January 2006
The new year begins in England. The deal for the Wimbledon safety fence is done with Dingle Brown, and with many thanks to our great friend Steve Ribbons for the loan of a lorry, it is taken from Essex to our forwarders in Birmingham, Insight Freight Services.
January 11th and Dan and Russ fly back to Spain, to meet Dan’s family who arrive later that evening.
3 days time should have been our grand opening meeting until the powers that be here intervened.
During their stay, Karen, Mick, Becca and Adam are treated to a complete soaking when the boys go to a new tyre supplier in Vera, armed with an artic borrowed from Jonathon Taylor (with much thanks) and proceed to load it, not once, but twice (as the curtains would not close!), with almost 1500 car tyres that were completely full of water from sitting outside the depot. Lucky Them!!
The promise that ended 2005 continued into 2006 as our paperwork is whisked through the system at our Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) courtesy of the Mayor and heads down to the Diputacion of Andalucia for publication.
The safety fence arrives on the 16th, so at least work can begin on cleaning, repairing and preparing it for painting.
Several visits to the appropriate website shows no publication of our application for licences. Investigation into this finds that there is a problem at Almeria (the diputacion), though what it is we cannot get to the bottom of.
January 25th, the day we have waited for for a long time, our appearance on BBC1’s ‘Living In The Sun’! We are extremely pleased with how the show came over. Great feedback from friends, family and colleagues. Disappointingly, some negative feedback appears on the British Speedway Forum website, you can obviously only please some people some of the time, etc!!
A freak thunderstorm floods the track and Russ and Dan spend most of a day pumping some 30,000 litres of water off the bends, water that has to be pumped away and wasted as our own water deposit is not yet in place for storage.
Our close friend Peter Stockdale flies out to the boys to catch up on what progress has been made since his visit in November.
Dan and Russ troop off to Almeria as the month comes to an end to deliver a letter to the Carreteras (Highways Dept) in reply to one we received stating their concerns for traffic flows and access points to the site amongst other things, thinking that when we open we will be attracting crowds of tens of thousands, wishful thinking maybe but certainly not a concern for the immediate future.
Quotes continue to come in for our building work as likewise does the tyre collecting for the secondary safety barrier. Some 4500 tyres are required to complete this section of the project.
As the month ends, still no light can be shed on why the applications are still not advertised and more time goes by wasted.

February 2006
February begins with more rain, 2nd, 4th and 5th , the latter lasting for the whole day! Perhaps they are tears from above as our struggle to proceed goes on, then again probably just our bad luck. If we didn’t have bad luck I don’t think we’d have any luck at all!!
Despite this the tyre collecting continues, a new collection point in Cuevas de Almanzora provides us with a real shot in the arm as one of our leaflets is pinned up on the wall of the garage and three of the lads working there wish to come and learn how to ride once we are open.
Fence preparation also continues, it arrived as it left the Plough Lane stadium in October, shale laden and wet. Russ and Dan go through every panel checking for damage major or minor, sorting and cleaning ready for painting to begin once the appropriate paint has been chosen.
Still more negative and personally offensive feedback is left on the Speedway Forum site following the TV show. Russ composes and posts a lengthy reply addressing all the comments made which receives many messages of thanks, support and condemnation of these few armchair idiots that obviously have far too much time on their hands and really need to get out in the real world more often.
Claire arrives in Spain for a well earned break from work in the UK. Laura Taylor begins work on translating the website into Spanish. A mixture of unavailability and problems our end has prevented us from undertaking this task until now.
Some good news at last, our project of Actuation (intent) is now back from the College of Architects fully stamped and we are able to collect and deliver to the Carrateras in Almeria. We also receive the number from the Town Hall against which we have to pay for our publication on the government website. Two major steps forward in two days gives us a real boost.
As all things come in threes we are pleased to hear from Buster Chapman saying that the Stadiums old PA system is now down and ready for us to collect. Could this be the turning of the corner we wonder?
With no signs of the weather letting up Dan and Russ head north to Torrevieja to Russ’s dads where a Saturday afternoon skid on a public car park in town draws some very interested (and a few bemused) spectators!! Several ex-speedway fans had heard the familiar sound and come to see what was occurring and were excited to hear of what we are trying to achieve.
A test paint using acrylic based paints proves unsuccessful as coverage and quantity of use is poor, so, as emulsions do not exist here we have turned our eyes to sourcing paint back in the UK to bring out on the second lorry in April.
As the month draws to a close still no sign of the publication on the BOP government website, it has been two weeks since we received our project number and paid our fee and yet still we haven’t been listed. More rain puts the track underwater for the third time, despite numerous locals telling us that this very uncharacteristic and hasn’t happened for many many years, we start to think ‘oh great, so why now then’?????

March 2006
March begins on a very positive and much needed note, Bart Toppets, who we have been working closely with for the last few months since the stop order receives news from the Diputacion that our publication will go live on Monday 6th. It has to be online for twenty working days to give anyone who objects to the project chance to do so in writing. To get to this stage we have had the project passed by our Town Hall and passed by the Diputacion itself which came as a surprise as we had been led to believe that this would happen only if we came through the publication without complaint. Therefore our eyes are now firmly fixed on Friday March 31st as the day our time is up and another major step forward achieved (fingers crossed !).
Another returnee arrives at camp, Heather Smith, our best friend visits for a long weekend and is gobsmacked at the transformation since she came last. Wasting no time the boys get her on tyre duty, many hands as they say!!
Thursday 9th sees Dan and Russ return to England. This time is for us to move out of the house we have been renting for the last three years and prepare all our personal effects for shipping to Spain as well as collecting all the outstanding bits and pieces that didn’t make the first lorry, ie PA System, kit store furnishings etc along with the balance of the bikes, racewear and bike spares.
Thanks to Buster we source some excellent paint locally in Kings Lynn to take back with us. Without his, son Jonathans and his team at Kings Lynn’s help, advice and support we certainly would not be in the strong position we are to go forward once our Licences are sorted.
Two weeks into our web stint we have it confirmed from the Town Hall that no opposition has been received so far, this good news is tempered however when we are informed by friends that our mobile home has been broken into by smashing a window. Thankfully nothing was taken as the boys had the foresight to empty it completely before they returned, for once foresight actually beats hindsight, result!!!
The month ends with no advice of any objections, we arrange a meeting with the Mayor to hopefully obtain his temporary permission to recommence work for April 11th, could this be what we’ve waited so long for at last?

April 2006
We receive confirmation from the Town Hall that no objections have been received and look excitedly to the meeting with Mayor Collado.
The return to Spain via road is delayed due to availability problems of the lorry that is to pull our second trailer to the circuit. The sailing is put back first one week then two before finally it is all systems go on Wednesday 5th and Russ along with co-driver and lorry owner Steve Ribbons leave Welwyn Garden City at 5am bound for Plymouth to catch the ferry to Santander. Safe crossing and a sixteen hour drive across Spain sees the rest of our worldly possessions ‘home’ at Camp Russell, as its now been christened by the locals!!! (not sure about that at all!)
The return journey with just the unit is thankfully as uneventful as the trip down, likewise the crossing and Steve and Russ dock in Plymouth as Bart meets with the Mayor back in Huercal Overa.
The news however is not good as the situation is that the Town Hall are waiting on an Inferme (confirmation of acceptance) from the Diputacion. The Mayor says this will take approximately three weeks to come through thus meaning yet another month goes by wasted. Not only that, once received the project as a whole has to go before the commission at the Ayuntamiento before we get the go-ahead.
The rollercoaster ride continues, with the goalposts being moved almost on a weekly basis and once again the light at the end of the tunnel fades.
Easter saturday, Dan and Russ fly back to Spain, joined the following day by Mick and Adam, (dad & bro).
A weeks flat out painting is planned, however this is dashed by some heavy ‘april showers’, the worst of which leaves the track once again 40,000 litres of water.
Once the kerb is completed and the track brought up to its final height such downpours will cease to be a problem as the water will run off the surface and over the kerb into the drainage gulleys behind it where it will be pumped out of collection tanks at the apex’s of the bends. Being put on stop halfway through installing the system has left us vulnerable to such weather and created a lot of work removing the water from the circuit as well as having to dispose of it as we have no storage facility in place apart from a couple of local underground deposits that are already full.
Eventually work starts on painting the fence. This too doesn’t come without problems as the paint doesn’t take well and coverage is poor. The boys experiment with standard plastica exterior paint as a primer on the aged and weathered panels and this proves successful, even though it now means twice as much work this has to be the way forward.
Russ’s daughter Lauren arrives for a week bringing fantastic weather with her. Real progress is made on the fence front along with numerous tyre collections.
We are still waiting on three quotes for the changing/workshop complex, so far only two have been returned so obviously we are more like England here than we first thought!
As month four of 2006 and our sixth month since we were put on stop draws to a close we still await the paperwork from Diputacion and our chances of being up and running at the end of July now look as good as dead and buried.

May 2006
May begins with a bombshell. Our neighbouring Bar/Restaurant Annabels is taken over by our very good friends Jane Clark and son Jason. The depth of the trouble that previous leasees (and not owners as they told everyone) John and Terry Williams is beyond belief. We look back over meetings with the pair and although very grateful for their help when we had our own problems we now feel very lucky not to have become embroiled in their web of deceit and mismanagement. With practically none of their suppliers being paid, almost all of the staff owed wages, some running into four figures! and a fictitious break-in all inside five months of opening they walk away to take up residence at the site of their next scam, another bar / restuarant on the playa in nearby Mojacar, (bizarrely enough bad luck must follow the pair as yet another break-in occurs at their new place!!!!!!!!!!). This establishment, some 500 metres from us was always going to be the jewel in our crown and a reciprocating partnership made in heaven, but as each day passed once Jane had taken over more and more problems came to light, culminating on Bank Holiday Monday when a lorry arrived on Williams’s behalf and proceeded to more or less gut the complete building, kitchen and full air conditioning the lot. We watched in disbelief as one of Williams’s employees proceeded to even remove the toilet roll holders from the cubicles. Perhaps along with the fixtures and fittings the atmosphere that always hung over the place during their tenure would finally be lifted and the place could come to life and reach its full potential for both our friends and ourselves once we are able to take our own customers.
On the Circuito front daughter Lauren returns to England as Claire and Russ’s cousin Mark arrive. Claire is lucky (or not whichever your perspective) to witness the devastation that the rain brings. As we finally clear the flooding that began as they arrived a further heavier and longer downpour ensues. This time the damage is catastrophic. On turns 1 and 2 the water stretches some eleven metres across the fifteen metre wide bend and upon Claire wading in to what will be the kerb line we find that the water is some two foot six inches deep !! Two days later we are able to get on track with the bowser and we remove 80,000 litres (18,000 gallons) of water that we once again have to blow away down the rambla. Mark returns to England disappointed that he’s not been able to help more but this is just testament to all that we’ve had to contend with.
Painting continues and the finished panels are looking good but with 180 to do its gonna be a time consuming job.
Another major disaster occurs for us when whilst up in town at Torrevieja, Russ’s wallet containing all his credit cards and his driving licence is stolen from Claire’s bag.
Claire returns to England after a week still unable to take in the magnitude of what she has witnessed. Tyre collecting continues as it is the one job the boys are able to continue doing despite the rain.
Two weeks into May and six weeks after we came off the Diputacion website, we still have no confirmation paperwork (informe). Telephone calls looking into this come to nothing as our Town Hall don’t know which department in Almeria is dealing with the project so the wait goes on.
We start work preparing the centre of the track for seeding. Weeds and stones are removed ready for the surface to be harrowed ready for the seed. Five thousand square metres of ground is prepared and the final few lumps bumps and dips are removed and filled. English Council type grass seed has been imported and should withstand the extreme conditions that will be experienced at the circuit.
We receive good press in the Speedway Star regarding our flooding problems, Andrew Skeels and Peter Oakes have both been fantastically supportive of our project to which we are eternally grateful.
Another boost is confirmation of our first booking. A ten strong party from Leicester will be with us in October for a stag weekend, fulfilling the groom-to-be’s lifelong ambition to ride a speedway bike.
Into the second half of the month and the temperatures reach the 100’s, a high of 106^o is reached just days before the boys return to England on 31st for the Grand Prix in Cardiff, for what may be the last time for some while.
Wednesday 24th and yet another bombshell. Annabels is to close as Jane and Jasons valiant attempt to salvage the bar/restaurant from the depths it found itself in under the Williams’s management finally proves too much. It is a sad sad day allround as smallminded people such as the building owner and the utility services call time.
The last week of the month is a positive one thankfully. Brilliant news from England is that our chosen production company and the rider of our choice have agreed to assist us in the making of a promotional video for the business. Filming will hopefully take place at the end of June. Our utmost thanks to those concerned.
The boys finish preparing the centre green to be (or centre brown as it is now!) ready for sowing upon there return.
A meeting is arranged with the mayor as the situation is nearing a dangerous level. We have been on stop now for over six months and our funds are dwindling by the day. To go forward now will involve borrowing money and upon discussions between Claire, Russ and Dan the whole project could easily become a damage limitation exercise if the current situation persists for much longer. Meeting day comes and Alicia, from the Town Halls’ planning department informs Russ that the long awaited Informe has left Almeria en route to the Ayuntamiento and should arrive within a few days. In this electronic age this seems baffling but we go with it. True enough, two days later we have confirmation that it has arrived and as this report goes live Bart Toppets our tireless assistant will collect this and meet with the Mayor tomorrow, June 1st to see if he can give the go ahead to continue work.

June 2006
YET ANOTHER MONTH goes by and although some progress is made we still have nothing concrete and in black & white to allow us to continue work at the circuit. We finished last month with Bart meeting Mayor Collado at the Town Hall, from this meeting we are informed that we must attend to the amendments (of which one is that the project that Juan Garcia Parra eventually produced for us was never signed by him, thus making it incomplete!!!) required by the Diputacion, return the project and physical business plan to them and obtain a certificate of posting from the Post Office. This certificate we can then take to the Mayor and he should (yes, heard it before!!!) give us his permission to resume work while our actual Licences are produced. The big bonus on the Informe is that the Diputacion have given us there complete backing for the activity to take place at the site we have chosen. This is a major major boost for us as there can now be no objection to our project, as our Town Hall and the public raised no objection therefore giving our regional Government the final say. Things are at last looking up we hope.
While all this is taking place Russ returns to England for meetings arranged at Cardiff pre-Grand Prix. He travels to the Stadium on Thursday 1st for two of these meetings with people involved in the organisation and running of the GPs. Taking measurements of the track at the Millenium Stadium it comes to light that our own circuit is just two metres shorter overall than the GP track, however ours has 2 metre wider bends. The shape is more or less identical, with the only major difference being that ours will have the maximum permitted banking according to FIM specification whereas Cardiff is only slightly banked. Russ also speaks at length with track curator Colin Meredith who offers his assistance should we need it. Many thanks Colin for that. Friday sees a trip to Peterboro for a new passport for Russ or he wont be going back to Spain as his expires on Sunday 4th.
Saturday 3rd, the big day arrives at last. Claire, Russ and best friend Hev make the early trip down to Wales for Russ to attend another important meeting. The three meetings all have very very positive outcomes and make the whole trip back more than worthwhile. Also chats with numerous people in the pits show us that people are taking us seriously with what we are trying to achieve, as well as receiving many enquiries into track availability in the new year.
Russ returns to Spain minus Dan who stays behind to attend a family anniversary party, (taste that rainbow Adam/Dan!!!) however he is joined by ‘Stockybabes’, Pete Stockdale, who runs the Amatuer Broadsiders Club in England. This is Petes third visit and unfortunately very little has changed at the site since he was last there due to the problems we have been encountering. Claire works on the Business Plan required by the Diputacion, basically this is due to the fact that what we are doing is brand new to the country and no preset rules and regulations exist therefore we have to do a very detailed plan of how we intend to operate and what we intend to do with the track with regard to training, hiring it out and hosting meetings. They also want to know what we are going to charge for this and how much we are going to turnover/make !!! Like we can possibly have any idea on this as there are so many factors involved before we get to that stage, primarily the fact that only when everything is finally in place we will get an inspection from our Federation, through who we will pay our insurances.
Russ and Pete start on the final weeding of the centre brown. The recent rain and high temperatures have led to a growing frenzy. Nearing completion of this Russ is told that it is now too late to sow the grass seed as the watering required would not prove viable and it would be better to wait till late October/early November when the temperature cools. (Will we ever get a break ?????)
Pete returns to the UK but Dans return to Spain is delayed through illness for another week. Russ receives a surprise visit from the Coleman family. Holidaying near Alicante, former rider Steve, his wife and sister-in-law make the trip down to the circuit. Their son Lee, of Coventry fame in eighties/nineties has recently aquired a machine and both are interested in getting back into the saddle. Really good of them to come down to see us and we are extremely grateful for their comments and encouragement.
The 22nd sees Claire arrive for the weekend. With the Business Plan now translated we check with Bart to see where we go from here. It takes a week to find out that we do not need to post this to Almeria, just present it to the Town Hall. We do this and obtain an appointment for a meeting with the Mayor on July 5th.
While Claire is at the site they are able to load the large generator into the van to take for repair following its breakdown the previous week. Running on the back up generator is sufficient for the basics in the mobile home however it does not have the power to run the air conditioning. This generator is to also soon to fail and they are forced to borrow one from car racer friend David Hardwick. That just about sums our luck up and numerous attempts to find the problem with the back up ‘genny’ come to nothing. June 27th and Claire and Russ are at the Notary in Puerto Lumbreras to sign for the re-mortgage that will release the cash needed to proceed with the project. This was an avenue that was the last thing we wanted to have to do but being on stop for what is now over seven months has taken its toll on the finances of the project and we are left with no other option. On the plus side, one of the people we see at the Notary is a top local motocross/enduro rider who is really excited about what we are doing and vows to helps us with publicity as much as he possibly can as well as being a definite for training.
Dan arrives the day Claire returns to England in disbelief at the generator situation, only for things to take a turn for the worse as the borrowed ‘genny’ coughs and splutters to a terminal halt !!!! Words just do not do justice to the feeling at camp. It would seem that we are jinxed, only just too stupid to see it perhaps!!! Thankfully, our friend and neighbour Ian Waine, motor and motorsport mechanic extraordinaire coaxes our back up ‘genny’ back to life so at least the boys can see, eat and wash, wow, luxury or what!!!!!!
The day after her return Claire is at the Isle of Wight to meet up with Ken Burnett of T2TV and Sheffields Emiliano Sanchez to oversee the filming of our promotional video. Kens expertise in this field made his company our first choice for this formed out of our friendship that evolved during Russ’s time at Rye House in 2000/1. Emiliano, a fluent Spanish speaking Argentinian rider currently performing well in the Premier League was also a natural choice, as to give our soon to be Spanish trainees someone to relate to as they enter the world of speedway.
As the month draws to a close, our SEVENTH whole month on stop we kiss goodbye to any hopes of a September opening for training, so our eyes now turn to October and the date for our opening/invitational meeting now looking at early December. This meeting will be essential to our survival as an awareness exercise to introduce the sport to the Spanish and plans are already ongoing for this as we go to print. All we can do now is cross absolutely everything for the meeting with the mayor on the 5th and hope and prey that he gives the boys the go ahead they so desperately crave. They are chomping at the bit for the 5am starts, long siestas and late late finishes that the project will now demand if we are E V E R to achieve our objectives and not end up olive picking on the land that surrounds us !!

July 2006
Having presented all the paperwork at the Town Hall we begin July eagerly awaiting some news on our licenses. Problems with the generators on site continue with our main generator away for repair. The boys are getting by on their small back-up generator for lighting and water pump only. When the back-up genny fails too, they are forced to borrow one from good friend and touring car racer David Hardwick. What a vital role to he is to play in the project is not yet apparent but soon will be. Within days this generator fails too, to the disbelief of the boys. Can things keep going wrong we wonder? To their delight, the main generator returns, only for joy (and air conditioning) to turn to despair as it fails once again, running but producing no power. David’s goes in for repair at the same time and thankfully another friend, mechanic and road racer Ian Waine coax’s the back-up generator back into life once again. Two days later this one fails again and the boys are left with no alternative, as the July temperatures begin to rise, but to go and purchase a new, second back up generator.
On a lighter note, Russ is able to let off some steam with a skid out on beach land at nearby Villaricos. The site, recommended by David, is where the legendry Creamfields music festival is held in August every year. With enough room to house a Coventry, a Peterborough and a Kings Lynn for good measure, Russ plays to his hearts content! (see gallery). While huge Coventry Speedway fan, David takes his first ride on a proper speedway bike. He bought a grass track bike some while ago to play on, not knowing that some ‘idiots’ were going to build him a proper track just 30 minutes from his home!!
With Bart’s help, we organise a crisis meeting with the mayor to find out what the state of play is. July 9th and we meet Alcalde (Mayor) Colado.
The bottom has finally fallen out of our hopes and it looks dangerously like its game over. At the same time our very good friend Ales Dryml is seriously hurt racing for Oxford in the UK and feelings are seriously muted in the camp. We hang on to news updates on Ales, who, along with his brother Lukas have played a major role in supporting us and helping us stockpiling race wear for the school.
Temperatures hit 125^o on site, thankfully on this occasion not interrupting the boys work schedule, as there isn’t one!!
Again, through our lifeline, Bart Toppets, we meet a technical engineer and friend of his, Ricardo Marin. He takes all our paperwork and says he will have a look into it and make some calls to see what he can do. In the meantime, we receive numerous calls of dismay, disbelief and support, willing us to overcome this hurdle and it is so difficult to explain the gravity of the situation for us. With the budget spent and the calendar now dramatically against us with a view to being operational for pre-season practice.
On a bitter/sweet note, we receive a call from the UK offering to buy the safety fence we purchased from Wimbledon! Almost signalling the beginning of the end we agree a deal for us to refurbish it, ready for shipping back to the UK should we finally pull the plug on the project.
News on Ales is positive as he starts on a miracle recovery from very serious head injuries, maybe, just maybe miracles do actually happen, could this also be the case for us? The positivity continues, we go with David to Guadix circuit near Granada for a test day. We meet his friends and circuit owner Clive Greenhaugh. He pledges his support to the project and offers his help in any way possible, this could be vital should it come to dealing with the Motorcycle Federation in Seville, if we ever get up and running.
July 17th, work begins on painting the fence. The paint that we brought over from the UK is not good enough to cover what we have to work on so the decision is taken to undercoat all panels back and front before top coating.
Claire arrives on site for the weekend for crisis talks and to put in a place a time scale for us to feasibly work to where the need for the paperwork is concerned. She is impressed with what the boys have achieved with the fence.
Bart is in talks with the Carrateras (highways department) and they tell him that the project is being looked at and that we should have a signed informe some time in the near future. We find this strange as the whole of Spain is in the process of grinding to a halt for its summer break, August and the beginning of September!! The month ends with the first visit to our local hospital. Awaking Sunday morning to the sound of gunfire, Russ goes to investigate only to find a hunter near the track. The site has signs up forbidding hunting on the land and after insisting that the unwanted visitor leave immediately, a scuffle breaks out when the gun is used to threaten Russ. The scuffle ends, Russ with a broken hand and the hunter unconscious. The trip to hospital results in an operation to reset the break and a plaster cast for six weeks.

August 2006
Spain closes for its annual holiday and bizarrely the pressure is temporarily lifted at camp as the boys realise nothing will happen for at least the next five weeks.
Despite being in plaster, fence painting continues. Good progress is being made thanks to the boys methodical work systems. Each panel receives first a white undercoat, and two yellow 2pack top coats.
As the temperature continues day in day out into the 40’s a major break though occurs in camp as Dan ventures out in shorts!! (after eleven months)
As if a sign from the gods, heavy rain halts the painting progress and once again floods the unfinished track.
News from Bart is that Ricardo has received approval from the Medio Ambiente, which we find strange as apparently everywhere is closed. Still no joy with the Carretaras despite Bart being told that the informe is sat on the boss’s desk ready for signing. He continues to ring every day in the hope that becoming a nuisance will get the form signed to get us off their case. Painting resumes, as the temperature once again hits the 50’s.
August 18th, the day before the boys return to England and the painting of the existing 150 panels is complete.
The trip back to the UK sees Russ celebrate his 40th birthday and have an operation to plate and reconstruct his hand.

September 2006
The month begins with the boys still in the UK. While Dan catches up with his brother Adam’s progress riding for the Stoke Spitfires in the Conference League, Russ returns to hospital due to problems with his stitches. Another minor op finally removes them but sees him back in plaster for another two weeks, this delays his return to Spain but enables him to attend the funeral of the father of Claire and his best friend.
Russ’s daughter Lauren returns to the site with the boys for her second visit to the Circuito.
First day back and a catch-up meeting with Ricardo. He is very positive about the progress. He has completed the project and it has been countersigned by to Collegio where he studied and qualified. It has been presented to all the Departments that have a say in the outcome of our project. He has also visited the Department of Sport (deportes) in Almeria and spoken to the Federation in Seville to see what information they require for us to open should we be successful. Only time will tell now and although encouraged by this news we have been in a similar situation before and don’t want to count our chickens just yet. The pressures both financial and time wise will only allow us to wait indefinitely for so long as our need to be open, up and running looms ever closer.
Torrential rain returns with a huge storm, delaying progress on the fence although the boys are able to re-fit the mesh to the newly painted panels and start stripping down the severely damaged panels they have left.
A meeting with our friend David Hardwick, owner of a successful car sales business close by sees him profess his undying support to what we are trying to achieve and offers his assistance with any publicity and marketing that we need to do.
With the bulk of the safety fence now completely painted work starts on the finishing touches although not all can be undertaken as the fence could well end up on its way back to a new circuit back in England.
The seriously damaged panels are stripped back to usable pieces and rebuilt. Most require new kickboards replacing those that had been damaged at Wimbledon. In hindsight, with the amount of work it has taken to get the sadly neglected fence up to scratch it may well have been easier for us to start from scratch with new materials but with an edge of sentimentality involved as Russ was part of the team that re-opened Wimbledon in 2002 it seemed like a great chance for the legacy of such an incredible achievement to live on following Ian Perkins’ Dons being evicted from Plough Lane at the end of the 2005 season.
Another month of waiting ends with absolutely no news whatsoever on our applications, a disappointment that has become a regular occurrence since we were halted in our tracks back in November last year. Russ returns to England briefly to have his cast removed and is discharged while the whole project moves into its final month of viability, and our grip on the slim hope of turning all the hold-ups and heartache around becomes weaker and weaker.

October 2006
October begins with Russ in England for appointments at Hospital and with a Barrister in London. The latter is due to the three years since an accident he was involved in and injured approaching and the court date of December 1st being set to settle the claim. Although an out of court settlement may still be possible it looks very much like a trip back to Manchester is likely in a couple of months. Dan stays in Spain and is helping David out at the showroom and preparing the Costa Coches website.
A meeting with Ricardo on the 5th resolves that the project is currently with Deportes in Almeria. This we find baffling as when Russ and Bart visited earlier in the year they were told that that Department of the Government has no interest in us until we actually are a sport and up and running. They assured us of their help and support once this was achieved but until then they cannot help us. Ricardo cannot shed any light on this either so the waiting continues. The concerns are now growing as our deadline grows ever closer.
Claire flys out on the 11th for a catch up on progress. She is impressed with how good the fence panels are looking and immediately starts work on refurbishing some of the sign-written panels on the rear of the fence.
The boys start work on prepping the posts that are going to support the safety fence. These have to be chamferred on the corners to allow them to slide into the pipe sections that will be set in the concrete (eventually we hope !) The monthly trip to Albox to see if our main generator has been repaired as it has been away now over 5 months !!! Its not and as we always say "welcome to Spain"!!!!!!!!
Another trip to Vera to see Ricardo as we cannot contact him by phone. Not only is he not around but worse still, his wife Viembe has left her job and this was our only point of physical contact for them so now we are even more stuffed than i thought we could ever be. A thousand and one telephone calls and still no joy. All hearts at camp sink into despair, just when we were starting to make progress we take yet another huge kick in the proverbials !! The guy at Viembe´s office says they have gone away but Ricardo should be back at the end of the following week, at least thats something to go on.
Russ returns to the office the following Thursday, no sign. Back again that evening (everywhere shuts at 8 o´clock here) still no sign. He visits again Friday lunchtime, guess what, yep, no sign, so as not to tick the guy off anymore Russ leaves a note for Ricardo to contact him urgently upon his return. Bart too tries to contact Ricardo but to no avail. He tells us that from the conversations he has had with him he knows how urgent and important this is to us, but this is no comfort as he has apparently disappeared off the face of the earth.
Some light relief as we all treck off to Guadix, near Granada to watch David in his last race off the season. He drives superbly and finishes high up the order, boding well for next season.
Claire returns to the UK while Dans Dad Mick and Granddad Terry fly in to drive the van they purchased here back to England. Dan returns with them as he is experiencing problems with one of his eyes and needs to get it checked out. They leave on the 25th and have a good journey back despite an early scare that was thankfully soon sorted with Dan using his Spanish brilliantly and getting the van back on the road inside an hour or so, top man !!
Still no joy contacting Ricardo, a visit to the office on the Wednesday following Russ leaving the note sees that he hasn´t been seen, this really does just get better and better for us !!!!
Russ starts painting the fence posts as the fence is now complete. As the final day of the month arrives and we reach our deadline for needing to have something concrete to work on, out of sheer desperation Russ once again treks down to Vera with the faint hope of catching up with our elusive engineer. We never thought for one minute that we´d have to stalk him but we´ve been left with no choice. Russ sits in wait at one of his frequent haunts, but four hours and far too many orange juices later is set to call it a day. Before leaving he visits the small mall that houses Viembe´s ex-workplace just to see if they have seen them. Turning the corner and passing the Cafe opposite the office he finds, low and behold our man!!!!
Russ recalls that he doesn´t know who was in more shock! A long and very apologetic conversation later Ricardo tells him that they have been all over Europe sourcing jewellery for their new shop and that we´ve had no feedback whatsoever from anyone concerned with the project. He promises that he will get on the case and that the following week he, Bart and Russ should go to Deportes in Almeria and try to assertain what the problem is with the project and what we need to do to move it on.
In just a few weeks time we will have been on stop a whole year and as much as we expected problems along the way none of us could have imagined that it was all going to go so horribly wrong and we would end up on the verge of financial breaking point along with some serious sanity issues.
Devastation hits the camp as Russ receives a call from David Hardwick to say that his Admin lady who had become a major contributary to the businesses success had been killed in a car crash with her husband. As if we weren´t low enough this is gutting however after talking with David we agree that it puts our problems into a bit of perspective.

November 2006
November begins with Bank Holiday Wednesday, and why shouldn´t it!
Post painting continues although intermittent rain slows progress at times.
Along with the rain gale force winds hit the site. Our portable 20´x 10´outside storage building is lifted into the air and tossed forty feet across the garden landing in a twisted mess next to Russ´s van. The structure is ruined beyond further use and left him with a lot of stuff exposed to the elements that now had to be rehoused elsewhere.
Claire arrives on the 4th following the loss of her and Russ´s dog following an operation. Things just seem to be going from bad to worse and both agree that the sooner this awful year is over the better. They hold crisis talks regarding where the project goes from here, unfortunately with Dan still in the UK they can only discuss to a certain point as everyones views are of paramount importance.
During Claires stay at the site they discover that once again that its been hit by thieves. A water pump that had been used for pumping floodwater from the track and over twenty heavy duty batteries had been stolen.
Painting of the fences posts is completed while Claire begins on refurbishing some of the advertisments on the back of the fence panels in an attempt to attract new clients if we ever get up and running.
Waking up on the morning of the 6th they find the site once again under water. Very heavy overnight rain has already began flooding the track and continues throughout the day and into the night. In nearby Huercal Overa the flooding is serious and many roads cannot be seen as the water is up over the kerbs. The freak weather that we have experienced this year is documented in one of the local papers saying that so far in 2006 we have experienced over 1000% more rain already than in the whole of 2005.
When the rain finally relents they begin the clean up operation, pumping no less than 115,000 litres of water off of the first/second bend alone, this is a massive 23 bowser loads of water that has to be pumped away down the nearby Rambla (dry river bed) at the back of the site as their is nowhere to store it on site. Thats almost five hundred Euros worth of water going to waste.
The day of our supposed trip to Almeria comes and goes and we hear nothing, however a call the following day tells us that Ricardo is in Almeria speaking with Deportes and then visiting Carrateras to try and explain why the hole that we dug for the original water deposit has not yet been filled back in as we had received notification that if this wasn´t done within ten days of the advice letter then we would be liable to a fine of between 193.88 and 193,880-00 Euros, try and work that one out !!!!!!! He will feed back to Bart that night and we can then go from there. We receive no call and the following day Bart tries continually to contact Ricardo but to no avail and another week slips by.
Friday the 10th and we make the trip North to Benissa, near Benidorm for the latest Speedway Amigos luncheon. It is very well attended, guests including Ove Fundin, Split Waterman, Bobby Croombs and Dan Forsberg to name but a few. We receive massive support from all concerned and all are devastated at how terribly badly things have gone for us. Later that night Claire and Russ meet up with one of Russ´s old Southern Track Riders sparring partners, Ian Leverington and his partner who are paying a flying visit to their holiday home just a few miles from Russ´s Dads.
The following week begins with Claire and Russ visiting Vera once again. No sign of life at the new shop so they leave a note expressing concerns at the lack of contact and request an urgent call. Five days later and on the way to Almeria Airport for Claires return to the UK a visit to the shop sees the note still laying on the floor. Concern grows once again as expected.
One of C and R´s closest friend Heather Smith flys in for the weekend and is amazed at the transformation since her last visit in March.
Claire returns on the 22nd. Two days later and two weeks since we were supposed to receive a feedback call from Ricardo they finally track him down at the shop. Ricardo and Viembe had had to return to Paris and Scotland regarding stock for the shop! He shows us the completed project on his computer and we have to admit it looks impressive and details a lot more than we actually need to get up and running but will be worthwhile getting approved now so that we can invest and improve at our leisure without having to reaply for bits and pieces. Along with this he tells us that we now have the respective okays from the other parties concerned so all he has to do is print and bind the eight copies we need and we can present at the Town Hall and maybe, just maybe received our provisional go ahead Licence (however, chicken counting is not high on our list of priorities!!!!) He tells them that he will print everything off over the weekend for us to present on the Monday. This comes and goes, likewise Tuesday and another visit to the shop on Wednesday sees no sign of life! We finally catch up with him on the Thursday only to find that he has been unable to remove his printer from his wifes ex-office and apologises profusely, which we have to take as genuine considering that in the eighteen months that we´ve been on this nobody has ever apologised for anything!!! Our problem now is that he is also flat out in the shop as it is due to open on the Saturday night and as it stood at that moment in time it was a painted shell with a fitter putting up some shelves, oh for a sixty minute makeover!!
Once again and as seems to always be the case other situations batter what we are trying to do and as much as we appreciate all that Ricardo has done for us so far we can´t help feeling a little bit let down bearing in mind that he actually took the project on because he was so disgusted at how badly we had been treated, however, we also have to consider that right up until now he has not asked for a penny from us and said from the word go he will only do so upon delivery of everything we need.
As yet another month draws to a close any hope of being open for business in time to attract riders for pre-season practice is all but finished so big decisions have to be made once again as to wether the project can still be viable when missing out on that injection of funds to see us through the summer. Saturday 30th and the shop opens spectacularly and now all we can do is hope and pray that Ricardos best intentions will now be focused on us and we can get the project presented to the Town Hall before Christmas spirit takes hold.

December 2006
The first week of December following the opening of Viembe´s shop contains surprise surprise yet more Bank Holidays, this time Wednesday and Friday !!
(Don´t ask !!!) Having heard nothing Russ takes a trip down to see him on the Thursday, only to find still no sign of the printer! Russ explains that he feels we must present without fail the following week as following that it is Christmas week and nobody is going to be bothered about anything at work as it will be rapidly approaching party time! He assures us he will do his utmost to make that happen.
Russ flys back to UK for some emergency dental treatment and returns to the site less than 48 hours later to find that thieves have struck yet again.
The site is easy pickings as we have been unable to install a security fence and this time it´s large rolls of fencing used for the safety fence that are stolen. With storage space very limited we can only secure the rest of the stuff to a certain extent and with a pair of bolt cutters they were able to remove things at will. News travels fast locally and along with the tyre marks and sets of footprints left behind it has the hallmarks of a visit from a gang that are actively being sought following numerous other raids in the area. Indeed, within a week news filters through that the they had been caught and were gypsies from nearby Puerto Lumbreras.
Claire arrives once again for Christmas and New Year to find Russ at rock bottom following the fourth robbery. Although closer now than the project has ever been to seeing fruition he declares that that was the final straw and he does not want continue. Fears for his own safety, sanity and more worryingly, being on site alone, is the possibility of actually catching someone in the act of trying to steal from us and that coupled with all the knocks we have taken during this journey he cannot guarantee that he will not react without thought or remorse and inflict extremely serious damage on the person or persons concerned. They discuss this at length and speak to other people closely involved with the project and eventually decide that we will see the paperwork side of the project through so that its in place and then decide further wether we all need to take a break from the whole thing and return at a later date or wether to press on, hopefully with Dan´s return.
The all important week comes and goes and still no project. The following Monday (15th) Bart receives a call to say that Ricardo is just putting the finishing touches to the project and we can present. Maybe we will be able to salvage something from this dire year after all?
Wednesday 20th and Claire and Russ visit Ricardo once more. He completes a copy of the project there and then as every page of every copy has to be signed by him. Plans are made to present the following morning and although knowing that nothing will be done between then and Christmas at least it is with the right person and in the right place.
The following day Ricardo and Russ go to the Town Hall to present the project only to find that Merche who has been dealing with us is now on annual leave until January 2nd!! Aaaaaaaaaaargh, this was exactly what Russ feared and with this now realised a complete line can be drawn under the year 2006 and it can officially be titled the worst year ever for those closely involved with the bold idea that was to be Motospeedway España !!!
Even the slight chance of some mental therapy that would have been getting to ride the track on Christmas Day (because he could!!) dissappears due to the severe damage that the recent rain has made to the current surface.
Claire and Russ see the year of damnation out helping David, Sue and Bart at the showroom and collecting new cars and likewise a very enjoyable Christmas Day.
New year sees one of Claire´s best friends Morag Inglis arrive for the weekend, hopefully bringing a bounty of good luck and better fortune, and with every single one of the twelve grapes that traditionally have to be eaten with the bongs of the new years arrival a month of the year gone by becomes a distant memory wiping the slate clean for a fresh start which who knows, may, just may see the first ever Motospeedway Academia student don his or her riding kit and take to the track. Furthermore in years to come when the Spanish national team line up for their first ever World Cup Final appearance we may just be in a position to tweak the nose of the black year 2006 and laugh in its face,as then, despite everything it threw in our path we overcame it albeit just at times, but nonetheless we will have succeeded where many thought we wouldn´t and had already labelled us as wannabees who had a good idea but never quite pulled it off. So as we move into 2007 to all those who have stuck by us we thankyou, your support has been overwhelming and has indeed on numerous occasions been the one light that has kept us going in the darkness. The future IS bright and although it used to be orange, we feel that is now very firmly red and yellow.
Thankyou all once again and here´s to the new year from Claire, Russ, Dan and myself.