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SPEEDWAY MAIL.

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Anyone remember a shortlived Speedway Now - think it was produced by Russell Lanning when the Montine Dons Raced a few years back, that had potential, but dissapeared without trace. :twisted:

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I remember Speedway Now. Russell Lanning took over Speedway Mail at one time too, but he wasn't there very long. I also remember Speedway Mail going the same size as Speedway Star for a while. I think they were trying various ways of increasing the readership.

 

It was always more difficult to obtain, though, other than at the tracks themselves. I could always find Speedway Star in a newsagent somewhere, but never Speedway Mail. That can't have helped.

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I did get the Mail, but I always thought the Star was superior. 1. Colour photos, 2. Proper journalists

 

Also remember Speedway Now. It seemed to be aimed at a teenage sort of market with posters of Andy Silver and Gary Havelock in skateboard gear. Nice idea, didn't work though.

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2. Proper journalists

 

He he he. You're not wrong there. I noticed that they never had anything on Reading every week in Speedway Mail so I thought I'd write something myself and fax it in. Couldn't believe it when they started printing it!

 

I had a problem though - no access to the riders. Therefore I used to get my rider quotes by writing down what they said over the PA during the meeting. I often wondered if anyone ever actually noticed this.

 

I did do a proper interview with Jeremy Doncaster once though, when they gave me his phone number and asked me to call him. I felt such a charlatan!

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what a good looker Grachen is. But I digress.

 

What let the Mail down was it looked like the SUN. Although it had top writers and photographers, it always seemed to be a poor mans Speedway

Star. Maybe there is only room for one national magazine.

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Good on you Grachan for doing that for the Mail. :D

 

But it does support the point. Nationally respected writers like Peter Oakes, Phil Rising and Dave Lanning have all written for the Star. Even now, I think I'm right in saying that even all the match reporters are full-time journos on their local rags too.

 

Considering speedway is a relatively small sport in Britain, the quality of the Star is pretty impressive.

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Nobody seems to have mentioned 'five-one' magazine.

It was a monthly mag a few years ago, that wasn't too bad.

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Another monthly magazine from the same people as the Speedway Star was the Speedway Express which was a good read.

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Anyone remember the Mail seller @ Canterbury used to give me sweets every week! :D

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we won't go into that Shazz.... sure he doesn't fancy ending up in court

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lol I was gonna go on and say you couldn't do that these days else you would end up in court! thought it might open up a can of worms so didn't bother lol

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Anyone remember the Mail seller @ Canterbury used to give me sweets every week! :D

 

He was a top guy - when I was a kid I used to collect badges from the tracks I visited but couldn't get one from Newport. It took him a few weeks, but he managed to get hold of one for me.

 

Does anyone remember the board with the riders' photos, rosettes, badges etc on that he used to carry round the track?

 

The memories are coming back!

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And I EDITED the Speedway Mail for a spell and totally agree with your comments on payments!!!! :x :oops: :!:

 

When was that? I remember Ian MacDonald as editor, then a Tony McDonald/John Bolle period. I also did a stint for a few months between the departure of Ian Mac and arrival of Tony. The MacDonalds were not related. I was involved with the Mail between 1973 and early 1984. Any pay - for what I did as a freelance I was satisfied

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Reading all the previous comments was a great trip down 'Speeway's Memory Lane.' My first favourite magazine back in 1946 was 'Speedway Gazette' then co-edited by Basil Storey and Tom Morgan. I think the 'Gazette' must have ended about 1955,

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On 2/10/2003 at 11:12 AM, Grachan said:

I wrote for Speedway Mail for a while. Crap payers!

Not when I did some years of regular evening and weekend shifts there (after a daily toil at the 'South London Press'). The pay rates I negotiated were comparable to similar earnings elsewhere.

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