Garry1603

When it came to the track design at the NSS, I wonder if there had been detailed plans retained about the Hyde Road track (length / width of track, gradients etc) or did Mort just design it from memory? Also, did he take into account the different aspects of the bikes these days? Either way, he did a fantastic job.

Every time I see a race like that at the NSS I secretly thank Chris Morton.

Yes, a well thought out and reasonable reply. Speedway at that time had other issues rather than 'tittle tattle' rubbish from the tabloids.

At the end of the day, that's the crux of the matter. TV bosses these days want a finale to their sports events, whether it's an end of season Super Bowl, Champions League Final or whatever. If they get a Premier League going down to the last day, it's a bonus. On a more event based basis, they want each GP to have a winner, so they can promote it for the next one, to try to attract viewers.

Very sunny in Manchester now - might end up being dusty track conditions unless they've heavily watered it.

Thank you for posting my question to Martin and to him for the excellent, well thought out reply. It's nice to be able to get an honest answer from a man who was at the centre of our sport when it was at it's best. Pity we don't have more promoters like him now.

Yes, the 1978 team were an excellent blend of youth and experience -so tragic about Wilkie.

I agree that Jack Millen was extremely hard - his battles with Frank Auffret were something to behold. No love lost there at all!

Interesting read that Moxey. For various reasons I had fallen out of love with the sport from the early 90s, so although I knew that Belle Vue had won the league in 1993, I never realised the circumstances behind it. Still, the record books show that we won it! Thanks.

Very interesting interview with Kym Mauger, so good to see that he made a success of his life in a different field. Must be so hard to be a son of a legend if you try to go into the same sport.

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)

I always felt that Chris Turner at Belle Vue in the late 70s was going to be the next 'Big Thing', but he never really moved up from being a decent second string.

BV have the potential to be play off contenders but there are several unknown quantities this season. The starting seven will probably not be the team come around June anyway (like most clubs) so there's no point speculating their final position yet.

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.

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.