Issue 38

[TonyMac]

Have you seen the new issue of Backtrack magazine – now in full colour throughout!

Look what’s in Issue 38...

 

KELVIN TATUM – exclusive interview

England’s last World Cup-winning captain on pressure, regrets, coping with autism and much more.

The former Wimbledon and Coventry star and now SKY Sports TV commentator lifts the lid on his eventful career, which also took in later spells with Berwick, Bradford, London Lions and Arena-Essex.

 

He talks about his youthful naivety when starting out at Wimbledon in 1983: “When I signed for Wimbledon in 1983, I had no idea how much money speedway riders earned. I first rode for 4 and 8 - £4 per start and £8 per point - and was paid nothing upfront. I remember Maido telling me what they were offering and I said to him: ‘Really? What, you’re going to pay me?’”

 

Read about his mixed experiences with Coventry, were he won back-to-back league titles in the late 80s, and his uneasy relationship with Bees’ boss Charles Ochiltree: “I knew where I stood with Ochiltree. He always favoured Tommy Knudsen and I knew it would be a struggle to have any influence at the club. We were two No.1s on 10-point averages and banging heads. We weren’t mates but our rivalry inspired each other and it was also good for Coventry.”

 

In only his third season of racing, Kelvin rode in all three World Championship finals – individual, team and pairs – which brought pressures he now admits he found very difficult to handle: “I was hugely nervous and worried quite a bit. I’m quite a twitchy character when I’m under pressure and 1985 ratcheted it up massively. In hindsight, if I’m being selfish, I needed more time out of that limelight before I was genuinely ready for it. Mentally, I wasn’t strong enough to cope with all that.”

 

The 1989 World Team Cup-winning skipper recalls the difficulties of leading the national side: “The BSPA were short-sighted. A successful national team would have brought the sport more national publicity and led to more people coming through the turnstiles. If they had just dipped into their pockets a little bit and given more help with things like hotels and travel, it would have made a difference.”

 

He admits, too, that he was never the most popular or charismatic rider in the eyes of his fellow riders and supporters.

“I definitely wasn’t well liked by my fellow England riders but they respected me. I wasn’t in the clique and I think they saw me as being different from them – public school educated, slightly posh and a bit up himself.

 

“They (the fans) probably found me a bit miserable, a bit distant and a bit arrogant maybe. I was there to do a job to the best of my ability and that didn’t always make me the most approachable human being in the world. A lot of supporters probably looked at me as just a miserable bugger.”

 

Kelvin also talks candidly about the struggles he and his devoted wife Debbie have had bringing up their autistic son, Oliver, now 19.

 

KELLY MORAN REMEMBERED

Following Kelly Moran’s sad death on April 10 after his long battle against lung and liver disease, more of the Jelly Man’s former team-mates, rivals and friends pay tribute to him and recall their favourite stories about the hugely popular American who leaves behind a rich tapestry of memories.

 

BRUCE PENHALL COLUMN

BP is back with an emotionally poignant piece about Kelly Moran and spending time with his former USA Test team-mate in his last days and hours in California.

 

SIMMO’S COLUMN

In typically forthright style, the former England No.1 expresses his personal view that what the fun-loving Americans brought to the party was not always a good thing for British speedway.

 

BILLY SANDERS REMEMBERED

On the 25th anniversary of the former Australian star’s death, our lead columnist John Berry – the man who brought ‘The Kid’ to Ipswich in 1972 – writes about the impact Billy’s suicide had on him and others, and also explains why he has decided to abandon thoughts of writing a book on Billy.

STAN BEAR – exclusive interview

We track down the former Weymouth and Poole star in his native Brisbane, where he looks back on his brief but successful time in England in the mid-80s.

 

WORLD FINAL FLASHPOINTS

To coincide with the rlease of our new World Finals of the 70s DVD, Peter Collins looks back at the first of our ‘flashpoint’ moments from past finals when he recalls having a ‘grandstand view’ of Heat 19 of the 1973 World Final, and why he believes Zenon Plech was robbed of a place in the run-off alongside Jerzy Szczakiel and Ivan Mauger.

 

WILKIE AND IVAN BOOK EXTRACTS

We’ve an extract from the new Alan Wilkinson book, including a heart-rending account of the Belle Vue skipper’s heroic battle to cope with his disability. Plus, Ivan Mauger recalls some unusually barren years in an excerpt from his forthcoming book, The Will To Win.

 

RADFORD TRAVELS

Our intrepid scribe reviews past trips to Reading, Rochdale, Romford, Rybnik, Rye House, San Bernardino, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Skien, Smederna, Stoke and Sunderland.

 

Plus...

 

We’ve Q&As with Duncan Meredith and Gene Woods, we find out what happened to Vic Cross, there’s a look back at England’s 1980 World Pairs victory, plus your letters and even more besides.

 

To subscribe in the UK for just £17.50 a year (6 issues) or £24 (Europe), £32 Rest of World, go to:

http://www.retro-speedway.com

Edited May 15, 2010 by tmc

[Bailays Hat]

The new layout looks superb.

[tomcat]

Have to congratulate Tony Mc and his staff, fantastic

edition. Thoroughly enjoyed each and every part.

 

Keep up the good work, I'm hooked and loving it.

[martinmauger]

The new layout looks superb.

Agreed! The mag looked pretty good before but is now excellent. Early doors yet, ink still damp on current isssue, but my suggestion for future feature interview: Chris Louis....

[TonyMac]

Agreed! The mag looked pretty good before but is now excellent. Early doors yet, ink still damp on current isssue, but my suggestion for future feature interview: Chris Louis....

 

MM - But Chris is just a 'baby' in terms of Backtrack eligibility! Plenty more 'old boys' to track down before him....

 

Thanks to you and all for your very kind comments and support - it means a lot. Glad you're liking the improved look of the mag.

[Coventry_Bee]

As a Coventry Bees fan and growing up when Kelvin and Tommy were in top form i found this edition a must buy. A very honest interview by Kelvin and i am just sorry he finished at Coventry the way he did, I remember well the 89 season after Tommy's crash and it was a disaster and alot of pressure was placed on Kelvin.

 

I would suggest its well worth a read. Be intrested to see an interview with Tommy Knudsen in a future issue ?

[Rich01]

The new layout is excellent. I found the interview with Kelvin a very interesting read. I admire his honesty, particularly about how the supporters perceived him.

 

As a Coventry fan since the mid-sixties I do enjoy reading interviews with former Bees riders in both Backtrack and Classic Speedway.

[TonyMac]

As a Coventry Bees fan and growing up when Kelvin and Tommy were in top form i found this edition a must buy. A very honest interview by Kelvin and i am just sorry he finished at Coventry the way he did, I remember well the 89 season after Tommy's crash and it was a disaster and alot of pressure was placed on Kelvin.

 

I would suggest its well worth a read. Be intrested to see an interview with Tommy Knudsen in a future issue ?

 

 

I thought Kelvin gave an excellent and, as you and others have said, very honest account of his time as a rider.

 

He gave us lots more good stuff, too, but we couldn't fit it all into the 8 pages allocated for that main feature. It was a case of prioritising the content that related to the pre-90s Backtrack era.

 

And yes, Tommy K is definitely on our radar. I'd like to get out to Denmark in the next few months and do that as a one-on-one. John Jorgensen is another we must think about for the not too distant future.

[FAST GATER]

Well done tmc another great read as always Kelvin was one of my all time favourites and the fact that he raced the last 2yrs of his career (one legged almost) carrying such an injury.His last visit to Poole when he almost beat Ricco( still at his best ) was amazing considering the pain and effort it took for him just to ride the bike .

[neil_L]

Well, I don't get to see or read that much on speedway these days, however, KT was truely fantastic during his spell with the bees. I read the interview last night after returning from Bees victory over Eastbourne and became so engroced I got a bollocking off the wife for ignoring her!

 

Whatever the personalities or politics, the "friendly" rivalry at Coventry between KT and TK was "the reason" Coventry were so successful. Oxford and Cradley also had powerful top pairings and I still believe to this day that a powerful top 2 forms the basis for good solid team.Other thing to note was that not long before the CO died(if I recall correctly), I remember reading a rare interview with the CO, probably in the local Coventry Telegraph, in which he names 6 or so all time coventry greats,and the CO paid tribute to KT saying he was brilliant in his time with Coventry, which he was. Most interesting to read that KT went to CO and said get a replacement for TK after he was hurt but was ignored. KT clearely could see what was about to unfold. Sad really. I was really sad to read KT's wife was verbally abused by some morons, whom there'll always be an element of. I'm sure the vast majority of Coventry fans would love to see KT and his lovely family come visit coventry and talk of the good times we saw him at his finest. In fact it would be great to see a reunion of that great team of the '87 and '88 seasons, we can hope!

 

I wouldn't say KT was the most spectacular or the best at team riding, but as he says, he was one of the very best out of the starts and very fast, he came a wisker away from getting right the very top, and when you look at quantity and quality of riders from the mid to late 80's, he should feel hugely proud of himself.

 

Lastly, I hope one day in the future we see something along the line of an intertesting book by KT.

[wotnoaj]

I've not seen Backtrack until issue 38, so I can't compare it to previous ones, but I was impressed with the look of the mag.

 

A great interview with Kelvin and to echo the other posts, it was a very open and honest piece. As well as talking frankly about the sporting side of his life, he touches on his personal/family life very honestly. To cope with Autism is a huge strain on any family and is very much misunderstood. He gave a nice tribute to the missus, which sounds fully deserved as it must have been very difficult to cope with the lives of a speedway rider and an Autistic son.

 

As mentioned by Neil, a book from Kelv would go down well, if he could find the time to work on it!

 

He get's a bit of unwarrented stick from some on here but I hope he's around the sport and working on Sky for many years to come, he seems like a very likeable and honest bloke.

[falkirkbandit]

Another cracking issue, i really enjoyed Kelvin's interview, a great read from cover to cover yet again, well done guys!

[ianmartin]

Another excellent Edition. I though the Kelvin Tatum piece was terrific. I would have liked to have known though, which Public School Kevin attended. Unless I missed it - It didn't say.

Looking forward to the next copy of BackTrack dropping through my letterbox.

Edited June 17, 2010 by ianmartin

[Humphrey Appleby]

Kelvin Tatum was never a rider I particularly admired during his riding days, but I did think the interview was very good. In fact, I thought it was one of the best issues for a while.

 

It was rather sad to read that he felt that he was driven out of Coventry by the fans in the end, but he wasn't the first. I remember once being asked to sign a petition to have Kai Niemi sacked as I was going into the stadium.

[Chivs]

Kelvin was a real "hero" of mine when he rode for the Bees, and anyone who travelled to away matches when KT rode for us, the majority of the time enjoyed a great Heat 15 with Tommy K and won us many many matches.

 

An away maximum at Bradford was my alltime highlight in a Bees Jacket, he was roundly booed by the Dukes fans on every occasion, but just showed class and sped to an untouchable max....funny how he rode for them later on.

 

First Backtrack issue I purchased - purely because it was around my main time of the speedway - glad I did as well.

[Doctorwu]

Another excellent Edition. I though the Kelvin Tatum piece was terrific. I would have liked to have known though, which Public School Kevin attended. Unless I missed it - It didn't say.

Looking forward to the next copy of BackTrack dropping through my letterbox.

 

Kelvin went to Brighton College

Edited July 30, 2010 by dabber54