PLEASE NOTE BACKTRACK ISSUES 1-71 ARE NOW SOLD OUT
Issue 10
September-October 2005
Michael Lee In a whopping 10-page exclusive, Michael Lee gives us his frankest interview ever. He talks candidly about his dramatic fall from grace . . . his descent into drugs...use of cocaine...three prison terms (the last for 18 months)...the people he blames for his speedway downfall...falling out with his dad (and making up again)...what he's up to in his garden...and how he says finding true love has changed him...plus much, much more from 'Mike the Bike'.
John Berry also gives his own, personal insight into the controversial 1980 World Champion...
Egon Muller Brand new 4-page exclusive with the multi-talented 1983 World Champ who complains that he never got the respect he deserved for winning at Norden, and why he liked 'dressing up' in women's clothes!
Arnie Haley A great Yorkshire character who, before his sad death, admitted he probably stayed too long at Sheffield.
Pip Lamb The former Oxford youngster on why he feels the hospital was to blame for his disability sustained in 1979.
Hackney Reunion Four-page special from the recent bash at Paradise Park, inc plenty of pics and mini interviews with Barry Thomas, Finn Thomsen, Zenon Plech, Dag Lovaas, Bengt Jansson, Bobby McNeil, Dave Morton and Bo Petersen.
Malcolm Brown The former Leicester favourite, now 70, on his third marriage and still singing, talking on his recent visit from the States.
John Berry¹s pick Lead columnist JB chooses his track-by-track 'No.1s' his Marquee Men from the Backtrack era of 1970-90. See how many you agree with...
Simon Wigg News of our great, new book on the former World No.2, who sadly died five years ago. Endorsed and encouraged by Simon's family, it contains Wiggy's own words from a previously unpublished interview, plus stacks of personal tributes from those who knew him best - including heart-rending accounts from close family and friends - and more than 200 photos of Wiggy throughout his illustrious career. This eagerly-awaited book will be published by ourselves at Retro Speedway, very reasonably priced at £14.99, and in the same successful and value-for-money format as our Confessions of a Speedway Promoter book by JB. Details of how to order can be found in the new issue.
Gary Frankum The 'world's most popular junior', who rode for a number of tracks between 1987 and '91, reveals his long and brave battle to beat ME, and how he has done much to spread awareness of the illness.
Happiness is 40-38 Well, it was if you were supporting Swindon at Reading! We review this stormy encounter from Smallmead in July, 1980, when Steve Gresham and Barry Briggs came to blows.
Plus what happened to Bent Rasmussen (Cradley Heath)?
And honourable mentions (and new pics of) Tiger Beech (Rayleigh) and Rob Jackson (Crewe).
Issue 11
November-December 2005
Main Man - Hans Nielsen He's one of the greatest riders ever, and without doubt is the most successful of all the Great Danes to have graced the British League. In this eight-page exclusive with Hans, we look back on his BL days with Wolves, Birmingham, Oxford and Coventry, at the World Finals that got away and how he finally conquered his World Championship hoodoo. (At this point, we would like to apologise to referee Frank Ebdon, who, contrary to what we have stated, did NOT officiate at the 1994 final at Vojens it was in fact Dutchman Hennie Van Den Boomen who crucially excluded Hans that day. Sorry, Frank!) Probably the most compelling part of this new, in-depth interview with the Main Dane is his take on his bitter dispute with the legendary Ole Olsen, who ostracised Nielsen from the Denmark team in the mid-80s and compounded that act by siding with Hans's main rival, Erik Gundersen. Read what Nielsen has to say about his infamous feud with the most powerful figure in Danish speedway and today's GP director. Bringing it right up to date, four times World Champion Hans talks of his new life as a property developer, helping his wife's business and how their two children are now making their own mark in competitive sport.
Our top columnist, John Berry, also gives his personal insight into Nielsen, whose heroics at the 1978 World Team Cup Final led to JB offering to resign as England boss.
John Boulger One of Australia's all-time greats and the top Aussie around in the early 70s, we caught up with John on his recent flying visit to Britain. The former Leicester star looks back in this four-page exclusive on his highs and lows with the Lions, plus his time spent with Cradley Heath in between. John captained his country to the first-ever World Team Cup victory in 1976 but he reveals that probably his proudest moment came two years earlier, when he and Phil Crump almost pulled off a World Pairs shock. The Adelaide taxi driver, who is also pictured recently with fellow former Leicester star Ray Wilson, reflects candidly on why he didn't make the breakthrough to world class status.
Kelly Moran The colourful Californian reveals his likes and dislikes, best and worst, in this three-page question-and-answer interview, including why he feared the worst after a hard race against Phil Crump and why team-mate Dennis Sigalos had everyone laughing at Hull.
Colin Richardson Candid four-page interview with the former National League Riders' Champion, who was a 70s hero at Eastbourne before under-achieving in the top flight with Wimbledon and King's Lynn. Colin also admits his surprise that his son, Grand Prix contender Lee Richardson, has become such a success in modern speedway.
Exeter Farewell Our exclusive coverage of the End of Era meeting at the County Ground in October, including pictures and quotes from the Falcons' luncheon attended by Ivan Mauger, Scott Autrey and Vaclav Verner.
Oxford 1985-86 Reunion We were at Sandy Lane the night Hans Nielsen and most of the other riders from that great Cheetahs team of the mid-80s were reunited. Again, plenty more exclusiove pics of those former Oxford favourites as they are today, plus brief updates on Andy Grahame, Per Sorensen, Troy Butler, Jens Rasmussen and Klaus Lausch.
...And Peterborough Pics and brief report from the recent reunion of Peterborough Panthers, including most of the founder members of the inaugural 1970 second division team.
Taffy Owen One of the biggest characters around the old second division scene in the 70s, Taffy Owen finally reveals his true age and looks back on happy days with Belle Vue Colts, Rochdale and Workington in this three-page interview.
Happiness is 40-38 (and 49-47!) Looking back at the crucial 1983 National League match between great rivals Mildenhall and Newcastle.
Plus...Your letters.
Book Reviews Why our two new books, Wiggy! and Sliding Into Hell, should be top of your Christmas list.
Issue 12
January-February 2006
Main Man - Scott Autrey The man who led American speedway back to the top, Scott was the US trailblazer in the early 70s, paving the way for the stars and stripes heroes who followed him to Britain. In our latest major exclusive, Autrey explains why he left California to seek his fame and fortune in the British League and why, after becoming World No.3 at Wembley in 1978, he did not quite go on to reach the very top. Scott, now living in Texas, also reflects on how he conquered the spectacularly dangerous Exeter track as well as his spells with Swindon and Poole. The lessons he learned from his Falcons team-mate Ivan Mauger. Read why Bruce Penhall wasn't the first American speedway movie star. Scott considers, too, what it was like being the 'Old Man' of the exciting USA Test team that triumphed over England and later won its first ever World Team Cup.
Our top columnist, John Berry, also provides his perceptive insight into the highly popular Autrey.
Armando Castagna The popular 'Italian Stallion' on his struggle to put himself and Italy on the world speedway map, his British League experiences with King's Lynn, Ipswich and Reading. Castagna also reveals the rider he disliked most - and why.
Edward Jancarz Fourteen years after the former Polish No.1 was murdered at his Gorzow home, the city where he made his speedway name, and lived and died, has now honoured him with a permanent memorial statue. In a fascinating, if at times sad, in-depth analysis, supported by the very candid views of Eddie's first wife, we trace the dramatic rise and fall of one of Poland's greatest ever riders, who spent all of his British League career with Wimbledon Dons before alcoholism destroyed him.
Alan Wilkinson Latest in our series of exclusive interviews with wheelchair-bound ex-riders. The former Belle Vue captain looks back on his career with Rochdale and the successful Aces before the 1978 crash that put him in hospital for nine-and-a-half months and left him paralysed. Wilkie also recalls the crash in the home match v Swindon that changed his life.
Dave Younghusband One-time England international who was a British League championship winner with Halifax before less happy days with Cradley Heath and then going on to manage Newcastle's all-conquering National League team. Dave reveals how he needed all of his renowned Yorkshire wit to help cope with a family tragedy.
Remember 1973? Jerzy Szczakiel - who? - 'stole' the World Championship from Ivan Mauger's grasp...England dumped their Anzac allies to go alone and win the WTC at Wembley...Reading and Boston were the respective league champions...Michael Crawford was driving everyone mad as Frank Spencer...glam rock was set to dazzle us...young boys and girls were sucked in by the Chopper bike craze...and Ted Heath's Tories led us into the EEC Common Market before petrol rationing and a fuel crisis. Join us for a detailed look back at the year of 1973, on and off the track.
Glyn Taylor He could beat the best of his fellow Australians back home in Perth during the 70s, but Glyn Taylor's BL career with Reading, Crewe and others was largely unfulfilled. Now he faces another challenge in his skills as a reputable track curator, building the new circuit at Redcar.
Edgar Stangeland One of the early Norwegians to make his mark in the BL, Belfast-based Ed recalls his days with Newport, Exeter, his beloved Swindon and Wimbledon before being handed the poisoned chalice that went with constructing the controversial Bristol track.
Plus... A quick word with Geoff Bouchard, John Berry runs the rule over the British League champions of the 70s, another successful Sunderland reunion, your letters and more great memories from golden days gone by.
Issue 13
March-April 2006
Main Man Chris Morton We visit the Cheshire home of one of the sport¹s greatest thrill merchants to find out the races that gave him the greatest pleasure and why he couldn¹t gate very well when it really mattered on World Final night. Belle Vue and England legend Mort shows around his loft to reveal a couple of motivational factors from his early days with the Aces. He talks candidly about why he felt he needed to get away from the Manchester club in 1980, only to stay and enjoy his best-ever season. He laments the passing of Hyde Road, explains why he had to change his riding style and reveals what made him make a comeback for one last hurrah with Sheffield in 1993. Finally, Mort looks back at the team managers he rode under at both Belle Vue and England, including some forthright views about his unhappy relationship with Backtrack columnist John Berry.
JB gives us his own personal insight to Chris Morton. Read what the former England boss really thinks of the Belle Vue star.
Phil Herne One of the top Australians of the mid-70s, Phil looks back on the highs and lows of his career. From featuring in the races in which one Aussie rider was left paralysed and another was killed at the same Sydney track just a week later, to the glory of his country¹s first-ever World Team Cup success. Phil reveals the rider he rated as the best Aussie of his era, and also looks back at his BL days with Birmingham, Newport and Bristol.
Tom Owen The first of our former National League giants featured this month, the former Newcastle and Stoke No.1 reflects on a successful racing career that began at Barrow. Tom also explains why he can now walk an inch-and-a-half taller than when he last rode a speedway bike 20 tears ago and the buzz he still gets from racing . . . pigeons!
Steve Lawson Our second former NL giant, this time the undisputed Mister Glasgow who, almost single-handedly kept the Tigers roar going during difficult years for the nomadic Scottish club. Steve takes us from his early days at Workington to a richly-deserved testimonial with Glasgow, explaining why he was happy to remain one of the big stars of the second division rather than move up into the top flight.
Brian and Gary Havelock On the eve of the sport¹s opening at Redcar, we talk to both halves of the most famous father and son combination in the history of north-east speedway. Brian, the Bears¹ new team manager, rewinds his own racing career that took in Sunderland, Workington, Newcastle and Middlesbrough. And Gary, Redcar¹s new skipper and No.1, tells us what he recalls of his dad¹s riding days and the influence he had on his journey to World Championship glory.
Mike Letch Not a household name in speedway terms, but Mike is a very remarkable figure in Australian scuba diving circles. Remarkable? Well, Mike has been paralysed since crashing as a promising junior at Rye House in 1970. With amazing courage and candour, he relives the horrible moment when his riding days ended and his new life began. Don¹t miss this amazing and very uplifting story of how one man¹s determination and bravery turned tragedy into triumph.
John Scott The likeable man behind the most successful USA Test team in speedway history. In this special feature on the late American team manager, we talk to some of those who knew him best to find out the key role he played behind the scenes and why the colourful Californians all had total respect for the English gentleman.
Managing to Succeed Former Newport, Reading, Oxford and Eastbourne team boss Bob Radford reveals his memories, good and bad, of managing at different tracks in the late 60s and early 70s. Who was the King¹s Lynn star who claimed Radford¹s Reading riders cheated at the starts on their way to the 1973 league title?
Book extracts We bring you exclusive extracts from two new books published to coincide with the start of the new season. In an excerpt from Wheels and Deals, Ian Thomas reveals how promoting at Newcastle turned very ugly for him in a disastrous 1984 season that saw him him rock bottom, losing his job and his home. We¹ve got current Belle Vue star Jason Crump, dipping into his book, A World of My Own, to pay tribute to the man he credits most with helping him on his way to becoming World Champion. And it¹s not his father, Phil!
Remember 1980? Britain was facing another economic depression, but there were only happy faces in the England camp as the Lions completed an historic grand slam after losing the Test series to USA. A month-by-month look back at the first year of the 80s, when Reading were BL champions, Rye House won the NL, John Lennon was shot dead and the nation went crazy for Rubik¹s Cube!
Issue 14
May-June 2006
Main Man Malcolm Simmons To coincide with the launch of his new book, Simmo: The Whole Truth, which has set speedway buzzing, we talk in-depth to Malcolm Simmons. The former World No.2, British Champion, four times World Team Cup winner and three times World Pairs champion reveals all about his turbulent career spanning three decades and more. Super Simmo, a legend at Poole, talks for the first time about the incident that led to his sacking from the south coast track in 1980, as well as lifting the lid on the infamous race-fixing scandal of 1984 when he admits he deliberately didn¹t try to win a vital World Championship heat. Malc also confesses the shame he still feels at Å’throwing¹ four consecutive races during his season with Swindon in 1985. He recalls the humiliation of the six months he spent in prison which damaged the early part of his spell with King¹s Lynn; why he disliked the fact that some of the American riders were involved in drugs; why he really lost the 1976 World Final to England rival Peter Collins; how he found National League racing with Hackney "easy" before injury halted his illustrious career; his acrimonious departure from King¹s Lynn in 1988 after he was accused of fraud and police were called. All this, and much, much more, in our sensational interview that will send reverberations throughout the sport. As Malcolm tells Backtrack, "I understand that what I¹ve said in the book will no go down very well with a lot of people," he continues, "but that¹s the way it was back then. I¹m not saying speedway was or is corrupt far from it but I want to tell my story the way it is. Other people might wish to brush these things under the carpet but I¹m not one of them. It happened. Fact." After reading Simmo¹s ground-breaking interview in the latest Backtrack, you will find his compelling new book irresistible . . .
But it's not all Simmo. For your enjoyment, we also present…
Bernt Persson A cracking, new exclusive with the former Swedish star and World No.2, who reflects on his successful British League days at Cradley Heath, where he remains an all-time legend among Heathens' supporters. Bernie recalls the pain of losing the 1972 World Final run-off to Ivan Mauger and his previous high profile clash with the Kiwi legend at the 1967 final, also at Wembley.
Dave Morton Injuries stopped the elder Morton brother from reaching the very top and reaching a World Final, but in this interview we look back with Dave on his successful career at Crewe, where he wrote himself into the Guinness Book of Records, and Hackney, as well as his spells with Wolves, Sheffield, Ellesmere Port and Newcastle. Readers may be surprised to find out his individual highlight.
Bob Garrad One of the all-time greats of National League, Bobby G talks about his rise to stardom with Rye House in the 70s and why he chose Hackney, and, not Leicester, when he tried his luck in the top flight.
Graham Miles The latest in our series of interviews with wheelchair victims, the former Canterbury and Hackney rider vividly recalls the crash, at Waterden Road in 1971, that cost him the use of his legs . . . and how he has reinvented himself as a cabaret artist!
Ken Eyre Long-term Belle Vue fans will readily recall the distinctive bespectacled Ken, one of the unsung heroes of the dominant Aces team of the early 70s. Ken moved to Wolves and reveals why he decided to quit racing so early in his career.
Who's to Blame? A controversial talking point from our top columnist John Berry, who examines what went wrong in British speedway after the golden era of the 70s.
Remember 1985? Looking back in detail at the ¹85 season, when the World Final came to Bradford, Oxford were BL champions and Ellesmere Port were kings of the NL, although their title win was overshadowed by the serious injury to Joe Owen.
Issue 15
July-August 2006
Main Man TOMMY JANSSON Including eyewitness accounts from those who were at the track in Stockholm that fateful night in May 1976, including the other rider involved - Lars Jansson. Quotes too from Anders Michanek, Bengt Jansson and Tommy's parents, Joel and Inga-Lill, and his brother Bosse. Peter Collins also gives his views on Tommy. It's the first of our new, regular 'Lest We Forget' features on riders who paid the ultimate price.
DEFUNCT TRACKS: LEICESTER Lions and England legend Ray Wilson revisits his spiritual home as we look back at one of the sport's premier venues that, sadly, closed to make way for housing development after 1983.
ERIC BOOCOCK To coincide with the launch of his new book, Booey looks back on the highs and lows of his great career with Halifax and England, including the arm injury that still affects him today and how he bounced back to win the British Championship a year later. Also, what it was like to switching to the other side of the fence as a promoter.
JAN STAECHMANN Denmark's recent World Cup-winning manager recalls his own racing days with Wolves and Long Eaton, plus the international superstar rider he used to idolise as a kid . . . and he's not a Dane!
SCOTT AUTREY The story behind his big fall out with the American authorities that cost him a decent crack at the world title in 1979, when he hit peak form in the BL for Exeter.
PAUL TYRER Former Rochdale, Belle Vue and Ellesmere Port man on why he quit speedway early.
TERRY STONE The first in our new series of Unsung Heroes, the ex-Rayleigh man remembers the day he laid out Eastbourne boss Bob Dugard!
LEW STRIPP The referee in charge of the infamous 1984 British Final. Should it have gone ahead?
Whatever Happened To...GRAHAME DAWSON? He was a promising heat leader at Coatbridge and Glasgow before a tragic accident almost cost him his life.
REMEMBER...1977? Abba, punk rock, the death of Elvis, Ivan Mauger's fifth world title, White City and Eastbourne as league champions, plus much, more in another year revisited.
Enter our new MASTERMIND QUIZ How much do you REALLY know about speedway in the 70s & 80s? If you're smart, you could win two tickets to the 2007 British GP...
Issue 16
September-October 2006
MAIN MAN GORDON KENNETT The former World No.2 and Eastbourne legend looks back over his illustrious career for club and country, which also included spells with Oxford, King¹s Lynn, Wimbledon, Milton Keynes, Exeter and Wolverhampton. GK¹s achievements as an England regular and 1978 World Pairs champion (with Super Simmo) were all the more remarkable because he did it despite suffering from diabetes. He also talks about his former Danish wife and how close he came to taking out Danish citizenship to gain more international recognition. And Gordon also describes the personalities of his former racing brothers, David and Barney, plus nephew Edward who is a modern day star for Rye House and Eastbourne. Our top columnist John Berry also tells why, for him, Gordon Kennett was very much the reluctant hero.
DEFUNCT TRACKS: HALIFAX Backtrack recently travelled to West Yorkshire to pay a visit to The Shay, home to the Halifax Dukes from 1965-85. Revive memories of Eric Booey and King Kenny in their prime but view our pictures of where the steeply banked granite track once was and (sadly) there is no longer any trace that speedway was ever staged there. Football and rugby now rule here. However, as part of our new-look colour section, you can at least enjoy viewing images of former favourites like Ian Cartwright, Graham Plant and Henny Kroeze, plus a view of the old track itself from high up on the first bend.
DENNY PYEATT We remember Reading¹s American favourite Denny Pyeatt, who was tragically killed racing at Hackney in 1982.
VACLAV VERNER Why he was Exeter¹s Czech-mate and plenty of great memories from the former fence-scraping Falcon from Prague.
MIKE BROADBANK Finally honoured with a benefit meeting by Swindon, Broady looks back on the latter days of his racing career, with the Robins as well as Stoke, Hackney, Crayford and Newport.
TED HOWGEGO The unsung hero of the all-conquering mid-70s Ipswich Witches team reveals his off-track jobs, including that of a bus conductor!
NIGEL CRABTREE Stoke legend 'Crabby' recalls early days with Newcastle and Scunthorpe before his emergence as pride of the Potteries.
MITCH GRAHAM Volatile Mitch on his days with Hull, Workington and Halifax - and why he turned down Belle Vue.
ALAN EMERSON After surviving a cancer scare, the former Middlesbrough man is back on Teesside helping his son on his first steps in the sport.
MASTERMIND Are you up for the challenge of our heavyweight quiz? There are two 2007 British GP tickets up for grabs!
COLOUR PICTURES Coventry trio Ole Olsen, Tommy Knudsen and Mitch Shirra; Jeremy Doncaster; Kelly Moran; Alan Wilkinson; Andrzej Tkocz; Tormod Langli; George Hunter and Karl Fiala.
Issue 17
November-December 2006
MAIN MAN: BILLY SANDERS Our in-depth profile of one of the greats of Australian speedway, through the eyes of some of the people who knew Billy best. Former Ipswich boss John Berry acted as Sanders¹ legal guardian when the 16-year-old arrived in Britain from Sydney in March 1972 . . . and our lead columnist also had the terrible duty of identifying the body of his No.1 rider after he had tragically taken his own life in April 1985. In this absorbing new feature on the life and times of Sanders, JB has sought the views of friends and close associates of the fiery Aussie, who reveal what he was really like on and off the track.
DEFUNCT TRACK: HULL The Boulevard years, 1971-81, are revisited in this nostalgic look back at the Vikings' early second division days and their rise to the near summit of the British League with superstars such as Barry Briggs, Egon Müller and Ivan Mauger.
Plus exclusive, new interviews with:
RICHARD HELLSEN The King's Lynn legend on his early days with Oxford and White City before he established himself as a long-term crowd favourite with the Stars from Norfolk and then moved on to Swindon.
BERNIE LEIGH Our Unsung Hero who emerged in Reading's second division era and was still a vital cog in the Racers' championship-winning team more than a decade later, either side of an enjoyable one season stint with Swindon.
IAN CARTWRIGHT A late starter who steadily climbed the Halifax Dukes scorechart, he became the Yorkshire club's No.1 and then quit racing at a relatively young age to run the family business. Check out the story behind the former England international¹s familiar mouse moniker.
KENNY McKINNA A Scottish legend, but where? Kenny Mac reflects on the good times and the bad with Glasgow Tigers before his senior league sojourn with Belle Vue and his latter years at Edinburgh.
MILAN SPINKA One of the original bouncing Czechs and now a leading FIM referee, Spinka reveals how serious injuries on ice and shale almost cost him his life.
MORE CONFESSIONS Why Editor Tony McDonald agrees with John Berry¹s choice of the greatest rider of all-time.
MASTERMIND the latest set of questions that could win you two tickets to the 2007 British Grand Prix at Cardiff.
And colour pictures of
Phil Collins, John Jorgensen, Marvyn Cox, Barney Kennett, George Major, Steve McDermott, Brett Saunders and Robert Henry.
Issue 18
January-February 2007
MAIN MAN RAY WILSON He was England¹s first World Cup hero, former national captain and the pride of Leicester Lions. Now Ray Wilson looks back on the highlights of his illustrious career at the top in this exclusive interview with Ray from his Leicester home.
Ray, 60, reflects on what he calls the "defining meeting of his career", when he was called up as the unsung member of Great Britain¹s 1971 World Team Cup squad and ended that famous day in Poland as a national hero and the enduring nickname of 'World Cup Willie'. But for a rider of his class, Ray admits he should have done better than a best-ever fourth in the World Final. Read why the memory of Gothenburg '71 still troubles him.
He looks back at what it meant to be the home-town hero at Leicester, where he skippered the team for most of his nine seasons at Blackbird Road. What were those hard-fought, Leicester-Coventry derby matches really like from the riders¹ perspective? Ray talks candidly, too, about the problems caused by working for his father, promoter Ron Wilson, and how their relationship sometimes became strained.
Ray also reveals why he finally decided to retire from racing after a bad crash while riding for Birmingham in 1979.
Our lead columnist JOHN BERRY also gives us his take on the fiercely patriotic and loyal Ray Wilson and gives his reasons why he rated him a genuine superstar of his generation.
If you can¹t get enough of Ray Wilson, you may also like to check out our sister publication, Vintage Speedway Magazine (***INSERT LINK TO VSM PAGE HERE***), where 'Willie' talks about his early racing days with Long Eaton in the 60s, as well as the people who helped him to reach the top.
DEFUNCT TRACK: LONG EATON The Nottinghamshire track has endured a chequered existence and in this issue we re-visit what was once home to the Archers, Outlaws and Invaders from the early 70s until the track¹s unfortunate closure in 1997. Geoff Bouchard, Alan Molyneux, Dave Perks, Richard Hellsen, Jan Staechmann and Carl Stonehewer are all covered and if you can bare it, there are pictures of the derelict Station Road site today.
Plus exclusive, new interview with:
JAN ANDERSSON The cool Swede would have been World Champion had the title ever been officially raced for indoors, either on ice or concrete, but here we must also recognise that Jan was a big star with both Swindon and, in particular, Reading, where he spent his British League days and won a championship medal in 1980. On the international scene, Jan reached his peak when his country was in the doldrums in the early 80s and, as he explains, the national federation did little to help the cause.
TOMMY JOHANSSON Another former Swedish international star who sparkled then fizzled out too quickly in the years before Jan Andersson emerged, Tommy looks back on his time with Newport, Ipswich and Hull in the BL and wonders what might have been. Especially if a wild Russian hadn't managed to almost wipe him out in the 1974 World Final on home soil after he had already beaten Ivan Mauger! Tommy¹s career was seriously disrupted by a mystery illness that, today, he knows was stress-related.
BERNIE COLLIER Talking of illness, former Middlesbrough and Newcastle favourite Bernie Collier reveals why he considers himself lucky to be alive. The 1981 National League title winner with the Tigers from Teesside explains about the serious illness that has left him with epilepsy and unable to work.
JERZY SZCZAKIEL Almost everybody said he was lucky to snatch the 1973 World Championship from Ivan Mauger after the mighty Kiwi crashed in the decisive run-off at Katowice. . . and now Jerzy himself has admitted to Backtrack: "I was lucky on that day." Read what Poland¹s only individual World Champion says about the greatest day in his life and what happened to him afterwards.
BOB YOUNG The tall Aussie, who started at second division Reading and became a firm favourite and No.1 points scorer for Rayleigh Rockets, on why he regrets having started speedway so late.
ALAN KNAPKIN He once rubbed shoulders with Manchester United¹s Busby Babes, went on to become a speedway star at Bradford and then experienced tough times on the other side of the fence as promoter. His riders even went on strike!
TONY FEATHERSTONE Whatever happened to this lively East Anglian character who hit the heights with Boston, Bradford and Peterborough before less successful spells with Hackney, Crayford, Milton Keynes and Long Eaton.
IN MY DAY: MARTIN ROGERS The former Leicester, King¹s Lynn and Peterborough boss is first under the spotlight in our new series where a former promoter looks back on his time in the sport. Who was the big name star he most regrets not signing?
PlusÅ
Tribute to the late JOHN SMITH, EASTBOURNE DVD review and the latest questions in our MASTERMIND quiz.
And colour pictures of: Barry Thomas, Lance King, Troy Butler and John Barker.
TRACK MEMORIES DVDs
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DVDS... DRAMA OF THE BIG OCCASIONS
RACING DVDS... HOURS OF THRILLING NON-STOP ACTION FROM THE GREATS
INDIVIDUAL RIDER INTERVIEWS... INCLUDING ACTION FOOTAGE
DVDs ON CLASSIC ERAS OF BRITISH & NATIONAL LEAGUE RACING...
GENERAL DVDs
CINE CLASSICS
PRINTED PAPERBACK BOOKS
eBOOKS... ONLY AVAILABLE DIRECT FROM AMAZON.co.uk
MAGAZINES
BACKTRACK Final Issue 111 out now! For fans who loved speedway in the 1970s & 80s
CLASSIC SPEEDWAY Final Issue 57 out now! Launched in May 2008, the glossy quarterly specialising in the 50s and 60s eras
BLOGS
THE best, most thought-provoking, pieces written by our knowledgeable team of writers that have appeared in Backtrack and Classic Speedway magazine since Retro Speedway was formed in 2004.