Mildenhall Fen Tigers need to make safety improvements to West Row venue to allow speedway to return to Mildenhall Stadium for 50th anniversary season

It's safety-first as the battle to bring speedway back to Mildenhall Stadium continues.

Mildenhall Fen Tigers were already facing a race against time to return to action in what will be their 50th anniversary year after a positive response to setting up a Supporters’ Trust.

But to take part in this season's National Development Trophy competition, members of the club’s steering committee met with the Speedway Control Bureau track inspector Mick Bates on Friday to view the new Stock Car safety fence.

The new barrier erected for car racing at the refurbished West Row venue turned out to be more substantial than most people on the Speedway side imagined.

Club facilitator Steve Ribbons said: “As we had not been to the stadium for a month, we were slightly taken aback at the solidity of the new Stock Car fence.

“Supporters may well have seen the pictures that were posted of this new fence on various forums online. Mick Bates was with us for two hours on Friday discussing things and, in his opinion, speedway will only be able to return to Mildenhall Stadium if the following were put in place.

“Firstly, as the current air fence is now no longer robust enough to cover the safety aspects on the bends, a revised air barrier arrangement will be needed. Next, the steel RSJ’s - H section uprights would have to be cushioned. And lastly, a protective foam matting would have to be laid along the top of the concrete wall should a rider go over the fence.”

Progress is already being made to ensure that speedway can return, but Ribbons vowed: “We will, of course, do whatever the Control Bureau says we need to do and, if it cannot be done, it cannot be done.

“We are giving a complete assurance that we will not ever be prepared to have riders go out on a track that is not as safe as we can possibly make it.

“I have already spoken to Champion Products who made the foam barriers at Berwick, Glasgow and King's Lynn speedway tracks who said they could also design a ‘hood’ cover to go over the uprights and a style of matting. Once we have their specification, we will have further talks with the Control Bureau.”