TonyMac

Phil, the point I was trying to make is that the non-league club I've referred to does not pay out more in player/manager/coaching staff wages than it takes in revenue, so its cloth is cut accordingly to ensure they remain in business. Just because - and we all agree - riders face increasing and high running costs, it doesn't mean promoters (and, indirectly, fans) should keep financing those overheads. If they do, there will be only one outcome: more and more tracks going the way of Rye House, Buxton and Workington, and whoever else is next... So, a combination of drastically reduced riders' costs, and in turn the wages they need to compete, is paramount if league speedway in the UK is to have a credible future.

Following on from the debate that began yesterday in which I advocated that British speedway needs to drastically cut its cloth and 'go amateur' to survive in the short term . . . I've spoken with a good friend, the owner of a successful Essex-based non-league football club that currently operates in Bostik League (North). In fairness to him, we will not name the club here but all figures below are accurate (he is an accountant by profession!). While it is not appropriate to make many direct comparisons with speedway, due mainly to the fact that the club owns its ground and therefore benefits from bar and catering revenue, there are some interesting aspects that perhaps speedway - especially at NL level - can learn from. Here are some financial facts: * The club averages 300 paying supporters per game. * Admission price structure is: Adults £10, Concessions £5, Young Persons (aged 16-21) £5, Under-16s FREE. * Playing squad is 16 players (all part-time) and total annual players' wage bill is £35k. Wages range from £150 per week for star men to £25 for rookie players. They all have 9-to-5 jobs. * Management/coaching staff (all part-time) total annual wage bill is £15k. * Club receives £60k per season in sponsorship. * Club takes £21k per year in bar profits (as well as match day income, they rent the facilities out for weddings and other functions). * £150 per game profit from programme sales (it's printed free by a fan). * Annual turnover is £250k, of which £120k is bar/catering/function room revenue. * Club has no debt and expects to at least break-even each year. As you can see, the bar/function room is a major factor. But the playing and staff costs are in line with revenues based on an average gate of 300 and other income. Above all, the club operates within its means. I accept that a more meaningful comparison could be made involving a National League (level 5) football club but at least the above figures give some food for thought.

When debating the future of speedway, we must also recognise that the sport's current plight is not just the result of BSPA failings and riders' costs. Like other sports, leisure entertainments and especially the dwindling high streets of cities and towns all over GB, it has been affected by the UK economy. Many regular speedway fans will have had been made redundant or seen their social benefits cut in recent years, so their already limited disposable incomes have seriously diminished. Many others are hanging onto their jobs by a thread and fearing the worst, so they too are tightening the purse strings. We at Retro Speedway have felt the effects of this first-hand. I'll be honest. Our revenue from sales in the 8-week pre-Christmas period for 2018 was 30% (THIRTY) down on the same period of the previous year, even though we had more products available to purchase. I think our regular followers on the BSF, Facebook and Twitter would agree that we hardly lack marketing thrust, and push all our products with as much zeal as possible. In the run up to Xmas, we placed regular, prominent full-page adverts in Speedway Star, who are also being hit by issues beyond our control. It would be understandable if Speedway Star's readership decreased in line with shrinking attendances. But it's not as if what we produce has anything to do with modern speedway. What we do is pretty timeless. But clearly not immune to the financial reality of the world. You might argue that our 2018 products were not good, or didn't represent good value. But I don't believe that is the case and feedback from customers would suggest this is not so. The reason is one of simple economics. And obviously, Brexit has only added to people's growing insecurities and uncertainty. Speedway will no doubt feel these continuing adverse effects in ever-dwindling season ticket and admission receipts when the new season starts in March.

Costs have not been cut sufficiently, that's the trouble. Riders, performing in front of only hundreds of fans, raking in money that cannot be sustained. So here we are.

BACKCHAT FROM our next issue (91) of Backtrack we will be introducing a regular new feature called BACKCHAT, where readers and supporters in general 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's home in Australia. Alternatively, just post your questions here on this forum thread. Martin's responses will appear in issue 91 and from then on . . .

Thanks to those who have already responded with a question for Martin - some very valid points raised. Please keep 'em coming . . .

Sorry for my bad explanation. By Lions 1 & 2, I meant they were the British TEAM representatives in NAME only. Most importantly, they are the two teams whose HOME matches would be raced on UK tracks. What I am NOT suggesting is that they should comprise only British riders. That obviously wouldn't make them competitive. The two Lions teams would be made up of riders of various nationalities, as are current British, Polish and Swedish league teams. So Hancock, Woffy, Lindback, etc, could possibly ride for one of the Lions teams.

True, I admit it was a half-baked idea. But then so was T20 cricket when the traditionalists first heard of it.

Goes without saying, we always welcome new, practical and realistic ideas regards editorial content.

Thank you. The big difference for me personally is, in the case of most riders of the 90s, I don't know their story, or what happened to them, which means exhaustive research in the case of in-depth interviews. As I said earlier, perhaps we need a younger editor who lived through the 90s and knows the era inside-out.

Thank you, Martin.

Agreed, and thank you. Also, there is no harm in re-visiting a number of the original interview subject but from a different angle.

But - and this is the crux of it from our viewpoint - would extending coverage into the 90s STOP you from buying Backtrack?

This has the basis of a good idea and, by amazing coincidence, one I thought briefly about only the other day when talking about Champions League football and the various international cricket franchises operating their T20 and 'Big Bash' tournaments that attract a lot of interest and media backing. As many have already pointed out, the obvious key to success is commercial support from a TV broadcaster plus major sponsorship to meet the riders' pay expectations. A huge obstacle to overcome. As speedway worldwide is already drawing from a relatively small and shrinking financial pool, the Polish authorities in particular will be wary of encouraging another league likely to impact adversely (financially) on their Ekstralika. But it can be done. I've clearly not thought this bit through, but, rather than say Poole or Swindon or whoever from the current Premiership, how about two completely new independent BRITISH teams riding in the new Euro League? For want of much better names, let's call them 'LIONS 1' and LIONS 2' for now. Instead of having an established home track each, the seven or eight home fixtures for BOTH Lions teams could be spread around the country, giving fans all over Britain the chance to see top quality riders and competitive racing? Those matches would not only bring more credibility to British speedway, they would help to plug gaping holes in the Premiership fixture list. It would be no different to a national football team, such as Spain, playing home internationals at various grounds like Bernabeu (Madrid), Nou Camp (Barcelona), Valencia, Seville, etc. Naturally, the BSPA would have to earn a cut from this but they are hardly in a strong bargaining position.

Interesting. Are you a regular Backtrack reader/subscriber now?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Garry and for making a very valid point - we don't take it as criticism at all. To be honest, this is a timeline shift we have been considering ourselves for a year or two, although we would never abandon the 70s, which was the sport's last truly golden era. There are still plenty of ex-riders and promoters we have yet to interview/feature from that halcyon period too. Tommy Knudsen, Bo Petersen and Per Jonsson spring to mind from the top star bracket. But, like you, I see a lot of merit in extending the timeframe from 1970 to 1999. Whether our hardcore readership - especially our older readers - would agree, is another matter! One of the reasons why we have so far hesitated to do as you suggest is that I would be stepping out of my comfort zone. I'll admit I'm not very knowledgeable on the 90s (I finally left Speedway Mail in 1992), although several of our main contributors - the likes of Rob Peasley and Martin Neal - certainly are. Perhaps Backtrack needs a new, younger editor!

It's possible we will put it together - we certainly have enough footage, including lots of home and away cine from the Rebels days of 1974-75. I had thought of combining the footage from 1974-78 and producing a REBELS (Oxford/White City) package but can see how a separate 'Oxford Memories' would appeal.

Many thanks, Steve, glad you enjoyed it. I think many potential customers are probably a little put off when they read in the advert blurb that we've used cine footage but I hope you agree that the quality - considering it's more than 40+ years-old in many cases - is really quite good. Of course, it helps that in those days riders were much more easily extinguished by their personalised leathers rather than the team suits they were today.

CLASSIC SPEEDWAY Issue 43 of our quarterly magazine is out now. Here's a small taster of what to expect . . . TONY LOMAS – rookie to World Final in three years Tony Lomas was one of the first stars to emerge from the fledging second division in the late 60s. In this exclusive interview with TONY McDONALD from his home in the Yorkshire Dales, fast-starting Lomas recalls happy times before going on to top flight stardom with Coventry. POOLE: 50 Memorable Moments Poole are the current big hitters in British speedway, winning multiple top-flight titles over the last 15 years. ROB PEASLEY looks back at the early years at Wimborne Road, when the likes of Ken Middleditch, Brian Crutcher, Tony Lewis, Geoff Mudge and Pete Smith rode for the south coast club, and recalls how Pirates shocked the speedway world by winning the British League in 1969. CHUM TAYLOR – King of Claremont to Prince of Wales PHIL CHARD catches up with former Australian Champion Chum Taylor, whose impact on speedway in Cardiff remains to this day. SPOTY and the 'vote-rigging' scandal DOUG NICOLSON rewinds to the mid-60s, when a speedway superstar twice gatecrashed the elite sports party. MAUGER BREAKTHROUGH MARTIN ROGERS, who was at Gothenburg to report on the 1968 World Final, reflects on Ivan Mauger's first individual World Championship victory at a special family reunion half a century on from the Kiwi's maiden triumph. TRAGIC TOMICEK It's just over 50 years since Luboš Tomíček lost his life in a crash at Pardubice. In this special anniversary remembrance, VITEK FORMANEK spoke to friends of the former Czech great and the son who witnessed the accident and went on to follow in his father's tyre tracks. IN BILLY LAMONT'S OWN WORDS When JOHN CHAPLIN wanted to discover the truth of the fantastic Billy Lamont legend and find out more about one of the sport's pioneer superstars, there was only one thing to do: ask the man himself. PRATTY'S REWARD There was an uplifting end to 2018 when the World Speedway Riders' Association honoured Colin Pratt with their Lifetime Achievement award, just days after Pratty's 80th birthday. TONY McDONALD pays tribute to a dedicated man who has given the sport such great service over the past five decades. SLIDING DOORS AND BIKES DOUG NICOLSON looks back to his boyhood and a series of extraordinary near misses. Plus . . . obits on Bernie Leigh, Pete Munday, Allan Kidd and Pawel Waloszek, crossword, your letters and full-page 1953 West Ham team photo. To order this single edition or subscribe, please visit https://www.retro-speedway.com/classic-speedway-magazine

To be fair, in Barry Hearn's final game at the helm of Leyton Orient, were 2-0 up in the match and again in the penalty shootout to win the League One Play-off final at Wembley in 2014 but still somehow managed to lose to Rotherham and just miss out on promotion to the second tier (Championship). He sold Os that summer to the Italian fruitcake called Francesco Becchetti, who, two years and about 10 mainly hopeless managers later, had managed to relegate the club two divisions in back-to-back seasons. We all wish Barry had handed over the reins to a much more suitable successor but he can't really be blamed for Bullrubbishti's near ruination of the club.

I watched a Leyton Orient game the other week with one of Barry Hearn's trusted right-hand men at Matchsport. who confirmed that Barry receives regular letters and emails from supporters urging him to invest in speedway, along with many other sports who could do with his backing. But my contact made it clear that Barry would never be interested in getting involved in speedway. We didn't get into the pro's and con's of speedway. He said: "Barry hates all motorsport."

ISSUE 89 (NOV-DEC, 2018) is on sale and here's a taste of what to expect . . . ARENA-ESSEX HAMMER BLOW In September, Arena-Essex became the latest in a long line of former speedway venues. MARTIN NEAL was at the Purfleet track on an emotional night to speak to some of the key figures in the early part of the club's 34-year history, including the first 1984 race winner Alan Sage, plus Andrew Silver, Martin Goodwin, Ian Humphreys, Troy Pratt, Sean Barker and former boss Peter Thorogood. Andrew says: “I had some great races with Martin Goodwin – I remember some 12-lappers – we had some massive battles along the way. You couldn’t have asked for more from a competitor on the track – we had some great times.” As our separate piece to the main Arena feature reveals, the Essex track became the 56th British venue lost to speedway since 1970 (soon followed by Rye House). THAT WAS THE YEAR: 1972 ANDREW SKEELS reflects on a memorable year in which Ivan Mauger won his fourth individual world title, led Great Britain to World Team Cup glory and guided Belle Vue to the British League and KO Cup double, while Crewe were crowned kings of Division Two, England won the World Pairs for the first time and the BL welcomed overseas newcomers in Billy Sanders and Tommy Jansson. SWINDON: 50 Memorable Moments ROB PEASLEY looks at the history of the first club to achieve back-to-back league titles in the top two divisions and where Blunsdon heroes included Barry Briggs, Martin Ashby, Bob Kilby, Phil Crump, Jimmy Nilsen and Leigh Adams. REG LUCKHURST – Exclusive interview In part two of PHIL CHARD'S interview with Reg Luckhurst, the popular former world finalist recalls his role in introducing the sport to the Spanish island of Majorca and explains why the island dream failed to take off, before returning to mainland Spain 20 years later to run three meetings in Valencia. The ex-Wimbledon and West Ham star also talks technical about his RL Weslake conversion and the tragic loss of Dons team-mate Tommy Jansson. 'Lucky' says: “The first meeting we held, we had nearly 3,000 spectators. Bernie and Ian thought they’d pull in British speedway supporters on holiday but it was the Spanish riders’ families and friends who came, locals supporting their boys." THE WRITE STUFF – MARTIN ROGERS Although best known as the hands-on promoter at three tracks in the 80s, Martin Rogers established himself as one of speedway's top scribes long before then. TONY McDONALD finds out more about this prolific, media-savvy wordsmith. Martin says: "These days, a lot of tracks have a caller in the box and a centre green presenter but in my general manager spell at Lynn I did both the pre-match parade and the general announcing. The intros always were great fun – Dave Lanning and Trevor Redmond, proper showmen, were my inspiration in that area. From both I learned how important it is to properly acknowledge the status and appeal of each and every rider from one to seven. They're all stars." COLIN ACKROYD – Exclusive interview ROB PEASLEY catches up with the once promising Oxford and Eastbourne prospect who was forced to quit racing at 25 and is now battling MS. Colin says: “Bernard Crapper and John Payne had a bet between them that I would reach an average of 6.00 by the end of my first full season. I didn’t realise until Bernard came up to me towards the end of the season and told me: ‘I need you to have a good one tonight!’. It was great fun at Oxford and I grew in confidence." GEOFF ROGERS – Exclusive interview DAVID BERESFORD re-visits the once quaint village of Partington, where world champions, international stars and numerous other speedway and grasstrack riders had their first skid on the farm owned by Peter Collins' dad. “Dad’s farm was a busy place,” recalled PC, “and not just with farming. There was always a group of us racing around on something even before we built our makeshift track on land that was reclaimed when the River Mersey was redirected during the building of the Manchester Ship Canal. Dad would be around and George Morton (father of Dave and Chris) was often there mending this, welding that, and his wife Hilary regularly provided first aid!" NEVER DID SAY 'GOODBYE' With the 2018 season now finished, DOUG NICOLSON hopes that fans made a point of getting along to their track's final meeting of the year because, well, you never know . . . To order this edition or subscribe for a year for as little as £22 (UK), please visit www.retro-speedway.com

ISSUE 88 (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 2018) RONNIE MOORE – HUMBLE HERO MARTIN ROGERS leads the tributes to one of the greatest, a track giant always spoken about in reverential terms by his peers and supporters alike. The double World Champion and Wimbledon legend passed away in his native Christchurch, New Zealand on August 18, 2018, aged 85. Martin writes: "Statistics can be twisted and turned to prove or disprove anything, armchair pundits can believe whatever they want, but if you take the word of Ivan Mauger and Briggo, who won 10 individual world titles between them, there was nobody like Ronnie." BOB DUGARD – MISTER EASTBOURNE Bobby Dugard, the man who kept Eastbourne Eagles flying higher and longer than anyone, died, aged 76, on August 5, 2018. Former Eastbourne co-promoter and team manager RUSSELL LANNING pays tribute to his old mentor and inspiration and looks back on four meetings that encapsulate his memories of Bob. Readers also express their views on the irreplaceable Arlington legend. Russ writes: "Underneath that hard-as-nails exterior was the softest, most gentle generous guy who was happiest sitting in the background watching ‘his’ team take the plaudits. His passion to create successful sides also gelled with his love of producing a track surface that the majority of the current British circuit curators could only dream about. He knew every inch of every track he worked on." THAT WAS THE YEAR: 1981 Looking back on another momentous year with ANDREW SKEELS, who recalls the sudden decline in England's fortunes and the rise of the Danes, dominant Bruce Penhall in the last Wembley final, first championships for Cradley Heath and Middlesbrough, and the closure of Hull . . . REG LUCKHURST – Exclusive interview PHIL CHARD talks to a seasoned performer with Wimbledon, West Ham and Canterbury who was a hit on and off track. Reg reflects on his successful time as a recording artist, signing tunes such as Your Cheatin' Heart and In The Misty Moonlight. Reg says: “They promoted it on Housewives’ Choice (a popular BBC radio record request programme), Radio Luxembourg and Radio London and Colin asked: ‘Is there any other way you can promote it?’ “I said: ‘if you take a record to every speedway track in the country and say I’ll sign the disc for everyone who buys it at the speedway track, that’ll do for a start', and it did go down well. “We sold 11,000 records in a week. Decca couldn’t believe it. They hadn’t heard of anyone like me making a record for the first time selling 11,000 that fast before. “We got 6d a record (37 pence today) and the Decca sales director said: ‘Would you like to record another one?’" 'Lucky' also talks about building his own speedway practice track in his native Kent, shares his thoughts on the racing careers of his sons Jamie and Jeremy, and why he regretted managing Canterbury. CREWE: 50 Memorable Moments Speedway ran at Crewe for only eight seasons, from 1969 to 1976, but as ROB PEASLEY recalls, Kings were crowned league and cup double winners and featured second tier stars including Geoff Curtis, record-breaking Barry Meeks, Phil Crump, John Jackson, Dave Morton, Garry Flood, Jack Millen TONY LOMAS – Exclusive interview (Part 2) After earning international acclaim with his local club Coventry and winning the BL title with Exeter, Tony Lomas lost enthusiasm for the sport and ended up walking out on Leicester. But as he explains in the second and final part of his candid interview with TONY McDONALD, a spell back in the second tier with Stoke rekindled the flame before safety concerns convinced him to retire. Tony also explains the 'secrets' of his lightning gating technique, the effect the death of former team-mate Kevin Holden had on the Lomas family, how and why the Midland Riders' Championship was "fixed". Tony says: "I went to one or two of the other riders and told them: 'It's a death-trap and I'm not going to ride but if you choose to do so, it's up to you'. They said: 'Oh yeah, we'll back you up' but, of course, as it got closer to the start of the meeting, they were all putting their leathers on. "I had my leathers on too but then I thought, 'do I bloody well need this?'. I said to Kevin Ellery, my mechanic – he was a bricklayer from Rugby and in the close season I worked for him as a hod carrier: 'Go and get my bikes, we're going home'. "My leathers were down around my knees when Ron Wilson came rushing into the dressing room and said: 'What the hell are you doing?' I replied: 'I'm getting changed and then going home – I'm finished'. "I was just about to drive out of the car park when I met Ivan (Mauger), who was just arriving – Exeter were on second in the meeting. I told him what had happened and that I'd had enough, and he said: 'If you feel like that, it's probably the best thing to do, otherwise you could hurt yourself'." Here come the . . . CZECHS In the last of the series, MARTIN ROGERS looks back at the impact of the bouncing Czechs who invariably delivered high thrills and spills, if not always best results. Featured riders include Antonin Kasper, Jiri Stancl, Vaclav and Jan Verner, Zdenek Kudrna, Ales Dryml and Milan Spinka. Readers also remember their favourite Czechs, with mentions for Emil Sova and the touring team that rocked Romford. BEST & WORST DOUG NICOLSON trawled the record books for biggest wins and losses in the British League and National League years (1970-90) and figured out that Happiness Wasn't Always 40-38. THE WRITE STUFF – JOHN CHAPLIN TONY McDONALD talks to the prolific author, former magazine editor and publisher and, at 84, still a weekly columnist who made it his mission to preserve speedway's history. Defending himself over his controversial Ivan Mauger book, John says: "I sent a complete disk of the narrative of that book to Ivan well in advance of publication, so he had ample time to object to anything I had written. He didn’t. And I respected him even more for that. "Incidentally, I have had a good relationship with the Mauger family for many years and still do. And I regret not a single word that appears in that book and there has never been any adverse criticism of the content. There is far more positive comment favourable to Ivan than there is negative. It is a book I am intensely proud of." WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . STUART ULPH MARTIN NEAL catches up with the former Sheffield and Doncaster prospect whose short-lived racing career was effectively ended by a crash. Stuart says: “I once rode at Belle Vue in a bloody thunderstorm! It was tanking it down and by the time you’d got 100 yards out of the gate you couldn’t see where you were going and you had to take your goggles off. We didn’t worry about that, though – we weren’t bothered about getting our fancy leathers dirty! “You were all mates back then. If your bike broke down, before the two minutes were up there was somebody out there saying: ‘Here, take my bike’. I used to carry spare sprockets and if anyone wanted to borrow one, I used to lend them it. Now they hardly even talk to each other." To order this single issue or subscribe for £22 a year (UK), please visit www.retro-speedway.com

You should receive it today or tomorrow...

A basic shortage of quality riders (among other things) has led to the ridiculous over-use of guests and doubling-up. So wouldn't reducing teams from 7 to 6 riders help to ease the above two problems and at the same time reduce the promoters' wage overheads? If not in league matches, then at least adopt it for one of the other competitions. Or why not run a KO Cup using four-man teams, to achieve further wage reductions? Obviously, a tweak of the race format would be necessary but six-man teams were used in the 60s. Or am I being too simplistic?