Air Fence Improvement Required Following Track Inspection
In line with the application to take part in this season's National Development Trophy competition Mr Mick Bates, the Speedway Control Bureau track inspector came to Mildenhall Stadium on Friday 21st February to meet with members of the Steering Committee and view the new Stock Car safety fence. This new barrier erected for the car racing at the refurbished West Row venue turned out to be more substantial that most people on the Speedway side imagined.
Club facilitator Steve Ribbons explained,
"As we had not been to the stadium for a month, we were slightly taken aback at the solidity of the new Stock Car fence. Supporters may well have seen the pictures that were posted of this new fence on various Stock Car/Bangers forums online. Mick Bates was with us for two hours on Friday discussing things and, in his opinion, Speedway will only be able to return to Mildenhall Stadium if the following were put in place.
"Firstly, as the current air fence is now no longer robust enough to cover the safety aspects on the bends, a revised air barrier arrangement will be needed. Next, the steel RSJ’s - H section uprights would have to be cushioned. And lastly, a protective foam matting would have to be laid along the top of the concrete wall should a rider go over the fence”. Ribbons went on to update supporters,
"Following Mick Bates' very helpful visit to us, I have already spoken to Champion Products who made the foam barriers at Berwick, Glasgow and King's Lynn Speedway tracks who said they could also design a ‘hood’ cover to go over the uprights and a style of matting. Once we have their specification, we will have further talks with the Control Bureau.”
Fellow Steering Committee member and long-time track man Kieran Phillips made an undertaking to all lending their weight to the campaign to bring Speedway back to West Row,
“After all the hard work the Steering Committee has done and now with close to 100 members of the new Supporters Trust, we have come too far to fall at the first hurdle and we will pursue all options we can within reason to get the fans the 50th season at tapes they so crave.
” On behalf of the Steering Committee, Ribbons said in conclusion, "We will, of course, do whatever the Control Bureau says we need to do; and, if it cannot be done, it cannot be done. We are giving a complete assurance that we will not ever be prepared to have riders go out on a track that is not as safe as we can possibly make it."
Four Weeks To Get Mildenhall Revival Up & Running!
The campaign to bring Speedway back to Mildenhall Stadium is moving on apace with the establishment of a Community Interest Company – the Trust-based model decided on to resurrect the club at the recently well-attended public meeting and over 90 people now signed up as members of the trust.
Co-promoter Steve Ribbons updated,
”It’s all systems go, we’re just waiting for the relevant authorities to process our application for CIC status and then we can collect the monies committed by our members, pay the Bond needed to the British Speedway Promoters Ltd [BSPL] to rejoin the league system and we’ll be able to confirm our riders and team manager for the 2025 season and get fixtures out for the National Development Trophy campaign”.
That competition would see the Fen Tigers (in their Golden Jubilee season) taking on teams from King’s Lynn, Birmingham, Leicester, Plymouth and the Kent-based Sussex Eagles – and a deadline has been set by the BSPL of the middle of March for Mildenhall’s entry to be confirmed.
BSPL Chairman Rob Godfrey has commented,
“Obviously a number of boxes need to be ticked before we can welcome Mildenhall back and top of that list at this stage is a track inspection. We understand that the home NDT fixtures at West Row will be held in the summer months which is obviously acceptable to us, so this four week window now is about they confirming to our track inspector that the track and works around the new Stock Car fence at the stadium will be ready to go for those fixtures when the season gets underway. If the inspection passes and the Bond is in place in time for March 15th. then Mildenhall will be good to go”.
Ribbons has been so heartened by the fantastic response of Speedway supporters (the majority from the Suffolk and wider East Anglian area but from further afield also) to the appeal to establish the trust to get the Fen Tigers back on track; and also from all the riders who’ve been in touch keen to don the famous orange and black race jacket in a comeback season for the club.
Read more: Four Weeks To Get Mildenhall Revival Up & Running!