Last nail in Cats' coffin as track is dug up (From Dorset Echo)

Last nail in Cats' coffin as track is dug up

8:40am Saturday 19th November 2011 in Speedway By Adam Summers

END OF THE LINE: The Wessex Raceway is dug up

IT appears the death knell has sounded in Harold Doonan’s quest to revive the Weymouth Wildcats.

Just six days after hosting ‘an end of an era party’ at the Bob Lucas Stadium, the local businessman watched on with sadness yesterday when the club’s former track at Radipole Lane was dug up, effectively ending all hopes of a return.

Doonan told Echosport: “Speedway appears to have gone. They are down there now digging everything up.

“They obviously want to diminish Weymouth Speedway forever and a day.

“We have tried everything we can to keep it going.

“We have written loads and loads of letters but got nothing from it.

“We sent five by recorded delivery to the directors of Morgan Sindall, who own the land, but did not get a reply until eight weeks’ later when they just sent through a standardised reply with three lines on it, which they had not even bothered to personally sign.

“The council are not coming up with anything either so I guess that is it – Weymouth has lost another amenity.

“It really is a crying shame particularly when the eyes of the world will be on the town next year with the Olympic sailing events coming here.

“All we need is five or six acres of ground, so you would think there would be something somewhere the council could rent out to us, but sadly it appears that is not the case.”