Manchester’s pre-eminence in the sport of speedway has been dealt a blow with liquidator Nick Hancock of UHY Hacker Young confirming that the local club, Belle Vue Speedway Ltd, which previously owned and managed the Belle Vue Aces team, has formally entered liquidation, as has the company running the sport’s new national stadium
The club was originally taken over by Chris Morton and David Gordon in 2006, and traded out of the Belle Vue Greyhound Stadium until they moved to the National Speedway Stadium in 2016. The club is presently held by the British Speedway Promoter’s Association (BSPA) and negotiations are continuing to agree a franchise for Manchester.
In a further announcement, a decision was taken to liquidate the company set up to run and promote the new national speedway stadium in Belle Vue Manchester, B V Arena Ltd (BV).
The £8m arena in Gorton was completed in April 2016, following 10 years of strategic planning with Manchester City Council (MCC). Although there were initial problems with the track which delayed several of the opening meetings, UHY Hacker Young said there is no doubt that the project produced an iconic arena and the best speedway facility in the UK.
The arena went on to host the International Speedway Cup and several other high profile races. After BV’s failure to meet important requirements put in place by the National Speedway Stadium whilst simultaneously accruing significant debt, MCC took the decision not to renew BV’s licence to occupy the stadium at the same time as the BSPA revoked Belle Vue Aces speedway licence resulting in the inevitable liquidation of the companies.
Nick Hancock of UHY Hacker Young said: ‘Chris and David’s mission was to secure the longevity of speedway in the Belle Vue region, so it’s a shame to see their speedway licence revoked. Both the arena and the club are iconic to Manchester, and the construction of a world class stadium was part of an important regeneration project for East Manchester. It was a sad day for speedway fans when the club closed, but it is heartening to know that speedway will remain at the national speedway stadium.’