ECHO rider of the year James Cockle has blasted outgoing chairman Phil Bartlett for not being up front about the Weymouth Wildcats’ financial problems.

Cockle, along with several of the club’s other riders, are still owed wages and have been told by the promoter to contact the sport’s governing body, the BSPA, where a bond is in place to cover the shortfall.

The Wessex Raceway was repossessed on Monday due to a failure to pay the rent, which has put the future of speedway in Weymouth in serious doubt.

Cockle, who claims he has been trying to contact Bartlett for several days, said: “I am writing a letter to the speedway control board and I have spoken to the other riders, who are also owed money.

“Phil said he would pay us at the end of season presentation evening but halfway through the night he disappeared.

“If it was pay for just one meeting it would not bother me as much but I am owed money for approximately three of four, and that adds up to a fair amount.

“The other thing that upsets me is that Phil actually called me up a couple of days before the presentation evening and said that as I have been with him at the club for a few years now, he sees me as a friend rather than just a work colleague.

“How dare he say that and then just completely write me off.

“Riding is part of my livelihood and because of that I have been living without money, which is completely unfair.”

When asked about the club’s failure to pay Cockle, Bartlett told Echosport: “It is true that James has not been paid but a contingency is in place at the BSPA and he needs to contact them, along with the other riders. There is a bond in place for them to fall back on.”

Bartlett went on to add: “With everything that has been going on, would you have wanted to speak to James about it?

“I know I should have done and I am very sorry for that but I have been busy and ill, and have hardly had the time to phone anyone.”

Despite reported interest from a potential buyer – understood to be Matchams Leisure Park’s Craig Robin-son – Bartlett believes speedway is “not viable in the town” in the current climate and has since backed up that statement with statistics.

He said: “We were paying £35,000 in rent, which included £27,000 to Wessex Delivery Partnership LLP for the lease of the land, and £8,000 to Weymouth FC for the use of their facilities.

“In order to break even we needed around 500 to 600 people coming through the gate every week and that was clearly not happening. We were not even getting those sorts of crowds when we won the Conference League in 2008.”

As well as having the track repossessed, the club has also had to return its licence to the BSPA. Bartlett added: “Again this is for non-payment despite the fact the BSPA have owed me money for two years, whereas I owe them six months’ money.”

All the off-season training session dates at the club have naturally been cancelled but Cockle is still holding out hope that speedway will survive in the town.

He said: “Hopefully someone will come in and take the club on. I have loved representing Weymouth and it really is a brilliant place to ride.”