TonyMac

Thanks Steve. While today's team kevlars bring a uniformity to the sport, it has been at the expense of individuality. Many riders were most easily identified by their leathers and it would be interesting to see how many changed their set from one season to the next in the era when multi-coloured leathers became fashionable. The team was always identified by its racejacket and emblem. If you rode for Belle Vue or Wimbledon, the famous ace of clubs or yellow star said it all, regardless of the design or colour of the leathers riders chose to wear underneath it. Today, all the riders in a team basically look the same.

Steve is referring in his original post to exclusive interviews Backtrack magazine did with Martin Dugard and Gordon Kennett and which are among a number of others reproduced - but with different pictures - in our new Backtracking (Vol 2) book. http://www.retro-speedway.com/page.php?141

A number of riders have, many years later and usually in the pages of Backtrack magazine, admitted to favouring certain individuals to enable them to progress in World Championship rounds. Dave Jessup told us how he helped his King's Lynn team-mate Mike Lee gain a vital point that saw him through the 1980 British semi-final at Sheffield - and oh how that came back to bite DJ on the backside in Gothenburg four months later. And then there are Simmo's book revelations. I read your 1981 OF example with interest - and would love to know of other instances, that may have slipped under the radar, where favours were done.

IT was my great pleasure to spend a few hours interviewing Dave at his home near Poole a couple of years ago. If you didn't read the two-parter in Backtrack (shame on you!), here are just a few entertaining quotes from speedway's best-ever commentator and publicist: ON COMMENTATING FOR ITV SPORT “I was told to be stratospherically over-the-top in my commentaries, because that’s what they wanted.” ON THE SAD DEMISE OF WEST HAM “You may think I’m fantasising here but West Ham could have been the dominant force in British speedway for many years.” ON HIS ACRIMONIOUS DEPARTURE FROM READING “I’ve been portrayed by some as the big city smart arse who went in and squandered the money that belonged to the poor yokel promoters. Dore and Higley came to me in 1980 and begged me to take over. They pleaded with me, because they wanted to stuff Reg Fearman.” “They were shot down in flames, mad and ended up paying me at least double what they should have done in accordance with my contract.” ON MANAGING GARRY MIDDLETON AT OXFORD “He was as daft as a cut snake, just nuts. I got on all right with him right until the end when he said I owed him money. He was a pain in the arse but he suited what we wanted to do there and he had his best-ever season with Oxford that year.” ON COVERING SPEEDWAY FOR THE SUN “Speedway people, bless their hearts, don’t always appreciate what papers like The Sun are looking for. Some would call me up and say: ‘I’ve got a story for you . . . we’re changing our start time from 7.30 to 8’ The Sun wants pile-ups, punch-ups and piss-ups! “I’ll give you a classic example. Just before the 1985 World Team Cup Final at Long Beach, I went to Bruce Penhall, the American team manager, and said we want to do a story. ‘What are you going to be writing about?’ he asked. I said: ‘You’re going to say in print that you’ve told your riders to stay out of the brothels the night before the meeting’. "And he said: ‘Fine – yeah, say it’, because he understood the value of publicity in a paper selling four million copies. "I was always taught to believe, if they are talking about you, they’re taking an interest. If they’re not talking about you, you’re dead.” ON JOINING SON RUSSELL AT WIMBLEDON IN 1988 “I wanted to inject some excitement and make it more of a show. I’ve always thought that speedway should be a fairground of lights and noise, excitement and fun. We had sound effects, fanfares and daft tunes. I got a letter from the Control Board warning me because I once welcomed a very unpopular visiting team manager to Wimbledon with an audio burst of machine gun fire!” ON MAKING MONEY FROM SPEEDWAY “I’ve been lucky. Speedway has been very good to me – I’m one of the few who has made money from it.” RIP, Dave, and thanks for the memories. Tony Mac

1996 is way too recent for me, you'd have to explain...!

Yeah, razor-sharp those bods at the FIM. It only took them years to cotton on to the shenanigans. Rob, I sense a Backtrack piece here.... What must also be taken into account here is ego. How much easier would it have been for Ivan to miss the gate and trail in third at White City anyway? No-one would have questioned it. Instead, he chose to show Thomsen and Jessup, and the watching world, that he had the beating of them before feigning machine failure. Psychological warfare? A plan to gain a more advantageous draw in the final? Or showing off and plain ego? Same could be said from watching the clip from the '88 ICF at Vetlanda. Nielsen clearly didn't NEED to roar off into the lead in the way he did. If finishing second was his plan, would it not have been better to miss the gate and try and pass the rider (placed 2nd) in front of him? But then again, did Hans lack the confidence in himself to pass Erik or Per in that situation, to secure second spot? Or, as Ivan did at White City, was he simply demonstrating his perceived superiority to Erik and Per, by showing them that he COULD win the race as he pleased, before pulling that stunt on the last turn? But neither of these attempted manipulations are comparable to what Hancock did in Melbourne, Bruce Penhall did at White City in '82, Screeny did for Loramski in 2000 and countless others have done in past GPs and, before, under the previous traditional World Championship format. In those incidents, they were doing 'favours' for other riders - not seeking to gain themselves an advantage later down the line.

ISSUE 76 (SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016) PETER COLLINS INTERVIEW Forty years on from his greatest track triumph, winning the 1976 World Final at Katowice, Poland, Peter Collins met up with his former business manager Richard Bott in Manchester to recall a very special shared experience. PC quotes: "I had wanted to be World Champion since I was eight-years-old and to fulfil my dream at 22, in front of 130,000 fans – the biggest-ever crowd for a speedway meeting – was fantastic. Today's Grand Prix riders can't imagine what it was like to race in a one-off World Final in an atmosphere like that." "Poland was a frightening place to go under the old communist regime. I had ridden there before and remember when a soldier with a rifle sat at the end of every row but the Poles loved their speedway and in '76, when there were no Scandinavian riders in the final, thousands of Swedes and Danes sang my name when I won." Plus, how PC conquered the world – a race-by-race review of the thrilling Katowice final. ANOTHER WORLD One of 800 fans who travelled by train to Poland for the 1976 World Final, Tony McDonald recalls the trip of a lifetime behind the Iron Curtain. THAT WAS THE YEAR: 1976 Apart from the heroics of Peter Collins, there were plenty of other hot topics throughout that sizzling summer. Andrew Skeels recalls the Ole Olsen saga, sparkling Diamonds, a new top flight league venue, the four-valve revolution, track tragedy, a very rare England defeat and much more. HACKNEY: 50 MEMORABLE MOMENTS Rob Peasley traces the turbulent history of the East End club that, like the cast of the local long-running TV soap series, experienced drama, delight, triumph and tragedy, and earned a reputation for producing fine racing. Among those who made their mark for the Hawks and Kestrels were: Colin Pratt, Bengt Jansson, Garry Middleton, Barry Thomas, Dag Lovaas, Dave Morton, Keith White, Finn Thomsen, Bo Petersen, Malcolm Simmons, Andy Galvin, Mark Loram, Chris Louis and Steve Schofield. PLACES & FACES with MARTIN ROGERS This time our man is roaming the south, visiting Arena-Essex, Swindon, Poole and Eastbourne, and taking a quick peep at what might have been in Rochester. ROBERT HOLLINGWORTH INTERVIEW No-one knows the British speedway landscape better than Robert Hollingworth. Rob Peasley caught up with the Boston legend who, as we revealed in our previous issue, is the most travelled rider of the Backtrack era. Holly quotes: “There weren’t any tracks I wouldn’t go to. I loved my speedway and I was devoted to it. It would break my heart if I couldn’t go to it. When riders cry off meetings and don’t turn up, I think ‘how could they do that?’ I’d think I should be there – I wanted to be there." “It was the second Blantyre that I didn’t like much. I wasn’t a major fan of the first one, which was a funny shape and had tight turns, but it didn’t ride as heavy as the second one." WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . RUSSELL ETHERINGTON Martin Neal catches up with the former Arena-Essex junior who quit the shale and took up rallycross. RONNIE GENZ TRIBUTE Remembering the former Oxford and Newport star who died of Parkinson's Disease in August 2016, at the age of 86. OPENING TIMES – Rye House 1974 Andrew Skeels with the background story of how defunct Rayleigh Rockets relaunched at Rye House in the spring of 1974 with a challenge match against Canterbury. Ted Hubbard and Pete Wigley, who were on opposign sides on that Sunday afternoon, and Rockets' general manager Peter Thorogood recall the day second division league racing was first staged at the 'garden of speedway'. www.retro-speedway.com

ISSUE 75 (JULY - AUGUST) RONNIE CORREY INTERVIEW One of the most popular and successful Americans in British League, former USA and Wolverhampton star 'Rocket' Ronnie Correy reflects with Rob Peasley on an illustrious career that brought our cover man two FIM gold medals and a league championship. Ronnie quotes: “We all went out the night before and they made sure that I had a few beers and got a bit silly. The next day I was bouncing off the walls and pathetic really." “Between us all, we built up really good crowds. We always went up to the bar afterwards and we associated with the crowd. We would all go up, sign some autographs and have a drink. I picked up sponsors from doing that." “Sam was always very good with his team-mates out on track – he would look out for you. He was also very competitive and wanted to be the best. He wanted to be the No.1 guy and the centre of attention. But if you needed something or something was wrong, he’d been straight in there to help you out." “I was close to fracturing a main artery nerve and had that happened, I would have been paralysed from the waist downwards." ULTIMATE BRITISH TRACK RECORD HOLDER Ever wondered which rider has competed in the highest number of official meetings staged on British tracks since the second world war? So did we. Now, with more than a little help from our friends, Tony McDonald can reveal the winner of this distinguished honour and the five riders who were not far behind him . . . THAT WAS THE YEAR: 1979 Back with another in-depth review of the year, this time Andrew Skeels reflects on the season that resulted in thrilling championship deciders, a sensational World Team Cup victory and tragedies on and off the track. Plus . . . a New Year's honour for Johnnie, Cradley, Hull and Poole sign American newcomers, a new British speedway engine, ITV's three-year deal with the BSPA and SCB, 11,000 at Hyde Road to honour 'Wilkie', new venue for Scunthorpe but problems ahead, Wimbledon set new BL record, broken legs for Heathens pair Erik Gundersen and Steve Bastable, Carter wins U21 title, PC is British champ, World Pairs controversy, takeover at Poole, shock move by Sanders, three fans taken to hospital after being hit by bike, 50,000 see speedway in Cairo, Boulger quits Britain, Boston eye new venue at Cleethorpes but it's the end of the road for Norwich, speedway goes indoors at Wembley and much more . . . PLACES & FACES with MARTIN ROGERS After venturing to the far north in our last issue, our intrepid scribe heads to Wales and the south-west this time, stopping off at Reading, Oxford, Newport, Bristol and Exeter. HULL: 50 MEMORABLE MOMENTS Rob Peasley looks back at the unfashionable East Yorkshire club that attracted multiple world champions, exciting Americans and went close to attaining top flight championship glory. Vikings fans can re-live the Boulevard days of Tony Childs, Dave Mills, Jimmy McMillan, Bobby Beaton, Barry Briggs, Joe Owen, Ivan Mauger, Kelly and Shawn Moran, Dennis Sigalos, etc. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . NEIL COTTON? Martin Neal catches up with the former Peterborough rider whose racing career ended abruptly and painfully three years later at Rye House. OPENING TIMES – Scunthorpe 1971 Returning to his home town, Andrew 'Scunny' Skeels recalls Scunthorpe's opener at Quibell Park with former Saints skipper Pete Wrathall, plus Pete Gay and Rod Haynes. THIS COULD BE THE LAST TIME As a rider’s career winds down, he is faced with the difficult decision of when to retire. Some want to bow out at the top, while others rival Frank Sinatra in their protracted farewells. Doug Nicolson looks at some significant and contrasting curtain calls, including those of Ronnie Moore, Barry Briggs, Ivan Mauger, Eric Boocock, Dave Younghusband, Chris Morton, Charlie Monk, Rob Grant, Steve Lawson, Bruce Penhall, Bill McMillan, Dave Morton, Terry Betts, Chris Pusey, Eric Broadbelt. ON TWO MINUTES WITH . . . GUY ROBSON The former Edinburgh rider tells Martin Neal about being 'addicted' to speedway at Belle Vue, his time with highs and lows with the Monarchs and why problems with the Sheffield promoter hampered his progress with the Tigers. www.retro-speedway.com

Why on earth would you continue to post new threads in a section for a magazine (VSM) which closed in 2008?

We accept that while it's unfortunate and frustrating, it's also inevitable that one or two mistakes and omissions would occur in a feature like this which includes so much detail spanning many years and was put together in such haste. In hindsight, I should have taken more time to check all the facts and shared them with those of you who have contributed for final verification before printing. No matter, what's done is done - we'll make the appropriate amendments and print them in the next issue. So please let me know ASAP if any other changes need to be made... Thanks to all. Thanks for bringing 'Stan the Man' to our attention. Can anyone please verify the Stevens list?

MONK BUSINESS IN our next issue of Classic Speedway we will be looking closely at the career of Charlie Monk and exploring the personality of this somewhat complex character. We will be getting the Australian view of Charlie, now 76, who starred at his local Rowley Park track in Adelaide before becoming a reluctant hero at Glasgow in the 60s. With a bit of luck, we might even be able to prise a few words from the man himself. We'll certainly try! In the meantime, we would like to hear your favourite Charlie Monk stories, so please either post your comments on this forum, or email them to editorial@retro-speedway.com, by October 1, 2016. Thank you.

Again, many thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. We will be going to press with Classic Speedway mag on Monday (Aug 22) and I think we're just about there with the final analysis, although I'd appreciate any observations and late amendments before then. Interestingly, according to the Homes of British Speedway book, it turns out that Ken McKinlay and BOTH Templeton bros rode in meetings at Hamilton (see below). it seems inconceivable that Jimmy Squibb, who lived at Poole, didn't ride in an official meeting at Ringwood, which was right on his doorstep. He surely had a practice spin(s) there, but we're not counting pure practice laps in this feature. It seems odd that Colin Gooddy never rode at Middlesbrough . . . unless someone can prove otherwise....? Anyway, if you can spare the time, please have a read through the copy below, which is set to go in the mag, and see if you agree with these calculations.. Some observations relating to our top eight who appeared at 60-plus circuits: * Jimmy Squibb (Hastings, Hull Heddon, Tamworth and Wombwell), Ken McKinlay (Bothwell and Wigan), Colin Gooddy (Brafield) and George Major (Nelson and Ashington) were the only riders who rode in official meetings at the tracks in brackets. There are a couple of little known and rarely used outposts in there but they still count. The superb Speedway Researcher website, an unrivalled source of info, records that McKinlay scored eight points as captain of the Bothwell Bulls team against the Will Lowther Select in the first-ever speedway meeting at Bothwell Park Farm, Bothwell, near Glasgow, on Saturday, November 26, 1949. The bikes were last heard at this open licence and training site owned by James Gibson in February 1951. McKinlay and both Templeton brothers, from Fife, rode at Hamilton Showgrounds, another track marked out in a field near Glasgow where open events were held annually between 1948-51 and 1953-55. Doug Templeton actually won the Hamilton Cup for a second time at their final meeting on May 14, 1955. Meetings were referred to as 'grass speedway' in the programmes, although riders described the surface as shale. * Barry Thomas is the only one to have ridden at both Milton Keynes venues. In more recent years, he added another track to his tick-list by competing in the veterans' championships at the Lydd circuit in Kent. * George Hunter is the only rider to have ridden at the first two Scunthorpe tracks. Before publishing the complete lists of tracks our top eight rode at, either in team or individual events, here are some points to note. Firstly, we have not taken into account any laps they had at what would be termed purely training tracks, which are virtually impossible to verify. So, unfortunately, Squibb's appearance at the Hamble site, near Southampton, in 1947 is not part of his list, nor is Barry Thomas credited for his practice spins at Reg Luckhurst's Bethersden, Kent facility. Indoor meetings also do not count. However, non-league venues, such as Belfast (Dunmore), Cowdenbeath and Newtongrange, are included in our calculations. Over the years a number of clubs ­– Wimbledon and Ipswich, for example ­– retained the same stadium but altered the size and shape of their track. But for the purpose of this exercise we classify them as one track. The current Rye House track, used for league racing since 1974, is located in a different area of the Hoddesdon site to where the original and bigger Southern Area League circuit used to be. As far as we know, Barry Thomas never rode in an official team event at Iwade . . . but he most certainly completed many laps of the original circuit on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. After all, it was the Hackney legend and his brother Ivor who built the place from scratch in the early 70s, so you might well think that 'Thommo' deserves to have Iwade (now known as Sittingbourne) added to his tally . . . Now for those detailed track-by-track lists: JIMMY SQUIBB 69 Aldershot, Barrow (Holker St), Belle Vue, Berwick (Shielfield Park), Birmingham (Alexander Sports), Birmingham (Perry Barr), Boston, Bradford (Greenfield), Bradford (Odsal), Bristol (Knowle), Canterbury, Cardiff, Coatbridge, Coventry, Cradley Heath, Crayford, Crewe, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Old Meadowbank), Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Fleetwood, Glasgow (Ashfield), Glasgow (White City), Glasgow (Hampden Park), Hackney, Halifax, Harringay, Hastings, Hull Heddon, Hull Boulevard, Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leicester, Liverpool, Long Eaton, Middlesbrough, Motherwell, Neath, New Cross, Newcastle, Newport, Norwich, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Rayleigh, Reading (Tilehurst), Rye House (1), Rye House (2), Scunthorpe (Quibell Park), Sheffield, Southampton, St. Austell, Stoke (Hanley), Stoke (Loomer Rd), Sunderland, Swindon, Tamworth, Walthamstow, Wembley, West Ham, Weymouth, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Wombwell, Workington, Yarmouth. KEN McKINLAY 66 Barrow (Holker St), Belle Vue, Berwick (Shielfield Park), Birmingham (Alexander Sports), Birmingham (Perry Barr), Boston, Bothwell, Bradford (Odsal), Bristol (Knowle), Canterbury, Cardiff, Coatbridge, Coventry, Cradley Heath, Crayford, Crewe, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Old Meadowbank), Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Fleetwood, Glasgow (Ashfield), Glasgow (White City), Glasgow (Hampden Park), Hackney, Halifax, Hamilton, Harringay, Hull (Boulevard), Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leicester, Liverpool, Long Eaton, Middlesbrough, Mildenhall, Motherwell, New Cross, Newcastle, Newport, Norwich, Oxford, Paisley, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Rayleigh, Reading Tilehurst, Rye House (2), Scunthorpe Quibell Park, Sheffield, Southampton, St. Austell, Stoke (Hanley), Stoke (Loomer Rd), Sunderland, Swindon, Walthamstow, Wembley, West Ham, Weymouth, Wigan, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Workington, Yarmouth. GEORGE HUNTER 64 Barrow (Park Rd), Belfast (Dunmore), Belle Vue, Berwick (Shielfield Park), Berwick (Berrington Lough), Birmingham (Perry Barr), Boston, Bradford (Greenfield), Bradford (Odsal), Bristol (Knowle), Bristol (Eastville), Canterbury, Coatbridge, Coventry, Cowdenbeath, Cradley Heath, Crayford, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Old Meadowbank), Edinburgh (Powderhall), Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Glasgow (White City), Glasgow (Hampden Park, Glasgow (Blantyre), Glasgow (Craighead Park), Hackney, Halifax, Hull (Boulevard), Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leicester, Liverpool, Long Eaton, Middlesbrough, Mildenhall, Milton Keynes (Groveway), Motherwell, Newcastle, Newport, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Rayleigh, Reading (Tilehurst), Reading (Smallmead), Rye House (2), Scunthorpe (Quibell Park), Scunthorpe (Ashby Ville), Sheffield, St. Austell, Stoke (Hanley), Stoke (Loomer Road), Sunderland, Swindon, Wembley, West Ham, Weymouth, White City (London), Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Workington, Yarmouth. WILLIE TEMPLETON 62 Barrow (Holker St), Barrow (Park Road), Belle Vue, Berwick (Shielfield Park), Birmingham (Perry Barr), Boston, Bradford (Greenfield), Bradford (Odsal), Bristol (Knowle), Canterbury, Coatbridge, Coventry, Cowdenbeath, Cradley Heath, Crayford, Crewe, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Old Meadowbank), Edinburgh (Powderhall), Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Glasgow (White City), Glasgow (Hampden Park), Glasgow (Blantyre), Hackney, Halifax, Hamilton, Hull (Boulevard), King's Lynn, Leicester, Liverpool, Long Eaton, Middlesbrough, Mildenhall, Milton Keynes (Groveway), Motherwell, Neath, New Cross, Newcastle, Newport, Newtongrange, Oxford, Paisley, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Rayleigh, Reading (Tilehurst), Rye House (2), Scunthorpe (Quibell Park), Sheffield, St. Austell, Stoke (Hanley), Stoke (Loomer Rd), Sunderland, Swindon, Wembley, West Ham, Weymouth, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Workington. DOUG TEMPLETON 61 Barrow (Holker St), Belfast (Dunmore), Belle Vue, Berwick (Shielfield Park), Birmingham (Perry Barr), Boston, Bradford (Greenfield), Bradford (Odsal), Bristol (Knowle), Canterbury, Coatbridge, Coventry, Cowdenbeath, Cradley Heath, Crewe, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Old Meadowbank), Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Glasgow (Ashfield), Glasgow (White City), Glasgow (Hampden Park), Hackney, Halifax, Hamilton, Hull (Boulevard), Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leicester, Liverpool, Long Eaton, Middlesbrough, Motherwell, Neath, New Cross, Newcastle, Newport, Newtongrange, Norwich, Oxford, Paisley, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Rayleigh, Reading (Tilehurst), Scunthorpe (Quibell Park), Sheffield, Southampton, St. Austell, Stoke (Hanley), Stoke (Loomer Rd), Sunderland, Swindon, Wembley, West Ham, Weymouth, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Workington, Yarmouth. GEORGE MAJOR 61 Aldershot, Ashington, Barrow (Holker St), Belle Vue, Berwick (Shielfield Park), Birmingham (Perry Barr), Boston, Bradford (Odsal), Bristol (Knowle), California, Canterbury, Coatbridge, Coventry, Cradley Heath, Crayford, Crewe, Doncaster, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Old Meadowbank), Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Glasgow (White City), Glasgow (Hampden Park), Hackney, Halifax, Hull (Boulevard), Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leicester, Long Eaton, Middlesbrough, Neath, Nelson, New Cross, Newcastle, Newport, Norwich, Oxford, Paisley, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Rayleigh, Ringwood, Rochdale, Romford, Rye House (2), Scunthorpe (Quibell Park), Sheffield, Southampton, St. Austell, Stoke (Hanley), Stoke (Loomer Rd), Sunderland, Swindon, West Ham, Weymouth, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Workington, Yarmouth. COLIN GOODDY 60 Aldershot, Belle Vue, Berwick (Shielfield Park), Birmingham (Perry Barr), Boston, Bradford (Odsal), Brafield, Bristol (Knowle), Bristol (Eastville), California, Canterbury, Coatbridge, Coventry, Cradley Heath, Crayford, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Old Meadowbank), Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Glasgow (White City), Glasgow (Hampden Park), Glasgow (Blantyre), Hackney, Halifax, Harringay, Hull (Boulevard), Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leicester, Long Eaton, Mildenhall, Motherwell, New Cross, Newcastle, Newport, Norwich, Oxford, Peterborough, Poole, Rayleigh, Reading (Tilehurst), Reading (Smallmead), Ringwood, Rye House (1), Rye House (2), Scunthorpe Quibell Park, Sheffield, Southampton, St. Austell, Stoke (Hanley), Stoke (Loomer Rd), Swindon, Wembley, West Ham, Weymouth, White City (London), Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Workington, Yarmouth. BARRY THOMAS 60 Arena-Essex, Barrow (Park Rd), Belle Vue, Berwick (Shielfield Park), Berwick (Berrington Lough), Birmingham (Perry Barr), Birmingham (Bordesley Green), Boston, Bradford (Odsal), Bristol (Eastville), Canterbury, Coatbridge, Coventry, Cradley Heath, Crayford, Crewe, Doncaster, Eastbourne, Edinburgh (Powderhall), Ellesmere Port, Exeter, Glasgow (Hampden Park), Glasgow (Blantyre), Glasgow (Craighead Park), Glasgow (Shawfield), Hackney, Halifax, Hull (Boulevard), Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leicester, Long Eaton, Lydd, Middlesbrough, Mildenhall, Milton Keynes (Groveway), Milton Keynes (Elfield Park), Newcastle, Newport, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Rayleigh, Reading (Tilehurst), Reading (Smallmead), Rochdale, Romford, Rye House (2), Scunthorpe (Ashby Ville), Sheffield, Stoke (Loomer Rd), Swindon, Wembley, West Ham, Weymouth, White City (London), Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Workington. Other names whom you might have expected to figure prominently in our research (with their track totals in brackets) are: Bob Coles (59), Gordon Kennett (59), Les Collins (58), Tony Featherstone (58), Arthur Price (58), Reg Wilson (58), Doug Wyer (58), Jim McMillan (57), Eric Broadbelt (56), Brian Collins (55), Graham Drury (55), Laurie Etheridge (55), John Harrhy (55), Roger Johns (55), Mick Handley (53), Steve Lawson (53), Tom Leadbitter (53), Geoff Pusey (53), Alan Sage (53), Bobby Beaton (52), Bert Harkins (52), Malcolm Simmons (51). Two former World Champions, Peter Collins (47) and Ivan Mauger (45), were not far short of the half-century barrier. Cheers, Tony Mac PS - As the recognised time-scale for Classic mag is the pre-70s, we have included above only those whose careers began before 1970, hence the omission of Robert Hollingworth, who will though be mentioned earlier in the published piece.

Many thanks, BL65, for such a lengthy and detailed response.

Can anyone please help - BL65, this should be right up your street! - by confirming where and when the deciding leg of the 1965 Golden Helmet match-race between Barry Briggs and Nigel Boocock WOULD have been staged if it had been needed? We know that Briggo beat Booey 2-1 in the 1st leg at Glasgow on Aug 13. And that Briggo also won the 2nd leg 2-1 at Hackney on Aug 27. So, obviously, no deciding 3rd leg was required. But had it been, where and when would it have taken place? A strange question, but we need the answer to fill a gap on a little chart we'll be running in the next issue of Classic Speedway magazine. Thank you.

We regard Ipswich as one track. Same applies to Wimbledon, where, I think, the track length and shape altered at least three times in Dons' history. More good work, thanks. We will include Bothwell for Ken in an update that will appear in our next issue of Backtrack, and also in the feature that will appear in the next issue of Classic Speedway mag that will have more of an earlier post-war slant.

Brilliant work! One best pairs meeting at Cardiff - what a find! Many thanks.

Thanks, but how did you confirm Wigan, St. Austell, Cardiff, Harringay & Plymouth, as they were not listed in Mac's testimonial prog, which detailed his pts scored against all teams, home & away, from 1949-75? Were they challenge match or individual. or second half apps? Cheers.

Does anyone estimate that Ken McKinlay and/or Reg Luckhurst would be in with a sniff of 50+ venues?

Many thanks, BL65, compost and all who have contributed to this and for indulging me. Am I right in thinking we should increase Jimmy Squibb's tally to 69....? He rode at TWO of Birmingham's Perry Barr tracks: Alexander Sports Stadium (50s) and at the greyhound stadium (August 19, 1974).

I just wish someone could tell me how on earth I can confirm what tracks Jimmy Squibb rode at between 1947 and 1950 (inc), his first Southampton spell, info which is not yet available on the excellent Speedway Researcher website.

What do you all think about including training tracks in the list? Dave Allan has confirmed that Les Collins rode at Linlithgow when it was just a training venue and we know for sure that Barry Thomas and Malcolm Simmons also both rode at Iwade (Thommo and his brother Ivor built the place!), but these were mere solo practice sessions and not official, licenced meetings. Also, some of those who do feature in the top 25 will possibly have had unofficial laps at other training sites, including the old one in the north-east at Felton. And who can prove which riders had laps at the original, bigger Rye House training track, which was a major training centre in the 40s, 50s and early 60s? For this reason I don't believe they should be included in the definitive list, but mentioned as a footnote. Ivan Mauger is another whose list needs to be thoroughly checked, because it would be easy for some venues to slip through the net. While it's true that his spell of riding third division for Eastbourne in the late 50s and Newcastle at Provincial League level in 1963 and '64 was brief, Ivan appeared at a number of second tier tracks in the BL2/National League era, riding in match-races and testimonials.

Thanks, Rob, for kindly agreeing to check out Rob Hollingworth's full appearance list, to add to the excellent work Dave Allan has already put in. As well as his spell with Wolverhampton, Robert also rode more than 30 top flight matches for Coventry spread across two seasons, 1980-81. Is Alan Mogridge, who rode for 18 different teams and had a very long career, also a possible contender? I'm going to check out where Ken McKinlay stands in the post-war UK track appearance rankings.

We're working on issue 75 now. Our main interview will be with our cover man, former USA & Wolves star RONNIE CORREY. We've got Q&As with unsung riders GUY ROBSON and NEIL COTTON. Martin Rogers continues his track tour by venturing down to the south-west, stopping off at Exeter, Bristol, Newport, Reading and Oxford. The focus of our '50 Memorable Moments' this time is . . . Hull. Opening Times looks back at the first meeting held at Scunthorpe in 1971. The year under review is 1979 - a particularly memorable one for Ivan Mauger and his fellow Kiwis. Coventry and Mildenhall were league champions.

Like most visiting riders, Simmo admitted he had a phobia about Exeter, but he conquered that fear when he joined Poole and had very good meetings there for the Pirates. He did hate Bristol and Newport. His book sold out in paperback many years ago but we updated and extended it last year and it can be bought and downloaded from Amazon for just £4.99 if you are a Kindle user... https://www.amazon.co.uk/SIMMO-Whole-Truth-Malcolm-Simmons-ebook/dp/B0149H2FSY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466884522&sr=8-1&keywords=Simmo%3A+The+Whole+Truth