Garry1603 Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 I love the magazine and it's a real delight to receive it very couple of months, but is it time to move the timeline from 70s/80s to 80s/90s? It would open up a lot more riders to be included (and let's be honest, just about every decent rider has been discussed / interviewed now). Might even tempt some 90s fans to buy it as well. Not meant as a criticism at all, just an opinion. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, Garry1603 said: I love the magazine and it's a real delight to receive it very couple of months, but is it time to move the timeline from 70s/80s to 80s/90s? It would open up a lot more riders to be included (and let's be honest, just about every decent rider has been discussed / interviewed now). Might even tempt some 90s fans to buy it as well. Not meant as a criticism at all, just an opinion. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Garry and for making a very valid point - we don't take it as criticism at all. To be honest, this is a timeline shift we have been considering ourselves for a year or two, although we would never abandon the 70s, which was the sport's last truly golden era. There are still plenty of ex-riders and promoters we have yet to interview/feature from that halcyon period too. Tommy Knudsen, Bo Petersen and Per Jonsson spring to mind from the top star bracket. But, like you, I see a lot of merit in extending the timeframe from 1970 to 1999. Whether our hardcore readership - especially our older readers - would agree, is another matter! One of the reasons why we have so far hesitated to do as you suggest is that I would be stepping out of my comfort zone. I'll admit I'm not very knowledgeable on the 90s (I finally left Speedway Mail in 1992), although several of our main contributors - the likes of Rob Peasley and Martin Neal - certainly are. Perhaps Backtrack needs a new, younger editor! Edited December 28, 2018 by tmc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry1603 Posted December 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 I must admit that I fell out of love with the sport for most of the 90s so I'd welcome the chance to learn more about that era. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwright71 Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 As a 40 something watching speedway in the 80's and 90's was my favourite era. Would look forward to that content in Backtrack magazine 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 20 minutes ago, iwright71 said: As a 40 something watching speedway in the 80's and 90's was my favourite era. Would look forward to that content in Backtrack magazine Interesting. Are you a regular Backtrack reader/subscriber now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwright71 Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 39 minutes ago, tmc said: Interesting. Are you a regular Backtrack reader/subscriber now? Yes I'm a regular reader of Backtrack 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidney the robin Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 A terrific read i personally don't care what era they cover but the 80/90s idea is a great one.The read is that good that when you pick it up you don't want to put it down a compliment in itself. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 6 hours ago, tmc said: Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Garry and for making a very valid point - we don't take it as criticism at all. To be honest, this is a timeline shift we have been considering ourselves for a year or two, although we would never abandon the 70s, which was the sport's last truly golden era. There are still plenty of ex-riders and promoters we have yet to interview/feature from that halcyon period too. Tommy Knudsen, Bo Petersen and Per Jonsson spring to mind from the top star bracket. But, like you, I see a lot of merit in extending the timeframe from 1970 to 1999. Whether our hardcore readership - especially our older readers - would agree, is another matter! One of the reasons why we have so far hesitated to do as you suggest is that I would be stepping out of my comfort zone. I'll admit I'm not very knowledgeable on the 90s (I finally left Speedway Mail in 1992), although several of our main contributors - the likes of Rob Peasley and Martin Neal - certainly are. Perhaps Backtrack needs a new, younger editor! Three rider from that period I would like to see interviews with are Malcom Ballard, Conny Samuelsson and Hasse Holmqvist. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepturningleft Posted January 2, 2019 Report Share Posted January 2, 2019 One year from now, the beginning of the 90's will be 30 years past. I think Backtrack started in 2004, only 14 years after the end of the 80's, so I guess there is a case for expanding the coverage into the 90's. Personally, I would have little interest in the 90's because the decline was well and truly beginning and things would never be the same again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salty Posted January 3, 2019 Report Share Posted January 3, 2019 Personally, I think there's enough of the 70's and 80's yet to cover that there is no need to stretch the timeline. Whilst most of the big name riders have been covered, often its the (relatively) lesser lights who have the more interesting stories to tell. For example, the recent Tony Lomas interview was fascinating, particularly his memories of Charles Ochiltree. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmauger Posted January 4, 2019 Report Share Posted January 4, 2019 (edited) On 12/28/2018 at 11:52 AM, Garry1603 said: I love the magazine and it's a real delight to receive it very couple of months, but is it time to move the timeline from 70s/80s to 80s/90s? It would open up a lot more riders to be included (and let's be honest, just about every decent rider has been discussed / interviewed now). Might even tempt some 90s fans to buy it as well. Not meant as a criticism at all, just an opinion. As a buyer from day one and a 'subber' for many years, to be honest I was thinking the same but hesitated to to comment as the mag does excellently what it says on the tin and deliberately doesn't cover the modern era, which it isn't about. But, yeah extending the timeline upto 1999 is a good idea I think. Just keep on doing what you're doing, Tony.... Edited January 4, 2019 by martinmauger spelling 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce Posted January 4, 2019 Report Share Posted January 4, 2019 I read every issue and thoroughly enjoy them. The quality of the articles is superb, evoking many happy memories of the 70s and 80s. I see no reason why including the 90s would be a bad thing. Just think, Tony, of all the extra material available to you overnight! World Finals of the 90s, the dawn of the GP era, world cups, 10 years of league and cup exploits, not to mention numerous individuals of interest that currently miss the cut off date. Go for it, I think your readers will be overwhelmingly supportive of the idea. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted January 9, 2019 Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 On 1/2/2019 at 10:13 PM, keepturningleft said: One year from now, the beginning of the 90's will be 30 years past. I think Backtrack started in 2004, only 14 years after the end of the 80's, so I guess there is a case for expanding the coverage into the 90's. Personally, I would have little interest in the 90's because the decline was well and truly beginning and things would never be the same again. But - and this is the crux of it from our viewpoint - would extending coverage into the 90s STOP you from buying Backtrack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted January 9, 2019 Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 On 1/3/2019 at 8:01 AM, salty said: Personally, I think there's enough of the 70's and 80's yet to cover that there is no need to stretch the timeline. Whilst most of the big name riders have been covered, often its the (relatively) lesser lights who have the more interesting stories to tell. For example, the recent Tony Lomas interview was fascinating, particularly his memories of Charles Ochiltree. Agreed, and thank you. Also, there is no harm in re-visiting a number of the original interview subject but from a different angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted January 9, 2019 Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 On 1/4/2019 at 2:20 AM, martinmauger said: As a buyer from day one and a 'subber' for many years, to be honest I was thinking the same but hesitated to to comment as the mag does excellently what it says on the tin and deliberately doesn't cover the modern era, which it isn't about. But, yeah extending the timeline upto 1999 is a good idea I think. Just keep on doing what you're doing, Tony.... Thank you, Martin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted January 9, 2019 Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 On 1/4/2019 at 4:12 PM, Bryce said: I read every issue and thoroughly enjoy them. The quality of the articles is superb, evoking many happy memories of the 70s and 80s. I see no reason why including the 90s would be a bad thing. Just think, Tony, of all the extra material available to you overnight! World Finals of the 90s, the dawn of the GP era, world cups, 10 years of league and cup exploits, not to mention numerous individuals of interest that currently miss the cut off date. Go for it, I think your readers will be overwhelmingly supportive of the idea. Thank you. The big difference for me personally is, in the case of most riders of the 90s, I don't know their story, or what happened to them, which means exhaustive research in the case of in-depth interviews. As I said earlier, perhaps we need a younger editor who lived through the 90s and knows the era inside-out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted January 9, 2019 Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 Goes without saying, we always welcome new, practical and realistic ideas regards editorial content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepturningleft Posted January 9, 2019 Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 33 minutes ago, tmc said: On 1/2/2019 at 10:13 PM, keepturningleft said: One year from now, the beginning of the 90's will be 30 years past. I think Backtrack started in 2004, only 14 years after the end of the 80's, so I guess there is a case for expanding the coverage into the 90's. Personally, I would have little interest in the 90's because the decline was well and truly beginning and things would never be the same again. But - and this is the crux of it from our viewpoint - would extending coverage into the 90s STOP you from buying Backtrack? Whilst ever my finances are buoyant I will continue to buy Backtrack. A survey of your readers will presumably provide all the answers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry1603 Posted January 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 2 hours ago, tmc said: But - and this is the crux of it from our viewpoint - would extending coverage into the 90s STOP you from buying Backtrack? From a personal point of view, I don't think expanding the coverage would stop anyone from buying the magazine as long as it stays true to it's 'Golden Era' of the 70s. There will always be new angles to take with riders previously interviewed. As far as the 90s goes It would certainly be interesting to hear about the riders / promoters views regarding the dawning of the GP era and emerging riders of the time (Crump, Rickardson, Loram, Adams etc) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briggo Posted January 10, 2019 Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 As a buyer and subscriber also from day one, I think it logical to extend the timeframe. As a lapsed speedway fan who stopped attending in 1978, to fill in the gaps in the 80's and hopefully now the 90's would be a real boon. Just don't forget the 70's along the way, other than that go for it................ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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