Speedway as you used to know and love it. Roll back the years, breathe in those intoxicating Castrol R fumes and remind yourself of the way we were with our great, new double-disc set SPEEDWAY in the 50s & 60s
A feast of history re-lived through classic action cine footage plus video and audio interviews with track legends and favourites from the post-war boom years and beyond. Riders featured include: World Champions OVE FUNDIN, BARRY BRIGGS, PETER CRAVEN, FREDDIE WILLIAMS, RONNIE MOORE, JACK YOUNG, TOMMY PRICE, IVAN MAUGER, OLE OLSEN, BJORN KNUTSON.
Plus . . . JACK PARKER, GRAHAM WARREN, VIC DUGGAN, BILL KITCHEN, OLLE NYGREN, BRIAN CRUTCHER, IGOR PLECHANOV, KEN McKINLAY, RONNIE GENZ, NIGEL BOOCOCK, BENGT JANSSON, NORMAN HUNTER, COLIN PRATT, MIKE BROADBANK, MARTIN ASHBY, RAY WILSON, MALCOLM SIMMONS, TERRY BETTS, DAVE JESSUP, etc.
Includes racing film and clips from: Wembley, Wimbledon, West Ham, Belle Vue, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow (White City & Hampden Park), Coventry, Cradley Heath, Leicester, Long Eaton, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Norwich, Bristol, Bradford, Halifax, Poole, Exeter, Swindon, Wolverhampton, King's Lynn, Hackney, Rye House (old training track) and BL2 venues: Canterbury, Crayford, Rayleigh, Plymouth, Weymouth, Doncaster, Eastbourne, Crewe, etc.
From Wembley World Finals of the 50s to the National and Provincial Leagues, amalgamation and the British League that revitalised the sport in 1965, through to the early days of BL Division Two in 1968 . . . there's something here for everyone to enjoy!
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The latest DVD boxset from the Retro-Speedway 'time machine' takes us back further than ever before - back to the 1950s and 1960s.
This was a most interesting period, starting off with little changed since pre-war and ending up in what could be termed the 'modern era'. Along the way there were tremendous highs and lows, meaning there are no shortage of talking points.
The double-DVD set takes the usual approach of mixing archive footage, vintage photographs and reflective interviews. There are no shortage of stars looking back on days gone by, including the biggest names of the era such as Barry Briggs, Ronnie Moore, Ivan Mauger and Ove Fundin. The first DVD (running to 90 minutes) covers the 50s, the second (just over two hours) the 60s. The story is told in roughly chronological order but explores tangents as and when they become relevant. Not every year is covered in the same detail, in particular the last few years of the fifties are given scant coverage - perhaps reflecting just how deep a decline the sport hit at that point.
What stands out immediately is the quality of the colour footage available from the fifties. Right from the off we are treated to colour film from Old Meadowbank where the local Monarchs are seen taking on local rivals Ashfield Giants and Glasgow Tigers. As well as on track action, there's plenty of behind the scenes footage as well, including a young Ken McKinlay taking a draw from a fag as he warms his bike.
Moving down south we also see colour action from Norwich as the Stars take on New Cross then Belle Vue. It's difficult to imagine another Norwich/New Cross fixture ever occurring so it's great to see these legendary teams in action once more. Again there's footage from the pits, Peter Craven borrowing a programme from a mechanic amongst it.
This was the era of concrete starting grids, handicapped starts for 'the big five' and fans wearing shirts and ties. It's all here in the DVD.
Other highlights from the 50s DVD include: Jack Parker v Graham Warren in a Golden Helmet clash at Perry Barr.
Odsal Tudors in action at Bristol and Belle Vue.
Olle Nygren's recollections of being the first Swede on the famous Wembley tractor.
The 'plummy' reporting of the decade's World Finals .
A tribute to Jack Young from his fellow riders.
A great interview with Freddie Williams, recorded shortly before his death in 2012.
The 60s DVD is just as good, kicking off with those harum-scarum early days of the Provincial League, beautifully illustrated by colour footage from the likes of Sunderland and Newcastle. There's also rare film from Southampton, not a track that many will have seen before. The infamous '64 season when the riders rode 'black' provides many great anecdotes, not least from Ronnie Genz who adopted a pseudonym to maximise his earnings.
The Russians were big business in the 60s and their visits to the UK are generously represented through archive footage, including colour film of the Russian's receiving tartan travel rugs when they visited Glasgow. These odd little bits of video really do give a flavour/reminder of what speedway was like in the 'swinging sixties'.
The tail-end of the 60s also brought us British League Division II, the new league that launched the career of so many great British riders. There's film from the likes of Doncaster, Crayford and (an exceedingly basic looking) Eastbourne to enjoy.
The biggest names of the sport continue to share the memories during this second DVD and are joined by legendary 60s riders like Ivor Brown, Mike Broadbank and Terry Betts amongst others.
The time flies by as you relive (or discover) these earlier, perhaps simpler, times. The production quality of the DVD really can't be faulted, though certain allowances obviously need to be made for the age and source of some of the footage. Tony McDonald is a well informed narrator, guiding us through the interviews and clips, all the time pushing the story onwards. It doesn't attempt to be a comprehensive history of the decades, this is a nostalgic look back on the people, stories and tracks that speedway in the middle of the last century.
An excellent and value for money product that will bear repeated viewings. Speedway Plus (www.speedwayplus.co.uk)
Published by Speedway Star magazine, December 2013 FIRST out of the tapes comes this true nostalgia-fest of a DVD from our friends at Retro Speedway.
And, rather appropriate for this particular Speedway Star winter, it breathes life into a few of the thousands of words we've carried thus far in our 'Best Of British' feature on British World Champions.
So, if you've enjoyed our take on the ghosts of speedway past, you'll love this.
It's three hours-plus of wallowing in the memories.
Producer Tony McDonald is at pains to point out it's not intended as a definitive history, but is meant to give you a flavour of the times.
That it certainly succeeds in doing.
The first disc, the Fifties, has no lesser giants than Ronnie Moore, Ove Fundin, Barry Briggs and Freddie Williams talking us through their title triumphs, plus a lot more besides.
There's a fascinating moment when Briggo describes his infamous 1957 Wembley showdown with Fundin, then Ove gives you his opinion. "Barry's version is not the same as mine, but it wouldn't be would it?" he smiles.
All of it is accompanied by footage of each Final, including Tommy Price's win in 1949, plus some fairly damning verdicts of Wembley as the home of the World Final.
Jack Parker says he never rated it, and felt it would have been better at West Ham, and Olle Nygren agrees with him.
What a contrast in approaching a World Final between Ronnie Moore and Brian Crutcher.
"It's just another meeting," insists Ronnie.
"I wasn't Brian Crutcher on that night," says a far more nerves- riddled Brian.
Howdy Byford and Vic Gooden exchange memories of the great Jack Young, while Ronnie Moore, Brian Crutcher and Jack Parker also offer their thoughts on the 1951 and 1952 World Champion.
Amongst some league footage of the time, you can enjoy action from Poole, Cradley Heath, Edinburgh (the Meadowbank version, could have sworn that was Mike Hunter at the turnstiles!), Norwich, West Ham (with a rather splendid garden shed on the centre green, right next to the starting gate!), Birmingham, Belle Vue, Odsal and Yarmouth.
The Belle Vue footage is particularly poignant, showing the fairground, the Hyde Road pits, even the interval tea-tray!
Striding on through time, we slip in the second disc for a similar Sixties feast.
Fundin's 1960 Wembley win, amalgamation, Colin Pratt looks back at a Provincial boy taking on the big guns, while Briggo salutes Charles Knott and slags off handicap racing.
The man who was to make the late Sixties his, Ivan Mauger, acknowledges the part Mike Parker played in that, and there's a fitting tribute to Peter Craven, including a rare sight of him and Fundin going head to head in a match race around the iconic Hyde Road.
Just before the Provincial and National Leagues buried the hatchet (rather than an axe in each other's backs), Ronnie Genz reveals why he adopted his father-in-law's name for one outing.
Sunderland v Middlesbrough would you believe, rises before your very eyes, and Len Silver talks about taking sole charge of Hackney and getting his money back in the first year the two leagues combined.
"The start of 20 happy years," says Uncle Len.
Cradley legend Ivor Brown chats on screen about his fondness for the Black Country club and the reception he used to receive on his travels, and the Internationale pile-up that came close to ending his career.
Ray Wilson, Nigel Boocock, Malcolm Simmons, Terry Betts, Mike Broadbank, Martin Ashby, Great Brits all, add their recollections, with World Cup Willie talking frankly about his 1967 World Final wake- up call from Mr. Fundin, and Martin explaining why it didn't always pay to live locally when racing for Swindon.
There are cine-film glances of racing at Crayford, Rayleigh, Plymouth, Weymouth and Canterbury, Dingle Brown pointing out the grass was probably a lot greener in his Rayleigh days, while Dave Jessup looks back at his formative spell with Eastbourne.
Doncaster and Crewe are glimpsed through the home-movie lens.
Ever-entertaining Ove Fundin tells you exactly what he thinks of the modern era and a certain Ivan Mauger who, in his eyes, had it easy!
Summing it all up, Tony McDonald talks of 'a simpler time'. That it certainly appears to have been.
But it was also, as in all speedway decades, a time for heroes and the two discs are crammed with 'em.
Forget all that sepia-tinted nonsense those supermarket moguls hurl at us this time of year, when it comes to nostalgia, this set is the real deal. Speedway Star
I found it most interesting. Some of the early colour film was new to me, and it certainly brought back all sorts of memories of my early days as a supporter in the London area. Would definitely recommend this DVD to any other fans from those days, as well as keen historians of our sport. John Pharaoh
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
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