The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
£28,000 down to £3,000 is fine by us
Heavy financial penalties which put the future of Panthers under threat have been overturned on appeal.
The city club were hit with a £28,000 fine by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB) after allowing number one Jack Holder to miss three meetings to race for Polish giants Torun.
Panthers were also ordered to offer free admission to their first home league meeting of 2018 and that was also revoked - something which would have led to five-figure losses in ad- dition to the fine.
And owner Ged Rathbone had his British Speedway Promoters’ Association (BSPA) licence suspended as part of the saga which rocked the sport last summer.
But the fine and admission ruling were both revoked at an Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) appeal last Thursday. Panthers were instead fined £1,000 for each meeting Holder missed (the SGB Championship Forus and two away league fixtures) in line with the sport’s rules.
Once that much reduced fine is fully paid, Rathbone will become an active promoter again.
A statement issued by the ACU revealed: “Gerard Rathbone, co-promoter of Peterborough Panthers Speedway, attended a Court of Enquiry held at ACU House on Thursday, November 30.
“Mr Rathbone was appealing a decision made by the Speedway Control Bureau to impose a £28,000 fine on him/ the Peterborough promotion as a result of Jack Holder being released by the club to compete in Polish League events when he was selected to ride for Peterborough over the same period.
“The Speedway Control Bureau also decided that the Peterborough promotion must stage their first league fixture of the 2018 season with free admission.
“After hearing all the evidence and reading the correspondence made available to them, the court members decided that both penalties imposed be revoked.
“Instead Mr Rathbone must pay a penalty of £1,000 for each of the meetings that Holder missed – the SGB Championship Fours and league fixtures against Newcastle and Scunthorpe.
“The court members also stated that on full settlement of the penalties imposed above, that Mr Rathbone’s promoter’s licence be reinstated.”
Rathbone is naturally delighted with the outcome of the ACU appeal, but is anxious to leave the matter behind now.
He said: “It has been a torrid few months for myself and our supporters.
“We’re obviously very pleased the appeal found in our favour and the focus is now on the future.
“Our team is quickly taking shape for next season and the goal is to try to make 2018 even more successful than 2017.”
The role of BSPA vicechairman Rob Godfrey, on whose advice Rathbone claimed to have acted, in the Holder saga is still being investigated.