Issue 48

[TonyMac]

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

[stratton]

Got it today what a brilliant magazine,nearly half way through already hats off ive loved reading every issue and i have everyone of them.Also got the Ray Wilson dvd chuffed to bits with it a terrific tribute to a great rider.

[martinmauger]

^{I've had my copy a week or so but haven't got around to reading much yet but I'm very much looking forward to getting into the interviews. I think Backtrack is great...}

[stratton]

Best read ive had in a longtime, the 3 great n.z legends article was great, Gary Petersen as well.Got the Ray Wilson dvd as well worth the 16 quid for the 2 Ashby v Wilson races alone great interviews with Ray as well.

[Andy Chisholm]

Another great magazine. I really enjoyed the features on Arthur Price and Gary Petersen. I was living in Wton at the time and enjoyed following the Wolves. I uses to visit arthur on a Sat am as he was doing his bikes for Cradley that evening.