Mildenhall 2023

[Chris116]

Mildenhall stadium is owned by Spedeworth boss Deane Wood.

[Siggytastic]

Is it stadium or rider availability that is the issue?

[Racin Jason 72]

I think this is purely down to crowd levels and not being viable. 
I used to be a regular attendee but got fed up of how long it takes to run a meeting and I know many who feel the same. 
If they can address this issue I’ll return but until they do I’ll be staying away. 
 

[HGould]

Really feel for Lee Chipchase and Phil Kirk who have tried to make a go of NDL at Mildenhall.

Rider availability is definitely not an issue for them, great tradition there for developing talent.

They've been incredibly unlucky with the weather the past couple of seasons especially last season.

The basic issue though is that Spedeworth run Stock Cars on a Saturday night and wreck the track (as Stock Cars do). Speedway then has minimal time to clear up the debris and try to prepare a track. If it's rained on the Saturday or previous few days they are left with an absolute muddy mess to clear up.

Its a fast track for its size and if under-prepared there are invariably crashes and delays.

It really is a vicious circle for them.

If they could ride midweek or a FRiday it's possible they could use track b4 Stocks wreck it and have a chance to prepare it properly but Thursdays are out (PL locally) Fridays are out (would take any CL contracted rider away most weeks) and I guess Tuesday / Wednesday (another night when CL contracted riders may be missing with 3 x CL teams riding on a Wednesday so effectively  6 full Teams).

It's hard to see a way out unless they can find some Sundays when Stocks haven't raced the night before and more in June / July when at least weather may play ball.

[Sings4Speedway]

All the above are valid points but Mildenhall have largely always been in the same situation and mostly got decent meetings on most weeks with only one or two  bloopers a season. Sadly now its reversed and one or two good meetings is clearly not enough to keep crowd numbers up. Sunday tracks will always be good for NDL riders but not if preparation is poor. 

Mildenhall lack the right equipment and approach to produce decent racing now. The giant tractors do more harm than good lap after lap and attempting to create a grippy surface on a track with very little run off is always going to cause problems (especially as it just makes it patchy) . A slick surface might create a bit of dust but it would also pump meetings through in a sensible time frame.

[Ghosty]

I feel the best solution for Mildenhall would be to build a BRAND NEW track close by the existing facilities. Therefore able to use the existing carpark etc. but have a track for speedway only.

Most of the problems Mildenhall have had in recent years are because of the direct & indirect use & preparation of the track for stockcars & bangers!  

[FromBendThree]

16 hours ago, StevePark said:

SGB Statement says "The league is awaiting confirmation from Armadale and Mildenhall who are currently looking into various availability issues, and it is very much hoped that both clubs will come to the table next year."

Thanks

[FromBendThree]

14 hours ago, Chris116 said:

Mildenhall stadium is owned by Spedeworth boss Deane Wood.

So same cOmpany that runs the cars at Eastbourne.

[Chris116]

1 hour ago, FromBendThree said:

So same cOmpany that runs the cars at Eastbourne.

Yes, they also run Ipswich which has Speedway, plus Yarmouth and the two Incarace tracks at Hednesford Hills and Northampton (Brafield) which don't have Speedway.

[FromBendThree]

21 minutes ago, Chris116 said:

Yes, they also run Ipswich which has Speedway, plus Yarmouth and the two Incarace tracks at Hednesford Hills and Northampton (Brafield) which don't have Speedway.

Obviously have a big set up. I did not know who ran cars at places you have listed. Thanks for the update. 

[Chris116]

7 minutes ago, FromBendThree said:

Obviously have a big set up. I did not know who ran cars at places you have listed. Thanks for the update. 

In the recent past they have run Wimbledon, Wisbech, Bovingdon, Swaffham and Birmingham Wheels and longer ago ran Norwich, Reading, Cross-in-Hand, Walthamstow, White City London, New Cross, Oxford, Weymouth and Newcastle.

[FromBendThree]

Used to work in Wisbech. Does it still operate?

[Tom Thumb]

20 minutes ago, FromBendThree said:

Used to work in Wisbech. Does it still operate?

no, demolished several years back.

[FromBendThree]

Not surprised. Like so many stadiums. When I worked in Wisbech there was huge shock when a child (?) died after a wheel went into the crowd

[Halifaxtiger]

On 11/30/2022 at 6:58 AM, HGould said:

Really feel for Lee Chipchase and Phil Kirk who have tried to make a go of NDL at Mildenhall.

Rider availability is definitely not an issue for them, great tradition there for developing talent.

They've been incredibly unlucky with the weather the past couple of seasons especially last season.

The basic issue though is that Spedeworth run Stock Cars on a Saturday night and wreck the track (as Stock Cars do). Speedway then has minimal time to clear up the debris and try to prepare a track. If it's rained on the Saturday or previous few days they are left with an absolute muddy mess to clear up.

Its a fast track for its size and if under-prepared there are invariably crashes and delays.

It really is a vicious circle for them.

If they could ride midweek or a FRiday it's possible they could use track b4 Stocks wreck it and have a chance to prepare it properly but Thursdays are out (PL locally) Fridays are out (would take any CL contracted rider away most weeks) and I guess Tuesday / Wednesday (another night when CL contracted riders may be missing with 3 x CL teams riding on a Wednesday so effectively  6 full Teams).

It's hard to see a way out unless they can find some Sundays when Stocks haven't raced the night before and more in June / July when at least weather may play ball.

I'm not sure that is the reason. For a start, Mildenhall has had stock car racing for years. More importantly, the stock cars do not run every week (usually once a fortnight) and the speedway certainly used to attempt to run on the Sundays when there had not been racing the previous night, thus giving ample time for track preparation ((i have seen the track on a Sunday morning after a Saturday stocks meeting and it looks like there has been a bombing raid). 

To be fair, I haven't been for a while but there did seem to be an issue with the track last season at least, with a number of meetings subject to multiple accidents and lengthy delays. 

Whatever the case, I really hope this can be pulled round. I have a lot of happy memories of Mildenhall, some good friends there and you won't get a more devoted speedway fan than Phil Kirk. 

[kevin bass]

Like already been said the crowds really dropped off this last season, my parents have been going there for yrs and my father said he'd never seen such poor crowds compared to previous seasons.

[adz_mft]

STATEMENT FROM MILDENHALL SPEEDWAY

The owners are aware of and fully understand the concerns of supporters after the club were unable to confirm participation in next years NDL at the meeting held on Tuesday.

The 2022 season was a particularly difficult and challenging one for the club, not only on the track but off it as well. The costs of running Mildenhall Speedway went up nearly 30% whilst our crowds dropped by almost 25%. We worked overtime to try and make ends meet but we did lose money last season.

We have the most wonderful supportive sponsors, and a loyal but dwindling supporter base but the simple fact is that there is not enough money coming into the club and we feel that costs are likely to increase further next year and also fear crowds will stay low due to the current economic situation, the likelihood of another fractured season caused by a lack of standalone NDL teams, rules that do not encourage supporters to attend or enough meaningful meetings.

We never took on the role of running Mildenhall Speedway to make money, the succesful continuation of a club that like you all we are supporters of was our aim, but we cannot become a charity that keeps the club running. We dedicate a great deal of our free time running the club and cannot do any more than we are we feel.

We will continue to work tirelessly to find a find a solution to the economic problems we faced in 2022, but cannot at this stage state with any confidence whether or not the club will run next year and request your patience.

We will be in attendance at Sunday's Christmas party and are happy to speak to supporters about the situation at the event.

[Racin Jason 72]

3 hours ago, kevin bass said:

Like already been said the crowds really dropped off this last season, my parents have been going there for yrs and my father said he'd never seen such poor crowds compared to previous seasons.

There was a reason why the crowds dropped so dramatically in my opinion and if they can address that then I think they could carry on and be viable. 
No doubting the commitment of the promotion and the volunteers behind the scenes but meetings must drag on for over two hours for just 15 heats. 

[Mimmo]

1 hour ago, Racin Jason 72 said:

There was a reason why the crowds dropped so dramatically in my opinion and if they can address that then I think they could carry on and be viable. 
No doubting the commitment of the promotion and the volunteers behind the scenes but meetings must drag on for over two hours for just 15 heats. 

I feel so sorry for Mildenhall as I enjoy my Sunday afternoons at West Row.

I agree with your comment about taking 2-hours plus for roughly 15-minutes racing, but that applies at almost every track. But on the flip side of the coin mate, would the public be prepared to pay their money to travel goodness knows how many miles and hours to be at a venue for around an hour.

Buxton were a class act at getting meetings done and dusted in a reasonable time.

I really don't know what the answer is, but I just hope somebody comes up with one for the sport in general, because it's dying in front of our eyes.

[Halifaxtiger]

8 hours ago, Mimmo said:

I feel so sorry for Mildenhall as I enjoy my Sunday afternoons at West Row.

I agree with your comment about taking 2-hours plus for roughly 15-minutes racing, but that applies at almost every track. But on the flip side of the coin mate, would the public be prepared to pay their money to travel goodness knows how many miles and hours to be at a venue for around an hour.

Buxton were a class act at getting meetings done and dusted in a reasonable time.

I really don't know what the answer is, but I just hope somebody comes up with one for the sport in general, because it's dying in front of our eyes.

Certainly concur with your view about Mildenhall and credit to the promotion for making the position clear.

In my experience, most meetings are completed in less than 2 hours and that certainly has to be a target for all clubs. Anything longer than that is just too much and a good start would be doing away with the absolutely unnecessary interval that some clubs still insist on. How many of us have groaned with disappointment on a freezing cold night when a match is interrupted by having one?

Personally speaking, I have never had any difficulty with a meeting that takes less than 90 minutes (admittedly I haven't been to many). You get the same amount of entertainment, after all.  

Perhaps Mildenhall could do an Isle of Wight (running only at peak times (and therefore no 'fractured season') and with substantially reduced expenses). The Warriors seem to be doing very well indeed and are clearly in no hurry to return to the NDL. 

Edited December 2, 2022 by Halifaxtiger