The relaunch of the Workington Comets was another boost for the town’s sporting profile and has already earned plenty of praise for how the promoters Andrew Bain and Steve Lawson have turned Northside into a special venue.
James Denham is the man put in charge of team affairs so it was a natural step to invite him to be the guest this week.
With the name Denham, the sports of cricket and speedway come to mind. Have you been involved in cricket as well as speedway and how did the interest in both evolve?
I first went to speedway in 1999 when it was reopened by Tony Mole and Ian Thomas. My dad took me to the first meeting that year and we never missed a home meeting for many years.
Both my parents were fans in the 70s and 80s so they both got me hooked from the age of four. My dad and great uncle then got involved in sponsoring Stoney and Peter Karlsson which then led to spending time close to them.
We then travelled away to support the team once my sisters were a little older and I would travel to some closer meetings with Peter and his mechanic Graeme Hogg, meeting my family there.
I was lucky enough to get this opportunity from such a young age and these days were special as most fans will agree with, especially with the amount of travelling supporters we had which was probably down to the presence of Stoney. He was something special and will always be a legend in West Cumbria.
On the cricket front, my family have been heavily involved with Cockermouth Cricket Club for over 100 years. My granda played for many years and was a bowler and played week in week out. He is president and groundsman for the club and Sandair is now named after him for his dedication to the club.
My grandma and him bought me some gear when I was 13, which was about five sizes too big so it would last but I started at junior level that year.
I met the Pyke family, who were involved with Braithwaite Cricket Club, as Jason is one of my best mates. I ended up playing midweek cricket with the Braithwaite Colts and then a few third team games for Cockermouth.
I wouldn’t miss any speedway so I couldn’t commit to weekends. I did, however, start playing for Braithwaite once speedway closed at Derwent Park and would open the bowling most weekends in the Eden Valley League. This was all thanks to the Pykes (Gilbert, Dan and Jason) and the current captain Lee Zaninetti.
I am sure I will make an outing at some point this year when speedway allows.
How old were you when you started spending time in the pits and what were the things you did to help riders with their gear?
I first started helping Joe Haines fuel up back in 2008 when I was 15. He was someone who was a year older than me so his dad got me involved.
The next season I ended up more involved with helping Richard Lawson in his first full season in the sport. I ended up learning so much from his dad Steve in the workshop and in the pits. I used to end up washing the bikes in the rain at Bank End Farm while Steve and Richard stayed dry in the workshop.
I gained so much knowledge from Steve in these years and we had some fantastic trips together and watched Richard progress into the Comets number one after a couple of seasons.
I then went on to assist a great bunch of riders like Mason Campton and Ashley Morris and helped-out Dan Bewley abroad when Steve was tied up with his track curator work in 2018. Somehow, I am back working with Steve in a different capacity alongside Andrew.
What were your earliest memories of watching speedway and what were your thoughts on the riders of the time?
I remember watching Stoney back in 1999 from the second bend were I was propped up by my dad on the hand rail. Stoney was too good for the Premier League and could go a full Bank Holiday weekend unbeaten.
Stoney, alongside Peter Karlsson in 2000 and 2001 team riding in matched race suits and bike cover, also comes to mind. Peter was a stylish rider, especially for his height and was in that team that won the Four Team Tournament.
That particular meeting was probably the most memorable for me, with Stoney rescuing us in a run-off to get into the final and Rusty Harrison running a lap for an ice lolly. I do think these were the best days in the sport and bring the best memories for me.
Have you ever thought of being a rider and have you had a try at the sport in any way – motoX even?
I did always want to be a rider as a youngster like other kids my age. I had a PW80 which I used to ride at a sand quarry on a week-end but that’s all my dad would let me have. I did have a blast last year on the new track for the first time and enjoyed it. I felt fast but video footage disagrees!
These riders are a different breed and hats off to them for what they do.
You were probably the youngest team manager in the sport when you stood in for Tony Jackson. How did you feel when asked this time round and what are the biggest challenges in the role?
Well I was 19 when I first managed Workington at Ipswich in 2012, as Tony was unavailable. It was quite daunting as all the riders were older than me and probably thought what does this guy know, especially with three guests in the line-up.
This time I was honoured when Andrew asked me, but I have known him a while as he is Chloe, my girlfriend’s step-dad. We have been around tracks together and I had been helping at the track when we were demolishing the old training track.
The biggest challenge is getting the fixtures sorted, ensuring riders are available. The National Development League is a lot easier than the other leagues as all the riders are based here in the UK. The team spirit is one of the best I have seen so that makes my life a lot easier and we have a great laugh along the way.
How much of an input did you have in signing the seven riders we started the season with?
Andrew did a lot of the legwork as he had quite a few riders approach him in the winter. We ran ideas past each other and we were able to get a team who all wanted to ride for us.
We had to disappoint a few riders along the way but it’s a numbers game and we operate to a budget that we set out in the winter. Four of the riders (Elliot, Harry, Sam and Luke) all rode together back in the juniors and it is great to see them all in the same team, enjoying their racing with each other.
Connor was a deal we set up first, a proper number one we needed, just like Stoney was back in the day and he has shown that so far.
Ace has been fantastic and his dad Theo brings a lot to the team with his vast amount of experience. Luke Crang was the final piece of the jigsaw, bringing us leadership and is keen to improve his start to the season.
It’s a perfect blend of different riders and they are all keen to succeed this season.
What are your ambitions as team manager in this first season back on track?
Our focus is to finish in the top two as these are the play-off positions for the title. The league title is then a two-meeting battle and the winner takes it all.
We obviously want some silverware for everyone involved in the club as well as the fans. The team knows what they need to do and it will all come down to August when we have six meetings.
The track has proven to offer great racing for the fans and will only get better once we get some cooler weather and moisture into the surface.
Racing at Northside has been well received by the fans. How would you like to see the site developed further to encourage support?
The foundations of the site are now complete and the team are always looking to improve the facilities. The seats are now in which offer an even better view than the standing areas and we may put some more in during the year.
We would like to get some larger events as Andrew has ensured everything meets FIM standards which would be a fantastic thing to see in West Cumbria. We are looking at putting on some more family entertainment for the kids as it is not all about it just being a speedway meeting but we want to try and make it a show.
We also have a mini track going in so we can offer some kids an opportunity to try speedway and who knows, we may be able to produce some home grown talent as we have a significant amount of talented Cumbrian riders.
Why do you think speedway seems to struggle with clubs closing down or continually living on the edge?
Speedway has struggled over the last few years because it isn’t cheap to promote. Clubs who don’t own their own stadium do tend to struggle with rent and are also restricted to what they can do to develop the tracks.
We are very lucky what we have at Northside and it is excellent to see what can be done for British Speedway.
The price of everything has been inflated and clubs are suffering due to this. Clubs need to keep admission prices as low as possible which is what our intent has been this season. Riders are wanting more money to cover their costs which are significant and the higher leagues in the UK have to compete with Poland which offer riders a big contracts to race there.
Something has to give or the sport will fade away. It has been recognised what we have done this year and it does offer some hope to other clubs, who we do hope stay in the sport for years to come.
You organise a special meeting to close the season and it’s against a former Comets team currently riding who would you choose?
Wouldn’t it be great to hold a special meeting to sign-off the season. I know Andrew does have plans to try and do something at the end of the season and get a few riders from the higher leagues an opportunity to race at the new track. It would be great to get some old faces back from Derwent Park.
The former Comets team I would choose would be:
- Dan Bewley
- Rene Bach
- Craig Cook
- Rasmus Jensen
- Richard Lawson
- Peter Kildemand
- Charles Wright
And the team manager would be the one and only Carl Stonehewer.
