TonyMac

Robbie - Always appreciate being corrected on factual errors, so thanks. I hadn't checked the date before posting the above but obviously would have done before writing the piece!

We are working on two inter-linking features in the next issue of Backtrack that throw the spotlight on these two spectacular, little world class Swedes who served up so much great entertainment in the 60s & 70s. Just wondered if any forum members have any memories of either Soren or Christer that they would care to share with us here, for possible inclusion in our features? Soren rode for Belle Vue from 1963 to 1975 inc, before brief spells with newly-elevated Birmingham (1976), Wolves (1977) and Bristol (1978). Christer arrived at West Ham midway through 1970, starred throughout their last BL1 season in '71 and then had two good years with Poole (1972 & '73) before a troubled time with Hackney ('75) that preceded his death in 1976 due to a brain tumour. C'mon . . . these two must conjure up good memories.... If you would rather PM me, please do so. Our email is: editorial@retro-speedway.com

Well done, Paul. We'll launch our Memories of Hackney Speedway DVD that night, if it's OK with you? Cheers, Tony Mac

We're working on a large feature on Glasgow Tigers and their last ill-fated season at Hampden Park for the next issue of Backtrack magazine, but would like to add some more pictures taken at Hampden during the 1972 season. Particularly looking for action photos, or possibly pics taken by Tigers supporters at the time. Or memorabilia such as the metal badge from '72 that could be scanned? But it has to be from 1972 - not before or since that season! We already have a Glasgow team pic and programme from that season. If anyone can plse help, email Tony Mac at editorial@retro-speedway.com Cheers.

Of course it is possible, but plse remember we're a two-man band and can only produce so many magazines, books and DVDs in a given space of time. Geographically, we have begun this latest DVD series by covering defunct tracks in the south-east, where most of their ex-riders are still based and are therefore easier to interview from a practical point of view. Take your point about Belle Vue, but there was an Aces of Yesteryear series of videos produced in the 80s & 90s and I would imagine most Belle Vue supporters we would be aiming a DVD of similar ilk at would already be in possession of this older set.

Issue 48 is out now and includes... KIWI MASTERS For the first time ever New Zealand will host a round of the Speedway GP in Auckland on March 31, even though the land of the long white cloud no longer has anyone approaching a rider of world class. Yet had the old-style World Final been held there any time between the 50s and 80s, there is a very good chance a Kiwi would have won it. John Berry takes a look at the three NZ giants, RONNIE MOORE, BARRY BRIGGS and IVAN MAUGER, who won 12 individual World Championship titles between them and did more than anyone to put their country on the international speedway map. GARY PETERSON REMEMBERED Continuing with our NZ theme, we look back at a once promising career of Gary Peterson that ended in tragedy at Wolverhampton in October 1975. The little racer from New Plymouth quickly became a hit with fans at Nelson and Bradford before venturing into the top flight with Newcastle and the Wolves. Fellow Kiwis Dave Gifford and Ivan Mauger provide insights into the man who always rode to the limit. ‘Giffy’ told Backtrack: “It is my totally unqualified opinion that things were not quite right in his head. We were both at Wolverhampton for a couple of years and if I had a conversation with him, I got the feeling that the gears in his head weren’t quite meshing correctly.” DAVE MULLETT INTERVIEW Depression among sportsmen and women has been the focus of much media attention in recent months. In this astonishingly candid interview, former Canterbury and Reading No.1 Dave Mullett reveals his personal struggle to overcome the darkest days that followed his racing career. Here’s just a brief glimpse of what sheep farmer Dave has endured: “I was diagnosed as clinically depressed. I seriously considered suicide - I went as far as measuring the width of my car exhaust. They took my shotguns away from me.” “I became very aggressive on the road. My wife wouldn’t travel with me. I wanted to fight everybody on the road. I was becoming a horrible person, sticking my hand out of the window, if anyone got in my way.” ARTHUR PRICE INTERVIEW Controversial and at times perhaps a little eccentric, Arthur Price was one of the second tier’s biggest stars of the 70s and made it to senior England level before he, just like his once promising career, faded away. We tracked down the forthright former Boston star who still doesn’t pull any punches. Just as taster of some of the things Boston’s former ‘King Arthur’ has to say… “Back in the pits, he pointed to a shed and told me to go in with him. In there he started shouting ‘Fight Me, Fight Me!’ I wasn’t in the mood to fight and told him so but I was scared of him. It shows what a nutcase he must have been.” “He told me rider control was trying to ‘dump someone called Crump on us’. He asked me what I knew about him, so I said ‘nothing’ - and I got the team place.” ALAN JOHNS INTERVIEW Former Crayford middle order man Alan Johns laid foundations, at Eastbourne and Mildenhall, in the 80s that should have inspired others to secure the future success of British speedway. So why didn’t those hopes bear fruit? Here he talks of his past frustrations as a rider and junior speedway innovator who, despite the setbacks, still has a hunger and enthusiasm that could benefit the sport. HEAD2HEAD – HANS NIELSEN v ERIK GUNDERSEN IN 1986 After recreating their 1985 battles in 1985 in issue 47, this time we follow the duel of the mighty Danes in 1986 – the year Hans Nielsen finally fulfilled his world title dreams. TELFORD – END OF THE ICE AGE To commemorate the last-ever indoor ice meeting at Telford on February 26, we look back at some of the past highlights of the sport’s longest-running indoor extravaganza. AND another thing… John Berry examines the role of the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund and calls for greater transparency in the financial reporting of the SRBF’s fund-raising activities. ANTAL KOCSO and STANISLAV URBAN INTERVIEWS A closer look at two East Europeans who came to Britain to try and make their mark in the 80s and early 90s – Stanislav Urban, the young Czech at Reading, and Hungarian star Antal Kocso at Bradford. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . JUSTIN WALKER AS a kid all Justin Walker wanted to do was ride for Cradley Heath. In adulthood it wasn’t any different either. And after progressing from fan to mascot to junior, he got the chance to realise his dream. He rode with some of the greatest names of the modern era – Gundersen, Hamill, Hancock, to name but three – but although he happily dropped everything to answer SOS calls from the club whenever they needed his services and never gave less than 100 per cent, he was destined to never be a major player on the Dudley Wood stage. It ended with him telling the Heathens promotion to “shove it” before walking out of the club and ending his career in the Academy League with Buxton, then falling out of love with speedway. BRIEF ENCOUNTERS WITH . . . WAYNE FORREST Australian Wayne Forrest reflects on his two years in British speedway with King’s Lynn and Crewe in the early 70s. ON TWO MINUTES WITH . . . GERALD SMITHERMAN Q&A with the former Cradley Heath and Ellesmere Port rider who went on to build a thriving speedway business son the other side of the fence and which still endures today. To buy this issue or subscribe, please visit http://www.retro-speedway.com

WIMBLEDON SPEEDWAY MEMORIES SPEEDWAY fans who used to get their weekly ‘fix’ at Wimbledon Stadium will be interested to know that a new DVD called Wimbledon Speedway Memories is due to be released this spring/summer. Retro Speedway, who are producing the DVD, have tracked down numerous former Dons stars for a series of nostalgic interviews and anecdotes that will recall the halcyon days of favourites such as Ronnie Moore, Barry Briggs, Ron How, Trevor Hedge, Tommy Jansson, Larry Ross, Roger Johns and Malcolm Simmons, Dave Jessup, etc. But the publishers are still keen to obtain cine or VHS film taken of speedway racing at Plough Lane which could be converted for use on their DVD. Retro Speedway’s Tony McDonald says: “Action footage taken at Wimbledon in the 60s and 70s is quite rare, so we’d love to hear from anyone who may have used an old 8mm cine camera to film the racing there – even very brief clips. We would obviously get their film converted to DVD format and return their original reels along with a complimentary copy of our forthcoming DVD. “We’re also interested in any unusual items of Wimbledon memorabilia – anything interesting beyond standard things such as badges, programmes, books and stickers, which we already have. “The DVD will span all eras, so for anyone who attended Wimbledon Speedway from the Dons’ earliest days right up to their closure in 2005, it will evoke fond memories.” Anyone who can help with footage or memorabilia should phone Retro Speedway on 01708 734 502 or email editorial@retro-speedway.com

ISSUE 16 OF CLASSIC SPEEDWAY IS OUT NOW AND INCLUDES... NORMAN HUNTER Exclusive interview A star of the 60s for Leicester, Hackney, West Ham, Wolves and England, ‘Norm the Storm’ was on the verge of world class status until serious injury stopped him in his tracks. We visit the home of one of the sport’s eternal nice guys to look back on a successful career. Here are some of Norman’s quotes: “I got three third places in my first match at Blackbird Road and after scoring more points in a couple of second-half rides, I went home with about 12 quid in my pocket. I couldn’t believe how rich I was and drove home in my Morris 1000 van thinking about all the nice things I could buy with my earnings!” “Ken Mac (McKinlay) told me that he always knew when I was feeling nervous because I’d continuously be clearing my throat in the car on the way to a meeting.” “West Ham wrote some defamatory comments about me in their programme, saying something along the lines that I was moping around and that there was no sense in keeping an unhappy rider ‘because you know what one bad apple can do’. I was fuming and contacted my solicitor.” “I came back from that crash but it knocked me for six and I was never the same rider again. It was my throttle hand and it hampered me.” Norman is pictured here with the programme for the 1968 World Team Cup Final at Wembley, where he won his one and only race for the victorious GB team. RAY CRESP Exclusive interview Ray Cresp was one of speedway’s most combative personalities. His competitive spirit was always to the fore, whether on the track as a high scoring heat leader or as a tough negotiator in smoke-filled committee room battles between the Speedway Riders’ Association and the promoters. We tracked down the former World Finalist at his Australian home. HOW POLAND BEAT THE WORLD IN 1961 Poland rules the speedway world again today, with retention of the World Cup in 2011 following Tomasz Gollob’s long awaited individual GP success in 2010. Here we turn the clock back 50 years to recall their first ever World Championship victory, revealing the full incredible story of how spirit and bizarre improvisation overcame a dark day and turned potential disaster into a national triumph. NORMAN STRACHAN Q&A Looking back with the former Poole, Newport and Oxford rider. Norman says: “Being in the Army messed my career up. I think I could have been a much better rider if it hadn’t been for that. What happened was that in 1956 I’d taken a part-time job and I chopped a couple of fingers off my right hand when I was using a circular saw. I was told I’d never ride again but in the end I rode until 1973. If I hadn’t been in the Army I’d have been able to ride more in the early days and I wouldn’t have had to get that job.” FRANK CHARLES: Legend He was one of England’s greatest, a star for Belle Vue and Wembley, but his zest for more thrills beyond speedway ultimately cost him his life. Plus... GARRY MIDDLETON'S final resting place. Ian Hoskins on VIC DUGGAN'S starting prowess and the brilliant BRISTOL BULLDOGS of the late 40s and John Hyam on the veteran pairing of WAL MORTON and GEOFF PYMAR. Tributes to KEITH COX and LARS JANSSON. Your letters and the 1970 SWINDON ROBINS in full colour. And our latest quiz - can you name the riders in our 60s action shot and the identity of the two body colours? To order this issue or subscribe online, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com SUBSCRIBERS RECEIVE A FREE GLOSSY 6x4 PRINT OF A SPEEDWAY SUPERSTAR - JACK YOUNG IN WEST HAM COLOURS COMES FREE WITH ISSUE 16.

WEST HAM SPEEDWAY MEMORIES FANS who used to get their weekly ‘fix’ at the now sadly defunct Custom House stadium on Tuesday nights will be interested to know that a new double-disc DVD called West Ham Speedway Memories is to be released next month. Retro Speedway, who are producing the DVD, have tracked down numerous former Hammers riders for a series of nostalgic interviews, including two members of the famous 1965 British League and KO Cup-winning side, Norman Hunter and Malcolm Simmons, plus Bengt Jansson, Tony Clarke, George Barclay and Olle Nygren, the club’s last captain when the team folded at the end of 1971. There is also a section on the 1970 Lokeren Road disaster including candid accounts from two of the survivors of the crash that killed five members of the West Ham party. Other former riders recall their earliest memories of watching at West Ham when legends such as Eric Chitty, Malcolm Craven and Jack Young were Hammers heroes. Hammers’ supporters and their wealth of memorabilia also feature, along with archive cine footage of racing at the docklands venue, although the publishers are still keen to obtain any other action film taken at Custom House which could be converted for use on their DVD. Anyone who can help should phone Tony McDonald at Retro Speedway on 01708 734 502 or email editorial@retro-speedway.com. You can also now pre-order the DVD for £16 by phoning the above number or by going online at http://www.retro-speedway.com. “For anyone who attended West Ham Speedway from its earliest vintage days right up to the closure in May 1972, this DVD will evoke many fond memories,” says McDonald. “Unfortunately, action footage from West Ham is very rare, so we’d love to hear from anyone – perhaps a supporter who used an old 8mm cine camera to film the racing. We would obviously get their film converted to DVD format and return their original reels along with a complimentary copy of our new DVD.” The West Ham DVD follows recent similar releases on defunct tracks by Retro Speedway recalling the history of Canterbury and Rayleigh. There are plans for a new Hackney DVD to follow.

If you go to our website at www.retro-speedway.com and click on the Retro Speedway TV link at the top of the Home Page, you can view a nine-minute trailer for the Rayleigh DVD, plus most of our others DVDs...

Thanks Keith, glad you've enjoyed it. We're producing the History of Canterbury DVD this week, followed by West Ham and then Hackney. Must admit, Ellesmere Port isn't in our planning at the moment, but I take your comments on board and appreciate there is a healthy interest in a Gunners retro DVD. We'll definitely give it a lot of consideration...

Retro Speedway will be there as usual, so plse come and say 'hello' to Susie and myself. Apart from having all our other products on sale, we will also be launching our brand new History of Canterbury Speedway double-disc DVD (£16), featuring lots of racing footage, plus new filmed interciews with former Crusaders Graeme Smith, Ted Hubbard, Les Rumsey, Barney Kennett, Denzil Kent, Dave Mullett, Kevin Howland and former co-promoter/team manager Maurice Morley. See you there! Tony Mac

Great news! Thommo has thankfully made contact with us today, so we're really looking forward to catching up with him soon.

Ok many, many thanks, so any chance of a link to him, such as an email address or phone number (by all means PM us)? Or is this thread going to degenerate into a succession of Tw*tter-speak type postings, where no-one can actually be bothered to type more than one short sentence?

Done that!

We'll be including a profile on the late Gary Peterson in the next issue of Backtrack and wondered if any readers or forumites have any memories of him that they would care to share with us? Gary showed great promise in his brief British career with Nelson (1968-69-70) , Bradford (1970) and Newcastle (doubling up in 1968 & '69) before he was tragically killed riding for Wolves (1970-71-73-75) at Monmore Green in October 1975. A hugely popular star at Odsal, where he won two individual meetings in the second part of 1970, GP topped the second dvision averages that year before moving up into BL1 full-time with Wolves the following season. We've been in touch with Ivan Mauger and one or two others in New Zealand to seek their views on Gary, but it would be interesting to hear what others remember of him...

We would really like to interview Barry Thomas for Backtrack magazine but have been having trouble making contact with him. Understand he is now back in the Isle of Sheppey, Kent area after a spell in Wales. Can anyone please help out with a phone numnber for Thommo. Obviously, wouldn't want it revealed on here, but either a PM via the forum or email to us at editorial@retro-speedway.com would be very much appreciated. Thommo gave me, and all other Hawks' fans, so many happy memories from the 70s and 80s with his daring swoops from the back, before going on to do good things, too, for Crayford and Rye House, and it would be great to chrionicle all that he gave to the sport through the pages of our magazine. While we're about it, anyone got any favourite memories of Barry? His superb pass to split Exeter's Ivan Mauger and Scott Autrey on the last bend of the home match in 1977, to effectivelty hand the league title to White City, must be right up there for Hackney fans. If every team had a Thommo today, crowds would be double in size. Appreciate any help. Cheers, Tony Mac

Phil, Afraid not, it's a read-only file. Glad you like the general look and 'feel' of what Richard Waller has produced. 'In-depth' doesn't do it justice - I guess there will be a lot of junior riders and other long forgotten names from that era who will be pleasantly surprised to see themselves and their achievements covered.

Glad you're still enjoying Backtrack. We've just started a new thread on the 1982 Speedway Yearbook on CD-ROM in the Years Gone By section. There's a link to our website where you can view sample pages from Richard Waller's mammoth effort...

1982 SPEEDWAY YEARBOOK ON CD-ROM RETRO Speedway has entered a new market by publishing the 1982 Speedway Yearbook on CD-ROM. Written and compiled by Richard Waller, this is the definite guide to a memorable season. Viewable with ease on your home computer or laptop, the 1982 Speedway Yearbook is a mammoth 544-page document detailing everything that happened in the year Bruce Penhall retained his world title and then controversially retired on the rostrum. Crammed with reviews and statistics covering the British and National League and all the major World Championship and international events, it is a must-have reference for any serious speedway historian or 'anorak' to have at their disposal. “Richard Waller has put in a tremendous effort on the research side and done a great job to produce what is the definite guide to a memorable season,” enthused Retro Speedway publisher Tony McDonald. “This fulfils the same role as the popular Daily Mirror-sponsored yearbooks by Peter Oakes that came out in printed form each year from 1977 until 1982 but the last one in that sequence covered events from the 1981 season. A complete record of the ’82 campaign to that extent has never been produced – until now. “The original 1982 Yearbook reviewing the ’81 season ran to 306 pages – but what Richard Waller has produced here on CD-ROM stretches across another 230-plus pages and offers more content in a larger A4 page format. Full colour computer graphics are another nice touch that will enhance readers’ enjoyment. “This is a very niche product and it would cost too much to publish it in traditional book format. But when Richard approached us and we saw the full incredible extent of what he had put together, it seemed such a waste to let all his work go unrewarded, so now we’re experimenting with our first CD-ROM. We live in the computer age and just about everyone uses a home PC or laptop these days, so what could be easier than popping a CD in and sitting down to view all this information at your leisure?” It’s an in-depth account of a much talked about season that saw Belle Vue triumph over Cradley Heath in the British League and Newcastle dominate the National League, while the USA made history by winning their first World Team Cup and their skipper, Bruce Penhall, completed back-to-back individual world title victories after that controversial clash with his great rival Kenny Carter in the LA Coliseum. Sadly, the ’82 campaign is also remembered for the sad loss of four riders – Brett Alderton, Zdenek Kudrna, Denny Pyeatt and Martin Hewlett. Contents include: Comprehensive statistical analysis; Headliners – the people who made the news; written British League and National League team reviews and detailed results; club records from 1965-82; individual riders’ scores and averages; complete A to Z listing every rider who made an official appearance; domestic league and cup competitions; junior leagues; international section – Test matches, national championships and domestic league and cup winners; World Championship section – reviews of the individual, team and pairs competitions; track record holders; Illustrated with many pictures in full colour and black & white – a number of them previously unpublished. HOW TO ORDER: Visit the website http://www.retro-speedway com where you can view sample pages of the yearbook before ordering. Or Call the Retro Speedway Credit/Debit Card Hotline on 01708 734 502. Alternatively, send a cheque for £16 (payable to Retro Speedway) to: Retro Speedway (1982 Yearbook), 103 Douglas Road, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 1AW. Add £2.50 when ordering from outside the UK.

You can now view a nine-minute trailer for this DVD by going to the Retro Speedway TV section of our website and clicking on the link at the top of the home page... http://www.retro-speedway.com

You can now view a nine-minute trailer for this DVD by going to the Retro Speedway TV section of our website by clicking on the link at the top of the Home Page. http://www.retro-speedway.com

Alas, that meeting with Berwick was not filmed. But there are some clear action sequences of Ivan Miller racing against Ellesmere Port in 1972.

Issue 47 is out now and available to buy online . . . featuring: CHRIS MORTON INTERVIEW Chris Morton rode more times for Belle Vue and England than any other rider and he’ll always be remembered as one of the sport’s greatest entertainers. Tony McDonald spoke to the subject of our newest DVD, who clearly still has lots of ambition and major goals to achieve . . . As pure entertainers go, there was none better than Chris Morton, who thrilled Belle Vue fans week in, week out for the best part of 20 years. From the day he joined the Aces in 1973 until his final ride for them in 1990, the local lad made the most difficult passing manoeuvres look almost effortlessly easy as he accumulated a club record 703 appearances, winning most of his races from the back. Every promoter in the land, both then and now, would love a ‘Mort’ in their team; someone to set pulses racing and get the supporters off their seats and craving for more. MEN OF HONOUR Testimonial and benefit meetings have been routinely added to the annual fixture list since the mid-70s. Here John Berry looks back at some of the most deserving recipients. ERIK GUNDERSEN v HANS NIELSEN – Head2Head in 1985 By the mid-80s England and the USA were on the wane and the speedway world was in the grip of Denmark and, in particular, Erik Gundersen and Hans Nielsen. They had finished number one and two in the world in 1984 and their intense rivalry would again be the focal point throughout the ’85 season, both on an individual level and in team events as Gundersen’s Cradley Heath and Nielsen’s Oxford competed for the main domestic honours. DAVID WALSH INTERVIEW Speedwayriders are very rarely known for being studious enough to earn a Masters degree or having a keen interest in writing poetry but, as we reveal, David Walsh in no ordinary former star. MILTON KEYNES In this special five-page, in-depth report on Milton Keynes Speedway, we look at key events and talks to some of the main men involved in the club’s brief and turbulent history, including Knights’ all-time legend Bob Humphreys, who is now retired in his native Australia. GRAEME SMITH INTERVIEW Graeme Smith nearly died in India five years ago but thankfully the former Rayleigh, Hackney and Canterbury rider is still here, doing $1m international business deals and talking to us about an eventful UK racing career that once saw him accused of throwing races by his own promoter, kicked out of the house by another, live to regret turning down Wembley and retire while still a star with Sunderland . . . ALES DRYML Ales Dryml rode in speedway World Finals at Gothenburg and Wembley and was a 30-times world finalist in all track disciplines. With two sons having followed him into British league racing, he now looks back on what might have been. ALAN WILKINSON It is 12 months since the first copy of The Alan Wilkinson Story rolled off the press. Since that day this widely acclaimed book has been in big demand in all corners of the world, the publishers shipping copies to Canada and Australia and even to one exiled speedway fan based in Mumbai, India. RAYLEIGH It’s getting on for four decades since speedway was last staged at Rayleigh, but we turn back the clock to relive memories from The Weir of those Rockets who were sadly brought down to earth by the bulldozers in 1973. GORDON STOBBS Ivan Mauger won it all in speedway but here we talk to Gordon Stobbs, the loyal and trusty Geordie mechanic who supported the six times World Champion behind the scenes. AND ANOTHER THING John Berry recalls the cost-cutting days of the miner’s strike, the three-day week, the banning of Swedes and offers a solution to the guest rider problem that still plagues the sport today. Plus… Q&As with KEITH BLOXSOME, ALI STEVENS and MARK LYNDON, plus photo coverage from DENZIL KENT’S birthday party. To order this issue or to subscribe, please go to http://www.retro-speedway.com

Yes, WL, I have that episode in my Sweeney box set. Geer and Gachet were filmed riding around when the tall rider pulls to a halt by the pit gate, takes off his helmet and the actor is then questioned by D.I. Jack Regan (John Thaw). Is that really the only footage of non-World Championship action filmed at Wood Lane?