Weymouth Update?

[WeymouthPirate]

Is there any news on a possible return for the Wildcats? Watching Weymouth FC lose another game yesterday, one couldn't help spend a lot of time looking over at the empty space that is left where the 2003-2010 track was. Still believe it could be a nice little venue, even the track would be very small and narrow with an air fence etc.

 

Thanks in advance

[JamesHarris]

I thought it was a good little race track but I would imagine you have more chance of Boris Johnson telling the truth than speedway returning there. 

[Deano]

Is anyone actively trying to do anything? I used to live in Weymouth and it would be great if there was even the tiniest hint of a comeback.

[steve roberts]

Worth it just so one could visit Alf's fish and chips! Spent many a hppy time at Weymouth Speedway when on holiday in the area.

[AFCB Wildcat]

45 minutes ago, Deano said:

Is anyone actively trying to do anything? I used to live in Weymouth and it would be great if there was even the tiniest hint of a comeback.

I believe they are. There has been a lot of talk about searches for a new venue.

I'd love to see it happen as l have many happy childhood memories of going to the old Radipole lane track in the 70's after a day on the beach in the summer holidays. Weymouth on Tuesday's and Poole on Wednesday. I have to say though, that even back then when speedway was in its heyday the crowds were a bit sparse. I got  back in to speedway after a long absence during a camping weekend in Weymouth many years later, after they had put flyers on all the car windscreens in the town centre car parks advertising that nights fixture so you can't say they didn't try to promote it. Weekend fixtures suited me due to working nights during the week and I was then a regular until it sadly closed. 

If it was a bit closer to town I think it would have picked up a lot more trade from holiday makers and prospered. 

I know that could never happen these days but the trouble with putting sports venues on industrial estates out of town is you're only going to get the die hards and not much passing trade.

[*JJ]

Try https://www.facebook.com/weymouthspeedway/

There is also a Twitter page.

[Technik]

If Clarke Osbourne, Gaming International or Stadia UK are not involved then there's always a chance. Just ask at Swindon, Reading or Milton Keynes.

If the ground is still vacant there's a chance, Oxford was left sleeping for 14 years but has returned for racing again. I'd say the council would be happy with the crowd figures showing that it is an asset to the area. Lets hope they can maintain that status & continue past their current 10 year lease.

Edited August 29, 2022 by Technik
add on

[steve roberts]

52 minutes ago, Technik said:

If Clarke Osbourne, Gaming International or Stadia UK are not involved then there's always a chance. Just ask at Swindon, Reading or Milton Keynes.

If the ground is still vacant there's a chance, Oxford was left sleeping for 14 years but has returned for racing again. I'd say the council would be happy with the crowd figures showing that it is an asset to the area. Lets hope they can maintain that status & continue past their current 10 year lease.

...or indeed Cowley back in the middle seventies when we very nearly lost the stadium!

Edited August 29, 2022 by steve roberts

[AFCB Wildcat]

1 hour ago, Technik said:

If Clarke Osbourne, Gaming International or Stadia UK are not involved then there's always a chance. Just ask at Swindon, Reading or Milton Keynes.

If the ground is still vacant there's a chance, Oxford was left sleeping for 14 years but has returned for racing again. I'd say the council would be happy with the crowd figures showing that it is an asset to the area. Lets hope they can maintain that status & continue past their current 10 year lease.

Looking at Google maps satellite view, there appears to be absolutely nothing left of the track or stadium. It just looks like a rubbish tip now.

I know there's been various stories in the Dorset Echo over the years about potential new sites but nothing has come of them yet so I'm not holding my breath 

[daz9100]

It was totally overgrown when I was over that way in May

[steve roberts]

2 hours ago, daz9100 said:

It was totally overgrown when I was over that way in May

Sad indeed!

[Wessexbobcat]

On 8/28/2022 at 1:30 PM, SouthernComet said:

Is there any news on a possible return for the Wildcats? Watching Weymouth FC lose another game yesterday, one couldn't help spend a lot of time looking over at the empty space that is left where the 2003-2010 track was. Still believe it could be a nice little venue, even the track would be very small and narrow with an air fence etc.

 

Thanks in advance

The owners sadly don’t want speedway there and are prepared to play the long game eventually building on it.They have to re home the football which has proved a challenge!I so miss Friday nights at the Wessex.Best hope in my opinion would be a field elsewhere along the lines of Somerset.Needs someone with deep pockets mind .

 

[AFCB Wildcat]

On 8/31/2022 at 9:18 AM, Wessexbobcat said:

The owners sadly don’t want speedway there and are prepared to play the long game eventually building on it.They have to re home the football which has proved a challenge! I so miss Friday nights at the Wessex.Best hope in my opinion would be a field elsewhere along the lines of Somerset.Needs someone with deep pockets mind .

 

The football has already be re homed once after the Recreation Ground site in the town centre was developed in the late 80's.

I just think it's sad that sports clubs which represent their towns and should be focal points of the community are shunted out of town to the back of beyond so that someone can make loads of money from their spiritual homes. 

Where do they want to move it to now??

It's already bad enough. I took my grandson to an evening game last season after a day in Weymouth. It was a 2 mile walk back to town down unlit paths and roads as there was no public transport at that time of night and we only just caught the last train home.

 

[Wessexbobcat]

On 8/28/2022 at 1:30 PM, SouthernComet said:

Is there any news on a possible return for the Wildcats? Watching Weymouth FC lose another game yesterday, one couldn't help spend a lot of time looking over at the empty space that is left where the 2003-2010 track was. Still believe it could be a nice little venue, even the track would be very small and narrow with an air fence etc.

 

Thanks in advance

The owners sadly don’t want speedway there and are prepared to play the long game eventually building on it.They have to re home the football which has proved a challenge!I so miss Friday nights at the Wessex.Best hope in my opinion would be a field elsewhere along the lines of Somerset.Needs someone with deep pockets mind .

The football club as far as I’m aware are happy at the Wessex ,money needs spending on it though.The owners of all the land around it including the ex track want to build .As to where the football goes that’s the big question?No where suitable has been found so the Wessex lives on ,sadly not the speedway site though.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

On 9/1/2022 at 5:30 PM, Wessexbobcat said:

The owners sadly don’t want speedway there 

Who can blame them after the last promoter and his girlfriend screwed them over and don’t forget the stolen speedway bike of one of their riders 

Edited September 3, 2022 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[*JJ]

So what had happened, Dean? And a couple of years ago, before Covid, the people who ran the Weymouth SDL team (and still do - one was the father of Ben Trigger, IIRC) were saying that they had found a site for a new track, and were just trying to find funding for it. What happened about that?

I met them when I took a rider to ride for them in 2017 - with a bike which Dean bought afterwards!

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

5 hours ago, *JJ said:

So what had happened, Dean? And a couple of years ago, before Covid, the people who ran the Weymouth SDL team (and still do - one was the father of Ben Trigger, IIRC) were saying that they had found a site for a new track, and were just trying to find funding for it. What happened about that?

I met them when I took a rider to ride for them in 2017 - with a bike which Dean bought afterwards!

I don’t know what happened to finding a new track or anyone involved now but the previous promoter and his girlfriend  basically didn’t pay the bills or the land owner who I believe is a builder , I rode for Weymouth under Brian white and I did lots of open meetings in the last season under the guy who took over from Brian ,the last few meeting riders including myself were asking to get paid on the night of meetings as rumours were rife about his team not being paid, not sure if they ever got paid , the girlfriend of the promoter was a previous girlfriend of a rider who had his bike stolen in suspicious circumstances, I was involved in the investigation as I was offered the bike for sale and recognised it and contacted the rider and the police ,I believe there were a few people, sponsors etc who would of took the track on but the builder wouldn’t do it, he flattened the track and used the pits to store his building equipment  

Edited September 4, 2022 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[Ray Stadia]

On 9/4/2022 at 3:22 PM, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

I don’t know what happened to finding a new track or anyone involved now but the previous promoter and his girlfriend  basically didn’t pay the bills or the land owner who I believe is a builder , I rode for Weymouth under Brian white and I did lots of open meetings in the last season under the guy who took over from Brian ,the last few meeting riders including myself were asking to get paid on the night of meetings as rumours were rife about his team not being paid, not sure if they ever got paid , the girlfriend of the promoter was a previous girlfriend of a rider who had his bike stolen in suspicious circumstances, I was involved in the investigation as I was offered the bike for sale and recognised it and contacted the rider and the police ,I believe there were a few people, sponsors etc who would of took the track on but the builder wouldn’t do it, he flattened the track and used the pits to store his building equipment  

There have been so many neferious (in other words, w*****s) promoting/running speedway over the years! 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

3 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

There have been so many neferious (in other words, w*****s) promoting/running speedway over the years! 

Yes but to be fair there have been some really good ones too and some who’s heart was in the right place but maybe their brain wasn’t or the were literally doing it on a shoe string for the love of it, there are also some still in the sport who are like vultures circling a Caracas when there is a whiff of financial trouble 

Edited September 6, 2022 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[skydog]

On 9/4/2022 at 9:53 AM, *JJ said:

So what had happened, Dean? And a couple of years ago, before Covid, the people who ran the Weymouth SDL team (and still do - one was the father of Ben Trigger, IIRC) were saying that they had found a site for a new track, and were just trying to find funding for it. What happened about that?

I met them when I took a rider to ride for them in 2017 - with a bike which Dean bought afterwards!

Martin Peters (his son Sam rides dev league) and James Tresadern have been running the Weymouth set up since 2016. Not sure what happened to that land, maybe they jumped the gun announcing it. I do know they have tried to get it back to the last venue but theres no chance. As far as I know they are still looking but I suspect that the early fervent determination has turned into a realisation that they could be looking for a very long time

Edited September 7, 2022 by skydog
Name wrong