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TonyMac

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Everything posted by TonyMac

  1. Why couldn't Gordon take R/R rides - did a rule prevent it?
  2. TonyMac

    Ron How Rip

    Sad to report that Ron How died today, soon after entering a hospice. We will pay full tribute to the former England, Wimbledon and Oxford star in our next issue of Classic Speedway magazine. In the meantime, do you have any particular memories of Ron that you'd like to share with readers?
  3. TonyMac

    Ronnie Moore seriously ill

    VERY sad news from New Zealand, where former double World Champion Ronnie Moore has been diagnosed with incurable lung cancer after seeing specialists in his home city of Christchurch. The Wimbledon legend, 85, recently spent three days in hospital and is now set to undergo radiotherapy treatment to ease his breathing, although not cure his terminal illness. Obviously, our thoughts go out to Ronnie - probably the most popular World Champion ever - and his family at this very difficult time.
  4. Issue 94 of our retro magazine crammed with nostalgia from the 70s and 80s includes . . . GARY GUGLIELMI – exclusive interview Almost 35 years after his racing career was abruptly ended by a harsh ban and he was sentenced to prison in his native Sydney, former Australia, Coventry and Boston star Gary Guglielmi bears his heart and soul in a riveting new eight-page interview with TONY McDONALD. For the first time, we're bringing you the Full Gaz . . . 'Googy' on . . . * His ill-fated plan to smuggle drugs concealed in his speedway bike * Serving nine months in prison * Billy Sanders, his World Pairs partner * 21 years' of marriage to Judy Sanders * The massive impact and guilt of a double family suicide * Finding solace in faith and religion * Ole Olsen * Fighting Kelvin Mullarkey * His 'Gary Williams' nom de plume at Coatbridge * Finding new love * Exclusive never before seen family pictures * Plus much more . . . BIG NIGHTS: Golden Hammer Continuing his six-page review of some of the most popular domestic individual meetings, PHIL CHARD heads for Cradley Heath to reminisce about the Golden Hammer, the annual classic that was the 1977 brainchild of go-ahead Heathens boss Dan McCormick. Previous winners include Ole Olsen, Scott Autrey, Chris Morton, Kenny Carter, Hans Nielsen, Sam Ermolenko, plus home favourites Bobby Schwartz, Lance King, Erik Gundersen, Alan Grahame, Simon Cross. RIVALS: Ipswich v King's Lynn Continuing our new series revisiting club rivalries, ROB PEASLEY reviews classic matches between fierce East Anglian top flight opponents Ipswich and King's Lynn, featuring legendary skippers John Louis and Terry Betts, plus Billy Sanders, Tony Davey, Kevin Jolly, Dennis Sigalos, Michael Lee, Dave Jessup, Richard Hellsen, Mel Taylor and many others. SON OF MY FATHER: NEIL & KEN MIDDLEDITCH The Middleditches are part of the rich fabric of Poole Speedway. RICHARD BOTT catches up with 50s legend Ken Middleditch – but first a new interview with his son Neil, who has done and seen it all in a riding and management career spanning almost six decades at Wimborne Road. BACKCHAT with MARTIN ROGERS The column where readers fire questions at our lead columnist. As one of the most respected promoters and administrators of the Backtrack era, no-one is better qualified to respond to the burning issues of the 70s and 80s, This time Martin responds to John Berry's suitability as the BSPA's Director of Operations, discusses the merits of various referees, and considers whether promoters have been negligent in their contractual dealings with riders. SCOTT LAMB – exclusive interview A wholehearted trier, modest Scott Lamb admits to ANDREW SKEELS that he probably partied too much in his racing days with Edinburgh, Newcastle and Berwick and never set out to become World Champion. GLASGOW: 50 Memorable Moments DOUG NICOLSON navigates through his local club's turbulent history and multiple homes. There are honourable mentions for Tigers legends Tommy Miller, Charlie Monk, Jim McMillan, the Beatons, Steve Lawson, Kenny McKinna, Robert Nagy, etc. STOKE CHOKER Stoke's Loomer Road is the latest in a long line of speedway venues to fall victim to developers. We list all 89 British league tracks lost to the sport over the past 70 years. Plus: Obits on Clive Featherby and Ian MacDonald. Remember, we no longer sell single editions, so please subscribe at www.retro-speedway.com
  5. TonyMac

    Tommy Knudsen

    Didn't then World Champion Hans Nielsen continue to defy the new ruling? Quite rightly, the rule was dumped before the authorities could further drain every ounce of entertainment from proceedings.
  6. Many thanks, Dave, for helping to make the interview with GG possible. As you know, we have been hoping to talk with him for some years and in the end, thanks largely to your 35-plus years relationship with him and the trust he showed in you and us, we finally got there. A big thanks to GG, too, for his professionalism and co-operation throughout the prices - answering many awkward questions with as much honesty as could reasonably be expected, responding quickly to emails and texts (working around the Oz-UK time difference) and helping with personal photos from the family archives. I first met Gary when he was riding for Boston at Crayford in 1979 and, as usual, I was there for Speedway Mail. We chatted and he came across like a typically engaging, very friendly young Aussie. I liked him from that night and I respect and like him even more now that I've heard his story, first-hand, and know the full extent of what he and his family have been through. He still feels bad about what happened to Steve Payne, because - as GG says in the interview - the drug smuggling fiasco was entirely of his making.
  7. TonyMac

    Most Unpopular Rider

    Yes, that was the case with Shawn too - as he admitted in Backtrack yonks ago.
  8. TonyMac

    Most Unpopular Rider

    Dag admitted in his very candid interview with Backtrack many years ago that he had reached the point where he lost his verve for racing and was scared of being seriously injured. When that happens to a rider, he is right to pack in.
  9. IPSWICH v KING'S LYNN 70s & 80s - YOUR MEMORIES In the next issue (94) of Backtrack we will be reviewing some of the classic East Anglian derby clashes between the Witches and Stars . . . and we'd like to add personal memories of these local battles from our readers and other supporters . . . There was nothing peaceful about these clashes, which were frequently controversial, often closely-contested, and invariably watched by massive crowds. Both teams had highly-attractive line-ups, with some of the best riders in the world thrown into opposition. This article largely features on the years between 1975 and 1982, when the likes of John ‘Tiger’ Louis, Billy Sanders and Tony Davey were doing battle against Michael Lee, Terry Betts and Ian Turner, with cameos from stars such as Dave Jessup, Dennis Sigalos and Anders Michanek. If you would prefer to email your comments, send to: editorial@retro-speedway.com
  10. TonyMac

    World Top 10?

    You are correct, the Mail did run an annual poll for international journos to vote for their Top 10 riders each year. It was started by John Hyam, the de facto editor immediately after Ian MacDonald left in 1978, although I think John introduced it some years before then. I guess he simply contacted each of the scribes by snail mail (no pun intended) and asked them to cast their vote.
  11. ISSUE 93 (JULY-AUGUST, 2019) SON OF MY FATHER: TROY & COLIN PRATT Next year, on July 14, 2020, it will be the 50th anniversary of speedway’s darkest hour. A minibus, carrying the members of the West Ham team home from a representative meeting in Amsterdam, crashed at Lokeren, Belgium, resulting in the deaths of four young riders, the team’s manager and the driver. Among the survivors was a seriously-injured Colin Pratt, who had top-scored in the Amsterdam meeting with a 15-point maximum. But he never raced again. RICHARD BOTT interviews the former England team manager and, firstly, his son, Troy, who spent most of his career with Arena-Essex and featured in the BBC soap Eastenders . . . ARENA-ESSEX: 50 Memorable Moments British speedway lost yet another long-established venue last year following the closure of Arena-Essex/Lakeside after 35 years in operation. ROB PEASLEY looks back at Hammers' highs and lows, featuring the likes of Bob Humphreys, Alan Sage, Martin Goodwin, Neil Middleditch, Andrew Silver, Bo Petersen, Brian Karger, Alan Miogridge, Troy Pratt, Paul Hurry, Mark Loram, Lee Richardson, etc. ANDY CAMPBELL – Exclusive interview Born and raised near Surrey, Andy Campbell made his league debut for Glasgow but his nomadic career took him to Reading, Poole, Exeter, Belle Vue, King's Lynn and Wimbledon before he bowed out back in the far north at Berwick. ANDREW SKEELS caught up with a genuine nice guy. BIG NIGHTS: Daily Express Spring Classic In the first of a new series, PHIL CHARD reviews some of British speedway's most prestigious individual meetings. We start with the early season Wimbledon biggie that ran for nine seasons before ending in controversy, attracted the backing of a national newspaper and ITV coverage viewed by millions. RIVALS: Mildenhall v Rye House In the first of a regular new series revisiting club rivalries, ROB PEASLEY reflects on classic matches between two of the National League's fiercest opponents, including that epic 1979 title decider. BUSMAN'S HOLIDAYS DOUG NICOLSON recalls the times when riders and supporters booked a week’s summer holiday and set off to the other end of the country on a speedway tour. A time when clubs routinely embraced gruelling fixture schedules. BACKCHAT MARTIN RIOGERS answers more of your questions and picks his Dream Team from the riders who served under him at King's Lynn, Leicester and Peterborough. ON TWO MINUTES . . . with MARK CARLSON The Australian reflects on his UK career with Oxford and Milton Keynes and MARTIN NEAL finds out what he's been up to since he returned Down Under. THE WRITE STUFF – Andrew Edwards TONY McDONALD catches up with the man whose weekly speedway column for Motor Cycle News reached many thousands more readers than any other throughout speedway's last golden era. To subscribe (we no longer sell single issues), please visit www.retro-speedway.com
  12. In Issue 94, our new 'Rivalry' feature will reflect on some of those classic East Anglian derby clashes from the 70s and 80s, so what are YOUR memories of battles between Ipswich and King's Lynn from that particular era? The infamous Kevin Jolly 'incident', when he 'fell' to force a rerun that went Witches' way, is one that no doubt springs to mind . . .
  13. 2019 SUMMER EDITION Welcome to issue 45 of our quarterly retro magazine. Here's a taster of what to expect . . . BROTHERS IN ARMS From the Langtons to the Boococks, PHIL CHARD considers the eight sets of siblings who rode together for the same England or Great Britain team in the pre-70s era. BIG NIGHTS: Capital Gold In the first of a regular new series recalling major domestic meetings, PHIL CHARD reviews one of the oldest classics on the calendar, the once much coveted LONDON RIDERS' CHAMPIONSHIP first staged in 1930. Double LRC winners include Tom Farndon, Ron Johnston, Jack Milne, Jack Young, Ronnie Moore, Norman Hunter, Colin Pratt, Trevor Hedge and Barry Thomas. ERIC WILLIAMS: From Wales to Wembley Freddie Williams wasn't the only Welsh star of the Wembley Lions. Here, in an edited extract from a new biography on the double World Champion, we look back at the considerable impact made by his younger brother ERIC WILLIAMS. PLYMOUTH: 50 Memorable Moments ROB PEASLEY reflects on the chequered past of Plymouth, with emphasis on the 22 seasons spent at Pennycross Stadium, where many all-time greats appeared. LES WHALEY: One of a kind DOUG NICOLSON looks at the life and times of the former Glasgow and Bradford promoter whose word was his bond. YESTERDAY'S NEWS TONY McDONALD scours Retro Speedway's library archives to see what various publications were writing about. This time we delve into a 1949 Speedway Gazette, 1953 Monthly Speedway World, 1961 Speedway World and the first edition of Speedway Echo in 1968. Plus . . . Obits on Charlie Barsby and John Chaplin, Romford team photo, Bob Andrews' football star cousin and crossword. To subscribe (we no longer sell single issues), please visit www.retro-speeday.com
  14. Issue 92 is out now and here's a taste of what to expect . . . SON OF MY FATHER: CHRIS & JOHN LOUIS RICHARD BOTT talks to two of England's finest, both Ipswich legends, World Final medallists and the first father-and-son duo to be crowned British Champion. Chris Louis told Backtrack: "From a rider-adrenaline point of view, there is nothing like waking up on the morning of a one-off World Final knowing that if it all goes right that day, you will be World Champion at the end of it." “The British Final was as big as anything. There was nothing like travelling from Ipswich to Coventry passing loads of cars with Witches colours. Maybe it’s because I have retired from racing that it doesn’t seem to be the same these days." BACKCHAT Q&A with Martin Rogers The second in our new series where readers fire questions at our lead columnist. As one of the most respected promoters and administrators of the Backtrack era, no-one is better qualified to discuss the burning issues of the 70s and 80s. This time, MR responds to the controversy surrounding the 1984 Sunday People race-fixing 'scandal'; he has some colourful comments on King's Lynn's shift from their traditional gold and green; and debates the merits of women riders and their possible future role. BROTHERS IN ARMS – Exclusive interviews PHIL CHARD talks family pride to Peter Collins and Alan and Andy Grahame about making brotherly history on the international stage. BRETT SAUNDERS – Exclusive interview The former Berwick and Edinburgh star candidly reveals to MARTIN NEAL how his battle to recover from a stroke pushed him to the brink. THAT WAS THE YEAR: 1986 In the last of our season-by-season reviews, ANDREW SKEELS rewinds 33 years to a period when Denmark and Oxford dominated and the sport was stunned by a terrible tragedy. WEYMOUTH: 50 Memorable Moments Despite Weymouth's turbulent history and five different nicknames, ROB PEASLEY recalls highs as well as lows on the south coast, where Tony Lomas, Martin Yeates, Brian Woodward, Danny Kennedy, Simon Wigg and Simon Cross were all stars . THE WRITE STUFF – RICHARD CLARK (part 2) In this concluding part of his in-depth interview with the longest-serving Speedway Star editor, TONY McDONALD finds out (amid the obligatory beers and curry) more about this popular character with many friends in high places. NO PLACE LIKE HOME DOUG NICOLSON looks at venues that might have been worthy additions to the sport in the Backtrack era but, for whatever reason, never became speedway homes. WORLD LONGTRACK FINALS of the 80s In part two of our review of speedway's 'bigger brother', ROB PEASLEY looks back to the 80s, when two English speedway stars added their names to the illustrious roll of honour. We are no longer selling single issues, because we need new subscribers to commit to the magazine. You can subscribe at www.retro-speedway.com
  15. BACKCHAT FROM our next issue (No. 91) we will be introducing a regular new feature called BACKCHAT, where readers get the chance to fire questions at our main columnist MARTIN ROGERS. As one of the leading promoters and most respected administrators of the Backtrack era, no-one is better qualified to respond to questions about the burning issues of the 70s and 80s. They don't have to be just about the tracks at which he promoted, King's Lynn, Leicester and Peterborough. He is also 'up' for tackling all the wide-ranging issues from that special period. So, please email your questions as soon as possible to us at editorial@retro-speedway.com. Type 'BACKCHAT' in the subject line, be sure to include your full name . . . and we'll forward them on to MR. Martin's responses will appear in issue 91 and from then on . . .
  16. TonyMac

    Malcolm Ballard

    We'd be keen but first we need to track him down... can anyone offer any pointers, please?
  17. TonyMac

    Memories of Hackney Speedway

    We invite you to view the trailer for our Memories of Hackney DVD here: Only £16 (post-free in UK) from us at https://www.retro-speedway.com/homepage
  18. TonyMac

    Heathens Heroes - NEW!

    Please check out the trailer for our brand new HEATHENS HEROES DVD here: Or here: https://www.retro-speedway.com/homepage Here are the details: HEATHENS HEROES NEW ON DVD - ONLY £16 (post-free in UK) THIS double-disc DVD set is in honour of the famous CRADLEY HEATHENS, a speedway club that rose from humble beginnings as a Third Division outfit in 1947 to become the greatest force in British speedway by the early 80s. After a brief historical overview of their rags to riches success, we meet the superstars and many other heroes who wore the green-and-white and graced the acclaimed Dudley Wood track with pride and distinction. Enjoy breathtaking non-stop action featuring all the great riders doing thrilling battle against Black Country arch-rivals Wolverhampton, plus Coventry and many others from 1979 until Heathens' sad demise at the end of the 1995 season. *Featuring 120+ races, including the last-ever four laps at Cradley Heath. * Race action featuring: IVOR BROWN, BRUCE CRIBB, HOWARD COLE, JOHN BOULGER, MALCOLM CORRADINE, DAVE YOUNGHUSBAND, DAVE PERKS, BRUCE PENHALL, KRISTIAN PRAESTBRO, ERIK GUNDERSEN, PHIL COLLINS, ALAN GRAHAME, ILA TEROMAA, JOHN HACK, DAVID SHIELDS, BENT RASMUSSEN, PETER RAVN, JAN O. PEDERSEN, SIMON WIGG, LANCE KING, STEPHEN COLLINS, SIMON CROSS, PAUL FRY, DEAN BARKER, DAVID WALSH, GREG HANCOCK, BILLY HAMILL, MARK ROBINSON, WAYNE GARRATT, SCOTT SMITH, GERT HANDBERG, ANDY GRAHAME, ANDY PHILLIPS, MORTEN ANDERSEN, PETER NAHLIN, JONATHAN FORSGREN, JOHN WILSON and STEVE KNOTT. * Heathens racing at Dudley Wood and away at: Coventry, Wolverhampton, Belle Vue (Hyde Road & Kirky Lane), Leicester, King's Lynn, Halifax, Poole, Reading, Ipswich, Wimbledon, Arena-Essex, Eastbourne, Peterborough, Middlesbrough, Rye House and Exeter. * Rare, previously unseen colour 8mm cine footage. * Contemporary interviews with the club's five individual World Champions: BRUCE PENHALL, ERIK GUNDERSEN, JAN O. PEDERSEN, GREG HANCOCK and BILLY HAMILL, plus IVOR BROWN, ALAN GRAHAME, SIMON CROSS, GERT HANDBERG, SCOTT SMITH, ANDY GRAHAME, WAYNE GARRATT, MORTEN ANDERSEN and PETER NAHLIN. * Contemporary interviews with promoters DAN McCORMICK, PETER ADAMS and COLIN PRATT. * Running time: Four hours. RETRO SPEEDWAY . . . Keeping great memories alive
  19. TonyMac

    Heathens Heroes - NEW!

    Yes, it's Jan O.
  20. TonyMac

    Heathens Heroes - NEW!

    Check out this review of our HEATHENS HEROES DVD just posted to the highly respected Speedway Plus site... http://www.speedwayplus.com/HeathensDVD.shtml
  21. TonyMac

    Memories of Hackney Speedway

    I know, sorry. But never say never...
  22. TonyMac

    Memories of Hackney Speedway

    We've been asked this question more than a few times on various media platforms. We certainly have the footage but I have serious doubts that demand will be there in sufficient numbers to make production worthwhile.
  23. TonyMac

    Memories of Hackney Speedway

    Fair comment. It was really too fast for its size (345 yards), which increased the risks and became more evident once four-valvers came in (1975 on). Also, in Len Silver's latter years, when his interest in Hackney was clearly waning, the track was nowhere near as consistently immaculate as it had been in previous seasons. Riders complained of an adverse camber developing on the turns, where they would reach a point (about three-quarters from the line) of no return. This discouraged high-risk overtaking and the type of thrilling round-the-boards exploits that were the trademark of Barry Thomas and Dave Morton in their heyday. But at the same time, because all the dirt progressively moved to the outside (where no-one really wanted to venture), and less attention was given to track preparation, racing became less exciting and more processional.
  24. TonyMac

    Memories of Hackney Speedway

    Without doubt, one of the finest race tracks in British speedway.
  25. TonyMac

    BACKCHAT - you ask MARTIN ROGERS

    MARTIN ROGERS is chomping to start answering your questions for his new BACKCHAT column in the next issue (92) of Backtrack. Got something to get off your chest, or a beef about something that happened in speedway during the 70s and 80s? What did the BSPA do (or fail to do) that gave you the hump and, all these years later, you'd like an explanation for? Well, fire of your questions to Martin via our email at editorial@retro-speedway.com
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