NEWS: Coventry issue thanks to Cycle Speedway

Following the successful staging of the 2015 British Indoor Finals last weekend, the Coventry Cycle Speedway club have issued a “thank you” to the sport for all its help and support surrounding the finals.

With the finals in grave doubt after no written expressions of interest to stage the events were received by British Cycling, it was the Coventry club, at the eleventh hour and acting in the best interests of the sport, reversed its earlier decision not to stage the finals.

The championships went ahead last weekend and have been judged a great success by riders, officials, clubs and sponsors alike. The Coventry club, who astonishingly this time four years ago had not raced a match for over four years, rose to the occasion and did the sport proud.

Although entries, due to the closeness of the staging date being too close to the New Year holidays, were 25% down, the event has been declared a complete success. Helped by an impressive portfolio of sponsors, to offset the downturn in entry fees, the championships remained in the black financially despite the huge staging costs.

Cheered by the British Finals, the Coventry club have been quick to issue a public `thanks` to the sport. In a widely circulated email today to all clubs, and posted on social media, Coventry spokespersons have been full of praise for all the support they have been given.

Lee Marsh, the official Event Manager, said: “Programming 15 hours of racing over two days, and with a backdrop of a huge logistical operation and very high financial costs, with a volunteer workforce of relatively new club members is not at all easy.

“I am pleased to say we rose to the challenge but what made the weekend so special was all the support, both verbal and physical, by so many, that made the event an absolute joy to promote.

“We were inundated with offers of help and to everyone, we say a real sincere thank you”.

The Coventry club would particularly like to thank all those that turned up on the Friday evening for three hours of unloading, setting up and cleaning. A special thanks are afforded to the Leicester and Stockport clubs in relation to this.

They would also like to thanks all the many sponsors of the British Indoor Finals, including the Coventry Trophy Centre, West Midland Golf Club, Hartshill Cycles, JS Sports, Hire Station, Nixon Mee Limited, GG Express Couriers and Archie Wilkinson Cycle Speedway equipment.

They also gratefully acknowledge their various guests for each category final, namely: Bob Prince, Steve Hodgkinson, Neil Garnett, Natalie Timms, Alan Taylor, Lucy Whitehead, Graham and Bernie Kemp and Speedway star Chris Harris.

And, financially as well, the sport rallied around. Many in the hall, appreciating the high staging costs, were quick to support the raffles staged on both days. Hard working volunteer Karen Marsh said: “They were throwing in fivers at the raffle, it was tremendous to see”.