TonyMac

Will any knowledgeable Boston fans, who have a good sense of Barracudas' history, pse email me asap (today, ideally!) as I need some help with an article for Backtrack... Much appreciated. Tony Mac Email: editorial@retro-speedway.com

BARGAIN BOOKS SUPER SUMMER SALE! AT a time when just about everything is going up, up, up in price, we at Retro Speedway are very pleased to announce our Great Summer Bargain Book Sale. The following four books published by Retro Speedway have been slashed in price to just £5 each – POST-FREE! WIGGY – Simon Wigg, In His Own Words BOOEY – Around in Circles, The Eric Boocock Story TOMMY JANSSON – Legend Who Died Young MORE CONFESSIONS – by John Berry Yes, you did read that correctly . . . only a fiver for one of these four excellently produced books. Even at £20 for all four, it’s a virtual giveaway! Absolutely ridiculous. Any of these books will make an ideal read on your summer holidays, or why not treat yourself, a friend or a member of your family with one of our great value gifts? To snap up these bargains of the century, simply go to our website: http://www.retro-speedway.com and click on the book(s) cover of your choice in the left-hand panel. Follow the link to the Paypal cart checkout. Alternatively, you can order by phoning 01708 734 502 or send a cheque by post.

FIRST-EVER ISSUE! Welcome to issue 1 and the exciting launch of another new magazine from Retro Speedway. Classic Speedway is committed to bringing you compelling, in-depth interviews with many of the sport's leading riders and personalities from the past and look what we've got lined up for starters... IVAN MAUGER - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Who else but Ivan Mauger, the greatest rider in speedway history, to adorn the front cover of our first issue? In our new, exclusive interview with the six times World Champion he talks candidly about his early career...his battles and long-running feud with promoter Mike Parker. "With all due respect to Ronnie Greene and Charles Ochiltree, they were wimps compared to Parker," says Mauger, who explains why it was his disputes with his Newcastle boss that drove him to leave the Diamonds in 1969. "If Parker had left Newcastle, I would never have joined Belle Vie," he added. But the Kiwi legend admits that if it hadn't been for the launch of the Parker-inspired Provincial League in 1960, he would not have returned to England following his unsuccessful spell with Wimbledon in the late 50s, when he did a milk round to try and make ends meet. Mauger reveals the influence he had on the Aces, how he turned them from also-rans to triple BL champs in the early 70s. He talks about Peter Collins and how he went before the Belle Vie board of directors to try and get PC in the team before he stepped up from Rochdale. "PC didn't even know I'd been to see them," he admitted. OLLE NYGREN We're back with the Swedish maestro (part one of this interview appeared in the last-ever issue of VSM) for more remarkable revelations and memories. In this issue, Nygren reflects on the hazardous nature of motorcycle sport, recalling incidents that led to the deaths of rivals, team-mates and old friends. Olle was the first on the scene, along with Joel Jansson, when fellow Swede Tommy Jansson lost his life in Stockholm in 1976. We take up the story of Nygren's incredible career during his Norwich days in the early 60s and also hear what he made of his subsequent spells with Wimbledon, West Ham, Ipswich, Coventry and King's Lynn. He also talks openly about race-fixing and ‘doing favours' in World Championship meetings. He pursued one rider who owed him £50 all the way to Australia! "There was a system in Sweden of ‘covering' races and I understood how it worked," says Olle, who revealed that he was in the pits at one World Final when a fellow countryman was offered a £1,000 bribe to throw a key race. Powerful stuff from this Grandfather of Swedish speedway, who has just recovered from major heart bypass surgery. NEIL STREET Many current day fans know Neil as team manager at Newport and as the influential grandfather of double World Champion, but in this interview we discover the background to Neil's respectable riding career. He describes his voyage of adventure from Australia, the sacrifices he made to make the grade with Swindon and Exeter, and has a firm response to those who have described Newport's old Somerton Park as one of the most dangerous of all. BRUCE CRIBB Kiwi Cribbie's career spanned three decades, but here we focus on his battle to find his way in his early days with Poole in the 60s. "I wasn't a naturally talented rider and Poole could have sent me home years before I eventually came good for them," said Bruce, who played his part in solid Pirates' 1969 BL-title winning victory. FLASHBACK We look back the years 1948, 1958 and 1968, featuring the the BL Division Two introduced so successfully 40 years ago. VIC HUXLEY One for the old-timers to savour, as we examine the impact made by speedway's first superstar. NEW CROSS Looking at the impact made by Ron Johnson through the years at the south London track. NAME THAT TRACK Can you recognise the two tracks featured in our picture quiz? Plus your letters, great nostalgic pics (some rare and previously unpublished) and much more. Order this historic first issue online today for just £2.00 + £1 P&P or take out a year's UK subscription (4 issues) for as little as £12.00... http://www.retro-speedway.com/

Moving on....have now added loads of pics from season 1976. The opening of White City Rebels. Oxford Cheetahs going National League. Last UK pictures of the late Tommy Jansson of Wimbledon taken just days before his tragic death. The Aussies winning the World Team Cup after knocking out England in the UK qualifier. More Weslakes and uprights! England's day in Katowice. ...and plenty new 'unknowns' for you experts to identify! http://www.retro-speedway.com

Cheers Harry, Tim et al for the good luck messages. Harry, don't fear, part 2 of our Olle interview features prominently in the first Classic Speedway. Don't want to get you too excited now but there's a pic of Olle on the back cover in full colour, showing off his original Hammers race jacket, plus a b&w pic of him in his West Ham racing days. Inside, you'll find a shot of Christer Lofqvist with Gordon Parkins. As for 'Cass the Gas', we'd love to interview the man who was one of my first favourites at Hackney in 1971. Alas, he is proving impossible to track down amid various conflicting (and unsubstantiated) rumours about what has become of him and where he might be... Obviously, if anybody knows where Garry is, or how we might get in touch with him, please let us know.

Many thanks, as always, to those who have identified riders for us. Just added to the site are lots of pics from 1975, the year of... New Weslake engines. Mike Lee starting at Boston. The opening of Crayford, Paisley & Mildenhall, plus the re-opening of Reading. The Wembley World Final dust. ...and that unforgettable Hackney legend, Timmy Joe Shepherd (one match, two rides, zero points, never been seen again). This could well be the only pic ever taken of him.. http://www.retro-speedway.com/extras/autog...pg&start=80 The 'Glasgow Unknowns 68-1 at Coventry' is causing consternation. One Tigers fans is convinced the rider in white is Oyvind Berg and another says it's Bo Josefsson. One says the man on the inside is Russ Dent, the other says Bill McMillan. Anyone have a view on it? Here's the link to the pic in question. http://www.retro-speedway.com/extras/autog...ventry_68-1.jpg Cheers, Tony Mac

Cheers, Bob, very much appreciated and glad you liked it. Yes, all current VSM subs will be honoured and continue as usual...the subs price will remain the same even though the normal cover price for Classic Speedway will increase from £2.00 to £3.50 per issue after this launch edition.

Classic Speedway is the brand new quarterly magazine from Retro Speedway . . . and it’s coming your way soon! What better way to mark the early stages of British speedway’s 80th anniversary than to unveil what we hope will become required reading for all supporters and connoisseurs of our great sport with a sense of history. Classic Speedway, with glossy full colour covers, extra pages and a larger format, replaces Vintage Speedway Magazine, which has now closed after a run of 15 years – issue 60 being the last one produced. Full details here: http://www.retro-speedway.com

Classic Speedway is the brand new quarterly magazine from Retro Speedway . . . and it’s coming your way soon! What better way to mark the early stages of British speedway’s 80th anniversary than to unveil what we hope will become required reading for all supporters and connoisseurs of our great sport with a sense of history. Classic Speedway, with glossy full colour covers, extra pages and a larger format, replaces Vintage Speedway Magazine, which has now closed after a run of 15 years – issue 60 being the last one produced. For a full explanation, please visit the home page of our site: http://www.retro-speedway.com/

Fair point. Would anyone who has anything useful to say please PM me instead of speculating on the forum itself. I've now edited my previous post and would please ask JC and Chunky to do the same. Sorry lads! Many thanks.

Cheers for that - it's a start. Does 1951 at Rayleigh sound about right for him?

Wonder if anyone can help with any info at all... One of our readers has been in touch to try and find all she can about a Rayleigh rider with the surname 'Thackery' or something similar (before anyone asks, it's not Alf Viccary). All she can give us to go on is that (she thinks) the mystery man rode for Rayleigh around 1951, and that he came from New Zealand. Terry Stone doesn't recall the name, but can anybody else shed any light on this man... Cheers, Tony Mac

There's a small piece on Ashington in the latest issue of Backtrack.

Not yet. I did speak briefly to Thommo at the 2005 Hackney Reunion and we carried some quotes in the following issue. But, for whatever reason, he seemed reluctant to be interviewed - or was he just content to chat about 'old days' with Plechy, Ted H, Bobby Mac and Banksy? Some riders love to reflect on their past, while others can be a bit less enthusiastic. Agree that Thommo must have lots of great anecdotes worth recalling. Fag in one hand, pint in the other...aye, they don't make sportsmen like him any more! What a great entertainer, though. How the sport could do with 10 Thommos today...

All of the above have previously been interviewed or covered in some depth in previous issues of Backtrack. To check out back issues, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com We have every back issue now in stock.

I understand. But can't you just cut out expenditure on the wife... or re-direct 16 quid of her annual allowance to a year's Backtrack subscription. She'll love you for it!

Issue 25 didn't...it only went to the printer today!

I tell you what . . . if you're home, say, around 3-ish this Sunday, I'll pop over and read the article to you! It'll save us having to print more than just a few copies!

These are John's thoughts entirely. He is proud of his image and his contribution to the good of speedway. Interestingly though (and this may surprise those who consider him self-centred) he is not satisfied with what he achieved as a rider, especially in the UK, where he felt a bit under-appreciated on the whole. He says he should have more than two individual world final appearances to show for a long career. He loved Wimbledon - his favourite of all British tracks - but preferred the bigger tracks in general. One widely held perception of John that he is keen to quash is that he 'had it easy' and enjoyed a privileged background. Sure, his dad Harry gave him great support and he very much acknowledges that, but it may not be generally known that John had to grow up fast after his mum was left a paraplegic from a car crash when he was just 12. I hope you all enjoy the JD interview, along with everything else in the next issue. We'd be very interested to receive your feedback after you've read it, so pse get in touch, either via this forum or the letters page in Backtrack. I'd better stop waffling on here and get it finished and to the printer...! http://www.retro-speedway.com

John is a bit embarrassed now about how he reacted to ref Gunther Sorber's decision to exclude him. He still believes Sorber got it wrong, though, and admits he didn't speak to Ivan for some time because of what happened, although did offer his congrats to the new world champ at the end of the '77 world final at Ullevi.

One of the most endearing things about John is that he has the capacity to also poke fun at himself. In the interview, he talks about being called 'Mavis' (in Kenny Carter's case, to his face!) but says that didn't bother him. He thrived on his pop star image and, as he points out, which riders of today are ever likely to be asked to appear on the front cover of teen girl mags of today - whereas he was the cover man on both My Guy and Oh Boy, not to mention an inside feature in Cosmopolitan? To be fair, JD gives most credit to Dave Lanning for the media publicity he gained, though he does mention one embarrassing bit of bad advice he received from him, too... Don't wish to give too much away on here, you understand. But I can confirm that he does still dye his hair blond-ish!

OLLE NYGREN Swedish legend Olle Nygren dominates the latest issue of Vintage Speedway Magazine following the exclusive interview we conducted with the former Norwich, Wimbledon and West Ham star at his Felixstowe, Suffolk home. Our absorbing 11-page feature on ‘Varg Olle’, as he knows to thousands of supporters in Sweden, covers not only the early part of his eventful speedway career, but his remarkable story of success in so many other forms of motorsport. Now 78-years-old but with an enduring enthusiasm for motorcycling that would put a teenager to shame, Olle reflects – in what is the first of our two-part interview - on his early shale days at Harringay, New Cross and Bristol before he became the first Swede to finish on the World Championship rostrum in 1954. He talks candidly about his main rivals and the big names of the shale game - including Ove Fundin, Split Waterman, Peter Craven, Aub Lawson and Tommy Price - that he learned from before international stardom and a playboy lifestyle in his native Stockholm followed. Nygren also reveals how his hectic speedway activity landed him in jail, how he defied snakes and lions in the jungle on his way to race in South Africa and also talks about the battles he had with the Swedish speedway authorities that punctuated his career. BELLE VUE To mark the 80th anniversary of British speedway, John Chaplin looks back at Belle Vue, from its opening in 1928 through to the present day, with special emphasis on the pre-70s period. Recalling the special atmosphere and experience of the world-renowned Belle Vue Manchester zoological complex and those greats names from Hyde Road past, including . . . Jack Parker, Eric Langton, Frank Varey, Dent Oliver, E.O. Spence, Alice Hart, Peter Craven, Ove Fundin and Ivan Mauger. BRITISH LEAGUE DIVISION TWO Is it really 40 years since the formation of the second tier division that transformed the sport and the fortunes of the England national team, by producing a conveyor belt of new, young talent? We look back at the launch of BL2 in 1968 and the 10 teams who paved the way for a blossoming future. SCOTTISH SCANDINAVIANS To coincide with the sad death of Norwegian Oyvind Berg, columnist Ian Hoskins recalls the numerous Scandinavians who turned out for Edinburgh, Glasgow and Coatbridge in the mid-60s with mixed fortunes. HIGH BEECH As supporters and ex-riders gathered in a quiet, picturesque corner of deepest Epping Forest where British speedway came to life 80 years ago, John Hyam recalls an aborted bid to bring the bikes back to High Beech. Plus…Eric Linden, your letters and our new Name That Track quiz. http://www.retro-speedway.com

Here's a taster of just some of what's in store in Issue 25, out early April... OLE OLSEN - Part 2. Read what he has to say about the Great Danes who followed him...Gundersen, his rift with Hans Nielsen, why he is critical of Tommy Knudsen...his past world finals...THAT race in 1977 that decided everything in the slime at Ullevi... JOHN DAVIS - outspoken and controversial as ever...why he would kick "idiot foreigners" out of British speedway...the attitudes of riders today...why he didn't care about being called 'Mavis'...the fall outs at Reading and Poole...Michanek, Jessup, Andersson, Schwartz and co...what he thought of Dave Lanning...why Wimbledon was his dream track...why he needed Simmo's help...what he has to say about the British fans who supported the Americans...Lee Richardson...and much, much more... LARRY ROSS - racing again at 53...looking back at his days from unknown to No.l at Wimbledon...why he left for Belle Vue...Halifax, Bradford and more... STEVE LOMAS - the 'Bionic Cucumber' who started at Weymouth and was an overnight sensation at Hackney before finding his feet in NL with Edinburgh and Boston... KNOW WHO'S BOSS IN THE NORTH - Mike Parker, Frank Varey, Jack Fearnley, Ian Thomas, Eric Boothroyd, Eric Boocock, Stuart Bamforth, etc, etc. SUNDERLAND...our latest Defunct Track feature... DICK BARRIE...our man on the mic Two minutes with...PAUL EVITTS MICK FIELDING... and lots more...

Steve, the injury that really did for Sverre was the badly broken thigh he suffered in the 1968 European Final in Poland. Speaking recently to Simmo (Sverre's former team-mate from West Ham), Malc reckons Harrfeldt would have gone on to be world champion but for that bad smash in Poland. We'll have to interview 'Hearthrob' soon to find out his view, though. Dave Kennett's career suffered a serious setback the night (April 1973) he and Hackney team-mate Allan Emmett piled into the fence on the pits turn at Waterden Road, while leading Leicester's Ray Wilson. Although that incident affected Emmett even worse. and he was probably more talented than Dave. Kennett always struggled from the gate in top flight racing.

Yes, you can buy all 24 back issues of Backtrack direct from the publishers, online, and have them posted straight to your door. Here's the link: http://www.retro-speedway.com/page.php?47 Alternatively, you can order by post and pay by cheque, or phone Retro Speedway (01708 734 502) and pay using your credit or debit card. It's cheaper to subscribe - just £16.00 for six issues per year. The same as it cost when the mag started four years ago.