Godfrey clarifies call-off

SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey has clarified the circumstances that caused the meeting tonight (Friday) at the Eddie Wright Raceway between the Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions and Newcastle Diamonds to be called off, due to a waterlogged track.

The meeting was called off at around 2.30pm, when Godfrey and his track staff realised that they were fighting a losing battle.

Godfrey states: “It was something I’ve never known happen here before, and we are in our 14th season at the Eddie Wright Raceway. The moisture was coming back up through the track.

“We were pumping the water away from the surface, but as soon as we did that, the water was then rising back through the track.

“I know some fans are a bit mystified, because it hasn’t rained on the day of the meeting, and therefore they would expect us to pump the water away and get on with a speedway meeting, especially as we have a reputation for being able to get meetings on.

“But it did rain heavily yesterday (Thursday) and, of course, we’ve had our most miserable winter of recent times – our amateur schedule was decimated during the winter months.

“The ground has just become completely saturated, and that is the problem. No matter what we did the track stayed waterlogged.

“It’s a bit different to every other rain-off we’ve had. The lack of wind, the low ambient temperature and the mist didn’t help either, but the main thing was the water coming back up through the track.”

Godfrey is relived that better weather seems to lie ahead.

He adds: “Fortunately, we seem to have a very good week of weather ahead of us, with sunshine and rising temperatures, and it should eradicate the problem, ahead of the visit of Sheffield at the Eddie Wright Raceway next Friday (April 20).

“And then we should be back to normal. If it rains ahead of a meeting, we’ll simply be able to pump off the water and get on with it.”

* HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are next due in action at Newcastle on Sunday evening, with Lewis Kerr due to guest for the injured Steve Worrall.