Issue 8

[TonyMac]

ISSUE 8 (Spring 2010) of the quarterly retro speedway magazine is out now!

 

SVERRE HARRFELDT – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

He is probably the greatest speedway rider Norway has ever produced . . . and now Sverre Harrfeldt has taken time out to look back over his eventful career with Classic Speedway.

 

The former Wimbledon, West Ham and Wembley crowd favourite talks candidly and for the first time about THAT controversial night of the 1963 Internationale that was marred by accusations of bribery in which greats Ove Fundin and the late Peter Craven were both implicated.

 

Read Sverre’s account of that big rumpus at Wimbledon and why he refused to shake Craven’s hand.

Sverre also recalls how he was just three laps away from winning the world title in 1966 and why he blew his chances in 1965 by arriving a day late for the European Final!

 

In the European Final three years later, Sverre was involved in a horrifying crash that put him out of speedway for 18 months and almost cost him his life. And he reveals how he had a very lucky escape again when he was unable to go on the fateful tour to Holland that killed his friends and West Ham team-mates in 1970.

 

DANNY DUNTON – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

One of the sport’s most popular and enduring characters, Danny looks back at his career as a rider with Harringay, Ipswich, Belle Vue and Oxford, among others. He recalls beating Jack Parker from the back on his first visit to Hyde Road and says: “I hadn’t even heard of him – I didn’t know any riders at the time!”

 

REG DUVAL Q&A – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Popular former Coventry, Liverpool and Poole favourite Reg Duval is the subject of our Q&A this time, as he recalls his overseas adventures in Europe and South Africa, where he competed in his last meeting at the age of 47, as well as his British racing experiences. He talks about Jack Young, his most respected Coventry team-mate, and also explains why his promoting attempts at Liverpool ended in disappointment and strife.

 

MIROSLAV VERNER – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

One of the finest Czech riders ever, Miroslav Verner reflects on a career that took him to two Wembley World Team Cup finals and a host of British second division tracks where his full throttle exploits are still fondly remembered.

SPLIT WATERMAN, JACK YOUNG AND THE GOLDEN HELMET ROW

In the summer of 1952, Harringay star Split Waterman was hauled before a Control Board tribunal after refusing to race against ex-World Champion Jack Young, of West Ham, in the coveted Golden Helmet match-race championship. John Hyam explains the story behind the row and why the charismatic Waterman was harshly treated.

 

TOM FARNDON – IS HE THE GREATEST EVER?

There are fellas called Mauger, Fundin, Briggs and Rickardsson who might have something to say about the title, but that is what is claimed on the front cover of the new book on the former New Cross idol

 

John Chaplin examines the impact Farndon had on speedway, explains why he was such a huge star in south-east London and, arguably, the best the sport has seen before his tragic death in 1935, aged just 24.

 

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