23/07/2024
It's with the deepest of disappointment that I am posting this to let you all know that the Amateur race meetings we have planned will no longer go ahead thanks to the intervention of Neil Vatcher and the SCB. This organisation that holds speedway in this country to ransom sees fit to use blackmail to stop amateur riders of all ages taking part in anything more than a practice session. Our events would have been run under the guidance of the IOPD, a governing body authorised no less by the Secretary of State for the regulation of off-highway auto events, the equivalent of the ACU, not a jumped up, self empowered mini dictatorship that has played it's part in numerous stadium owners losing out on revenue, revenue that they should be able to receive in order to keep their stadiums viable in a sport that only operates for eight months of the year.
It is stated that, as the SCB have licensed a track for them to race in the leagues, once twice, god forbid even three times a week........some weeks, although with so few teams left in existence clubs would be very lucky to race every week, that they must not under any circumstances run any amateur race meetings outside of the jurisdiction of the SCB, which is in effect, restriction of trade which by definition states "THE PRINCIPLE THAT AN INDIVIDUAL SHOULD BE FREE TO FOLLOW HIS TRADE AND USE HIS SKILLS WITHOUT UNDUE INTERFERENCE" and this is a point of law.
The continued push to banish amateur speedway meetings is just another part in the general demise of speedway, though it is hard to imagine that with all of the outside factors squeezing the life out of the sport a major influence on this demise would be actively sought from within.
We pulled the Dragons Amateur Speedway Club away from the SCB (Bureau as it was then) when they moved the goalposts regarding amateur meetings, not just across the pitch a bit but to a different ground completely, stating that "amateur race meetings must not contain any scheduled races" !!! Well that pretty much makes it a practice session ! We met with the IOPD and they welcomed us with open arms and simply could not have been more accommodating and more helpful, so, you stick with what you know and more importantly who knows you and knows how you operate. Having run amateur racing clubs for many years, Claire, myself and the team that ran the events operated at the highest level, and after leaving the SCB were welcomed by Buster Chapman at King's Lynn, the late Jon Cook at Lakeside, Graham Arnold at Iwade and various promotions at both Leicester and Rye House all of which loved hosting us and appreciated the extra income as well as offering competitive and fun racing with an age and ability range across the board, with many of the top end riders going on to sign for teams while some team riders also joined us as they enjoyed the atmosphere and the way the meeting were set up, yet, one nasty, bitter and self centred person has taken that away when there was a huge void waiting to be filled by the dozens of people with their own bikes who want some competition in their lives.
It's an absolute disgrace that in this day and age when promoters need every penny to help make the books balance have this blackmailed away from them. Please don't get me wrong, any stadium owner would be within his or her rights to tell the SCB where to go and that it can hire it's track out to whoever it likes, which it can, but then the double blackmail side of things kicks into play and there would be the threat that their SCB licence would be taken away.........it's no wonder that the sport is on it's last legs when you have people like this, with this menatlity "my way or no way" holding it to ransom.
If it was a rider safety issue I would understand it, as the track has been licensed as being safe but when any Tom, Dick or Harry can run a plain practice session or a "Training School" and they couldn't care less......because no-one has ever got hurt at a training school or practice session, the unjustness and spitefulness of the whole thing becomes apparent.
Sorry for the long message but this had to be said, it's only fair that everyone knows why there won't be a Mercians Club after all, as we simply won't be held to ransom by the self appointed, and more importantly funded by the clubs involved treat people a little bit further down the pecking order of things. They are always first to be in the pictures when there's a championship to be awarded or a youth event held but in they cold light of day they clearly think new riders appear out of the ether and don't work their way up through the ranks and don't give the slightest damn about you guys unless we all dance to their tune.............."their way or absolutely no way"
