TonyMac

MICHAEL LEE: BACK FROM THE BRINK Only two days to go until the launch of our Mike Lee biography. Here is today’s tiny taster of what’s to come from one of the most interesting speedway books ever written. “He denies it was the drugs that caused him to lose his way. He prefers to blame his fall from grace on speedway in general and certain people in particular. Well, he would, wouldn’t he! “For me, it was simply a case of a young man with the world at his feet but not being worldly-wise enough to cope. Michael Lee was the George Best of speedway, or any number of overnight stars in the pop music business who couldn’t handle the lifestyle and self-destructed. “There is a whole cottage industry behind young pop stars and footballers these days, helping them cope with the pressures. Michael had none of those things. Looking back, you have to wonder not so much why things went haywire for him, but why it took so long. “We haven’t run across each other for maybe 30 years, but I still think the world of him. I am absolutely thrilled to hear the now mature Michael has a settled lifestyle. He is a smashing bloke and a great person who simply wasn’t mature enough to cope with his enormous success at such a young age.” John Berry, the England team manager who gave Mike his senior Test debut at 18. To pre-order your copy, personally signed by Michael, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com and order via PayPal or phone Susie on 01708 734 502 to use your debit/credit card.

MICHAEL LEE: BACK FROM THE BRINK Only three days to go until the launch of our Mike Lee biography. Here is today’s little taster of what’s to come from one of the most intriguing speedway books ever written. Michael still smokes rolled-up cigarettes – ‘rolleys’ – but they and the occasional can of lager at the end of a long, hard day, is, he says, all he needs to chill out these days. “I’ve had to stop smoking anything stronger than rolleys because I’m at speedway three nights a week during the season and I get my buzz from that now,” he says. “I’m totally engrossed down the workshop most of the time and it would be no good to me being stoned. “I’m not saying I’ll never smoke cannabis again, because I don’t think there is anything wrong with it – and people can take that as they want. I’m not stupid, I know what’s good and bad for me. “Let’s be honest, the reason I don’t smoke cannabis anymore is because I don’t want people to look upon me badly, I’ve got my reputation to think about and I wouldn’t do anything now to jeopardise that or insult the people who have given me these good opportunities.” The reformed Michael Lee To pre-order your copy, personally signed by Michael, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com and order via PayPal or phone Susie on 01708 734 502 to use your debit/credit card.

RETRO SPEEDWAY will be there, in the Cardiff Collectors' Fayre as usual. So please come and visit Susie and I at our stand, where we will be officially launching the brand new book, Michael Lee Back From The Brink. At just £16 for 336 pages (inc 16 in full colour), it represents unbeatable value. And all copies purchased on the day at Cardiff will be PERSONALLY SIGNED BY MICHAEL LEE, who will be there from the start at 10.00am. Other items available from us include our three DVDs: World Finals of the 70s, Mike the Bike (Michael Lee), and Simmo: The Whole Truth (Malcolm Simmons) at £16 each. Why not pick up a Lee double - book and DVD! Plus, of course, our recent issues of Backtrack and Classic Speedway magazine as well as previous books. So please come up and say 'hello' and make sure you don't leave the hall without your signed Michael Lee book. Have a safe journey and an enjoyable weekend. Tony Mac

MICHAEL LEE: BACK FROM THE BRINK Only four days to go until the launch of our Mike Lee biography. Here is today’s little taster of what’s to come from one of the most intriguing speedway books ever written. It’s not boring either! Here, we get a little glimpse of the ‘inside view’... “My first priority aim was to get myself a job that would enable me to leave my cell, which isn’t an easy task. The first job I had was sweeping the landing. People might say: ‘Bloody hell, that’s a bit of a come down, isn’t it?’ but I didn’t care. It’s not a come down when you’re in prison because anything that gets you out of your cell, when you’re banged up for 23 hours a day, is good news. If you didn’t have a job, you were only allowed out for an hour’s ‘association’.” Michael had been used to living on his wits and he quickly adjusted to prison life and learned how the ‘system’ worked and, occasionally, how to beat it. “I swept the landing for about a week and then I managed to arrange for some hashish to be smuggled in to me by a friend at visiting time. If ever I felt stressed out, I found it the ideal way to relax. “In prison, drugs are currency and by having a small amount of hashish I could improve my situation. You share things with people, do favours here and there, and it helps. I was celled-up with a bloke who worked in the kitchen and before long I got a job in there too.” Michael Lee on life in Norwich Prison. To pre-order your copy, personally signed by Michael, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com and order via PayPal or phone Susie on 01708 734 502 to use your debit/credit card.

Sorry Salty, I misinformed you! It's the 1970s period ONLY that JB is covering (as per my now amended original posting above). Please have another go based on riders' efforts and achievements from 1970-79 inclusive. Looks like Kenny will have to go! Cheers, Tony Mac

In issue 39, out later this month, John Berry will be naming his TOP 20 BRITISH RIDERS of the 1970s era. We wondered what you thought and the riders you would include in your top 20 from this 10-year period . . . and in which order? But remember, in making your choices, you must discount what riders achieved BEFORE 1970 and AFTER 1979. (Perhaps we should run a smilar feature for the 1960s, or even 1950-70 period, in Classic Speedway?) We could have some fun with this. Please let me know what you think...and let's see how close you are to JB's selection! Cheers, Tony Mac

MICHAEL LEE: BACK FROM THE BRINK Only five days to go until the launch of our Mike Lee biography. Here is today’s little taster of what’s to come from one of the most compelling speedway books ever written.It's warts and all. And, typically, Michael refuses to brush anything under the carpet. “There’s no doubt in my mind, if I hadn’t stopped snorting cocaine like I was doing, I guarantee you I’d be dead by now. Or if I wasn’t dead, I’d have a massive hole on the front of my face. “I was just living for today. When I was 25-years-old I didn’t think I’d reach 30. It was never in the equation. And when I made it to 30, I honestly believed that my 40th birthday was definitely never going to happen. At the time I didn’t even care whether I made it to 30 or 40. When you’re not on the drugs, all you’re thinking about is when you’ll be on them again. “I was back on the Charlie in my 40s and I’m thinking ‘where do I go from here?’. I started to think, ‘I can’t really do this anymore’ and yet when I was 40-years-old I didn’t expect to make it to 50. But, touch wood, I’m here and I’m still healthy. I’m a survivor!” Michael Lee To pre-order your copy, personally signed by Michael, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com and order via PayPal or phone Susie on 01708 734 502 to use your debit/credit card.

MICHAEL LEE: BACK FROM THE BRINK Only six days to go until the launch of our Mike Lee biography. Here is today’s little taster of what’s to come from one of the most riveting speedway books ever written. “I’d been working late tuning a stack of engines for three or four days non-stop. I think it was six o’clock in the morning by the time I got the last engine done and Reg (Fearman) was coming round at eight to go up to London. “I remember going inside the house, up to the bedroom and thinking ‘I’ll lay down here for 10 minutes, sort myself out and then get ready’. But I laid down and didn’t get back up. “Reg arranged for the Poole track doctor to come to the house to examine me. Although I was basically in a semi-coma, subconsciously I was aware of what was going on around me. I could hear Reg and the doctor talking and, because he was so angry, Reg was physically hitting me trying to wake me up. “Wake up you f****** bastard!” I heard him say. He was really giving it some. “I knew what was going on but I wasn’t going to wake up. I didn’t want to know, so I just let them get on with it. In the end the doctor arrived and Reg pushed me back onto the bed. “Then the doctor got hold of my hands and started sticking pins in them but it still didn’t register with me. I thought, ‘you carry on, mate, I ain’t moving’.” Michael Lee To pre-order your copy, personally signed by Michael, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com and order via PayPal or phone Susie on 01708 734 502 to use your debit/credit card.

MICHAEL LEE: BACK FROM THE BRINK Only seven days to go until the launch of our Mike Lee biography. Here’s today little taster of what’s to come from one of the most compelling speedway books ever written. “At the Poole end-of-season dance, several riders arrived after the start and within a short time were 'merry'. I knew it was not alcohol and kidded the boys in to 'treating' me. “I was taken outside by several to the car park and to a van where something resembling a cigarette was offered. I learned it was cannabis. That has been my only experience of that vile habit. “The whole of British speedway was aware that there was a drug problem within the sport – random drug-testing was taking place and the odd rider managed to escape, as he or they claimed they didn't know where to give the urine sample and went home!” Reg Fearman (former Poole promoter) To pre-order your copy, personally signed by Michael, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com and order via PayPal or phone Susie on 01708 734 502 to use your debit/credit card.

MICHAEL LEE: BACK FROM THE BRINK Only eight days to go until the launch of our eagerly-anticipated Mike Lee biography. Every day between now and then we’ll reproduce a quote here from the 336-page blockbuster as a taster of what’s to come from one of the most compelling speedway books ever written. “Andy was away at the time but I had a sneaking suspicion. I think it was soon after the 1980 World Final and I won’t tell you the names of the top riders stood around in my kitchen at the lovely old cottage where we lived in Melbourn, but there were about six of them gathered together. “I could smell something horrible and being a hay fever sufferer, it didn’t agree with me. We had this huge ginger cat called Barney and I thought, ‘why is the cat walking like that?’ When I opened the door, the smell hit me. They had been trying to get the cat stoned – I could have killed them! But then I knew what was going on. “I knew what the Americans were doing and I was just upset that Michael fell into their lifestyle. The Americans were likeable lads and I got on well with all of them – they often called in to see us – but if they hadn’t been there and introduced Michael to it . . .” Val Lee To pre-order your copy, personally signed by Michael, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com and order via PayPal or phone Susie on 01708 734 502 to use your debit/credit card.

Rob, Yes, we will be selling the Mike Lee book (signed by Michael), the 70s DVD and our other products at the EL Pairs at Somerset next Friday. See you there!

MICHAEL LEE: BACK FROM THE BRINK Only nine days to go until the launch of our eagerly-anticipated Mike Lee biography. Every day between now and then we’ll reproduce a quote here from the 336-page blockbuster as a taster of what’s to come from one of the most compelling speedway books ever written. “After putting the engine back together, I thought ‘I’ll give you some work to do now’ – and I dumped oil on the floor of (Perth promoter) Con Migro’s office! It was childish behaviour but I was still spewing with anger about what they had forced me to do to clear my name and prove I wasn’t a cheat.” Michael Lee To pre-order your copy, personally signed by Michael, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com and order via PayPal or phone Susie on 01708 734 502 to use your debit/credit card.

MICHAEL LEE: BACK FROM THE BRINK Only 10 days to go until the launch of our eagerly-anticipated Mike Lee biography. Every day between now and then we’ll reproduce a quote here from the 336-page blockbuster as a taster of what’s to come from one of the most compelling speedway books ever written. “I remember nudging Anders Michanek out of the way down the back straight. There was really no room to pass, so I leaned one elbow against him, pushing him across the track, while my other elbow was running down the safety fence as I went into the lead. “I won the race and afterwards he said to me: ‘You bloody nutter’. “But, as with Ole Olsen, I get on well with Mich. Although he was peed off at being beaten, he soon respected me for being a competent motorcyclist and we shook hands. “We had some proper hard races, both in England and Sweden, and people warned me: ‘Watch Mich – he’ll put you in’. But he never did. He was a great guy.” Michael Lee To pre-order your copy, personally signed by Michael, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com and order via PayPal or phone Susie on 01708 734 502 to use your debit/credit card.

MICHAEL LEE: BACK FROM THE BRINK Only 11 days to go until the launch of our eagerly-anticipated Mike Lee biography. Every day between now and then we’ll reproduce a quote here from the 336-page blockbuster as a taster of what’s to come from what promises to be one of the most compelling speedway books ever written. “I rushed him back into Addenbrookes Hospital and this time they kept him in. He was admitted to a men’s ward and they put him on a drip. It was very serious and there was a period of two or three days when we thought we were going to lose him. They operated on him again but it was touch and go because of the poison caused by the infection. “The doctors didn’t have to prepare us for the worst because Andy and I could see that his life was hanging in the balance, and the men on Michael’s ward thought he was a goner.” Val Lee (Michael’s mum) To pre-order your copy, personally signed by Michael, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com and order via PayPal or phone Susie on 01708 734 502 to use your debit/credit card.

WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID... I've just finished watching your fantastic 1970s World Finals DVD. I loved every minute of it. I began watching Coventry in 1975, so only saw one final in the 70s and that was Wembley 1978, but the DVD was great. I was immediately transported back through the years. It was good both to see the action and to hear the comments today of the riders as they looked back. So thank you so much for producing it. I just love Backtrack magazine and have been a subscriber right from the start. Thank you for a fantastic magazine too. Julia Wilson http://www.retro-speedway.com

I thought I fully explained the circumstances in my earlier reponse.

Welcome to Issue 9 of our quarterly retro magazine. There's another feast of speedway nostalgia for your enjoyment... BENGT JANSSON - Exclusive interview In his most candid interview yet, Bengt Jansson tells Classic Speedway what really happened on that momentous night in 1967 when the world title slipped away from him. There have been one or two conspiracy theories put forward about the run-off to decide the 1967 World Championship between Benga' and his fellow Swede Ove Fundin after they had both finished with 14 points. One of them was that Bengt had in some way been compromised by Swedish speedway politics that favoured Fundin over himself. It has even been suggested that he was under strict orders from SVEMO bosses not to try and beat the Swedish great, who was bidding to go one better than the record four title victories he shared with Barry Briggs. Now Jansson tell us the truth about that night . . . what he said to Fundin as they walked the Wembley track before the run-off . . . why he thought he was the best rider on the night . . . and his deep disappointment at losing out. Plus we examine why the former popular West Ham, Edinburgh and Hackney star never came that close to winning the world title again, and what the 67-year-old is doing now. PETER COLLINS Former World Champion Peter Collins is a keen speedway historian and a collector who has accumulated some 40 bikes - from early-30s JAPs to the much more modern Jawa, Weslakes and GMs. In this exclusive interview, PC talks about his passionate hobby in which he lovingly restores vintage machinery, including early 1930s JAPs that used to belong to Belle Vue legend Eric Langton. IVAN MAUGER Lay-down engines, leading link front forks, dirt deflectors, four-valve motors and silencers are part and parcel of speedway today but, as six times World Champion Ivan Mauger points out and our accompanying pictures confirm, there is nothing new about any of them. ALF HAGON - Exclusive interview The former Harringay, Wimbledon, Leicester, Oxford, Poole and West Ham rider is the latest to feature in our Q&A series, reflecting on the highs and lows of his eventful career in the capital. JAROSLAV VOLF - Exclusive interview We talk to the first Czech rider to appear in the individual World Final. SECOND SCENE In our new series on the British League second division we turn the clock back to 1968 and the re-launch of the sport at Middlesbrough, where the Teesside Teessiders got off to a winning start against North-East rivals Berwick. BUDDY FULLER Recalling the career of a speedway trailblazing entrepreneur from South Africa, the latest in our Legends series. Plus columnists Ian Hoskins and John Hyam, your letters and much more... http://www.retro-speedway.com

WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID... Just want to say how much I’ve enjoyed the DVD. The period exactly matches my own golden age of speedway since being taken to see the WCQR at Belle Vue as a 10-year-old in 1970 and seeing the World Champion (Ivan of course) at the very first opportunity. By 1979 I'd begun to find other things to do and Belle Vue, as a power, were fading along with my interest. This DVD has brought back so many memories and filled in so much missing detail that just wasn't available to us at the time. It's clear that you have the respect of all the boys because there is a wonderful warmth that comes over through your interviews. I never expected them to be so candid. Ivan is a much more generous person than you would have guessed at the time, and the reminiscences of Peter Collins and Ole Olsen are just wonderful. Ole's comments really had me laughing. I can truly say that "I was there" because I went to all of the three Wembley finals (as well as the 1974 European Final). Your DVD isn't just a record of some great sporting moments, it's a moving scrapbook of my teenage years. I can only thank you for all your efforts. Ian Harwood http://www.retro-speedway.com

The following is a small extract from the review of WORLD FINALS OF THE 70s, written by Speedway Star Editor Richard Clark and which appeared in Speedway Star magazine dated May 8, 2010. Every speedway home should have one. As a guide to 70s World Finals, this is indispensable. Nostalgia might well be a thing of the past, but this is truly gold-dust. Speedway gold-dust. To read Richard's full review, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com ---------------------------------------------- WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID... I was first introduced to speedway in the early 1970s, so this DVD is from the era when I fell in love with the sport. The audio and video interviews were of particular interest and enjoyment, especially with Michanek, PC, Briggs, Mauger and Olsen. Anders is my all-time favourite rider (my first ever sporting hero) so it is great that we can hear what he and all these riders have to say about their time at top of the sport. Totally honest, from-the-heart interviews, unlike most of the bland interviews you get with professional footballers these days, and some great racing footage to go with them as well. This DVD is an absolute must-buy for anyone who followed the sport during the 70s. Andy Povey ---------------------------- I loved the DVD, especially the PC and Kelly Moran interviews, for obvious reasons. I loved Speedway in the 70s and 80s, so much fun, and great personalities. I will watch this DVD over and over again! Carol Stock -------------------------------- Can I just say "Wow!". The whole thing, from start to finish, is enthralling and absorbing. Tony's interviews provide the perfect complement to the stills and the archive footage. I suppose the passing of years means that the riders can view their triumphs and disappointments a bit more dispassionately, which makes their interviews refreshingly honest. A hundred out of 10 would be my rating - anything less just wouldn't do justice to this superb four hours of speedway heaven. Dave Corbett ------------------------------------------ The new 70s World Final double DVD is absolutely brilliant and a fantastic nostalgic DVD - I'll watch it again and again. Howard Murphy

Mary Whitehouse lives! Oh, come on, please. We're all grown ups here, aren't we? You're right, we do add a warning at the very beginning about the occasional use of strong language, so if you have any children in the viscinity who are likely to sit down and watch a 4-hour double DVD about apeedway in the 70s, then the warning note is there to alert you to cover their ears. Or wait until they've gone to bed until you play it! You are the first to have even mentioned the swearing bits, which I believe give the whole thing authentcity and show the wholehearted passion people like Briggo have for the sport and (in this case) just how seriously he viewed that incident with Berny Persson. It's earthy. It's raw. it's real. And it's from the heart. Anyway, don't blame Briggo for using 'fruity' language which is obviously too 'disgusting' for you to bear. Blame me. For when we recorded the interview at his home, it was simply done with the intention of me being able to refer to it some time later before writing it up for part use in Backtrack and Classic Speedway magazine. The days of short-hand are thankfully long gone. Barry had no idea then that it would be used in an audio format for the purpose of this DVD. And neither did I at the time. It was only 18 months later, when we looked at all the material we had accumulated over a six-year period, that we decided to adapt some of it for the DVD. The language Barry uses when recalling THAT crash with Persson is entirely in context (which is why we left it in) and not at all gratuitous. He has used big grown-ups swear words in his book too - and I don't have a problem with that either. If you have been offended by strong language on our DVD, then I can only apologise. To suggest that the great Briggo is not a good ambassador for the sport because of a few F's on a DVD is, frankly, laughable. You're talking about a man - nay, a legend - who has just cycled halfway round the UK to raise tens of thousands of pounds for disabled ex-speedway riders, and will continue to do so in the weeks ahead (www.briggo.net) You're talking about a collosus who has devoted his life to the sport, of which he was a household name throughout the 60s and 70s and, if you asked the general public now, would still be the first speedway rider's name they could remember. For F*** sake, Midland Red, give us a break!

I thought Kelvin gave an excellent and, as you and others have said, very honest account of his time as a rider. He gave us lots more good stuff, too, but we couldn't fit it all into the 8 pages allocated for that main feature. It was a case of prioritising the content that related to the pre-90s Backtrack era. And yes, Tommy K is definitely on our radar. I'd like to get out to Denmark in the next few months and do that as a one-on-one. John Jorgensen is another we must think about for the not too distant future.

MM - But Chris is just a 'baby' in terms of Backtrack eligibility! Plenty more 'old boys' to track down before him.... Thanks to you and all for your very kind comments and support - it means a lot. Glad you're liking the improved look of the mag.

MICHAEL Lee is the big name subject of the next book to come off the Retro Speedway shelf. We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with the former World Champion to publish his authorised biography. Back From The Brink, written by Retro Speedways Tony McDonald, will be launched in Cardiff before the British Grand Prix on July 10. But if you order your copy before July 1, it will be personally signed by Michael, the 1980 world title holder and former Boston, Kings Lynn, Poole and England No.1. McDonald says: It was great fun working with Michael on his Mike the Bike DVD, which has been a huge success since it came out late last year, but there are some many more different issues to explore with this book. Michael has crammed so much into his life not all of it good! but that just means he has an even more compelling story to tell. We are always being offered proposals from authors asking us to publish their books but we have to cherry-pick them these days and Back From The Brink is the kind of exciting project we like to get out teeth into. One of Mikes endearing qualities is that hes such a down to earth bloke and not a prima donna who is up himself. He knows he has made stupid mistakes in the past and hes not afraid to face up to them, and talk about them in a refreshingly frank manner. That honesty and introspection will shine through strongly in this book as he recalls his highs and, at times, very low lows both on and off the track. Other publishers had shown interest in producing a book on Michael but, for various reasons, their plans never materialised and thats when we stepped in with a deal that appealed to Lee. Everyone seems to have an opinion on Michael, continues McDonald, so it made more sense to produce the book as a biography rather than an autobiography solely in his words. Naturally, he has plenty to say and many of his revelations will shock some people, including those who thought they knew him well! But the biographical approach means Ive been free to talk to Mikes family including his father, Andy, who had such a strong influence on his speedway career, his mother Valerie and his two sisters, as well as close friends. Ive set out to discover the real Michael Lee and Im sure readers will be intrigued by what they find inside the pages of Back From The Brink. We have obviously also talked to the people who have known him well through speedway, too the promoters and team managers he rode for, plus past team-mates and rivals at club and international level. Michael accepts that not everyone will have nice things to say about him but he is now a much more mature person than the one that went off the rails in the 80s and 90s and is ready to face his critics. This is no whitewash how could it possibly be? and I hope readers agree that it is a balanced and objective read. Michael has experienced and done some things that he wished he hadnt like his problems with drugs which led to him serving three prison sentences but these were defining periods of his life and he knows they cannot simply be brushed under the carpet. This book has given him the chance to confront his previous demons head-on. Back From The Brink is also a story of triumph. McDonald says: A lot of people have criticised Mike for his past, and he has certainly brought a lot of that stick on himself, but too many are quick to forget, or overlook, his many great achievements in speedway. Its debatable how much of his gifted talent he really wasted. After all, he became one of speedways youngest World Champion in 1980, aged 21, and World Long-track Champion (Englands first) a year later. He won two World Team Cup gold medals, two British Championship and every top individual international and national title in the sport between 1975 and his retirement from racing in the early-90s. And then having sunk to the lowest depths in his life, he showed great personal character to claw his way back to respectability and is now making a success of himself as one of the sports leading engine tuners. Tai Woffinden, Britains newest GP challenger and one of our brightest talents, has put his faith in Michael, as have numerous others who appreciate his skill in the workshop. He really has come back from the brink. ------------------------ To order your copy for £16 (post-free in the UK), go to http://www.retro-speedway.com Or phone Susie on our Credit/Debit Card Hotline: 01708 734 502.

Have you seen the new issue of Backtrack magazine – now in full colour throughout! Look what’s in Issue 38... KELVIN TATUM – exclusive interview England’s last World Cup-winning captain on pressure, regrets, coping with autism and much more. The former Wimbledon and Coventry star and now SKY Sports TV commentator lifts the lid on his eventful career, which also took in later spells with Berwick, Bradford, London Lions and Arena-Essex. He talks about his youthful naivety when starting out at Wimbledon in 1983: “When I signed for Wimbledon in 1983, I had no idea how much money speedway riders earned. I first rode for 4 and 8 - £4 per start and £8 per point - and was paid nothing upfront. I remember Maido telling me what they were offering and I said to him: ‘Really? What, you’re going to pay me?’” Read about his mixed experiences with Coventry, were he won back-to-back league titles in the late 80s, and his uneasy relationship with Bees’ boss Charles Ochiltree: “I knew where I stood with Ochiltree. He always favoured Tommy Knudsen and I knew it would be a struggle to have any influence at the club. We were two No.1s on 10-point averages and banging heads. We weren’t mates but our rivalry inspired each other and it was also good for Coventry.” In only his third season of racing, Kelvin rode in all three World Championship finals – individual, team and pairs – which brought pressures he now admits he found very difficult to handle: “I was hugely nervous and worried quite a bit. I’m quite a twitchy character when I’m under pressure and 1985 ratcheted it up massively. In hindsight, if I’m being selfish, I needed more time out of that limelight before I was genuinely ready for it. Mentally, I wasn’t strong enough to cope with all that.” The 1989 World Team Cup-winning skipper recalls the difficulties of leading the national side: “The BSPA were short-sighted. A successful national team would have brought the sport more national publicity and led to more people coming through the turnstiles. If they had just dipped into their pockets a little bit and given more help with things like hotels and travel, it would have made a difference.” He admits, too, that he was never the most popular or charismatic rider in the eyes of his fellow riders and supporters. “I definitely wasn’t well liked by my fellow England riders but they respected me. I wasn’t in the clique and I think they saw me as being different from them – public school educated, slightly posh and a bit up himself. “They (the fans) probably found me a bit miserable, a bit distant and a bit arrogant maybe. I was there to do a job to the best of my ability and that didn’t always make me the most approachable human being in the world. A lot of supporters probably looked at me as just a miserable bugger.” Kelvin also talks candidly about the struggles he and his devoted wife Debbie have had bringing up their autistic son, Oliver, now 19. KELLY MORAN REMEMBERED Following Kelly Moran’s sad death on April 10 after his long battle against lung and liver disease, more of the Jelly Man’s former team-mates, rivals and friends pay tribute to him and recall their favourite stories about the hugely popular American who leaves behind a rich tapestry of memories. BRUCE PENHALL COLUMN BP is back with an emotionally poignant piece about Kelly Moran and spending time with his former USA Test team-mate in his last days and hours in California. SIMMO’S COLUMN In typically forthright style, the former England No.1 expresses his personal view that what the fun-loving Americans brought to the party was not always a good thing for British speedway. BILLY SANDERS REMEMBERED On the 25th anniversary of the former Australian star’s death, our lead columnist John Berry – the man who brought ‘The Kid’ to Ipswich in 1972 – writes about the impact Billy’s suicide had on him and others, and also explains why he has decided to abandon thoughts of writing a book on Billy. STAN BEAR – exclusive interview We track down the former Weymouth and Poole star in his native Brisbane, where he looks back on his brief but successful time in England in the mid-80s. WORLD FINAL FLASHPOINTS To coincide with the rlease of our new World Finals of the 70s DVD, Peter Collins looks back at the first of our ‘flashpoint’ moments from past finals when he recalls having a ‘grandstand view’ of Heat 19 of the 1973 World Final, and why he believes Zenon Plech was robbed of a place in the run-off alongside Jerzy Szczakiel and Ivan Mauger. WILKIE AND IVAN BOOK EXTRACTS We’ve an extract from the new Alan Wilkinson book, including a heart-rending account of the Belle Vue skipper’s heroic battle to cope with his disability. Plus, Ivan Mauger recalls some unusually barren years in an excerpt from his forthcoming book, The Will To Win. RADFORD TRAVELS Our intrepid scribe reviews past trips to Reading, Rochdale, Romford, Rybnik, Rye House, San Bernardino, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Skien, Smederna, Stoke and Sunderland. Plus... We’ve Q&As with Duncan Meredith and Gene Woods, we find out what happened to Vic Cross, there’s a look back at England’s 1980 World Pairs victory, plus your letters and even more besides. To subscribe in the UK for just £17.50 a year (6 issues) or £24 (Europe), £32 Rest of World, go to: http://www.retro-speedway.com

WORLD FINALS OF THE 70s NEW ON DOUBLE DVD Four hours of pure World Final nostalgia. From Wembley to Wroclaw, Gothenburg to Katowice, this is the inside story of 10 World Championship Finals. *Exclusive interviews with the stars *Dramatic archive action footage *Previously unpublished photos Former World Champion PETER COLLINS talking from home and from the heart about the pursuit of his boyhood dreams, the glory of Katowice ‘76 and the ones that got away. --------------------------------------------------- Hear sensational views straight from the riders themselves... *Who amazingly thought he was a “useless World Champion” and felt relieved to lose his crown? *What a very forthright Briggo has to say about Bernt Persson and THAT Wembley crash. *The mistakes that cost Ivan Mauger so dearly in 1973 and PC in ’77. *Ivan on the “hardest ever” meeting to win. *Why the “cheats” denied Ole Olsen in 1976. *The race that still haunts Malcolm Simmons. *Kelly Moran’s final interview. Ah, those were the days. The super 70s, when crowds of 90,000-100,000 and more filled Wembley and Katowice to watch the world’s top riders battle it out for the sport’s richest prize. It’s all here . . . action-packed drama, controversy, great races, hair-raising crashes, costly machine failures, heartbreak and heroism involving the men who were at the centre of it all. Interspersed with key archive action footage and still images, we present exclusive, new interviews with the winners and losers of World Finals from the glorious 1970s. Be shocked and riveted by this revealing insight from some of speedway’s all-time track greats: Record-breaking six times world champion Ivan Mauger, three times winner Ole Olsen, four times title holder Barry Briggs, England heroes Peter Collins & Michael Lee, super-Swede Anders Michanek, the nearly men John Louis, Malcolm Simmons, Dave Jessup & Gordon Kennett, plus Brits Trevor Hedge, Ray Wilson, Terry Betts & Nigel Boocock, stylish Swede Bengt Jansson and American ace Kelly Moran. Order your DOUBLE DVD today and relive the magic and drama of speedway’s biggest nights from a golden era. £16 (P&P free in UK) To order by phone, simply call our Credit/Debit Card Hotline on 01708 734 502. Or send cheque for £16.00 (payable to Retro Speedway) to: Retro Speedway (World Finals), 103 Douglas Road, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 1AW. Or go online and make payment via secure PayPal at our website: http://www.retro-speedway.com