Newport Speedway (Wales)

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

I had so many crashes at Newport, I very rarely left the stadium in my own van it was always in an ambulance , I broke my shoulder there and my collarbone and my profile picture was took there where I smashed my helmet on the fence and I pretty much ended a team mate’s career there when I collected him after clipping an opponent but despite all that I quite enjoyed racing there, I got on well with Tim stone but was aware just how stubborn he was, I don’t think the toll would of made a lot of difference, a lot of Newport fans stopped attending because of Tim and his stubbornness and well the less said about the ending of Newport the better 

Edited December 19, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[JCookie]

29 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

I had so many crashes at Newport, I very rarely left the stadium in my own van it was always in an ambulance , I broke my shoulder there and my collarbone and my profile picture was took there where I smashed my helmet on the fence and I pretty much ended a team mate’s career there when I collected him after clipping an opponent but despite all that I quite enjoyed racing there, I got on well with Tim stone but was aware just how stubborn he was, I don’t think the toll would of made a lot of difference, a lot of Newport fans stopped attending because of Tim and his stubbornness and well the less said about the ending of Newport the better 

Who did you wipe out?

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

16 minutes ago, JCookie said:

Who did you wipe out?

Ben Taylor , I broke his knee/leg, he was out for quite a while and did eventually come back but only briefly 

Edited December 19, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[JCookie]

12 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Ben Taylor , I broke his knee/leg, he was out for quite a while and did eventually come back but only briefly 

Wasn't a bad rider him, him and Jack Roberts were about at the same time and never seemed to make the next step up.

[Vince]

Tim Stone at the track on a race day and away from the track was two completely different people. For sure the stadium was his baby and he wasn't going to let anybody else play with it but given that following years of working all over the world on really good money only to put it all (and some) into the stadium you can see why. No matter what the fans stood to lose he had literally everything he had at risk. Nobody could ever accuse him of being a people person on race day! However he'd been a fan, had a go at riding Speedway then been a mechanic for years so by the time you took his promoting experience into account he had as good an understanding of the sport as anybody and far more knowledge than most of his critics.

Away from the track he was one of the funniest people you could ever meet with a never ending list of stories told in the most deadpan style followed by his loud belly laugh. A very decent bloke who always dealt with Sam fairly and honestly. The few months before he died he would be on the phone for hours chatting about how to get other revenue streams for the stadium and there were some deals already in the pipeline that I am convinced would have subsidised the Speedway for years to come. He'd finally got to the stage where he wanted a life away from the stadium as well.

His detractors were always saying he had to speculate to accumulate but given what happened after his death when just about everything the fans asked for was put in place I would say he was proved right that a tight budget was the way to see Speedway continue in Newport. Whatever else the Mallets did they did improve the track and facilities and spend a lot of money on riders to build a winning team but it didn't work financially.

I can't imagine the bridge would have made much difference although it would have saved a few quid on the wages bill.

[Ghosty]

3 hours ago, Vince said:

Tim Stone at the track on a race day and away from the track was two completely different people. For sure the stadium was his baby and he wasn't going to let anybody else play with it but given that following years of working all over the world on really good money only to put it all (and some) into the stadium you can see why. No matter what the fans stood to lose he had literally everything he had at risk. Nobody could ever accuse him of being a people person on race day! However he'd been a fan, had a go at riding Speedway then been a mechanic for years so by the time you took his promoting experience into account he had as good an understanding of the sport as anybody and far more knowledge than most of his critics.

Away from the track he was one of the funniest people you could ever meet with a never ending list of stories told in the most deadpan style followed by his loud belly laugh. A very decent bloke who always dealt with Sam fairly and honestly. The few months before he died he would be on the phone for hours chatting about how to get other revenue streams for the stadium and there were some deals already in the pipeline that I am convinced would have subsidised the Speedway for years to come. He'd finally got to the stage where he wanted a life away from the stadium as well.

His detractors were always saying he had to speculate to accumulate but given what happened after his death when just about everything the fans asked for was put in place I would say he was proved right that a tight budget was the way to see Speedway continue in Newport. Whatever else the Mallets did they did improve the track and facilities and spend a lot of money on riders to build a winning team but it didn't work financially.

I can't imagine the bridge would have made much difference although it would have saved a few quid on the wages bill.

There are only a few of us that knew the real Tim & you have summed him up very well. Everyone of us is different, I would say the only person Tim never had a flair-up with was Neil Street. But Tim did fell the pressure on race-days & he would let rip, it was soon forgotten by most of us. Man management was not one of Tim's forte'.  R.I.P. Tim.  

[*JJ]

15 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Ben Taylor , I broke his knee/leg, he was out for quite a while and did eventually come back but only briefly 

I wondered what had happened to him. He was showing up well at the Brummies at one time.

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

15 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Ben Taylor , I broke his knee/leg, he was out for quite a while and did eventually come back but only briefly 

I would imagine Dean that this could be one of the most difficult things to deal with

Whilst all riders go into it with their eyes open about the risk of injury to themselves to know you are the cause of anothers misfortune (however accidental) must be very hard at times

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

1 hour ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

I would imagine Dean that this could be one of the most difficult things to deal with

Whilst all riders go into it with their eyes open about the risk of injury to themselves to know you are the cause of anothers misfortune (however accidental) must be very hard at times

I did feel guilty about it at the time and appolgized to Ben but he was fine about it, he understood it was an accident and it happens, you can’t dwell on these things, it happens and if you are thinking about crashing or other riders then it’s time to retire 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

2 hours ago, *JJ said:

I wondered what had happened to him. He was showing up well at the Brummies at one time.

I think off track things were the final nail in bens career 

[martinmauger]

The point whether Severn tolls affected Newport speedway is a valid one.  When I mention I'm off to Scunny to watch speedway folk will exclain "but it's across to Humber Bridge on the other side of the river !" as if it's the other side of the world.  But it only takes 40-45 mins, whereas it could easily take 35-40 mins getting across Hull to Craven Park, or to the Boulevard before that, would be longer with Hull's 2018 traffic.  Back on a side topic; when I visited Newport quite at few riders 'straightened up' going into turn 3 and finished up battling to avoid the turn 4 fence with a couple ending up on the ground right up against it.  But it still has to be said that Tim Stone did blooming well building the stadium and running it right up until his sad passing.  On a footnote; the suspension of Newport's matches in 2008, temporarily I believe happy to be corrected, the next was away at Sheffield on 8 May and saw a Sheffield v ex-Hull Vikings challenge staged at Owlerton with a certain Tai Woffinden 'guesting' for Hull .  A guest for a sadly non-existing team .  An enjoyable meeting for sure, it defo means waaay more when it's 'one's own team', just a huge shame the circumstances which led to it taking place....

Edited December 21, 2018 by martinmauger
spelling & grammar 2x, sigh

[Triple.H.]

Didn't Neil Street design the track ? Fairly sure I read it somewhere he had. Track shape and length of straights to make riders learn fast.

[Tsunami]

8 minutes ago, Triple.H. said:

Didn't Neil Street design the track ? Fairly sure I read it somewhere he had. Track shape and length of straights to make riders learn fast.

He got it about right them.

[Ghosty]

16 hours ago, Triple.H. said:

Didn't Neil Street design the track ? Fairly sure I read it somewhere he had. Track shape and length of straights to make riders learn fast.

I can confirm 100% that Neil along with Tim did design the track. But please beware the new book "Streets Ahead" contains several errors, should have been copy read by one of his family or possibly Tony Lethbridge. 

[Knowle]

As A regular at Newport travelling from Bristol I did not consider that the bridge toll was significant therefore its abolition would have been of little consequence however the pesky speed cameras hidden in the overhead gantry about half a mile before the booths had to be allowed for. I think they caught a few riders out.

[*JJ]

There are speed cameras on all gantries!