NATIONAL SPEEDWAY MUSEUM
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| NATIONAL SPEEDWAY MUSEUM
TRACK MEMORIES DVDs
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DVDS... DRAMA OF THE BIG OCCASIONS
RACING DVDS... HOURS OF THRILLING NON-STOP ACTION FROM THE GREATS
INDIVIDUAL RIDER INTERVIEWS... INCLUDING ACTION FOOTAGE
DVDs ON CLASSIC ERAS OF BRITISH & NATIONAL LEAGUE RACING...
GENERAL DVDs
CINE CLASSICS
PRINTED PAPERBACK BOOKS
eBOOKS... ONLY AVAILABLE DIRECT FROM AMAZON.co.uk
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British speedway's first national museum is now fully open and operational . . . so why not do your bit to help preserve our sport's history with a visit to this wonderful creation in rural Hertfordshire.
Roll back the years as you breathe in the pure nostalgia the exudes from all the displays of machinery, old leathers, race jackets, programmes, photographs, posters and all kinds of other memorabilia.
Their original target was to try and raise £55,000 to basically finance the building work. But thanks to their sheer drive and enthusiasm, and the response of the fans and the promoters who allowed them to collect at the tracks, they pulled in around £70,000 to ensure the dream became a reality when the museum opened to the public at the start of May 2007.
"There are many other volunteers who we have to thank, and they know who they are," says George Barclay, "including the management and staff of Paradise Wildlife Park (PWP) and local building company M & M Welding, who are run by Rye House supporters. Although we're obviously delighted to have raised £70,000, the total cost of materials and construction at the site land that Pete Sampson has given to the museum free of charge would have exceeded £120,000 if the people at PWP and the builders had not kindly lowered their labour and material costs.
"But it is the speedway 'family', if you like, who we really have to thank the most, and the promoters who allowed us into their stadiums with our collection buckets. Only one track's management refused to co-operate, while it just wasn't possible for us to collect at two other venues, but by and large the help we received was brilliant.
"The £70,000 we've collected so far has virtually been swallowed up already in the cost of building the place and on insurance premiums we¹ve had to take out for personal liability and the museum exhibits."
"Peter's widow, Brenda Leat, has been right behind the Speedway Museum from day one," says Barclay. "She was delighted to give us her approval to use an action image of her late husband as the main part of our logo and she was here with us on the day the first building brick was in place. The mementoes Brenda has donated from her collection is just another magnificent gesture on her part she wants the speedway public to remember Peter for the true great that he was. I'm sure many visitors to the museum will view these special items with a lump in their throat and, of course, they will recall great memories of a brilliant rider."
Speaking before the opening ceremony, Dagenham-based Barclay, who also had spells racing for Sunderland, Rayleigh, Rye House and Crayford in the early 70s, added: "The support of the speedway public has been quite amazing. Whichever track Linda and I have visited in the last two years, the interest and enthusiasm for the project has been obvious, and now we¹re just pleased that it¹s become a reality after all the many hours of hard work that have gone into the project."
To raise funds to pay for the ongoing running of the museum, you can purchase a range of sweatshirts, fleeces (as modelled here by Michael Lee, below right) and polo shirts (worn here by Jason Crump, left) in a variety of colours and sizes and all featuring the distinctive Peter Craven embroidered logo. These make ideal gifts for birthdays and Christmas and are on sale at the museum.
