[Other Sport] O/T Speedway. Would Eastbourne Eagles have been a bigger club in Hove?

L

Lenny Rider

Well-known member

Sep 15, 2010

5,434

• Jan 11, 2021

• #1

Bob Dugard always wanted to take speedway to the dog track, I wonder if the team had been based at Hove, a more central location, could they have been a bigger club?


Even though Tony Millard kindly offered me an open invitation to the Arlington Stadium Harty Junior and I never got over there, almost entirely due to the journey times, but we'd have probably given it a go at Hove.

 

Bry Nylon

Test your smoke alarm

Helpful Moderator

Jul 21, 2003

19,852

Playing snooker

• Jan 11, 2021

• #2

Lenny Rider said:

O/T Speedway. Would Eastbourne Eagles have been a bigger club in Hove?

Click to expand...

I can see this one going round in circles.

 

S

Seasidesage

New member

May 19, 2009

4,467

Brighton, United Kingdom

• Jan 11, 2021

• #3

Bigger population more centrally placed city so yes almost certainly. Thousands have been there to watch a Dog run round and round in circles so why not a bloke on a bike?

 

Gazwag

5 millionth post poster

Mar 4, 2004

30,146

Bexhill-on-Sea

• Jan 11, 2021

• #4

I cant see that Hove residents would have ever agreed to a noisy, dusty sporting event ruining their Sunday evenings

 

B

blue-shifted

Banned

Feb 20, 2004

7,645

a galaxy far far away

• Jan 11, 2021

• #5

Gazwag said:

I cant see that Hove residents would have ever agreed to a noisy, dusty sporting event ruining their Sunday evenings

Click to expand...

I'm pretty close. I can hear the dogs barking from my house, when they're running. I'd have said yes to a bit of Speedway. Live sport innit

 

Gazwag

5 millionth post poster

Mar 4, 2004

30,146

Bexhill-on-Sea

• Jan 11, 2021

• #6

blue-shifted said:

I'm pretty close. I can hear the dogs barking from my house, when they're running. I'd have said yes to a bit of Speedway. Live sport innit

Click to expand...

Having regularly been to both Speedway and the Dogs, you cant really compare the noise and dirt TBH, I'm sure there would have been a few that would have it on their doorstep but not many I would guess.

 

B

Bombadier Botty

Complete Twaddle

Jun 2, 2008

3,258

• Jan 11, 2021

• #7

An evening at Arlington should be on every Sussex sports fans bucket list, the smell of methanol, being able to walk into the rider areas where they prep the bikes, chat to the riders, trackside beers surrounded by MAGA types committing fashion crimes, the like of which haven’t been since Wigan Casino in the mid 70s, just a brilliant and somewhat surreal evening on all counts, even for those with no interest in motorsport, it’s like being taken off in a spaceship and deposited in a bizarre methanol forest haze. Do not drop LSD beforehand because you won’t need it.

The decline of the Eagles is quite something, from having a roster of top European riders in the Elite League to fielding inexperienced local teenage riders in the lower echelons.

To answer Ian’s question, yes, Hove would certainly have made The Eagles more viable than remote Arlington with its lack of transport infrastructure and local indifference to the sport.

 

A

amexer

Well-known member

Aug 8, 2011

6,209

• Jan 11, 2021

• #8

Went to Eastbourne once and enjoyed. Think would have gone a lot if at Hove. Certainly when they were young

 

N

Neil

Eastie

Aug 27, 2010

729

Langney

• Jan 11, 2021

• #9

Arlington was also used for Banger Racing and Stock Cars which were more profitable.
I wouldnt have thought they could with a dog track or would with the noise of Bangers and Stock and local noise complaints
They also had a junior track which they used to bring on new talent .
Also the car pack would have been nowhere big enough