LEICESTER Speedway wish to apologise to supporters for the postponement of Saturday’s NDL Knockout Cup Final second leg clash with Mildenhall.
With a dry weather forecast for the day, the club did everything possible to get the meeting on, and conditions in late afternoon were looking good.
But with concerns being raised by the teams following parade the two captains, Joe Thompson and Lee Complin, then went out to complete exploratory laps at racing speed, and it was clear that conditions were unsuitable as Complin came to grief on turn two, and the match was called off.
Co-promoter Stewart Dickson said: “We took 35,000 litres of water off the track last night, and we were back in this morning and had been working on it all day.
“We thought we had it, although a heavy rain shower just after 2pm didn’t help things, but we thought we were there.
“After watching the parade lap, I did say in my track curator’s opinion that the moisture and the cold had set in, and it was too grippy.
“We are very apologetic that we’ve wasted a lot of people’s time, although on a day like today, you’ve got try to get it on. I’m pretty sure that if we’d have called it off first thing on a glorious day, there would have been questions too.
“The one good thing for me, as the track curator and it’s my conscience, is that the Leicester riders will be fit and available for Wednesday (at Oxford), and Mildenhall have no further injuries either.
“I know it’s inconvenient for them, they bought a bus down, and I’ve been there myself so it’s a real shame for everyone and we can only apologise.”
A new date for the KO Cup Final is to be confirmed, but supporters are reminded to retain their tickets which can be used at a future NDL meeting.
Meanwhile the Lion Cubs head to Oxford on Wednesday for the first leg of the league Grand Final, with the return back at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena, Beaumont Park next Saturday (October 21).
