TonyMac

Issue 55 is out now and includes... CRADLEY HEATH: 50 Memorable Moments They produced four World Champions and signed another. Oh, and Dudley Wood was also the best place to visit for pork sandwiches. Rob Peasley looks back at the highs and lows of the once dominant but now sadly defunct Black Country club. TONY CHILDS REMEMBERED Although foiled in his recent attempt to complete an in-depth interview with Tony Childs, Richard Bott looks back at one of the sport’s true characters and entertainers who recently passed away suddenly at the age of 71. PETER YORK For two years Peter York had possibly the most thankless job in British speedway. Here the former Birmingham and Oxford announcer and current Coventry presenter looks back on his troubled time as BSPA manager. BEST OF BERRY In another edited extract from Confessions of a Speedway Promoter, the late John Berry reveals why, in 1986, he walked away from the chance to become the BSPA’s first Director of Operations – an autonomous leader the sport is still crying out for now. ALLAN EMMETT The whereabouts of Allan Emmett has been a mystery for the past 25 years and more . . . but now Tony McDonald has finally caught up with the former British Under-21 Champion whose promising young career was shattered by serious injury. ALF BUSK Not even the traditional Vojens downpour could put a dampener on Alf Busk creating a slice of history. Vitek Formanek catches up with the double BL title winner who starred for Coventry before spells with Swindon and Sheffield. SPEEDWAY MAIL It’s 40 years since Speedway Mail launched as a new weekly rival to Speedway Star. Tony McDonald, the longest serving of all the Mail’s editors, takes a personal look back on the publication’s early years and its turbulent history. BERWICK AWAY DAYS Recalling the early 70s, when hair was long and time was short. Petrol, for a time in these halcyon days, cost a mere 6/8d (33p) per gallon and this encouraged Glasgow fans (like our own Doug Nicolson) to made the Saturday afternoon trip down to Berwick to watch their juniors ride in second division meetings. IGOR MARKO He was one of the brightest prospects to emerge from Eastern Europe in the 80s but Igor Marko’s life ended tragically. We talk to the World Under-21 champion’s well-known former Russian coach to find out more. Plus… Martin Neal’s Q&As with Ian Jeffcoate, Stan Pepper and Phil Cain, your letters and more. To order this single issue or to subscribe for just £20 a year in the UK, please go to www.retro-speedway.com

Yes, I've been in touch with Mark and will be forwarding all contact details to him ASAP. Should be a cracking night. Between now and then, we will also be putting together a Crayford History DVD, to further keep alive memories of the Highwaymen and Kestrels.

Can anyone please confirm the cover-date of the last issue of Speedway Mail International - think it was some time during 1997? Much appreciate any help on this.

Agreed. Even with the glossy, full colour cover that was added in May 1987, it couldn't hide the poor quality of newsprint and iffy lay-out inside. Having said that, had we tried to compete with the Star with glossy magazine-style pages inside, we would have gone bust even quicker that we did in 1990. Thanks for the update.

This is the first mention I've heard of Tony Moyse. Presumably, he covered match reports for one of the tracks before being appointed Ed? Can you please confirm the name of the track(s), where he comes from and the time period he spent as editor of the Mail? My last contribution to the Mail was writing the report for the '92 World Final at Wroclaw, won by Havvy.

Bryn, can you (or anyone else) please recall the chronological chain of editors who succeeded me after 1991? I understand that you had a stint? Philip Lanning and Tony Barnard also held the poisoned chalice before Alex Alexander took over in 1993. By the way, Alex is now in touch from Texas and is putting together his account of the latter stages in the history of the Mail for the feature that will appear in the next Backtrack.

Presumably you've not heard of Retro Speedway, because we can obviously help you with publicity for your event? Having interviewed Peter Thorogood and Terry Russell, plus a number of ex-Kestrels riders for Backtrack magazine in the past nine years, we have useful contact details that I'd be happy to pass on. You can email us at editorial@retro-speedway.com Tony Mac

Beats re-writing a weekly press release from a club, which is what quite a few lazy 'scribes' tended to do in days gone by. He must be playing hard to get because he is not responding so far. Yes, Peter was a very reliable and credible source for Aussie news and reports.

Yep, think he moved to the USA. We're trying to contact him for his account of his time with the Mail via Facebook and Twitter but we've yet to make contact.

Even Anders Michanek, when interviewed for Backtrack back in '05, said how he remembered Alf's daughter, Brenda. She kept in touch with Mich long after his brief spell with the Heathens in '77.

Tony Barnard was particularly adept at strong editorials and most of what he wrote in the mid to late 80s would still be very valid if published today, if not more so. He would tie them up in knots over their own rules and regs. But for his age (he had just retired when he joined the Mail part-time), he could have been the ideal independent administrator the sport needed then and now. He was articulate, efficient, very knowledgeable about all aspects of the sport and had a firmness about him that commanded respect. He was also very likeable, so had the whole package really. He was a thorn in the side of the FIM, as well as SCB manager Dick Bracher (though DB did respect him) and also the BSPA chairmen of the day, Maurice Ducker, etc. Not that any of them ever took any notice of what we printed. Tony deserved great credit for his commitment to the Mail. Likewise, the Star also ran hard-hitting editorials in the late 70s and early 80s, predicting many of the problems that have plagued the sport before and since that time, but no-one who mattered in authority listened to them either. Our facilities and publishing methods were quaintly prehistoric. A belated 'well done' but this would have been after my time, Grachan, otherwise your name would have been in lights! The Fax machine. I remember thinking how much it revolutionised our working lives at the time.

Yes, remember your dedicated efforts very well, Bryn . . . as well as your distinctive long-hand copy, neatly set out on double lined A4 paper, which you supplied, that the typesetters had to type. Well, we obviously couldn't run to a PC for anyone in those days. If we weren't slaving away in the office, then it would have been in the 'boardroom' (aka The Grove Tavern . . . just 10 paces away, or 18 coming back after a few!)

Martyn Green, who compiled all the figures each week, was an Arena-Essex fan and very keen for his endeavours to appear in print. I used to joke with him that he should cover the averages right down to the 1.00 men but it would have taken up so much more space than it already did and would have taken over his life! The trouble was, he would include so many riders and figures that we simply didn't have the manpower to re-type his computer print-outs (which he posted to us in the pre-email age) in a proper newspaper font, so the charts always looked unsightly in the Mail. Sad to say, poor presentation on our part didn't do Martyn's efforts full justice.

Yes, Ken C is a great photographer - he actually taught photography at a college near Sheffield, where he lived. He is now enjoying retirement in Crete. Wish we had stayed with the newspaper format. Adding the glossy, full colour covers contributed to the Mai's downfall due to substantially increased production costs that didn't translate to improved sales. It must be acknowledged, though, that the Star was always superior in most respects. Fair point but, then again, if you bought the Mail at a Friday or weekend track, it included reports from the Monday night meetings at Reading, Exeter and Newcastle, which the Star didn't used to carry at that time. That would have been Alf Ferkins, who also sold the Mail at Wolverhampton. Marketing 'experts' would say it's always bad to use the term 'cheapest' but I like the catchline Alf used - it had a certain ring to it. Good to hear from a loyal Mail mainstay, Bryn. To end many years of mystery, 'Big Arthur's' usual bellow was: "Aw yer week's results 'n' pictures . . . SPEEDWAY MAL!'

As the 40th anniversary of the launch of Speedway Mail is looming in early April, just wondered if any of you have any particular memories of this publication (good or bad!) in either its original newspaper or (post-1987) A4 magazine format? A selection of the best, most interesting comments may be included in our feature that will appear in the next issue of Backtrack magazine. Look forward to reading your views. Cheers, Tony McDonald (Speedway Mail, 1978-1991)

Issue 20 of Classic Speedway is out now and includes . . . FREDDIE WILLIAMS RIP When we visited Freddie Williams at his Berkshire home for the in-depth interview that appeared in our last issue (No.19), none of us could have imagined that they would be his last recorded public words. Just eight weeks later the speedway world was shocked by the news that the double World Champion had suffered a fatal stroke and died at the age of 86. We make no apology for the fact that the Welsh wizard dominates this magazine for a second consecutive edition. The tributes that appear – from family, friends, former rivals, team-mates and others who knew him well – say everything about Freddie Williams, the speedway star and the person. TADEUSZ ‘TEO’ TEODOROWICZ We reveal the full, remarkable story of the former Swindon favourite called ‘Teo’ who made a daring escape from East to West for what turned out to be a short-lived freedom before tragedy struck one night at West Ham. BILL POWELL INTERVIEW He was in the same race in which team-mate Peter Craven was killed and was close to others who lost their lives in motorcycle accidents. But there were highlights, too, for former Belle Vue and Wolves rider Bill Powell. NORWICH TRACK SPARE No.1 The bikes Ove Fundin rode during his greatest years with Norwich have become part of speedway folklore. We shed more light on an ongoing mystery. DAVE YOUNGHUSBAND Q&A The former Middlesbrough, Halifax and Cradley Heath rider looks back at the highs and lows of his career. LEGEND: ALEC STATHAM In a tribute to the supreme stylist, John Chaplin wonders what became of the Harringay, Bradford and Wimbledon star who attracted a record transfer fee and was on the brink of speedway greatness. Ian Hoskins recalls two of his Glasgow discoveries, Tommy Miller and Ken McKinlay and what links them. John Hyam on Walthamstow’s three-year post-war period, plus the New Cross revival in 1959. 1970 Bradford Northern full colour team group. If you would like to buy this issue or subscribe for as little as £14 per year in the UK, please go to http://www.retro-speedway.com

In the words of Donnie Brasco, 'Fargetttaboutit!'

So sad to report the death earlier today of Freddie Williams. We received this email message from Bert Harkins: Hello, Tony, Some sad news I'm afraid. Freddie Williams' daughter, Sarah phoned me this morning (Sunday) to say that her dad was seriously ill in Swindon Hospital. (I believe he had a stroke) and then about 11am Sarah sent me a text to say that Fred had passed away. So sad as he always looked so fit and well but it was nice to see the main story in Classic Speedway mag was about Fred and his family. Regards, Bert Freddie was on such fine form when I had the privilege and honour of interviewing at his Berkshire home for Classic Speedway magazine very recently. RIP, Fred, you will be fondly remembered by so many.

Can anyone please help with scans of the programme covers for the three British Finals staged at Coventry, in 1988, '89 & 90? They are needed to go with our British Finals of the 80s feature by Rob Peasley in the next issue of Backtrack, which we are working on this week. If anyone can help, can you please scan them to a minimum 250 dpi and email to editorial@retro-speedway.com sometime during this weekend, so that we have them before Monday morning. Many thanks for your help. Tony Mac

Ivan wasn't much cop in 1957 and nor was I, cos I wasn't even born! These type of threads really need to be subtitled 'the best riders I've seen for Wimbledon' to avoid the inevitable conflicts that arise from seeing different riders from different eras. It's really ridiculous to try and argue for and against riders you have never seen, because there is no definitive best 1-to-7. It's all just opinions.

The best I've seen in Wimbledon colours: 1. Ronnie Moore 2. Dave Jessup 3. Trevor Hedge 4. Malcolm Simmons 5. Tommy Jansson 6. Barry Briggs 7. Edward Jancarz

The best of the Backtrack era... 1. Bob Garrad 2. Karl Fiala 3. Marvyn Cox 4. Andrew Silver 5. Kelvin Mullarkey 6. Jens Rasmussen 7. Paul Woods T/M Colin Pratt

Bryn, I'm amazed that you even need to ask what is on our DVD. No, must admit, we didn't interview the legend that is Terry Heath or indeed your goodself, and of course we were unable to interview Snowy, but we did manage to get hold of some other blokes called Thomas, Plech, Morton, Hubbard, Loram, Silver, Pratt, Russell, etc, etc, etc, whom you might also have heard of. Oh, and Terry Heath phoned us to say how much he enjoyed our version of Hackney past.

Vincent, Yes, I too have the ReRun Productions history DVD. So you're not interested in our four-hour double disc DVD on Hackney, featuring lots of NEW (and, in many cases, more in-depth) interviews and angles on the history of the club, plus previously unseen footage?