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Is there any truth in this rumour – does anyone have any inside knowledge on the possibility ?
There is an article in Daily Express by Patrick Weaver suggesting that Lord Zetland is selling up for redevelopment.
<br>A 2 year study costing £4m is just about to get underway to see if moving to a new ‘supercourse’ a few miles down the road is feasible.
I’ve been going to Redcar since I was in my pushchair so it would be sad to see it close but I would much prefer to be going to a top-class track every other week.
There’s uproar around here about the possible move but some people need to get real. At the moment Redcar only has 2 or 3 days of decent racing a year and in the current climate that just isn’t good enough.
Thanks Paul
Are there any other people who live in the North East who can add anything ?
<br>It’s all got very messy because they have just re-alligned the stable bend to sell some land to Wimpey Homes for about £3m but then Lord Zetland has come in and scrapped the deal.
Therefore £500k has been wasted on the re-allignment and they also turned down the chance to host the Lincoln for the second year running because they presumed that Wimpey would be starting work this winter:o
It was top of my flat racecourses to close in the recent "get rid of three courses" thread so I’m not too bothered at the news. The ground is habitually too firm, the draw too biased and the grade of racing too poor.
<br>Zilzal,
I can see why non-locals would think like that – if it wasn’t for my emotional ties I would probably feel the same because the course doesn’t contribute anything to the sport if I’m honest.
No decision has been made as yet and it’s very much 50-50 at the moment I would say because Lord Zetland is proposing to build the new ‘supercourse’ on some farmland (Dunsdale) that has little/no transport links.
I hope it doesn’t close, its one of the few flat tracks ive never been to.
I realise the racing isn’t the best but i imagine it tp have a nice ‘racing’ atmosphere, like many of the northern tracks.
Quote: from zilzal on 1:53 pm on Jan. 23, The ground is habitually too firm
I would have thought that was one of the main things in it’s favour zilzal, overwatering of flat tracks must be one of the biggest bugbears in racing.
Never good to see a racecourse’s future threatened, whatever the level – many of those Forumites who lived through the steady whittling away of courses during the 1950s-1970s will attest to that.
It seems strange to think that if the closure does go ahead without replacement, that Sedgefield, frequently derided and itself threatened on several occasions in the past, will emerge as the sole surviving course in that part of the world ahead of Redcar, Shincliffe and Stockton-on-Tees.
Jeremy<br>(graysonscolumn)<br>
(Edited by graysonscolumn at 8:25 pm on Jan. 23, 2007)
The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Quote: from Stormont on 4:58 pm on Jan. 23, 2007[br]I hope it doesn’t close, its one of the few flat tracks ive never been to.<br>
WHy on earth will you miss it then :biggrin:
It would be a shame to see somewhere unique disappear when all of the new courses are 14 runner sandpits. So much for variety being the spice of life and all that.
Redcar’s racing is nothing special with only a two year old trophy and the Zetland Gold Cup featuring amongst the mediocrity.<br>Whilst I too detest the sandpits, average field size at Redcar last season was 12.<br>I wouldn’t be sorry to see it tarmaced over.<br> Good to see the north taking its share of development after the destruction wrought on the south by Prescott’s enforced housing developments.
Racing is certain to continue in the area so don’t worry about that.
The question is, will it stay as it is or be transferred to a new ‘super course.’
Don’t forget that Les Arcs beat Reverence at Redcar last March:biggrin:
(Edited by PAULCS at 10:35 pm on Jan. 23, 2007)
Quote: from PAULCS on 10:33 pm on Jan. 23, 2007[br]Racing is certain to continue in the area so don’t worry about that.
The question is, will it stay as it is or be transferred to a new ‘super course.'<br>
Wasn’t there talk – now thankfully shelved – of opening an AW circuit at Sedgefield? Perhaps whoever dreamt up that idea will have his beadies on ‘new’ Redcar down the road.<br> <br>I sincerely hope not, notwithstanding Redcar being my least favourite Yorkshire track.
Are you all going to tell to Drone that Redcar ain’t in Yorkshire these days or shall I? ;)
No idea what the current state of play is with the AW proposals for Sedgy, although I would have thought the enormous amount of earthmoving required to carve a flat oval out of the middle of an extremely undulating course might prove prohibitively expensive to do in practice.
Pedant<br>(graysonscolumn)<br>
The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
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