TonyMac

The mention in the review of Steve Colombo is referring to a funny 'scene' on the DVD, filmed on Shawn's return to the States in April, when he met up with old pals Dennis Sigalos, Rick Miller and others and they went riding in the Californian desert. They are chatting away in front of the camera and Siggy jokingly refers to Shooey as 'David East' and then asks him: 'Or are you Steve Colombo?' I think Siggy believes that Shawn rode under the name of Colombo in an end of season challenge match at Ipswich in 1979 - the Witches v Bruce Penhall's Surfers. I think Colombo was named in the programme and I'm pretty certain that he rode. Without checking the prog, Shawn may well have ridden at Ipswich that night, but most likely as David East!

The following review by Speedway Star editor Richard Clark appears in this week's issue... AT last, a DVD about David East. Er, Steve Colombo. No, we mean Shooey. And, such is his iconic status within the sport, that the minute you mention Shooey, anyone and everyone who was there when he plied his trade will immediately conjure up a memory of a dynamic little ball of speed, balance and bravery in the thick of some of the sport’s all-time greats, often performing near-miracles. But David East? Steve Colombo? Well, they enter the picture almost from the get-go, when Dennis Sigalos, just one of many greats included, and Rick Miller, likewise, have a debate with one Shawn Moran about who he really is/was. Ah, Shawn Moran, now you’re getting warm. And he was, indeed, Mr. East when that ever-enterprising promoter, the late, great Ian Thomas, hauled him over to Hull when he was a mere stripling to take part in a couple of challenge matches. Being under age, Shawn didn’t qualify for an international licence, but Mr. Thomas was never one to allow red tape to prove much of a hindrance, hence the appearance of one David East in the programme. And, later, Mr. Colombo. But, when the real Shawn Moran stands up, his racing credentials begin, alongside elder brother Kelly, on mini-bikes. In a series of present-day interviews, Shawn recalls those early days, where the likes of Chad and Terri McQueen, sons of famous American actor Steve McQueen (come on, you must recall The Great Escape, for the motorbike shenanigans, or Bullitt for the car chase?), were their racing companions. From there, it’s a Barry Briggs training school at Lake Elsinore on board 500cc’s, in the tyre-tracks of big bro’ Kelly. As their respective careers accelerate, so the vintage footage appears. A cracking race between Shawn and the mighty PC during a World Team Cup qualifier at King’s Lynn, then on to London’s White City where a pumped up USA go all out, determined to win the World Cup for the fallen Denny Pyeatt. And you get a true sense of their in-camp camaraderie as they watch from the pits as Shawn clinches the trophy. Two top drawer Kelly v Shawn encounters during a 1982 Eastbourne v Sheffield encounter at Arlington, before the two team up once more to make mincemeat of England’s John Davis and Chris Morton at a rain-soaked Plough Lane during an England v USA Test encounter. Shawn talks candidly of the broken leg he suffered in 1983, and his views on the man who put him in the fence. Incredibly, after being ‘smuggled’ out of a Hackney hospital by Sheffield team-mate Reg Wilson and driven up to Scotland to miracle doctor Carlo Biagi, Shawn started undergoing treatment to try and get him fit enough for the World Long-track Final six weeks later. ”I couldn’t bend the leg fully, but enough to pass the doctor at Marianske Lazne,” recalls Shawn. And there’s some footage of that very Final in Czechoslovakia where Shooey became the first-ever American to win the World Long-track crown. Watch in disbelief as he still has to limp on to the rostrum at the end. There’s a humdinger of a Shawn v Kenny Carter race for the Overseas title at Bradford in 1985, and, topping that, Erik Gundersen’s stunning swoop against Shawn and Lance King in the Bradford Final the same year. Don’t worry, Shooey gets his own back in a textbook first bend move against ‘Gundo’ during the Long Beach World Team Cup Final. That particular one leaves you wondering how Shawn stayed in the saddle, let alone do what he did! He talks of his reluctance at being appointed USA skipper in succession to Bobby Schwartz, brother Kelly joining him at Sheffield, then their enforced move across the Pennines to Belle Vue upon the Tigers’ demise. There’s a load of Kirky Lane footage from that ‘88 campaign and he talks about failing an alcohol test before a meeting at Krsko. An even bigger run-in with the authorities awaits, however. In 1990, Shawn piled up in Sweden just prior to the Overseas Final at Coventry. He was offered painkillers, but diligently asked the doctor if it was okay to take them. Reassured once, he then ‘phoned Maurice Ducker, then BSPA chairman, on his return to England who, at first, also reassured him but then, following a chat with Eric Boocock, called back and warned Shawn against them. Too late, so Shawn came clean with the doctor prior to the Coventry event, offering to stand down rather than risk failing a test. He was indeed tested, but nothing was said, so he went on to the Inter-Continental Final, got through that, and, with silence still emanating from the FIM, lined up in the World Final at Bradford at least two months later. You can feast your eyes upon all of Shawn's outings that Yorkshire afternoon, but the pick is undoubtedly one of the great World Final races between him and super Swede Per Jonsson. It felt like a ‘great’ at the time. The footage merely confirms. And there he is with his silver medal at the end. Unbelievably, a World Team Cup silver medal. One which, later, he was stripped of for that failed drugs test. To this day, it has to be asked, what exactly did the FIM know going into that Final? Incredibly, within four years, it’s all up. And, as Greg Hancock so wisely says in a series of tributes that follow Shawn’s own story (contributions from Eric Boocock, Sean Wilson, Bengt Jansson, Bobby Schwartz and Herbie himself), probably one of the bravest things Shooey ever did was to walk away admitting his nerve had failed him. Even now, he admits he has no idea why that was the case. Tough times were to follow, none worse than losing brother Kelly, heartbreaking times for the Moran family. But the Shooey we meet here does appear to be coming to terms with it all as best he can. He’s had a few more pieces than some to have to pick up and for anyone touched by the man, which undoubtedly includes anybody who came within the orbit of Kelly and Shawn in those halcyon days, it’s so good to see him facing up to any demons he may have. There are some raw emotions touched upon here, along with some golden, golden memories. It’s been some journey for young David East! To order this DVD for £16 (post-free in the UK), go to http://www.retro-speedway.com or phone the Retro Speedway debit/credit card hotline on 01708 734 502.

Tony was a great bloke and a priceless addition to the Speedway Mail editorial team in the 80s and early 90s. My personal full-page tribute to him appears in the latest issue of Backtrack magazine.

Sorry Robbie - and well spotted! After beating Jimmy Mac, Christer lost his one and only title defence that year to Ole Olsen - we've used a pic of them at the coin-toss at Wimborne Road in July '72.

ISSUE 45 of Backtrack, the bi-monthly retro speedway magazine, is out now and includes… GOLDEN HELMET He’s not quite as old as the Golden Helmet itself, but John Berry has seen plenty of the match-race championship in all its various guises. Here he looks back at its origins and the pro’s and con’s of what for many years was one of the sport’s most coveted titles. Following JB’s intro, we present an in-depth six-page history of the Golden Helmet in the Backtrack era, spanning from its reintroduction in 1970 until its demise in 1987, the year the Helmet was stolen. Whether it was the meeting-by-meeting challenge or the monthly best-of-three contest between 1974 and 1984, we reproduce all the results, plus pictures of some of the main protagonists and anecdotal highlights. DENZIL KENT INTERVIEW For years very few knew of the whereabouts of Denzil Kent or what had become of him since the mid-80s. But we tracked him down in Johannesburg, where the former Canterbury favourite tells Backtrack about his all too brief racing career, his personal struggles away from the track and how he hopes to lead a South African speedway revival. At his lowest ebb, Denzil admits he was drinking a case of beer and a bottle of rum on most days. “That was about two-and-a-half to three years ago but I realised something had to change and I’m glad I changed that side of me. I asked myself, ‘why be at the bottom of the barrel?’ I knew I shouldn’t be there and it was down to one person – me – to change it. “It’s been a long, uphill battle but drinking doesn’t bother me anymore. I don’t think about sitting in the garden drinking beer all day.” MARTIN YEATES INTERVIEW As a second division star, Martin Yeates made history when he sailed through the British Final in 1984 and he was always a credit to the National League throughout his spells with Weymouth, Oxford and Poole. We talk to a man who literally began speedway in the deep end. Martin, who also had spells doubling-up with Poole and Swindon in the British League, says: “I remember one season I did 115 meetings. It wasn’t like these days when the riders gallivant all over the continent, nearly all of those 115 meetings were in the UK. Most clubs had at least one open meeting and if you were going well, you were invited to those. “I once did 15 meetings in 16 days and in the middle of that, my first child was born. I finished one meeting, went to the hospital to see the birth, and then went home to wash the bike for the following meeting!” THE BOSS: ALAN HODDER The British Elite League was torn apart last winter by the acrimonious dispute involving Coventry and Peterborough but a quarter-of-a-century ago the sport was split asunder for four years as the National League decided it was time to come out from under the British League’s control and run its own administration. At the eye of the storm from 1987 to 1990 was National League General Manager Alan Hodder who recalls events as they unfolded. Alan says: “It was right for the National League promoters but it shouldn’t have happened. A sport with just two leagues doesn’t need two separate administrations, that was obvious, but the NL promoters thought they had to make a stand.” HEAD2HEAD Ole Olsen v Ivan Mauger in 1972 The early 70s were dominated by two riders, Ivan Mauger and his former protégé Ole Olsen. Between them, the Kiwi and the Dane grabbed most of the individual domestic and international honours and were outstanding for their British League teams, Belle Vue and Wolverhampton respectively. Here we look back at their fascinating battles throughout the 1972 season. Ole went into the campaign as defending World Champion, while Ivan was determined to regain the crown he’d held for three years before losing it to his former Newcastle team-mate in Gothenburg at the end of 1971. OLE OLSEN and OVE FUNDIN The big Os, Sweden’s Ove Fundin and Denmark’s Ole Olsen, were unlikely bed-fellows. For a start, Fundin’s illustrious career was coming to an end just as Olsen’s was beginning and there was no love lost between the two Scandinavian nations when it came to on-track rivalry. But after winning the first of his three world titles, in Gothenburg in 1971, Ole revealed that the man who helped him to fulfil his life’s ambition was not his mentor Ivan Mauger but the wily old ‘Fox’ Fundin. Here we look back at their unlikely relationship and also Fundin’s brief 14-match spell with Wembley Lions in the 1970 British League. MIKE FULLERTON He was no Moore, Briggs or Mauger but as we recall here, Kiwi Mike Fullerton made his mark in British speedway for Bradford, Paisley and Berwick and did himself proud in New Zealand too. Plus… Q&As with ANDY HIBBS, TERRY MUSSETT and RAY TAAFE; a photo spread of SHAWN MORAN on his recent return to Britain; a personal tribute to former Speedway Mail editor TONY BARNARD and what new items of ‘memorabilia’ could be destined for the NATIONAL SPEEDWAY MUSEUM. To order this issue or subscribe, go to http://www.retro-speedway.com

Issue 14 is out now and includes... MALCOLM SIMMONS Exclusive interview He was one of England’s greatest, finished second in the World Final and won three World Pairs and four World Team Cup winners’ medals, but former England captain and No.1 Malcolm Simmons still reckons he underachieved in speedway. In this in-depth interview Simmo reflects on his early racing days in the Provincial League with Hackney, followed by senior British League spells with West Ham and King’s Lynn – his highs and lows. Following an illustrious career spanning 27 seasons, few are better qualified to comment on how speedway has changed since he began racing on the shale in 1963, so we also asked the ever-controversial Malcolm for his views on British speedway past and present, which often make grim reading for the modern era! In a separate feature headlined ‘The Trouble With Speedway’, Simmo says: “When I rode for England there were plenty of riders complaining when they weren’t picked but attitudes have changed and nowadays riding for your country doesn’t mean as much to some people.” And in a damning indictment of the lack of quality and depth of talent in Britain today, he adds: “You also have to question the attitude of many young British riders. Instead of getting on with the job, some of them are too posey and just want the bit that goes with speedway, without actually putting in the time and effort to become good at it. Most of them are just not good enough.” Crowned British Champion in 1976, when any number of top riders could have won it, he says: “It’s now an absolute waste of time meeting. You know whose going to win it and the three riders who will contest the final – Harris, Nicholls and an Australian, Tai Woffinden. Well, at the end of every year he talks about ‘going home’ for the winter to recharge his batteries, and home to him is Perth, Western Australia, so in my book he’s an Aussie. “Scott has won the British title six times but he now only has a couple of others to beat each year. It makes a mockery of our so-called Elite League.” TONY ROBINSON Exclusive interview In a Provincial League initially dominated by near-veterans sensing easy pickings, Tony Robinson was a true discovery. The former Belle Vue junior recalls how his big chance seemed to have disappeared until the intervention of another Yorkshireman who made his speedway name in Lancashire, former Belle Vue idol Frank Varey, and how he went on to star status with Sheffield. CYRIL FRANCIS Q&A The former Stoke, Wolverhampton and Newport rider recalls the highs and lows of his career, including an off-track accident in Germany that left him with two broken legs, a fractured skull . . . and no insurance. JACK YOUNG: LEGEND They called him ‘Laid Back Jack’ but the former Edinburgh sensation and West Ham legend became the first to win back-to-back world titles. In this in-depth profile of the popular Australian, Ivan Mauger pays tribute to the help and advice he received from ‘Youngie’ which kick-started the then young Kiwi’s career. When West Ham closed at the end of the 1955 season Young returned to Australia for a couple of years, then signed for Coventry. He remained a class act, and during his last season in England, 1961, he was able to work the old magic one last time when he won the Tom Farndon Trophy at New Cross, beating a field of top internationals that included Moore, Briggs, Craven and Bjorn Knutson. There were two more years racing in Australia before retirement in December 1963 after winning the South Australia State Championship. Young died of emphysema, lung disorder, on August 28, 1987, aged 62. There were stories that he pulled the plug on his own life support machine when he was being treated in his last days. What really happened was that he was in an oxygen tent because even minimal lung function was difficult, and he maintained his sense of humour to the end by asking one of his visitors on the last day for 'a fag'. He died later that day due to insufficient oxygen to maintain brain function. Jack Young is still revered by older fans in Edinburgh and he has a street named after him on the housing site that used to be West Ham's Custom House stadium. Plus . . . Eternal divide of Roundheads and Cavaliers In trying to distinguish the difference between the two factions, this is an article in defence of Johnnie Hoskins’ proud claim to have been speedway’s founding father. Tributes to JIMMY GOOCH, LES BEAUMONT, BINGLEY CREE and DON GODDEN. SECOND STAR – this time it’s Eastbourne teenage sensation DAVE JESSUP. How one Halifax rider in the 60s quit speedway, found God and became a missionary. Your letters, GOTE NORDIN centre spread picture after one of his two Internationale victories at Wimbledon and the 1970 WEMBLEY LIONS in full colour. http://www.retro-speedway.com

Thanks to all those who contributed to the Golden Helmet thread - some of your views have been included in our GH feature which appears in Issue 45 of the magazine. It went to press today and should be with subscribers in about a week. As a follow-up, we will be running a similar feature on the SILVER HELMET in Issue 46, which we'll begin working on at the end of Sept. So before then - ASAP - please let us have your personal memories of SH match-races from the Backtrack era of 1970 (when it was introduced at BL2 level), right up to the National League in 1990. My first memory was seeing Ipswich's John Louis defend it against Colin Sanders at Romford early in 1971. Over to you...

Steve, Finally managed to dig out my completed prog from this meeting, dated 23/9/71. I was 11 at the time and maths has never been my strong point, and to prove it there is plenty of crossing out and amended individual scores/heat results on my racecard! GEORGE BARCLAY - I have written 3-2-3-0-2 . . . but, for some reason, have 11 (instead of 10) in the final total column! There was confusion over whether he finished 3rd or last (behind or in front of Charlie Benham) in heat 13. I have amended both riders' score alongside the heat result. On reflection, though, GB must have got the point in his fourth ride, making his final total 11, because he definitely contested a three-man run-off for the minor rostrum placings, along with Stan Stevens and Alan Knapkin, who both finished on 11pts. Here are the other riders' scores you requested: ROGER JOHNS - 0-2-1-3-0 total 6 REG TROTT - 1-1-3-1-1 total 7 GORDON KENNETT - Ex-1-Ex-3-2 total 6 Not sure if this helps at all!

As Shawn will be joining us on the Retro Speedway stand at Cardiff on Saturday, it will be a good opportunity to ask him if he can shed any light on the 'lost' Helmet. Maybe we could start a 'Find The Golden Helmet Campaign'? We know that in 1987 there was no GH to present to Wiggy after he beat Shawn at Sheffield . . . so Speedway Mail snapper Ken Carpenter lent Simon HIS hat to wear for the presentation photo (with a Speedway Mail sticker plastered across the front of it). I'll publish this actual pic in the next issue of Backtrack so that others can see how much the prestige of this once great competition had been seriously eroded by the end.

For the record, Shawn Moran will be signing copies of his new DOUBLE DISC DVD (not book), priced £16.00. Alan Carter will be signing copies of his new book, priced £16.00. From the Retro Speedway stand, we will also be selling: MARK LORAM DOUBLE DVD - The People's Champion (£16) MICHAEL LEE BOOK - Back From The Brink (£16) MICHAEL LEE DOUBLE DVD - Mike the Bike (£16) MALCOLM SIMMONS TRIPLE DVD - Simmo: The Whole Truth (£16) WORLD FINALS OF THE 70s DOUBLE DVD (£16) RAY WILSON DOUBLE DVD - World Cup Willy (£16) NIGEL BOOCOCK DOUBLE DVD - Booey (£16) BACKTRACK - the brand new (Issue 44) plus recent back issues (£4 each) CLASSIC SPEEDWAY - the latest issue (No.13) plus recent back issues £4 each) May also have a number of superb, glossy A4 colour photographs for sale from our Ken Carpenter Collection. Bring all your life savings for a speedway nostalgia spend-fest - all major credit cards (except Electron and Amex) also accepted! See you there! Tony Mac & Susie http://www.retro-speedway.com

I'm so glad that at least I had the pleasure of interviewing Jimmy for Classic Speedway magazine just two years ago. What a lovely man and a splendid host he and his wife Everil were that summer's day at their riverside home in Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex, where Jim would cycle around town running errands for those less fortunate than himself. He kept in regular contact with us since then and also sent me a video of him parajumping for charity in Sept 09. When I get a min I will post it on our website or Facebook page to show others what a brave sport he still was at the age of 80+. It's now a regret of mine that I didn't take up Jimmy's kind offer to join for a ride on the boat he built with his own hands. A very humble and likeable man, the world is a worse place for the passing of Jimmy Gooch.

Arnie - any chance, please, of receiving a high-res copy (via email) of this pic to use with our feature. Think Richard deserves a special mench. Our email is editorial@retro-speedway.com Will, of course, give you a credit and mention your book too, if you like? Many thanks in anticipation. Amazing that a coachload of Reading fans went down to Poole with the idea of seeing Mich in just 3 races. Cheers, TMc

Thanks to all for contributing so many great memories, and please keep 'em coming as we would like to include the best of them as part of our feature. From some of the above responses, it's clear that the one-off Helmet decider had distinct pro's and con's. The coin toss was often all-important - not only in determining gate positions, but also which rider from a team would actually go forward to make the challenge at the end of the night after two (or more) members of the same team finished with the same points tally. But then again, it threw up some unlikely winners who possibly wouldn't otherwise have had their moment of glory.(Love the tale about Dickie May). It was indicative of how seriously most riders took the Helmet that when the format changed to the best of three monthly challenge in 1974, they were prepared to travel all over England for just two races, plus one guaranteed second half ride (if they were prepared to hang around in the pits long enough for the 13-heat match to be completed). If you need to jog your memory, we suggest a peep at the following website, where you will find a comprehensive list of results: http://speedwaychampions.com/BritishMatchRaceChmpshp.aspx

Funny you should mention Kenny and the Helmet. In his new book, Alan Carter recalls an anecdote that summed up his brother's cocky arrogance/confidence, call it what you will. Alan writes: I’ll tell you how confident and cocky Kenny was in his prime. The Golden Helmet was a big thing in speedway back then, a prestigious competition with a lot of history and all the top riders wanted to win it. Each month the holder would defend the famous Golden Helmet against a nominated challenger, or the top rider in the opposing team depending on what era you’re talking about. Whoever won the race, or best-of-three series, went home with the Golden Helmet. Kenny took a lot of pride in being the holder and it took a lot to get it off him. Anyway, I can’t remember who he was riding against this particular night at The Shay but what I do recall is me asking him: “Where’s the helmet?” He just winked at me and said: “I didn’t bring it . . . what’s the point? I’m not going to lose.”

I didn't know that and a very good call. Incredible, really, that Tommy should put such faith in a junior's bike. Wonder if his more senior Wimbledon team-mates offered to lend theirs?

Blimey, that was a shock - Hans' first defence at the start of 1986. What happened? Did Hans' bike fail (no disrespect meant to Carl, who was about to enjoy his best ever season)?

We'll be running an in-depth feature on the Golden Helmet match race championship in a forthcoming issue of Backtrack, so we just wondered if any of you have any particular memories - good or bad - of the GH during the era in question (1970-90). We'll be covering the Silver Helmet in another issue, so please keep this thread Gold. Until 1974, when the monthly nominated challenge was reintroduced, the GH would be contested by the holder and the opposing team's top scorer after Heat 13 of the official league or KO Cup match. While this often made it difficult to keep tabs on who held the title at any given time (in the pre-internet days when we relied on the morning papers and radio for the ost immediate speedway results), at least it gave a number of riders an unexpected crack at winning it.

Issue 44 is out now and includes: ALAN CARTER – new light on Carter tragedies The younger brother of the late Kenny Carter opens his heart to reveal a life of pain and suffering in his astonishing new book, Light in the Darkness . . . Twenty-five years have elapsed since speedway was stunned by the tragic deaths of Pam and Kenny Carter at their Bradshaw, West Yorkshire farmhouse on May 21, 1986. Even now, whenever the former Halifax, Bradford and England No.1 is mentioned in conversation, people still shake their heads and ask the same question: why? Why did the 25-year-old reigning British Champion shoot his wife and then end his own life on that horrific Wednesday evening? It is the same question Alan Carter has been asking himself about his brother, too, and for him the chilling events have rarely been far from his mind. Since the age of six, when his younger brother was killed in a car driven by his mother Christine, who was paralysed from the waist down in the same accident, Alan has had to live with a succession of family tragedies. In 1979, aged 15, he was called from a school disco in Halifax to be informed that his mum had taken her own life after spending nearly a decade wracked in pain caused by her fatal crash. In 1986, aged 21, Alan lost his other brother when Kenny lost the plot and did what he did. And in 2002 he suffered another devastating blow when his baby daughter, Charlie, died just moments after being born. Uncle Alan has also seen his nephew Malcolm – Kenny’s son – imprisoned for causing death by dangerous driving. The loss of a loved one is too much for most of us to bear under any circumstances, so we cannot begin to imagine what father of three Alan Carter has been through. KENNY v BRUCE – the final disgrace Everyone has had their say about the infamous bruising battle between Bruce Penhall and his bitter rival Kenny Carter that made the 1982 World Final so memorable. Now Kenny’s equally outspoken brother Alan Carter has the last word in this compelling extract from his brilliant new book. GRAHAM PLANT INTERVIEW A hard rider who had a bit of ‘wild man’ reputation, Graham Plant looks back on his career with Teesside, Leicester, Halifax, Newport and Milton Keynes. COLIN MEREDITH INTERVIEW Track curators often get the dirt thrown at them when conditions are less than perfect, but former rider and team manager Colin Meredith has built a reputation as one of the best in the business. He’s talking here about graders, granite and quarries and also looking back at his riding days for Bradford, Wolverhampton and Oxford. JOHN JACKSON INTERVIEW He was one of the outstanding stars of the National League, so why didn’t John Jackson move onwards and upwards to top flight fame? We talk to the Crewe, Ellesmere Port and Stoke star to try and solve the puzzle. HEAD2HEAD – PETER COLLINS versus MALCOLM SIMMONS in 1976 In the first of a new series comparing two track giants of a certain era, we look back at the 1976 season when Peter Collins and Malcolm Simmons were riding high for England. They met 15 times throughout that sizzling summer in meetings for their clubs and as individuals, so find out how they scored. MALCOLM SIMMONS COLUMN Super Simmo pays a moving tribute to his former friend, hero, mentor and rival, the late Don Godden, whom he describes as “the Ivan Mauger of grass-track.” BRUCE PENHALL COLUMN Bruce and Kenny Carter were bitter rivals in the early 80s who hated each other, so read here what columnist BP makes of Alan Carter’s sensational new book. THE BOSS: STUART BAMFORTH He is mainly remembered as the man who closed down the original Belle Vue, but Stuart Bamforth upset plenty of others in different ways. Here we look back at the controversial impact made by the no-nonsense ‘Bammy’. Plus Q&As with . . . ROBERT MOUNCER, CHRIS ROYNON and DARRELL BRANFORD. And Another Thing . . . JOHN BERRY recalls the days when Englishmen considered it an honour to race for their country. To order this issue for £4.00 (UK) or to subscribe, please go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com

If you found our Kenny Carter book, Tragedy, a good read when it came out in 2007, then you will probably also enjoy our latest book, by Kenny's kid brother Alan. Light in the Darkness will be out later this month. Although Alan was a big road-racing star in his own right, his revealing autobiography is packed with interesting insights about Kenny and speedway, and some of his opinions will no doubt shock some people. I know Bruce Penhall has been amazed by what he has read - and he's read every page. Alan has effectively 'coloured in' the grey areas to be found in Tragedy - when we were denied access to the Carter family - and his is undoubtedly a much, much better book as a result. Let's face it, just about all of us have had our say about Kenny, so it's about time we heard what he was really like, on and off the track, from the man who knew him best. You can now read Alan's intro to his book on our website: http://www.retro-speedway.com

We have received enough enquiries from people wanting to buy our Kenny Carter book, which was originally published by us at Retro Speedway in 2007, to explore the possibility of producing a digital version, or maybe even a second reprint in paperback. In the meantime, all fans or those interested in Kenny will be interested to know that we will soon be publishing his younger brother Alan Carter's sensational autobiography, titled ALAN CARTER LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS - THE TRUTH ABOUT MAL, KENNY & ME. http://www.retro-speedway.com

Welcome to issue 13 of our quarterly retro magazine. We’ve another feast of speedway nostalgia for your pleasure, including . . . ERIC BOOCOCK Exclusive interview Eric Boocock, the new President of the World Speedway Riders’ Association, looks back on half-a-century in speedway and considers how much the sport has changed in that time. One of the most enduring and charismatic characters in speedway celebrates 50 golden years in the sport this season. Rider, team manager, promoter, World Team Cup-winning England chief and currently Sheffield Tigers team boss, Booey has certainly seen some changes in that time. Not all of them have been for the best either, but he maintains that it’s still the same sport he fell in love with half-a-century ago and insists: “It’s still four blokes on motorcycles turning left.” JOHN HART Exclusive interview We talk to John Hart about a life in speedway, taking in spells with Stoke, Cradley Heath, Sheffield, Leicester and Birmingham. Few, if any, speedway riders of any generation can claim to have been brought up in such close proximity to the sport as 60s and 70s crowd favourite John. The son of Birmingham legend Phil ‘Tiger’ Hart, and himself a hugely consistent performer with a string of mostly Midlands tracks, John actually lived inside a speedway stadium as a child. JIM LIGHTFOOT Q&A A World Finalist in 1963, former Coventry favourite Jim recalls the highs and lows of his career. WILBUR LAMOREAUX In the latest in our Legends series, we look back at the career of the former American star and World No.2 who brought personality and points to post-war Wembley and Birmingham. CHARACTERS – TIM TEMPLETON Meet the fan with one of the most impressive collections of vintage machinery and autographed race jackets. Plus . . . How government ministry proposals could have had serious repercussions for the sport. The Dutch ‘pirates’ who rode in Holland under assumed names. Tributes to the late Bill Holden, Phil Malpass and Kym Bonython. Full page colour photos of Barry Thomas and the Cradley Heathens. Our latest quiz – can you guess the defunct track pictured and the identity of the two body colours from the late 60s? http://www.retro-speedway.com

Start-time is advertised as 4.30pm, which is when I believe the pre-meeting parade will begin. First race scheduled for 4.45pm.

There's a three-and-a-half page interview with Mike Lee, talking about Mildenhall's relaunch on Sunday and the future there, in today's issue of Speedway Star.