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Issue 13

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At the start of our third year of publication, issue 13 is typically packed with lots of new exclusive interviews and special features to evoke great memories of speedway’s last golden era…

 

Main Man – Chris Morton

We visit the Cheshire home of one of the sport’s greatest thrill merchants to find out the races that gave him the greatest pleasure and why he couldn’t 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.

 

Also featured…

 

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 country’s 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 sport’s 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 Bears’ new team manager, rewinds his own racing career that took in Sunderland, Workington, Newcastle and Middlesbrough. And Gary, Redcar’s new skipper and No.1, tells us what he recalls of his dad’s 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. Don’t miss this amazing and very uplifting story of how one man’s 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 King’s Lynn star who claimed Radford’s 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.

We’ve 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 it’s 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 Rubik’s Cube!

 

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A SUBSCRIPTION TO BACKTRACK FOR ONE YEAR (6 ISSUES) COSTS JUST £16.00 IN THE UK. JUST PHONE OUR CREDIT CARD HOTLINE ON 01708 734 502 AND SIGN UP USING YOUR CREDIT OR DEBIT CARD. OR GO ONLINE AT WWW.RETRO-SPEEDWAY.COM

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Excellent issue read it cover to cover this morning :approve: After the VSRA though a certain Uncle now wants to borrow my copies (Yeah right...... Like I'm parting with my Speedway Star/Speedway Mail all rolled into one called Backtrack!!!!)

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Excellent issue read it cover to cover this morning  :approve:  After the VSRA though a certain Uncle now wants to borrow my copies (Yeah right...... Like I'm parting with my Speedway Star/Speedway Mail all rolled into one called Backtrack!!!!)

 

Tel Ted it's about time he subscribed himself, especially after that pic in the new issue of him chasing Steve Lawson!

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I think that this mag just gets better and better, already looking forward to the next issue.

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Good to see and interview with my childhood favourite rider Phil Herne. Always seems lots of coverage of the old Newport team from Somerton Park in varying articles.

 

Quite a few mentions of Neil Street once again, he seems to of been a great mentor for many years to lots of riders particularly his grandson Jason Crump. Maybe it's time for an interview with Streetie himself, although I could imagine it would be a very long read!

 

Well done Backtrack always an enjoyable read.

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Excellent read yet again will we have a John Jackson piece soon please another NL great of the 70s

 

Ellesmere Port those were the days :approve:

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