St Austell

[keepturningleft]

Is anyone able to clarify this.

Years ago I visited St Austell speedway whilst on a holiday on the area. Yesterday I visited the Eden Project and was reminded that I remember reading that the speedway ended because of a major new eco project being developed on the site.

Is the Eden Project now where the track was or I have I got this wrong? Can't seem to find a definitive answer on the defunct track sites etc.

[Dave Jones]

2 hours ago, keepturningleft said:

Is anyone able to clarify this.

Years ago I visited St Austell speedway whilst on a holiday on the area. Yesterday I visited the Eden Project and was reminded that I remember reading that the speedway ended because of a major new eco project being developed on the site.

Is the Eden Project now where the track was or I have I got this wrong? Can't seem to find a definitive answer on the defunct track sites etc.

Every chance it's the same location I would imagine. The Cornish Stadium was in Par, and the Eden Project has a postal address of Bodelva which is also in Par.

[GWC]

I thought the Eden project was built on old China clay pits.

[Dave Jones]

I'm not completely sure TBH but a quick check on a routefinder  states that the The Moto Park which was in Nanpean I think, is some 9 miles away from Par.???

[martinmauger]

Seem to recall the owners of the site / land, Imery's I believe, only guarranteed a few years availability for speedway after which they would likely mine or dig the area where the speedway track was sited.  Think they pretty much stuck to the agreement, even perhaps allowing a further season's racing due to delays in preparing the area.  I never made it to St Austell but seen videos: the 'stadium' was a bit basic, similar to the Mountains Of Mars, but no one cared.  The promotion and riders made the best of things, in fact the unique nature of the venue was somewhat of an attraction.  The smallish well-shaped & well prepared track provided brilliant racing though, the St Austell Gulls and especially the Trewlany Tigers were competitive and exciting opposition which are the most important things afterall.....

Edited September 15, 2018 by martinmauger
spelling. grammar

[Truro Robin]

The track was on the outskirts of Nanpean which is a few miles north east of St Austell. I went a few times before moving to Cornwall. Great racing on a 220 metre (if I remember correctly) track.

[JamesHarris]

I don't know about the original St Austell at Par as that was way before my time but the Eden Project is not situated in the quarry where the speedway track was situated in the late 90's early 00's. The Eden project is very close to it but opened in 2001 whereas the speedway closed in 2003. But saying that they may have extended it. 

I went to the 90's St Austell whilst on holiday in 2000 and I will fondly remember it. Good racing in what has to be one of the strangest places ever to host a speedway oval. It was like being on the moon. The funniest  memory is my mother wouldn't go to the toilet as I told her the toilets were over the lagoon and you had to hold on to a rope to squat over it!   

[britmet]

No one's clarified which track they're speaking of, . . .  ?
The Cornish Stadium finished in the 'sixties, - had an address as Par Moor, while the second circuit, opened in 1997, as the Claycountry Moto Park, was at Longstone Pit, Nr. Panpean.
When holidaying down there about 8 - 10 years ago I noted a car-park cum Sunday market site, (Cornish Market World, - ?) east of the town centre, and a 'Speedway Rd.' or some such, which I took to be the original Cornish Stadium location.
.
The Eden Project is in just one of many china clay pits

[Alan_Jones]

The original Cornish Stadium was, according to HoBS, off the A390 at Par Moor, to the east of St. Austell, on the way to St. Blazey. and the site was sold for a retail site. The Eden Project is about a mile to the north of that road.

Clay Country Moto Parc was in the disused Longstone Pit near Nanpean to the north west of St. Austell until Imerey's, the French owners of English China Clays, decided to reopen the pit. The location is at https://goo.gl/maps/AX3NyK1XGyT2 at the north east point of the lake.

[ch958]

nothing to do with the eden project

[keepturningleft]

Thanks for all the info - looks as if the track is not where Eden Project is.

[steve roberts]

One track I never got to visit despite holidaying in Cornwall when it was operating...I was on the opposite coastline the night that they were running if I remember correctly. Seen it on DVD and looked to be a super track within a very strange 'moon like' setting!

[Star Lady]

Eeriest track I have ever been to. Halfway thro the meeting the cloud lowered. Driving out of the car park all we could see in any direction was the colour white as we were literally in the cloud, the ground including the roadway was an off white colour. Was very very spooky. We followed the rear light of the car in front but how the heck the car at the head of the queue managed I dread to think.

As I recall the refs box was an old double decker and the medical room/ changing rooms was a shipping container.

 

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

Managed one visit - fantastic little track

Shame it couldnt stay in place

[Knowle]

Brilliant place. All white except the white line. Good crowds too.

Edited September 15, 2018 by Knowle
spelling

[PHILIPRISING]

THE legendary Trevor Redmond used to promote stock cars at St Austell. En route to the track from his London home he would more often than not call in to see Barry Briggs and "borrow" one of Briggo's magnificent trophies that he had acquired during his career. TR would place it in full view on the centre green at St A and the drivers would assume that it was up for grabs that evening. At the meeting's conclusion, TR would present the winner with a cheap little trophy he had bought in somewhere like Woolworth and drop Briggo's back to him on the way home. Loved that man ... could tell stories all night long.

[cityrebel]

I went to stock cars once at the old par moor. I also went four times to the moto parc. What a fantastic venue it was, definitely one of my all time favourites. It was not an easy track to find, tucked away down numerous country lanes.

[Ray Stadia]

You would have thought there would be plenty of opportunity to open another track in Cornwall, with all it's uninhabited land! But then, you have to find a promoter interested and of course NIMBYs are in all counties! 

[ancient mariner]

22 hours ago, Ray Stadia said:

You would have thought there would be plenty of opportunity to open another track in Cornwall, with all it's uninhabited land! But then, you have to find a promoter interested and of course NIMBYs are in all counties! 

There was an application for a track near Bodmin some years ago. There were objections from several people living in Sussex on the basis of the noise :barking:

[adonis]

On 9/20/2018 at 7:25 PM, ancient mariner said:

There was an application for a track near Bodmin some years ago. There were objections from several people living in Sussex on the basis of the noise :barking:

The Bodmin application got rejected  because the national trust complained it would spoil peoples enjoyment of Lanhydroc house  about 2 miles away ,  cant really see how it could TBH because the house and gardens closes at 4.30 ,