TonyMac

It would take exhaustive research to prove the facts, but just wondering which rider has appeared at the most UK tracks, spanning all eras? Off the top of my head, Simmo would have to be right up there. Think I counted that he rode on at least 50 different Provincial League, National League (Div 1), British League and National League (Div 2) venues. Ivan Mauger's Provincial League days with Newcastle in the early 60s would push him well ahead of fellow superstars such as Briggo, Fundin and Olsen whose racing days were confined to the top flight. Riders who rode in both BL1 and BL2, and went on to have long careers, will come into the reckoning, too. Thinking of the likes of John Louis and Dave Jessup, who started out when there were a lot more tracks in business. They both rode at Romford, where Simmo never did. Joe Owen and Steve Lawson also covered a lot of tracks. I wonder if there is a statto supremo out there who has the definitive answer?

Am I wrong in remembering that Garry Middleton used to do a fair bit of tape-nudging in his time at Hackney?

Thanks - keep 'em coming!

No article could! Agree, Ian Paterson's unrivalled collection is absolutely brilliant and we'd strongly urge every speedway fan to try and visit.

Don't take it personally! Doesn't this apply to just about all of us - certainly the case if you are aged 40+ and most of your speedway was once confined to London.

Our feature includes some interesting additional details and facts that Reg omitted from his book, including attendance figures. Spot on, Steve. As a kid of about 11/12, I loved nothing more than to manoeuvre into position beside the pits at Hackney and Rayleigh and watch the riders warming up their bikes before the meeting... and then hanging around there during the meeting to watch some of the skirmishes and rows between riders. promoters and team managers that followed some heated on-track incidents. Or just simply listening to instructions given to riders by promoters and TMs. It was captivating. It was a great chance to catch an early glimpse of your favourites before they appeared on track in their helmets. You'd be thinking things like, 'would a colourful new set of leathers be unveiled?' 'Is so and so using a new bike tonight?' 'Look, he's finally upgraded from two-valve to four!' etc, etc . . . It definitely added to the entertainment factor and heightened my sense of awe at these brave men and their machines. The noise and the smell of the Castrol R during the warming-up process was a big part of the magical experience of going to speedway. And as soon as the engines died down, there was that golden chance to thrust your programme or a photo through a gap in the fence to get riders' autographs. You might occasionally offer words of encouragement or commiserations... this close proximity to the riders enabled young fans to feel really close to what was happening behind the scenes. For a year or so at Romford, fans would gather on a wooden bridge (what would Health & Safety have made of that!) which provided a good view overlooking the pits. Didn't they have a more sturdy bridge above the pits at Coventry too? Remember in 1974, when Simmo met John Louis in the Golden Helmet, the two riders and their mechanics were congregated on the centre green before and after each race, instead of being in their normal places in the pits. Don't know if the experiment was ever repeated - probably stopped for safety/insurance reasons... I will ask our Backtrack columnist Martin Rogers to try and confirm.

ISSUE 73 is out now and includes... JOE SCREEN INTERVIEW Former British and World Under-21 Champion Joe Screen looks back with Rob Peasley on the early years of his illustrious career that began with Belle Vue at the end of the Backtrack era. Joe quotes: "It was 99 per cent sure that I was going to Hackney in 1989. But PC told me he wanted me to ride for Belle Vue. He matched the Hackney deal and then some and said he’d take me under his wing. I realised it was too good to turn down." “Shawn went out of his way to help me. I remember going to Swindon for the junior KO Cup final. Shawn lent me everything for that meeting. He lent me his bikes and his mechanic and told me: ‘There you go, there’s my bikes, go and ride them’." “Allan and Bobby Ham were so professional. I’d been used to dealing with John Perrin in a portakabin while he was effing and jeffing. The Ham brothers would take you out to a restaurant and make sure that you felt comfortable." THAT WAS THE YEAR: 1973 Continuing our regular new series revisiting years gone by, Andrew Skeels looks back at exciting times when British speedway was back page news for the tabloids and a booming sport found its way into millions of homes. Highlights included the Daily Mirror International Tournament, unforgettable deciding match-races between Peter Collins and Anders Michanek, a first British League title for Reading, KO Cup glory for Belle Vue, Boston's double, Jerzy Szczakiel's sensational World Final victory, Great Britain's third consecutive World Team Cup triumph, Ivan Mauger's transfer to Exeter after another winter Rider Control saga, not to mention Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon! PLACES & FACES with MARTIN ROGERS Our intrepid scribe ventures to four former second tier venues and a brief open licence track. Join Martin on his stopping off points at Crewe, Long Eaton, Scunthorpe, Stoke and Castleford. BOSTON: 50 MEMORABLE MOMENTS Rob Peasley recalls how the Barracudas' went from being double-winning big fish in the second tier to extinction in 17 years. Our journey through the New Hammond Beck Road era includes the giant-killing of BL1 Hackney and features old favourites Arthur Price, Jack Bywater, Carl Glover, Russ Osborne, Ray Bales, Tony Featherstone, Rob Hollingworth, David Gagen, Michael Lee, Gary Guglielmi, Steve Lomas, Steve Regeling, Kevin Jolly, Darcy Ward, Cyril Crane and many more . . . WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . BARRY DUKE Injury curtailed Barry's career in the mid-70s, so it's ironic that the former Weymouth, Swindon, West Ham and Cradley Heath rider now works in a hospital operating theatre. Martin Neal explains an unlikely career path that also took him to Rhodesia during the British close season . . . OPENING TIMES - READING 1975 Reading promoter Reg Fearman reveals to Andrew Skeels the background to the opening of speedway's first purpose-built stadium since WW2 . . . ON TWO MINUTES WITH . . . FRANK SMITH The former Coventry, Peterborough and Stoke rider looks back with Martin Neal on a career that saw him graduate from local cycle speedway champion to Brandon crowd favourite. WINTER WARMERS Close seasons are a time of hibernation for speedway fans. Doug Nicolson recalls 1972, when Motherwell and Edinburgh were the focus of the entire country during one of the darkest winters on record. FROM CINDER TO SHALE It's not just the racing at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Berwick that attracts speedway folk to Scotland and The Borders. Tony McDonald visited Ian Paterson's incredible collection of rare bikes and memorabilia. WSRA DINNER Retro Speedway's photos from the annual World Speedway Riders' Association Dinner at Leicester's Marriott Hotel, featuring former World Champions Barry Briggs, Peter Collins and the 2016 WSRA president Mark Loram. To order this single issue or subscribe, please go to www.retro-speedway.com

In a future issue of Backtrack, we'll be running a feature on riders who wore distinctive leathers they had acquired from some of the sport's star names. In many cases they were hand-me-downs to juniors who couldn't afford the most expensive designs but wanted to look the part. A number of riders wore leathers that once belonged to Ivan Mauger, including Taffy Owen, Geoff Ambrose and Dean Zaman. There must have been others... Former Castleford prospect Kevin Clapham has sent us a pic of him wearing a pair of Billy Sanders' (1976-ish) leathers. Bernie Collier wore the red-white-green (Castrol-sponsored) set Peter Collins shone so brightly in throughout 1977. "PC wanted to buy them back from me years later," said Bernie. Think I'm right in saying King's Lynn junior Chris Cole inherited the black leathers (with green/yellow flashes) that Michael Lee wore for the 1980 World Final. Do you know of any other riders from the 1970-90 period (the Backtrack years) who raced in leathers that had previously been worn by 'bigger' names? Be delighted to hear from you. Thanks.

In the next issue (No.73) of Backtrack, we have an in-depth review of the year 1973. At the start of the season in which Reading won their first British League championship, a reported 1,500 'Racers' fans turned up for their pre-season supporters' club dance at the Top Rank club in the town. Most promoters would be delighted to see that many attend a meeting today. The thing about supporters' clubs in days-gone-by is that many of the people who ran them were well known to fellow fans. Think of Cradley Heath fans and I immediately think of Margaret Hardiman. At Hackney, we had little Snowie Beattie. And also in the next Backtrack, Reading promoter Reg Fearman gives credit to Reading SSC chairman Mick Smith for his role in making the opening of Smallmead in 1975 such a big success. I'd be very interested to hear from others who recall individual supporters club chairmen, secretaries or just 'characters' who were part of the furniture at the tracks they more or less lived for....

If everyone mentioned rode at their peak, Louis' and Crumps would be difficult to split.

Issue 72 is out now and includes: BELLE VUE: 60 MEMORABLE MOMENTS In this extended look at Belle Vue, Rob Peasley recalls the key points in the history of the world famous club and many of the riders who wore the iconic Aces racejacket . . . from Jack Parker and Peter Craven, to Ivan Mauger, Peter Collins, Chris Morton, the Morans, Joe Screen and Jason Crump and many more. STEVE GRESHAM INTERVIEW American Steve Gresham was a tough, uncompromising rider who took no prisoners. In this candid interview he defends his 'wild man' reputation, looks back on his 10-year British career with fondness and, firstly, recalls how two very costly exclusions denied him a World Final place. THAT WAS THE YEAR: 1980 In the first of a regular new series looking at years gone by, we recall the year in which England dominated the three World Championships but lost a thrilling Test series to USA, Reading and Rye House were crowned league champions, Peter Collins (Belle Vue) and Dave Perks (Oxford) topped the respective BL & NL averages, Malcolm Simmons was controversially sacked by Poole, National League KO Cup winners Berwick were given notice to quit Shielfield Park, Pete Adams switched from Coventry to Midland rivals Cradley, Dan McCormick left the Heathens to take over at Birmingham, Sheffield signed 18-year-old Shawn Moran from Hull, Tom Owen put pen to a 10-year contract at Newcastle, Exeter dropped a division, Blondie had three No.1 hits, while John Lennon and J.R. Ewing were both shot. JIM RYMAN INTERVIEW Despite suffering some nasty injuries, former Boston star Jim Ryman is still competing on two wheels back in his native Australia. ANDREW SKEELS caught up with the Cudas' 1973 double winner . . . PLACES & FACES with MARTIN ROGERS Our roving scribe undertakes his latest trip down memory lane to revisit the scene of many enjoyable outings back in the day when the sport was going through one of its most optimistic periods. In this issue we feature Rayleigh, Rye House, Canterbury, Crayford, Romford and Iwade. OPENING TIMES It's almost 46 years since speedway began at the East of England Showground. Andrew Skeels recalls the Panthers' delayed curtain-raiser against Rayleigh with a couple of Panthers who rode on that historic night in June 1970. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . ANDY NIGHTINGALE? From skipper of the successful Ipswich junior team and reserve for the Witches' BL title-winning side, Andy Nightingale explains to Martin Neal how he went from promising Foxhall hopeful to air conditioning project manager in Queensland, Australia. ON TWO MINUTES WITH . . . ALAN DIPROSE A product of the Iwade training track, Alan reflects on his efforts to establish himself with Canterbury and Rye House, his role in the BBC TV series King Cinder and how he's battled back from a stroke and brain tumour. ALAN GRAHAME'S UNLUCKY BREAK Many years after calling time on his iong and illustrious career, former England and Cradley Heath star Alan Grahame reveals how and why a recent speedway crash left him nursing a broken thigh. TIGERS' NEARLY MEN Each year there are rumours about whom your team is going to sign. Some come off, while others have little basis in fact. It’s all part of the annual pre-season ritual. Doug Nicolson takes an alphabetical look at some of the 'might have beens' at Glasgow and Coatbridge. To order this single issue or subscribe for a year for just £22 in the UK, please visit: www.retro-speedway.com

We're currently putting together the next issue of Classic Speedway mag and I just came across the following quotes from former Belle Vue rider Ken Eyre, whom we have interviewed. His words are timely and should resonate: Ken commented: “One of the great things about speedway is the link between riders and fans. Former riders are always recognised and a great many people want to talk speedway. “I do worry that this link is getting weaker. In the sport today second halves have gone, which people enjoyed for the opportunity to see the novices progress, the rider of the night final has gone, and there are big delays between races. “The riders of today have too much control over the sport. They decide, not the referee, when a track is fit to ride. We need to go back to a time of more allegiance to the supporters. “Walking through the crowds and having people want to stop and talk about speedway is a great feeling.”

What today's so-called 'superstars' should remember is that the vast majority of them - including probably the world champion - would not even be recognised if they walked down the street in their own town or village. But then you have to blame the promoters for paying them what the sport clearly cannot afford.

Whatever blame should be levelled at Belle Vue and they must take their share of the flak, I can't get past the fact that the riders did absolutely nothing to help avert a disastrous situation. People who know and understand these things much better than me keep talking about fast bikes that can only be ridden flat out. Doesn't the throttle work both ways on these lethal lay-downs? Is it not possible to ride within the limits and make allowances for conditions? At Belle Vue on Saturday there was a 'soft patch' on turns three and four. If there is a hole in the middle of your road, do you drive through it day after day, or engage your brain and steer around the problem area and apply a bit of common sense? Trouble is, too many of today's riders are too concerned about their precious egos to compromise (remember Warsaw 2015?). Not prepared to get off the gas and accept a so-called lesser rider finishing ahead of them. With great respect to the late Peter Craven, this was a routine open meeting, not a round of the GP, and they should've considered the paying public. Instead, most don't give a toss. Was it beyond the realms of possibility for the BV management to explain the track concerns to the 6-7,000 crowd and then for the riders to at least put on some 'exhibition' laps - maybe one versus one match-races where it would have been easier to avoid the dodgy patch? The track is 347m long, has excellent width and various racing lines. On the eve of his richly deserved testimonial meeting at Brandon, Chris Harris soon joined promoters Chris Morton and David Gordon in offering an explanation for the fiasco. In doing so, 'Bomber' admitted during his public address that they 'could have ridden, but not raced'. Which begs the question: so why didn't they? How many Elite League matches have we seen where riders have simply gone through the motions anyway? Wouldn't something, albeit diluted, have been better than nothing for those who paid good money - and in many cases travelled hundreds of miles - just to be there? Even if the riders (if not all, then the majority) had agreed to make some effort, dissatisfied customers could still have been offered a full refund. My bet, though, is that speedway fans being the tolerant, long-suffering souls that they are, they would have appreciated that some effort was being made and waived their right to a refund. The riders would have received a guaranteed appearance fee; the fans went home empty-handed and feeling cheated. Former Belle Vue junior Bernie Collier, one of numerous ex-Aces among the capacity crowd, recalled more pragmatic times when he told me: "We were riding at Newcastle one night in the early 80s. The track was diabolical and the meeting probably should have been called off. But Diamonds promoter Ian Thomas told us riders: 'The track's s*** but I'll pay you £100 each to just go out and put on a show for the fans' - and that's what we did." But regardless of the differences in modern-day machinery compared to now, the days of 'where there's a will, there's a way' no longer seem to exist. This meeting would never have been off in the pre-90s, when less precious riders would have just got on with it and more empowered promoters would have made sure they did. Imagine riders telling the likes of Silver, Fearman, Thomas, McCormick, Ochiltree, etc, etc, that they were refusing to make ANY effort to put on some form of show on their opening meeting. Had they done so, the chances are those riders would never have received an open booking there again. It's riders who rule speedway today and as Warsaw and now Belle Vue have sadly demonstrated, that's not healthy. What these two shameful events have reinforced is my belief that British speedway needs to ditch its so-called 'stars' and go back to basics with mainly unpretentious young Brits racing slower machinery. Speed doesn't necessarily equal good entertainment. How to slow the bikes is another issue and should be the responsibility of an SRA/SCB/BSPA 'technical committee', because speedway cannot afford any more repeats of Warsaw and Belle Vue. Meanwhile, what should have been an occasion to remember for so many good reasons, is consigned to the sport's expanding hall of shame. I'm just glad and fortunate to have covered speedway when I did.

Definitely on our radar and hopefully we will meet up with TK in Denmark during this season. A new interview with Ken will appear in the next issue (32) of Classic Speedway mag.

We will be launching our latest DVD at Sunday's CoS event... £16 for four hours in the company of a Polish speedway legend, who gives his most in-depth interview ever: IN CONVERSATION WITH ZENON PLECH ON DOUBLE DISC DVD - £16 View our 9-minute trailer by clicking here... http://www.retro-speedway.com/homepage ZENON PLECH was the most decorated Polish speedway rider of the 'upright' era. He rode in eight individual World Finals, nine World Team Cup Finals and six World Pairs Finals. A genuine international superstar of the booming 70s when his spectacular full-throttle style won him admirers wherever he rode. Popular Plech went oh so close to winning the 'big one' but had to settle for the silver medal (behind Ivan Mauger) in 1979 and bronze behind Mauger and Poland's unlikely first World Champion, Jerzy Szczakiel, in front of another near 100,000 crowd at the same Katowice stadium in 1973. In this exclusive, in-depth and candid interview with Retro Speedway's Tony McDonald, conducted in his home city of Gdansk in 2012, Zenon shines an intriguing and insightful light on what it was really like being a sporting hero in his former Iron Curtain country, where he starred for Stal Gorzow and Wybrzeze Gdansk. The youngest ever Polish Champion (aged 19 in 1972), he reflects on how he briefly escaped the harsh communist regime to taste success and adulation in far flung countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the USA - and the escapades he and his compatriots got up to when shackles were loosened. 'Plechy' also recalls with great affection his five seasons in the British League with Hackney, where he was a great crowd favourite between 1975 and 1981, before a short stint with Sheffield . . . and regrets that the ruling authorities denied him the chance to compete more regularly in the UK. He talks about Edward Jancarz and the tragic demise of his great friend, rival and fellow countryman. Zenon and Eddie finished runners-up in the 1980 World Pairs Final. Hear what he thinks of modern Polish idols Tomasz Gollob and Jarek Hampel and his fears for the future of speedway in Poland. Find out, too, what became of this Polish track legend after his glittering racing career ended in 1987. Includes footage from 35 races, including Zenon racing at Hackney, Eastbourne, Ipswich, Wimbledon and international venues Wembley, Gothenburg, Eskilstuna, Katowice and rare clips from the 1975 World Team Cup Final at Norden, Germany. There are also contributions from his former Hackney team-mate Barry Thomas and leading promoters Len Silver and Martin Rogers, who explain why they believe Zenon Plech was such a tremendous asset to British speedway. Approx running time: 240 minutes If you're not going to PWP on Sunday, you can order this DVD now from Retro Speedway online at www.retro-speedway.com or by phoning 01708 734 502.

So is there anything to debate here? As your list correctly states, Ivan was the dominant man from 1968-79, in terms of both domestic and international achievements. No argument. No debate.

The spread of dominance by Ivan on the original list is too broad. Yes, he won more individual world titles than anyone else during that period but there were some specific seasons where others were more prominent overall. 1971 was Ole Olsen's year, underlined by his brilliant last-to-first in the decisive race of the World Final, where he came from miles back to blow Ivan away. In the previous round, the European Final, he has passed Ivan before being hit by mechanical problems. As previously mentioned, 1973 belonged to Anders Michanek, who won virtually every meeting that mattered apart from the ultimate one. 1976 had to be PC's year. In addition to what he did in such thrilling style at Katowice, he won about nine top individual meetings in Britain that season, including the GP, which was another sure sign of his consistency. Simmo was a close second to Peter that year, with Ivan behind them both. As mentioned by Rob, I'd also give 1979 and 1980 to Mike Lee, who was the only man to beat Ivan in the '79 final.

Spoils six hours of entertaining Berwick coverage for just £16? Really? Christ, we must start offering better value. We would love to have included footage of Doug racing for Berwick but we don't believe that any exists.

ISSUE 71 of Backtrack is out now and includes: BRITISH LIONS TOURS: Ashes to Ashes Throughout the 70s and early 80s, attention during the British winter would instinctively turn to Australia for news of how the Lions were doing on their annual tour. In this special report, Rob Peasley recalls the infamous scraps between two of the sport's great, old adversaries. England Test star Doug Wyer, a veteran of numerous trips Down Under, gives his take on those occasionally stormy encounters, and we also hear from Michael Lee about the time the Aussies accused him of using an oversized engine. BRETT SAUNDERS INTERVIEW In this new five-page interview, one of Edinburgh's most popular and long-serving riders, Australian Brett Saunders looks back with Andrew Skeels on eventful times when he was, in his words, young, mad and everything else! PLACES & FACES with MARTIN ROGERS This time our respected and much-travelled columnist heads to the north of England, calling in at a few sadly defunct tracks and starting at one of the sport's most famous racing venues. Belle Vue, Sheffield, Bradford, Halifax and Hull are under the MR spotlight. MILDENHALL: 50 MEMORABLE MOMENTS It's 41 years since Mildenhall Stadium emerged from a potato field in rural Suffolk to host league speedway but the Fen Tigers very quickly established themselves as a respected force to be reckoned with. Rob Peasley looks back at the club's turbulent history in the second and third tiers. MISSING! Doug Nicolson used to work as a financial accountant (not something he boasts about!) and missing records were the bane of his life. Here he looks back on more interesting 'blanks' featuring incomplete or un-staged meetings involving Birmingham, Peterborough, Berwick, Boston, Cradley Heath, Oxford, West Ham, Nelson, King's Lynn Starlets, Glasgow, Workington, Scunthorpe. Barrow, Coatbridge, Sheffield, Mildenhall, Milton Keynes, Belle Vue, Swindon and Crewe. VIOLET LITTLECHILD: Star Lady Martin Rogers remembers the late Violet Littlechild, who epitomised the family spirit that saw King's Lynn rise from very humble beginnings to become one of the sport's most vibrant and admired venues. PORT STORMS In this edited extract from his new book, Tapes, Breaks and Heartaches, Dave Morton recalls 1985, in which he won the National League championship with Ellesmere Port at the end of a season riddled with controversy, drama and tragedy. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . MARK DICKINSON? Martin Neal tracked down former Workington rider Mark Dickinson, who now drives for a Maryport-based plant hire company. OPENING TIMES – Newcastle, 1975 Newcastle are now firmly established in the second tier, but Andrew Skeels, Tom Owen, Brian Havelock and announcer Barry Wallace looks back nearly 41 years to the night the bikes returned to Byker, when North-East rivals Teesside were the visitors and the meeting also featured record-breaking Ivan Mauger in match-races against Jimmy McMillan. Dennis McCleary, who was the referee that night, explains why the meeting almost didn't go ahead. To order this single issue or subscribe for just £22 a year (UK), please visit www.retro-speedway.com

You can view 30 minutes' edited coverage (in two parts) from the Day of Celebration, including speeches by Eric Booey, PC and a brief excerpt from an interview we did afterwards with Cynthia Boocock. Here, top of our home page, at www.retro-speedway.com

One of the best threads ever seen on the BSF and deserves to be 'bumped' up the page. If the participants don't mind, I'd like to reproduce much of it as part of our 'look back at 1965' feature in Classic Speedway magazine?

DAVE MORTON will be signing copies of his popular new book, TAPES, BREAKS AND HEARTACHES, at the annual Celebration of Speedway event held at Paradise Wildlife Park (home of the National Speedway Museum) on Sunday, February 21, 2016. Mort will be joining Tony Mac and Susie on the Retro Speedway stand, so come along and say 'hello' to Dave - and, if you don't already have it, buy a copy of his book for £16 and get it personally signed by the man himself! Or if you already have the book, bring it along to the CoS, where Mort will be equally happy to sign it.

DAVE MORTON will be signing copies of his popular new book, TAPES, BREAKS AND HEARTACHES, at the annual Celebration of Speedway event held at Paradise Wildlife Park (home of the National Speedway Museum) on Sunday, February 21, 2016. Mort will be joining Tony Mac and Susie on the Retro Speedway stand, so come along and say 'hello' to Dave - and, if you don't already have it, buy a copy of his book for £16 and get it personally signed by the man himself! Or if you already have the book, bring it along to the CoS, where Mort will be equally happy to sign it.

An update from the printer . . . our supply of Dave Mort books will be delivered to us at Retro Speedway next Thursday (17th) and posted out to all of those who have pre-ordered it that same day.