WHAT we have here are not exactly blogs, but a collection of some of 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.
In particular, we believe it is important to preserve and share the observations of John Berry, our star columnist in Backtrack from day one until his passing in 2012. As well as earning a reputation as one of the most successful and respected promoters of his generation, JB never minced his words. His well documented suspicions that the advent of the Grand Prix series in 1995 would inflict damaging wounds upon British domestic speedway have, sadly, come to pass.
Not only are many of the observations and constructive criticisms you will find here relevant to speedway's history, some are a commentary on how the sport is run today.
TURBULENT TIMES
Monday 01 June, 2020
By Rob Peasley * Backtrack, issue 58 (2013)
We weigh up the pros and cons of two controversial decisions taken by promoters that brought an end to the traditional second half event and junior leagues . . .
THE winter of 1984-85 was a highly turbulent one for British speedway and in particular the British League.
The sport's top tier lost five teams "“ Newcastle, Exeter, Eastbourne, Poole and, most shockingly of all, the once mighty Wimbledon Dons. Wimbledon riding in the second tier National League seemed almost unthinkable but it became reality.
Top flight speedway was in turmoil, with the BL reduced to just 11 teams, by far its smallest membership since the league's formation in 1965. Due to the drama that unfolded over that winter of discontent, a momentous decision by British League promoters received far less attention than it normally would. They chose to scrap the traditional second half. The rider-of-the-night event or scratch race final, call it what you will, was no more.
It wasn't a move completely without precedence. In 1982 and "˜83, National League promoters had extended their matches to 16 heats, with the second half reduced to a handful of junior races.
It hadn't proved completely popular, because in 1984 the NL returned to 13 heats and traditional second halves.
BL track bosses went a step further in 1985. They didn't extend the heat format. Instead, they actually replaced races featuring the superstars with those involving novices. Races that had featured Erik Gundersen, Hans Nielsen and Shawn Moran now featured the likes of Nigel Leaver, Paul Atkins and Tony Forward.
It was a brave move, and almost certainly one that was partially driven by finance "“ the shrinking BL could simply not afford to lose any more teams. It was one way of cutting the cloth without affecting the main league match.
It was also a decision that has often attracted criticism . . . but was it one that actually gave British speedway a temporary shot in the arm?
Some of the sport's longer-term supporters may disagree. Then again, maybe the demise of the old second half was overdue.
By 1984, first division stars just did not take second haves seriously. They either simply used it to test machinery, went through the motions, or didn't bother with it at all.
Already their diaries were filling with continental commitments. Grass-track or long-track meetings on a Sunday were far more lucrative than a British second half. As soon as Heat 13 was over, bikes were put away into vans and the riders were off.
Once upon a time, the second half final had been a highlight of the evening, often featuring the three home heat leaders and the visiting No.1. By 1984, this was rarely the case.
Several tracks had already taken part in a British Junior League in 1984, which was staged in conjunction with the traditional second half. For 1985, this would be extended. There would now be a junior match after every British League or League Cup fixture, encompassing all 11 BL clubs. Junior leagues had always had voluntary membership. In 1985, it became compulsory for BL clubs.
It also meant the junior meetings would now feature the same two clubs as the first half of the meeting, giving hardcore fans an extra match to watch. In contrast, those who liked the star names simply left the stadium, or headed for the bars, after Heat 13.
There was much to commend about the British Junior League, though. First and foremost, it gave plenty of track time to youngsters.
Under the old second half format, a young rider sometimes only took a single ride. If he didn't do well in that, it could be the end of his night.
The early season British Junior League Cup in 1985 featured four-man teams racing over six races, which meant each rider had three rides. For league matches later in the season (which took place over seven races), a fifth rider, who had two programmed rides, was added to the mix.
And not only did these young men get regular rides around their own home circuit, they also gained vital experience on all the away tracks in the British League.
Suddenly a whole new crop of junior riders sprung up. Among those who competed in the 1985 British Junior League were: Ray Morton, Andy Phillips, Rob Fortune, Jamie Habbin, Jon Surman, David Clarke, Mike Bacon and John Bostin.
Some of them had been riding in second halves for a few years, while others were new to the sport. The new-look second halves provided the public with some lively, meaningful entertainment.
And the league was well organised. True, there was the odd unfulfilled fixture, when the weather intervened before the junior match and there wasn't a suitable second half for the youngsters to return.
But on the whole, both league tables and averages were well-maintained, and some fans really got into the junior action.
Of course, there were a few moans and groans at the passing of the traditional second half, and a concession for 1986 was a Gold Sash race preceding the junior racing, featuring the top two riders from each side.
Coventry's riders were the first to rebel, refusing to take part in the Gold Sash races on away tracks, and so it fell into disarray. It was a reminder of one of the reasons the old second halves had been scrapped in the first place; indifference from many of the star names.
Meanwhile, one thing missing that had existed in the traditional second half was the chance for juniors to test themselves against more experienced opposition. The old second halves often threw the juniors together with the seniors, producing the odd shock result.
That issue would be partially addressed by a very bold decision by BL promoters in 1986 "“ the No.7 for each senior team would be a rider from the British Junior League.
With relations between the BL and NL becoming increasingly strained, the British League would not have to rely on the National League for young talent. It would produce its own.
It was sink-or-swim for the junior riders. There's no doubt that it was a huge step. The British League was a "˜Super League' in 1986, far stronger than the Elite League of today because it contained nearly all of the world's top riders.
Sean Wilson, who replaced Peter McNamara as Sheffield's compulsory junior partway through the season, made it through, but some others floundered as their confidence took a knock.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the compulsory junior rider lasted for only two seasons (1986 and "˜87), although not before a 16-year-old Mark Loram had spent a season as Hackney's impressive junior in 1987. It could be argued that a young talent with Loram's obvious ability and promise would have eventually made it to the top anyway. But the fact is, Kestrels' boss Dave Pavitt plunged his precocious discovery in at the deep end because of the compulsory junior ruling. Had it not be in force, who knows, Mark might have taken longer to come to the boil.
In the meantime, the British Junior League continued and went from strength to strength, as more supporters discovered its delights, featuring young riders who simply never knew when they were beaten. It almost built up a fan base of its own.
Sometimes a humdrum first half could be followed by a corking junior match. There was always a great unpredictability about the racing and meetings being won with a final heat 5-0 were not unknown.
The BJL underwent several name changes "“ from its original title to the British League Division Two (BL2 for short) and then the Reserve League. With BL matches extended to 15 races in 1988, the length of junior matches was reduced to five races, although it soon went back up to six for 1989.
And the odd rider continued to make it big.
Arguably, Joe Screen was not a product of the league, since he was always earmarked for the senior Belle Vue BL team. However, Screen's team-mate Carl Stonehewer (along with Screen, a Grand Prix star of the future) was a different matter. Stonehewer worked his way up the junior ranks and into the Aces' main side.
In the meantime, the National League also had junior leagues.
It wasn't possible to have the same all-encompassing junior league as the BL simply because of geography. It wasn't sensible to have junior riders travelling from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Exeter.
The junior leagues were regionalised, and second halves were a mix-and-match affair, sometimes still containing seniors in the second half if there wasn't a junior match. Although the NL reverted to 16 heats in 1988, which more-or-less spelt the end of Rider-of-the-Night competitions in the second half for good.
The mending of broken bridges between the BL and NL during the 1990-'91 winter did little to effect the junior leagues, which carried on in the same fashion in 1991 and "˜92.
Anyone doubting that the league was still producing riders only needed to look at the Ipswich junior side which swept to the league title in 1992 "“ Ben Howe, Savalas Clouting, Shaun Tacey and Lawrence Hare would all graduate to top flight speedway in the coming years.
Then came something of a shock.
Where damage was done
THE junior leagues were scrapped after the 1992 season. The initial reason given was that the 1993 league format would feature 18 heats and eight riders. And due to the rules governing the two reserves, this in itself would provide opportunities and would allow youngsters to move to the next step.
But the 18-heat format lasted just a season. In 1994, any protection given to the reserves had gone, and foreign reserves, even in Division Two, started to appear.
It's true that a third division was introduced in 1994 but this tended to feature the British riders who had, until then, appeared in the second tier (which was now becoming more-and-more clogged up with foreign riders). The third division was never a youth development league in the same way that the second half leagues had been.
The scrapping of the junior leagues after 1992 was a big disaster. It's here that real damage to British speedway was caused "“ far more than the decision to scrap the traditional second half in the British League following the 1984 season.
Suddenly young novices were scrabbling around for the odd second half race. There was no longer any form of regular second half racing. Situations arose where riders would travel to get a couple of informal second half races at the end of a meeting, only for those races to be culled and the riders return home without any action.
Key opportunities for youngsters were no longer there.
There's also, of course, the question of value-for-money for supporters. Junior races are extra races for those paying their hard-earned cash through the turnstiles. Up until 1992, it was rare for there to be less than 20 races in the programme.
These days, some Elite League clubs charge up to £17 for just 15 races. The addition of junior races gave supporters a bit extra, at little more cost to the promoter.
In recent years, there has been an attempt to revive second half junior matches but not all clubs participate and meetings can sometimes be few and far between for riders.
The decision made at the end of 1992 to scrap the junior leagues was the one that caused a lot of damage down the line.
Second halves and junior leagues had their own pros and cons "“ but both were a lot better than nothing at all.
ROLL OF HONOUR
BRITISH JUNIOR LEAGUE WINNERS 1984 Ipswich 1985 King's Lynn 1986 Coventry 1987 Sheffield 1988 Bradford 1989 Belle Vue 1990 Wolverhampton 1991 Cradley Heath 1992 Ipswich
BRITISH JUNIOR LEAGUE KO CUP WINNERS 1986 Sheffield 1987 Bradford 1988 Cradley Heath 1989 Belle Vue 1990 Wolverhampton 1991 King's Lynn 1992 Ipswich
NATIONAL JUNIOR LEAGUE WINNERS 1986 Middlesbrough (Northern), Birmingham (Central), Wimbledon (Southern) 1987 Middlesbrough (Northern), Mildenhall (Central), Arena-Essex (Southern) 1988 Poole 1989 Hackney 1990 Middlesbrough (Northern), Stoke (Central), Poole (Southern) 1991 Middlesbrough (Northern), Sheffield (Central), Arena-Essex (Southern) 1992 Middlesbrough (Northern), Exeter (Southern) (Decided on a percentage basis in 1988 and 1989)
CLASS OF "˜86
Compulsory junior riders in the 1986 British League Belle Vue "“ Declan Eccles (4.28) & Lee Edwards (1.06) Bradford "“ Michael Graves (3.88) Coventry "“ David Clarke (3.50) Cradley Heath "“ Paul Fry (3.23) & Paul Taylor (2.06) Ipswich "“ Robbie Fuller (4.17) King's Lynn "“ Ray Morton (4.21) & Adrian Stevens (2.28) Oxford "“ Jon Surman (2.44) Reading "“ Gary Tagg (1.35) & Billy Pinder (1.27) Sheffield "“ Sean Wilson (5.83) & Peter McNamara (3.27) Swindon "“ Rob Fortune (3.16) Wolverhampton "“ Andy Phillips (2.97)
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 most thought-provoking pieces written by our knowledgeable team of writers that appeared in Backtrack and Classic Speedway magazine since Retro Speedway launched in 2004.
