Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2009 21:36:50 GMT
"EXETER SPEEDWAY MEDIA RELEASE
The Exeter Falcons management intend to use a radical new approach in their battle to bring speedway back to the city. They are searching for a facility which will allow them to stage racing indoors.
The management of the Falcons is now back in the hands of ManorDelta Ltd, the company which ran speedway in Exeter for 20 years under the late promoter Colin Hill. Following the breakdown of talks between previous backer Allen Trump and the Jockey Club over the lease to build a track at Haldon Racecourse, hopes of finding a site on which to build a conventional stadium have faded.
Former press officer and team manager Tony Lethbridge, who is now a member of the Manordelta board, believes that taking the Falcons indoors could save the day not just for Exeter but for several other teams that have lost their stadia in recent years.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to develop any kind of motorsport venue due to modern environment and planning issues.” explained Lethbridge. “ Finding a replacement for the old County Ground has been very hard work, and noise, even though speedway has very strict rules governing it, has always been a major issue.”
“Therefore if we were to move indoors, either by converting an existing warehouse, farm building or even by building our own steel shell many of the problems could be overcome through good insulation. Indoor speedway meetings are an accepted part of the sport, with the British Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium the major event on the world calendar, while the long running annual ice meeting at Telford ice rink and the Christmas meeting at the Brighton Centre have always worked well. I don’t think we can set our sights as high as Cardiff but I believe by going indoors we would overcome the environmental problems we now face in finding an outdoor venue. From a speedway point of view rain offs would be a thing of the past while the track could be used all year round.”
“Obviously we could not recreate the 396 metre County Ground track, but Graham Reeve, the manager of the Speedway Control Board, supports the idea and would be happy with a track size of between 200-220 metres. Plymouth speedway currently measures 216 metres. I have also spoken to a recognised track expert with indoor know how, who would be prepared to build and maintain the track. Cost of the building is likely to be our biggest problem, but I am confident that something can be achieved within the city of Exeter.”
What are everyone's thoughts on this, and could it work?
The Exeter Falcons management intend to use a radical new approach in their battle to bring speedway back to the city. They are searching for a facility which will allow them to stage racing indoors.
The management of the Falcons is now back in the hands of ManorDelta Ltd, the company which ran speedway in Exeter for 20 years under the late promoter Colin Hill. Following the breakdown of talks between previous backer Allen Trump and the Jockey Club over the lease to build a track at Haldon Racecourse, hopes of finding a site on which to build a conventional stadium have faded.
Former press officer and team manager Tony Lethbridge, who is now a member of the Manordelta board, believes that taking the Falcons indoors could save the day not just for Exeter but for several other teams that have lost their stadia in recent years.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to develop any kind of motorsport venue due to modern environment and planning issues.” explained Lethbridge. “ Finding a replacement for the old County Ground has been very hard work, and noise, even though speedway has very strict rules governing it, has always been a major issue.”
“Therefore if we were to move indoors, either by converting an existing warehouse, farm building or even by building our own steel shell many of the problems could be overcome through good insulation. Indoor speedway meetings are an accepted part of the sport, with the British Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium the major event on the world calendar, while the long running annual ice meeting at Telford ice rink and the Christmas meeting at the Brighton Centre have always worked well. I don’t think we can set our sights as high as Cardiff but I believe by going indoors we would overcome the environmental problems we now face in finding an outdoor venue. From a speedway point of view rain offs would be a thing of the past while the track could be used all year round.”
“Obviously we could not recreate the 396 metre County Ground track, but Graham Reeve, the manager of the Speedway Control Board, supports the idea and would be happy with a track size of between 200-220 metres. Plymouth speedway currently measures 216 metres. I have also spoken to a recognised track expert with indoor know how, who would be prepared to build and maintain the track. Cost of the building is likely to be our biggest problem, but I am confident that something can be achieved within the city of Exeter.”
What are everyone's thoughts on this, and could it work?
