Stadium to no longer host motor racing after 60 years

A sports stadium in East Sussex has suddenly stopped hosting motor racing after more than 60 years.

Eric Dugard, joint owner of Arlington Stadium in Hailsham, said the decision had been due to "ongoing serious infrastructure problems which directly influence the health and safety of both the public and competitors".

Promotors, Spedeworth Motorsports, said they were "extremely disappointed" to have been told on Friday of the stadium's decision to halt future racing events.

They added that drivers and racing fans alike have been flocking to the venue's oval-shaped track for decades, with the latest meet having been as recent as Thursday night.

Dugard said that having already spent more than £250,000 in recent years overhauling the venue's electrics and extending its car parking facilities, "a considerable number of areas" also required improvement in order for the 2026 racing season to proceed.

He said that following meetings with structural engineers from East Sussex County Council, numerous issues had "quite rightly" been pointed out, as befitting "a rural stadium that's been built upon and patched-up over decades".

Chief among those issues, Dugard added, was the replacing of a 600m wire mesh fence that runs around the perimeter of the track and stops any debris thrown up from hitting spectators.

He explained that the venue's insurance would not cover "a serious accident occurring" on site while a substitute had not been sourced.

"Just to address these problems would take many months and entail a huge cost, which would make the stadium's future as a motor sport venue unrealistic as a viable business," said Dugard.

Having primarily hosted spectator motorsports at the venue, including stock car racing and motorcycle speedway, he added that he and its other owners are currently "looking at what other events we can put on" and "evaluating where we go from here".

A spokesperson for Spedeworth Motorsports said it was "extremely disappointed" by the decision, "not only as a business, but as real fans of the venue".

"We have decades of memories there and were hoping to create plenty more in the years to come."

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, X, and on Instagram and listen to BBC Radio Sussex on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.