argument really, all boils down to who you chose to believe, Len Silver in his book or the defunct banger track website or whatever it's called. Either could be right and the other wrong, or alternatively they could both be wrong.

 

That quote by Ben91 really summarises the whole matter. As the old saying goes - something like - "you pays yer money and makes yer choice.."

Edited October 23, 2015 by Guest

[David Selby]

There are only three things that matter to us Rye House supporters:

 

1) The state of the stadium improvements come next March

 

2) The team that the 'new' promotion put together for next season.

 

3) How much it is going to cost to get in.

 

Everything else, such as who the track curator is, if there are enough turnstile staff, the state of the fish and chips, are secondary as most of them don't really affect us when we turn up at the stadium.

 

We will judge the promoters by how well they fare against those 3 points rather than anything else. Personally I am not going to worry about Len Silver's departure until I know the answers to those 3 questions.

 

On another point it would, as a friend of mine has pointed out, if in his statement after resigning Len Silver had thanked the fans who have supported him since 2000, or even 1974, or even 1968, depending on when you started supporting the Rockets.

 

Having attended the first meeting against Southampton back in 2000 and seen the state of the stadium then and how Silver improved it in double quick time it is a shame that the stadium ended up like it did at the end of his tenure. Let's hope that the stadium improvements mentioned in the Warren Scott interview in the Mercury actually happen.

 

My first speedway meeting was Rayleigh v Teesside in July 1968 with Len Silver as promoter so it will seem strange not to have him involved next season, let's hope things turn out better than they did under Ronnie Russell.

[E I Addio]

Bit of a pointless argument really, all boils down to who you chose to believe, Len Silver in his book or the defunct banger track website or whatever it's called. Either could be right and the other wrong, or alternatively they could both be wrong.

 

Most things in life boil down to who you choose to believe. Most people use their powers of reason when coming to a decision.

 

If Len only bought the lease (assuming there ever was a lease as such which seems unlikely) then Len would not be the owner of the stadium, he would only hold a lease on it and if he was only a leaseholder why on earth would he spend o fortune turning the stadium from a near rubbish tip to a presentable venue ? Only as owner would he get a return on his investment.

 

In addition,why would Len spend a whole chapter of his book describing the events leading up to the purchase of the stadium including what he paid for it and what he spent on renovation if it were not true and he only leased it? Why would he make the whole thing chapter up? Len might be a lot of controversial things but he is not normally regarded as an outright liar.

 

Ace journalist gustix might be prepared to accept the invalidated second hand comments of a website but I think most people who use their powers of reason would acknowledge the authenticity of the. version of someone who for all his faults has poured far more into Speedwáy than he has taken out.

[Guest]

Ace journalist gustix might be prepared to accept the invalidated second hand comments of a website but I think most people who use their powers of reason would acknowledge the authenticity of the. version of someone who for all his faults has poured far more into Speedwáy than he has taken out.

 

That's a rather grandiose description of my journalistic career. I was far from being a writer but was basically a sub-editor peparing other writers copy for publication, designing pages and then checking them for eventual publication.

 

Again, although I have made t clear in a previous Post but seemingly it has passed you by me, I have not stated that I regard the Defunct Stock Cars website version of what had happened in regard to Silver and Spedeworth International as being correct, but merely to show their version of what took place. I am sorry EI Addio but it does look as though you should visit Specsavers if you are missing follow-ups in BSF debates.

[Alan_Jones]

E I Addio, on 25 Oct 2015 - 3:24 PM, said:

 

Most things in life boil down to who you choose to believe. Most people use their powers of reason when coming to a decision.

 

If Len only bought the lease (assuming there ever was a lease as such which seems unlikely) then Len would not be the owner of the stadium, he would only hold a lease on it and if he was only a leaseholder why on earth would he spend o fortune turning the stadium from a near rubbish tip to a presentable venue ? Only as owner would he get a return on his investment.

 

In addition,why would Len spend a whole chapter of his book describing the events leading up to the purchase of the stadium including what he paid for it and what he spent on renovation if it were not true and he only leased it? Why would he make the whole thing chapter up? Len might be a lot of controversial things but he is not normally regarded as an outright liar.

If you re-read Len's words you'll see that he was buying the long term lease ending in 2035. I believe the stadium is actually owned by the Lee Valley Park Authority. In their park plan proposals of 2000, the year that Len bought the lease, they said that the Stadium was in a poor state and had a poor impact on the surrounding park amenities and needed substantial improvement, so possibly a term of the lease.

[Guest]

 

That's a rather grandiose description of my journalistic career. I was far from being a writer but was basically a sub-editor peparing other writers copy for publication, designing pages and then checking them for eventual publication.

 

So you've never been editor of the Speedway Star..??

Edited October 25, 2015 by Guest

[E I Addio]

If you re-read Len's words you'll see that he was buying the long term lease ending in 2035. I believe the stadium is actually owned by the Lee Valley Park Authority. In their park plan proposals of 2000, the year that Len bought the lease, they said that the Stadium was in a poor state and had a poor impact on the surrounding park amenities and needed substantial improvement, so possibly a term of the lease.

On reading carefully, it is a bit ambiguous. On page 167 Len says stadium owner was Eddie Lesleyand goes on " ... He made it clear that the STADIUM was for SALE rather than for RENT."

 

On page 168 he quotes Eddie Lesley as saying " I want to sell the STADIUM" I.e. Not the lease. Len goes on "I agreed to rent the stadium for £500 meeting with the option to purchase for £500,000 ."

 

Then on page 170 he says "we completed the purchase on 14 July 2000-with a long term lease until 2035" . Then the next day he gave the stock car promoter Mark Easton notice to quit.

 

So it is not totally clear . He mentions several times that Eddie Leslie was the stadium owner and says nothing about Lee Valley Park Authority at all. Bearing in mind that it is a leisure area maybe the park authority own the land which is on lease and the stadium is owned by Silver. W hat ever the actual situation the one thing that is clear is that he didn't buy the lease from the stock car promoter,

 

Anyway it's been a diversion from the thread, Sorry about that.

[Alan_Jones]

On reading carefully, it is a bit ambiguous. On page 167 Len says stadium owner was Eddie Lesleyand goes on " ... He made it clear that the STADIUM was for SALE rather than for RENT."

 

On page 168 he quotes Eddie Lesley as saying " I want to sell the STADIUM" I.e. Not the lease. Len goes on "I agreed to rent the stadium for £500 meeting with the option to purchase for £500,000 ."

 

I'm sure that any reference to buying the stadium is just shorthand for buying the lease.

[Guest]

Ace journalist gustix might be prepared to accept the invalidated second hand comments of a website but I think most people who use their powers of reason would acknowledge the authenticity of the. version of someone who for all his faults has poured far more into Speedwáy than he has taken out.

 

 

That's a rather grandiose description of my journalistic career. I was far from being a writer but was basically a sub-editor peparing other writers copy for publication, designing pages and then checking them for eventual publication.

 

 

 

 

 

So you've never been editor of the Speedway Star..??

At the Speedway Star in a mainly sub-editing role for a few years in a near 60 year journalistic career that took me to other London area newspapers. The Speedway Star era hardly qualifies the Ace journalist gustix label you have lumbered me with.

Edited October 25, 2015 by Guest

[John Leslie]

 

I'm sure that any reference to buying the stadium is just shorthand for buying the lease.

i'd assume it means buying the stadium. But buying the leasehold, but not the freehold. i.e. he buys the stadium and all its buildings, but not the land it stands on. (The land is leased for a period of time - typically 99 years, and in this case seemingly until 2035, at a nominal ground rent).

[Humphrey Appleby]

So it is not totally clear . He mentions several times that Eddie Leslie was the stadium owner and says nothing about Lee Valley Park Authority at all. Bearing in mind that it is a leisure area maybe the park authority own the land which is on lease and the stadium is owned by Silver. W hat ever the actual situation the one thing that is clear is that he didn't buy the lease from the stock car promoter

You can obviously buy the stadium whether it's freehold or leased, but if it's a reasonably long-term lease then it effectively amounts to the same thing. If speedway is still going in 2035, then worry about the leasehold issue then...

[Guest]

You can obviously buy the stadium whether it's freehold or leased, but if it's a reasonably long-term lease then it effectively amounts to the same thing. If speedway is still going in 2035, then worry about the leasehold issue then...

 

...indeed if speedway is still going in 2035...

[uk_martin]

Oh and FYI Len 20 tons of shale at Central Park is a tenth of what's needed!!!!!

 

Par for the course. The Drye House track only ever had 10% of the required amount of shale on it at any time in its history.

 

Will Kent fans get admission tickets in the form of pre-paid envelopes, to post back the dust that they collect off their clothing next year?