Keep Turning Left

Tim Beaumont

2011-12-17T09:06:00.001Z

These fantastic digital art images were created by the talented Tim Beaumont. The riders featured are two of Tim's boyhood heroes, Chris Pusey (Halifax Dukes) and Scott Autrey (Exeter Falcons.) We have featured some of Tim's Flat-track images in the past, but it is great to see such a unique graphic style applied to speedway.

www.timbeaumontdesigns.com

Speedway Vinyl

2011-12-03T01:49:00.005Z

A while back, we did a feature on The Go! Team's 2007 album "Proof of youth" which featured a picture of a speedway rider (Andy Grahame) on the album cover artwork. A little research (messing around on Google images) has shown that this record is not alone in featuring speedway imagery as part of the artwork.

First up are UK rock & rollers, the "Wild Angels" and their 1970 album "Live at the Revolution." Are there any fellow anoraks out there that can identify the track in the picture?

For a slice of pure seventies cheese it's hard to top the cover of Phil Clarke's "Speedway Rider" from 1978. Not to be confused with the actual 1950's Norwich speedway rider Phil Clarke, this particular Phil has got it all going on. Shiny Weslake, White flared suit, Medallion, a couple of leather clad babes... This would be enough for most of us to break out in a massive grin, but Phil looks suitably unimpressed. If you're feeling especially brave, you can hear the tune by scrolling down the page on this Wombleton records link.

And now for something completely different. Amoebaassassin was a side project of renowned electronic music producer Andy Gray (not the sacked Sky Sports presenter and former footballer, although it's an intriguing thought...) Probably best known for his work with Paul Oakenfold and in particular the Big Brother theme tune, this 12 inch from 1999 was titled "Speedway Revisited". This is a record I actually bought at my local record shop (remember them..?) not because I particularly like banging trance music, but because of the heavily pixelated speedway racer on the metallic gold album sleeve.

I can't quite fathom whether "Stuart Collapse" is the band name or the actual singers name, but the "Aperture" EP of 2010 features the unmistakable Belle Vue legend Peter Craven racing over snow-capped mountains on the sleeve artwork. The video for "Motorcycle Disaster" shows the French rockers playing on stage with a projector showing vintage speedway footage in the background.

So there you have a guide to speedway inspired music (or at least sleeve artwork.) It's a rather eclectic mix to say the least, but if there are any other hidden gems out there, do let us know.

Daisy

2011-09-02T22:30:00.000+01:00

This fantastic 1933 Rudge JAP is displayed at the Power House museum in Sydney.

Leigh Adams

2011-07-09T00:27:00.001+01:00

The speedway world is rallying around to support Aussie legend Leigh Adams following his crash last month, practicing for the Finke desert race in Alice Springs. The former Grand Prix racer retired from international speedway at the end of last season and had returned home to Australia following a highly successful career in Europe over the past couple of decades.

Having sustained multiple injuries in the accident, Adams is reported to be making good progress following major surgery to strengthen his damaged spinal cord and has now left hospital and moved to a specialist rehabilitation centre.

The Australian speedway team is helping to promote the newly launched Leigh Adams Rehab Fund, having given up the advertising space on their race suits for the forthcoming World Cup. Instead of displaying personal sponsors, the Aussies will show the names of companies who are supporting the fund.

Having built up a reputation for being such a safe, fair and respected rider during his long speedway career, there is no escaping the cruel irony of this accident. We wish Leigh and his family the very best for the future, and are sure that he will face these new challenges with the same dedication and determination that he always displayed on the track.

For all official updates and details of the fund, go to: www.leighadams.com

Show your support for Leigh on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_221281321223601

Arcade Fire

2011-05-02T23:26:00.000+01:00

Retrotastic

2011-05-01T01:03:00.000+01:00

When it comes to websites and blogs, there are some real hidden gems out there that we sometimes stumble across on our web travels. Perhaps our favorite dedicated speedway site is the marvelous Speedway on Disc blog, which features classic photos, program artwork, stickers and adverts mainly from the seventies and eighties. In addition they have put lots of rare racing video footage on to Youtube. The site is updated very regularly (unlike this particular blog...) and it really is a treasure-trove for speedway fans.

Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Speedway on Disc

Rye House Flat-track

2011-04-25T03:06:00.000+01:00

Having attended the "Celebration of Speedway" event, I ventured up the A10 to nearby Rye House to check out UK style Flat-Track for the first time.

Arriving mid way through the meeting I wandered through the empty entrance noting the sign pinned to the wall. Now there wasn't much evidence of pets or cycles, but I can confirm that there was plenty of balls being displayed out on the track.

As far as the racing goes, the heats came thick and fast, with the various classes from mini-bikes through to the ferocious sounding "thunder-bikes". The Pro class riders on the Moto Cross based machines certainly caught the eye, especially the young Aussie speedway rider Tyson Nelson who had a couple of epic races with reigning UK Short Track champion Aidan Collins.

The next date to look out for on the Short-Track UK calendar is Friday May 6th, at the old Oxford speedway track (an interesting choice of venue - could this mean a future return of speedway to Cowley?) An eclectic line up includes US flat track legend David Aldana, Superbike racer Steve Plater and Team GB speedway rider Edward Kennett as well as Tyson Nelson, Aidan Collins and his dad Les (runner up in the 1982 World speedway championship.) Sideburn Magazine are also organising a special night in honour of David Aldana on Thursday 5th May in Oxford.

Short-Track UK
David Aldana night

Celebration of Speedway

2011-04-25T01:59:00.002+01:00

Sunday 17th April saw the staging of this years "Celebration of Speedway". In the past this event was held annually at High Beach in Epping Forrest, near to the site where the sport was first staged in the UK in 1928. In recent years the event has moved a few miles up the road to the the Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire. On the surface this may seem a somewhat surreal venue, but the park is owned by former speedway rider Peter Sampson and is also home to the British speedway museum.

This years event was run in parallel with the "Bikers in Paradise" promotion, and the large crowd basking in glorious sunny weather, were treated to a fantastic array of historic machines to look at, while the faint waft of Castrol R was in the air as an old JAP, Jawa or Weslake was fired up every few minutes.

The Speedway museum is well worth a visit, with an incredible amount of machinery and memorabilia packed into a compact space. The fact that the museum is located in the wildlife park means that it can be a great day out for the whole family.

The Speedway Museum
Paradise Wildlife Park
Classic Speedway Bikes

Speed

2011-02-28T22:54:00.000Z

More amazing photos from the Streetracker blog. Raffaele Paolucci is undoubtedly the most creative photographer regularly shooting speedway. Also check out his online magazine, Streetzine.

Atmosphere - Gorzow

2011-02-28T22:02:00.000Z

Construction - Gorzow

2011-02-28T21:55:00.000Z

Grand Designs - Gorzow

2011-02-07T00:29:00.003Z

Although the Moto-Arena in Torun has captured peoples imaginations throughout the speedway world, there are a number of other impressive stadium re-developments going on in Poland. One track that will gain a much higher profile in the coming year is the Edward Jancarz stadium in Gorzów Wielkopolski. The Stal Gorzow team race in the Ekstraliga, the top division in domestic speedway in Poland and this year the stadium will host the Play-Off and Final of the Speedway World Cup as well as staging the final round of the Speedway GP series, replacing the legendary Bydgoszcz track on the calendar.

In anticipation of these events, the stadium is now undergoing the second phase of a major re-development program which will result in a 15,000 all seated stadium, which like Torun, has been purpose built for speedway. Pictured above are the architects computer renderings which visualise how the finished stadium will look.

The Moto-Arena - Torun

2011-01-05T20:37:00.000Z

Construction - Torun

2010-12-24T01:00:00.000Z

Construction of the Moto Arena in Torun, Poland.

Grand Designs - Torun

2010-12-22T01:34:00.007Z

While British speedway continues to lurch from one crisis to another, Poland relentlessly moves forward, having become the undeniable epicentre of world speedway over the past couple of decades. Perhaps the most visible demonstration of this status is in the extensive redevelopment of existing stadiums and in certain cases the construction of all new arenas. It's difficult not to be slightly envious of our Polish friends when it comes to watching speedway.

While there can often be a certain charm to some of the ramshackle stadiums in the UK, the general public expects much better in this day and age. Football was forced to raise its game following the Hillsborough disaster and the subsequent Taylor report and stadiums throughout the leagues are largely unrecognisable from how they were twenty odd years ago. There are numerous reasons why things are the way they are in speedway, but it basically comes down to a continuous lack of investment and planning over many years and the fact that in general, clubs often rent the stadiums from a landlord and are unwilling to invest in the infrastructure.

The new development in Leicester and the proposed scheme for Belle Vue in Manchester show a way forward, where the speedway track is part of an overall sports and leisure development that can be shown to benefit the local community. This is closer to the Swedish and Danish model, where the speedway teams are usually part of a bigger local motor club, often with a Moto X or karting track as part of the facility. While these schemes are encouraging, they are very modest compared to the developments in Poland.

In a previous post last year we featured the new Moto-Arena in Torun, Poland. This fantastic facility has been purpose built for speedway and as well as being home to the local league team in the domestic Ekstraliga, Torun also hosted its first Grand Prix last year, to universal acclaim.

As it stands, most fans throughout the world would probably think that this is the perfect speedway stadium already, but the plans and visuals from the Architects reveal another element of the design that has yet to be built. The cantilever roof has been cleverly designed so that in the future it can be extended to cover the actual track, thus overcoming one of speedways eternal enemies, the rain. It is not clear when this second stage of the development will take place, but it shows the remarkable ambition behind this stadium and will provide inspiration for future speedway arenas around the world.

England V Australia

2010-12-21T23:40:00.001Z

England's Tiger Stevenson shakes hands with Australia's Vic Huxley before a test match at Wembley in 1933.

“There are only two corners that matter – the first and the last.”

2010-12-21T21:53:00.005Z

The wise words quoted in the title above are from the legendary Jack Parker and are featured in a new book by Ray Lambert called - wait for it - "Keep Turning Left"... The following review of the book is by renowned speedway writer Jeff Scott.

Not to be confused with the excellent blog with same name (thanks Jeff...), Ray Lambert’s recently published Keep Turning Left is an affectionate romp down memory lane. It’s a bargain priced must for any self-respecting speedway fans’ bookshelf. The book is a compulsively readable treasure trove of facts, photographs, stories, tables, letters, quirky observations, transfer fees, poetry, wisecracks and quotes. Ray knows his speedway onions – having reported on Canterbury and Crayford speedway clubs in the 1970s – and isn’t afraid to ride his hobbyhorses in some style.

The material is presented in bite-sized chunks and covers the span of time from the arrival of speedway in Britain to the present day. Ray selects his words and photographs with care. He invites us to laugh at idiocies and delight in triumphs. Ray clearly has his favourites and many stories transport us to a simpler speedway world that, nonetheless, faced and resolved many of the issues, concerns and problems that beset our own contemporary shale world. Some lessons could be drawn but Ray avoids dogma and biting criticism instead – through his selections – preferring nuance, humour and oblique critique.

Much more rich tapestry than shabby carpet, Keep Turning Left has something to appeal to every type of speedway fan. Whether it’s tales of on-track or off-track daring do, cock ups, sponsorships, records or run ins with the Police. Reading this book, a career in the police force sounds the way you’ll most likely meet off duty speedway riders or have the time to enjoy a career as a speedway referee! Equally, the existence of a speedway trade union indicates a speedway universe keen to disagree but happier to rub along together rather than resort to litigation.

Many black and white photographs break up a text (that doesn’t need breaking up). Ray includes such joys as shots of Dave Jessup at home (what a sideboard) or Dave perched on tyres on his brand new 350cc Bultaco trials bike outside Norman Flurry’s Watling Tyre Services in Gravesend (with great, evocative background signage) as well as a natty jumper worn by Rob Mouncer. So many things about the varied world of speedway shine through in the snippets selected for these pages by Ray Lambert. Some of the things you’ll discover in this book include:

Johnnie Hoskins referred to his new enterprise as “speedway” though the Australian authorities insisted upon “motorcycle racing” and the British “dirt bike racing”

“There are only two kinds of people in speedway – the ones that don’t know the rules and break them and those who do know the rules and bend them.” Johnnie Hoskins

“When I think of all the let downs I’ve encountered and the people I would never like to meet again, I wonder if I have wasted two years out of my life. I refer, of course, to the two years I spent securing funding for the Speedway Museum.” George Barclay

Riding for Belle Vue at New Cross in 1952, Ron Johnson wrecked four bikes in four races. His own and those he borrowed from Denis Parker, Ken Sharples and Jack Parker.

Jock Sweet – possibly the first rider to adopt the foot forward racing style (in 1938)

“I won both races but it was tough going up there against Paddy [Mills], particularly as I have never been on the old Firs track before.” Tommy Price

“This will not be my lucky night” Wimbledon rider Ernie Roccio after breaking down on the way to a meeting at West Ham on July 22nd 1952

Guy Allott’s post meeting parade at Owlerton Stadium Sheffield in May 1963 ends painfully when he falls off the tractor and is trapped under the heavy metal grader. Guy sustains a punctured lung, broken arm and facial injuries.

[Rosco] “That’s the worst decision I’ve ever seen [Referee Jim Lawrence] “Well give it time, after all it’s only heat four!” Televised Belle Vue v Swindon meeting in 2008

Vaclav Verner discharged from the Prague police force in 1980 “for scandalous talk against the communist regime”

By the end of the 1978 season, seven riders – Keith Evans, Phil Collins, John Jackson, Kelvin Malarkey, Phil White, Nicky Allot and Bob Garret – jointly held the Quibell Park, Scunthorpe track record of 76.8 seconds.

“Shirra managed to get from the pits to my box. The first thing I knew was hearing the door being kicked in. The door was always locked but the doorframe was smashed and the door flew open. Within a moment I had a great pain in my right ear and I felt myself plunging to the floor off my stool. Shirra had hold of my ear and was shouting obscenities at me and in front of the startled announcer, timekeeper and my wife, who always acted as my scribe, filling in the five programmes I was obliged to complete.” Referee Bill Bowles recalls a post heat 14 incident at Foxhall Heath Ipswich that led to Mitch Shirra fined £10 “for an unauthorised approach to a referee (SR176f) and the maximum £50 for dissent (SR176e)”

“This is one way to get on television” David Gagen is guest of honour at the grand opening of the new premises of Radio Rentals in King’s Lynn

“It’s hard to slow down and keep up your speed” Bjarne Pedersen

Fred Monkford invents the original starting gate in 1932 for use at New Cross. It stays in continuous operation for 46 years when it ends up at Canterbury in 1968.

Tony Svab loses an eye ice racing “when his goggles came off and one of his eyes froze”.

Reading rider Dave Jessup starts the 1977 campaign wearing a brand new set of leathers chosen from “around 60 designs” submitted by the fans.

Tall riders: Graham Miles (6ft 6 inches), Arthur Browning (6ft 4 inches)

Alf Weedon’s green Mercedes has “an equally distinctive number plate ALF *****”. Wonder what ***** stands for?

“The referee is the authority and it would be beneficial if he knows the rules” Jan Staechmann at the 2009 Speedway World Cup race off in Leszno, Poland

[Ronnie Russel] “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you like me?” [Terry Russell] “No, I don’t like people with ginger hair!” Bizarre exchange between Rye House boss and temporary referee

“I didn’t know what nitro was until it was banned” Nigel Boocock

“It seems my two years in Germany were not exactly wasted!” George Barclay

“There are only two corners that matter – the first and the last.” Jack Parker

Keep Turning Left by Ray Lambert. From RAYL Publishing in Paperback at £6.99

110 pages with 18 black & white photographs

Send UK orders with a cheque for £7.99 (includes UK P&P) to RAYL Publishing, 13 Weedswood Road, Chatham, Kent ME5 0QR. Please include your name, address and postcode. For overseas orders, please write to the address above to find out additional overseas postage costs.

Let me take you back to the dirt track

2010-12-20T02:43:00.002Z

Evocative childhood memories of seeing speedway for the first time, by Andy Daly.
http://andydaly.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/let-me-take-you-back-to-the-dirt-track/

Bike racing commentators:
http://andydaly.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/the-carbon-fibres-in-the-kitty-litter/

Andy's excellent blog:
http://andydaly.wordpress.com/

Tapes Up

2010-12-17T00:17:00.002Z

Mud

2010-12-13T00:12:00.002Z

Classic photograph of Andy & Alan Grahame

British Speedway in Crisis

2010-12-06T00:13:00.005Z

Over the past eighty or so years, the popularity of speedway racing in the UK has peaked and dipped like a roller-coaster. Obvious high points include the early pioneering pre-war days, where tracks sprang up all over the country, and huge crowds flocked to city centre venues to witness the raw thrill of competitive motorsport. The sport also enjoyed a major boom time throughout the seventies and early eighties, with Dickie Davies on World of Sport regularly bringing the sport into peoples living room on terrestrial TV. The likes of Barry Briggs, Ivan Mauger and Peter Collins were genuine household names. For a long time, speedway was the second best attended sport in the country, behind football.

For the past 30 years though, the sport has been on a gradual overall downward spiral in terms of popularity and mainstream appeal, with the odd short lived up-turn along the way. Speedway still has a dedicated and loyal following, but a scan of the terraces at most meetings reveals that it is largely an aging demographic.

It has been widely reported that only one club out of nine in this years Sky Sports Elite League didn't run at a loss and several of these reported losses have been well into six figures. The whole league structure is plainly unsustainable in its present form for the majority of clubs and a clear, long term strategy is desperately needed so that the sport as a whole can firstly survive and then hopefully grow in the future. As the country comes to terms with the tough reality of the economic situation, we could have been forgiven for thinking that the club promoters would try to tackle some of the key issues at their recent annual conference and set a clear course, to take domestic speedway into the next decade and beyond.

Immediately after the conference, a quickly drafted press release seemed to paint a positive picture, with Birmingham moving up to the top division replacing Ipswich, who had been widely expected to drop a level, for financial reasons. What the press release didn't mention however was that two of the strongest teams, Peterborough and league champions Coventry, had apparently walked out of the conference, unhappy with new rules which were being rushed in for next year.

The British Speedway Promoters Association (BSPA) are well known for continuously tinkering with the already complicated rule book every year. Although at first glance team speedway is a simple sport (two riders from each team race each other, going around in circles over a certain number of heats...) it has a ridiculously complicated set of rules, which are in theory meant to equalise team strengths by calculating each riders "average" score over a season and putting a cap on the total rider averages for each whole team. This would prevent a team signing the top seven riders in the country, as their overall points average would far exceed the points limit.

Because of this, teams will try to find loopholes to exploit the system to their advantage, such as signing a young foreign rider on a low "assessed" average or signing a rider from a lower league, again on an assessed average. So extra rules are sometimes brought in to try and prevent these loopholes. If this all sound like a big mess, thats because it is. The crux of the problem is that all of these rulings are suggested and subsequently voted on by each promotion themselves and they will often vote for changes which will favour their own team in the short term, rather than what is in the long term interests of the sport as a whole. The situation is further complicated by certain promoters having a seat on the management committee, who are meant to steer the whole process in a fair and non-partisan manor.

Now normally all of this is sorted out behind closed doors, the problems are swept under the carpet and the public at large is generally none the wiser as to what has actually gone on. But the fall out from this years conference has the potential to do very serious damage to the sport and what little mainstream credibility it still has. There appears to have been a major breakdown in relations with Coventry and Peterborough pursuing legal action against the BSPA.

Instead of trying to mediate and find a suitable compromise, the BSPA have issued a number of provocative and clumsy press releases stating that Coventry and Peterborough won't be competing in the league next year and that Kings Lynn will be moving up to the Elite League to bring the numbers up to the eight teams that are required to fulfill the Sky Sports TV contract. The fact that Birmingham and Kings Lynn both took cost cutting measures recently while they were operating in the lower league and had not declared any intention of moving up to the Elite League before the conference, seems to suggest that they are being "supported" to make what appears to be a very risky jump up to the top division, presumably to keep Sky on board and have enough teams in the competition, although eight teams is barely credible...

So instead of speedways administrators tackling the real issues, such as trying to attract a new generation of supporter, encouraging youngsters to take up the sport, improving media awareness, attracting major sponsors, improving track preparation standards, improving safety at tracks and attempting to reduce the cost of equipment for competitors, they have had a major falling out arguing about tedious rulings that the vast majority of fans couldn't care less about. Any long term damage that is done will have been entirely self inflicted, at a time when the sport needs inspirational leadership and a collective sense of purpose if it is to survive at all, let alone reclaim some of its former popularity.

What is needed in the immediate short term is a large portion of humble pie all round, followed by a suitable compromise between the parties in the best interests of the sport. Bearing in mind some of the ego's on both sides of the fence and the apparent bitterness that has been allowed to develop, I don't hold out much hope. Perhaps the people best placed to bang a few heads together are Sky Sports, who can not have been at all impressed with how these issues have been handled. How are they going to explain to their viewers that last years league champions are not competing? Surely the obvious short term answer is to keep the rules that were used in 2010, as far as it is possible.

In the longer term, it is clear that the sport desperately needs a truly independent panel of experts who will govern in a transparent and non partisan way, and set in place a long term plan to revive speedway in this country. To save British speedway - from itself. Rant over.

Speed

2010-11-21T02:29:00.000Z

Fantastic images from the Streetracker blog.

Hero

2010-11-21T01:56:00.000Z

It is exactly ten years since we lost one of the true greats of British speedway and track racing.

Throughout the eighties and nineties, Simon Wigg was one of the countries most successful motorcycle racers. Although he was a speedway rider of the highest order, it was on the super fast grasstrack's and continental "longtrack's" where he really excelled. He won the World Longtrack Championship five times between 1985 and 1994.

His career was cut short at the end of 1998 when a brain tumor was diagnosed and it tragically claimed his life two years later.

As well as being incredibly successful as a racer, Simon was also one of the sports true characters off track, a real showman who lit up the speedway scene at a time when the sport was losing the high profile it had enjoyed in the seventies and early eighties.

Simon was always ultra professional with his bikes and general set up and he was always looking for ways to improve the sport and the way it was presented. His trademark bright green leathers meant that he and his sponsors always stood out on track and in many ways he was genuinely ahead of his time.

We highly recommend the book "Wiggy!" published by Retro Speedway.

King Tomasz

2010-10-16T02:02:00.003+01:00

At the grand old age of 39 and after sixteen hard seasons chasing Grand Prix glory, Poland's Tomascz Gollob finally struck gold this year, lifting the trophy at his spiritual home track of Bydgoszcz.

Gollob had secured the title at the previous round in Italy and it was just as well, because an ankle injury sustained in a motocross training accident in the run up to the final round, prevented him from completing his rides at Bydsoszcz.

Gollob has certainly been one of the most courageous and exciting riders of his generation and he continues to dazzle with his wild antics on the track. Although prone to the occasional spot of brain fade (such as wiping out Emil Sayfutdinov in Malilla this year) he showed remarkable consistency throughout the season.

We salute you Tomasz on a great achievement.

More fantastic photos from Michal Szmyd.

Norman Wisdom

2010-10-06T22:35:00.003+01:00

Sir Norman Wisdom sadly passed away this week at the grand old age of 95. As well as being one of Britain's best loved comic actors, he was also famously "Big in Albania" as his were some of the very few western films that were allowed to be broadcast in the country during the harsh years of the Marxist dictatorship.

Just as surreal, is the fact that Sir Norman was also guest of honour at the 1962 Speedway World Final and is pictured at the wheel of the Wembley tractor behind bronze medalist Ove Fundin, runner up Barry Briggs & winner Peter Craven.

I love the concept of the winners of a major World Championship event being given a lap of honour sat on the bonnet of an old tractor, being driven by a comedian. Spraying lycra clad podium girls with champagne is all well and good, but sometimes you just have to keep it real and it doesn't get any more real than tractors.

Details

2010-09-03T23:44:00.002+01:00

Photographs by Fredric Svalin

Shale Trek

2010-08-14T14:41:00.001+01:00

Review of Jeff Scott's Shale Trek by Gary Pinchin of Motorcycle News.

It’s speedway – but not as we know it:

Speedway. First out of the gate wins. God, I hate that cliché.

It’s true you don’t get much overtaking when you set four, brakeless, methanol-burning 500cc race bikes off around a 350 metre oval dirt track, but when someone does manage it you just want to punch the air and scream yyyyyesssss with excitement – and then ramble on for days to who ever will listen how that one overtake you saw was worth the admission price alone.

Yeah, I’ve got a passing interest in speedway (I’m not apologising for the pun) and, as a fan, I know you have to cling on to those special moments – as much as football fans cling to England success.

I love speedway’s grass roots, earthy, organic feel that once was the preserve of the working man – and maybe still is.

But I’ve always thought of it as an awesome sport promoted badly by well-intentioned used car dealers and scrap metal merchants for highly professional racers who put on an incredible show of gladiatorial warfare that so few people get to see.

Phew, got that one off my chest.

Don’t take that wrong. That’s a positive for me! The tired, backwater stadia have a lovely grungy appeal, harking back to the early Seventies when I first ventured to Blunsdon Road to see Martin Ashby and Bob Kilby starring for the Swindon Robins.

Speedway, at it’s best, is as good as any professional motorsport you’ll see anywhere in the world but it’s full of foibles and weird rules that can make the sport a laughing stock – even to it’s own band of followers.

And that is the vibe you get from reading Jeff Scott’s latest heavyweight tome ‘Shale Trek.’ Here’s a fan who clearly loves his sport but isn’t afraid to talk about it’s shortcomings.

And, as it says on the tin (well, back cover), Scotty does indeed boldly go where other speedway writers dare to tread.

His books – yes, this is his eighth in what he describes as a ‘trilogy gone terribly wrong’ on the state of British speedway in the 21st century – tell it like it is and certainly take me right back to the terraces and the heady aroma of methanol fuel, Castrol R, and eyes full of shale dust.

This is another personal tour of the UK speedway tracks, this time to promote his earlier “Quantum of Shale” and is so refreshing in it’s honesty in a world where most motorsport is homogenised by political correctness.

When I first saw one of his books I laughed at the outrageous volume of words he can bang out on one two-hour race meeting but once I got hooked into it, I laughed at the anecdotes of the track staff who describe their own meeting as crap, at Scott’s experiences of the Talke Travelodge near Stoke Speedway (not that the state of his room had anything to do with speedway) and the sport’s rules – which seems to be an ongoing debate among all speedway fans if this book is any guide.

Oh how I chuckled as I read his condemnation of the sport’s rules that often require university degree to fathom.

“Speedway rule changes and general strangeness have always gone together….,” he says.

And then we get the full explanation, during his Buxton Speedway chapter, going back to 1929 of how the rules have evolved and how bits of the old rule books have crept into current rulebook.

It’s a great, if rambling history lesson… and even more complicated than this year’s BSB point-scoring structure!

The 2001 rulebook apparently demanded, if the mechanical start gate failed, you had to use a piece of elastic to start the races.

Fair enough I thought, but Scott* takes great delight in pointing out Belle Vue – only a week earlier on his travels in 2009 – couldn’t find a piece of elastic in the entire stadium when their gate failed.

But instead of letting us in on the solution, Scott suddenly turns his attention to wanting to know the difference between stock cars and drift cars. Eclectic? You bet.

Scott’s style is unique and if you want an entertaining read that’s also loosely connected with motorcycle sport then it’s well worth the £20.

And if you’ve even a vague interest in speedway, I’ll guarantee you’ll be checking out the fixtures list of your local team to catch up on the action. I certainly have!

by Gary Pinchin, Motorcycle News.

Shale Trek is available to buy from Methanol Press.

Photos by Jeff Scott. If you like these charming photos, be sure to check out Jeff's photo book Shale Britannia.

Seat of the Pants

2010-08-14T09:10:00.005+01:00

Photos by Michael Schmidt

Rudge JAP

2010-08-08T03:19:00.001+01:00

Found in the Sideburn Archives, this fantastic ~~Douglas~~ Rudge JAP was up for auction in New Zealand last year. Although I am sure it would look amazing fully restored, there is something very special about it, just the way it is.

Gumball 3000

2010-08-07T23:39:00.002+01:00

Primarily famous for the mega 3000 mile supercar rally / road trip for cocaine addled rich kid's, former pro skateboarders, 2nd rate rappers and wannabe playboy's, the Gumball 3000 brand also boasts a highly successful streetwear label.

All of this may be a million miles away from the thoroughly working class and somewhat unglamourous world of speedway, but an 80's American style programme provided the unlikely and slightly ironic inspiration for one of their recent fashion brochures.

http://www.gumball3000.com/

George Howard Cole

2010-08-07T09:46:00.003+01:00

Found on the ever brilliant Sideburn blog, this archive footage from the British Pathe, features a young George Howard Cole racing his custom built bike around the ~~Wolverhampton~~ Cradley track. Further investigation (well, 30 seconds on Google...) unearthed the following information from the "Workshop" speedway bike archive.

Howard Junior was the mascot at Birmingham and Wolverhampton speedway in the 40s and 50s, and would ride his mini-bikes wearing full leathers and a helmet bearing his initial "GHC" (his full name was George Howard Cole). Howard junior progressed to full size bikes and actually took to the track at the age of 15 under the assumed name of "Kid Bodie". Unfortunately for him, his headmaster was a keen speedway supporter and rumbled him. Once he had turned 16 Howard Cole Junior fulfilled his ambition to become a speedway rider, turning out for Wolverhampton, Stoke, Long Eaton (1965), Cradley Heath (1966), Kings Lynn (1967-1972) and back to Cradley again (1973-74) before retiring from the sport. His spell at Kings Lynn was his most successful, becoming a recognised heat leader and reaching the World Final in 1969. I have it on good authority that Howard Cole Junior has since emigrated to Australia where he works as a schoolteacher, I wonder if any of his pupils "bunk off" to race motorbikes?

http://www.sideburnmag.blogspot.com/

http://www.cybermotorcycle.com/archives/speedwaybikes/cole.htm

Old School

2010-08-02T21:28:00.002+01:00

Flat Track Art

2010-07-23T15:08:00.003+01:00

These fantastic images of Kenny Roberts and Gene Romero, were created by talented illustrator Tim Beaumont.

Tim's bike related artwork is available to buy online from Duke.

Tim Beaumont Designs

Stal Gorzow

2010-07-14T02:43:00.000+01:00

We all know that the Polish take their speedway rather seriously, but this takes it all to another level. These scenes are unlikely to be repeated at Eastbourne next week.

http://www.stalgorzow.pl/

Amman Valley

2010-07-13T21:21:00.001+01:00

Following on from our look at the UK speedway tracks from the air, this is the Amman Valley trotting track in South Wales which recently staged a round of the UK Short Track Championship.

http://www.sideburnmag.blogspot.com/

http://www.shorttrackuk.com/

Cardiff

2010-07-09T19:30:00.000+01:00

It is hard to believe, but tomorrow sees the 10th staging of the British Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff's Millennium stadium. Around 45,000 fans from all over the UK (and beyond) make the annual pilgrimage and the atmosphere they create is unlike anything else on earth. It really is completely unique and although it comes across well on TV, you have to be there in person to fully appreciate the "wall of sound".

Engines get fired up at 5PM and there are tickets available on the day. Hopefully the "one-off" track will be up to the job and the partisan crowd will be hoping that Chris "Bomber" Harris can emulate his amazing performance in 2007.

Speedway GP

Retro Racers

2010-07-05T21:42:00.002+01:00

Some rather nice graphics created by Thomas Mei at Type7.

Type7

Torun GP

2010-06-21T17:54:00.001+01:00

Saturdays Grand Prix from Torun in Poland reminded us all just how good World Championship speedway can be, when all of the correct ingredients are in place.

The principal requirement is for a decent racing circuit and the Torun track certainly fits the bill, with plenty of room for passing on the inside and outside as well as enough banking and dirt to enable those outside sweeps. During the Sky Sports commentary, Nigel Pearson mentioned that the legendary Swedish rider Per Jonnson, had played a leading role in the design of the track.

As far as the stadium goes, Torun is every speedway fans dream arena, with each seat offering a perfect view of the track. Saturday was a complete sellout, and the capacity crowd generated a great atmosphere, as the Polish riders raced into the distance to fill every spot on the podium.

With Tomasz Gollob & Jaroslaw Hampel setting the pace so far in this years championship, it could finally be the year that a Polish rider lifts the World Crown for the first time since 1973. Their chances have been boosted by the fact that regular contenders Jason Crump and Nicki Pedersen have lacked their usual consistency, and Emil Sayfutdinov is currently sidelined with a broken arm.

Gollob would certainly be a popular winner and he undoubtedly deserves his place in the record books as a World Champion, considering his efforts over the past decade and a half, since the formation of the Grand Prix series. At 39 years old, many had written off his chances, but on present form he seems to have lost none of his speed and courage on the track.

More great photos from Michal Szmyd.

Aerial View (Part Three)

2010-06-19T20:02:00.004+01:00

Completing our look at the speedway tracks of Britain, we come to the National League, formerly known as the Conference League. These tracks are all very small with the obvious exception of the Isle of Wight, which is the longest track in the UK.

Track data from the British Speedway Track Directory

Aerial View (Part Two)

2010-06-19T18:43:00.006+01:00

Our next collection of tracks are from the British Premier League which is essentially the second division of British speedway. I realise that referring to the second tier as "Premier" is a complete contradiction in terms, as the word is defined as "first in status or importance." However in the wonderful world of speedway, most people seem happy to ignore such glaring contradictions!

As far as the tracks go, the sizes and shapes vary significantly (even more so than in the Elite League.) As well as the traditional tracks that sit inside a greyhound track, or around a football pitch, there has been a new generation of purpose built, stand alone tracks such as Newport, Somerset, Scunthorpe & Redcar.

While these tracks are sometimes seen as "a track in a field" as opposed to a conventional stadium, they offer more freedom in terms of track design and of course there is the potential to develop a proper stadium in due course. Somerset & Scunthorpe in particular have established an excellent reputation for the standard of racing they produce. It is interesting to see the shape of the Scunthorpe track, as the two corners are completely different, making for a very unusual circuit.

Track data from the British Speedway Track Directory

Aerial View (Part One)

2010-06-12T10:07:00.001+01:00

These are the nine British Elite League tracks, as seen from above. The shape and size of British tracks can vary considerably, compared to those throughout the rest of Europe. This is primarily because the UK stadiums are often shared with other sports such as greyhound racing and stock cars. When viewed from the terraces, the actual shape and proportion of the circuit is not always apparent, but from the air, you can see immediately how different some of the tracks are to each other.

For instance compare the long sweeping corners and relatively short straights of Peterborough with the tight confines of Lakeside where the track is crammed inside the surrounding stock car circuit. Compared with Peterborough the Lakeside corners resemble hairpins. As well as the length and shape of circuits, the surface and camber can also vary considerably between tracks.

Track data from the British Speedway Track Directory

The Workshop

2010-05-25T22:54:00.002+01:00

"The Workshop" is a fantastic web resource that chronicles each and every make of speedway bike from the 1920s until the late 1990s. It is not entirely clear who painstakingly assembled this online history, as it appears that the site has been dormant for quite some time, but it is now archived on cybermotorcycle.com. Although it is not possible to view some of the photographs on the site, all of the original text is intact.

It would be interesting to find out more about who created this site in the first place and it begs the question, whether it would be possible for a group of like minded enthusiasts to add to this important mechanical history of the sport, as it would be a great shame if the contents of this site were lost.

The Workshop

Manufacturers

2010-05-25T21:00:00.001+01:00

Speedway bikes are very unique machines, built in low volumes by small, specialist engineering companies. The names of these manufacturers are well known within the confines of the sport, but often go unnoticed by the wider biking fraternity. Over the years, many of these companies have come and gone, indeed out of the list above, only GM and JRM (formally Jawa) survive.

Keen followers of the sport will instantly recognise these iconic logos from oily crankcase castings, the stickers on fibreglass mudguards and sewn on patches on leathers.

Track Directory

2010-05-20T22:02:00.012+01:00

An essential purchase for all speedway fans, (and UK Short Trackers) is the new British track directory from Jeff Scott's Methanol Press. All the information you need to know (and some which you probably don't!) including full directions and transport details. Fully illustrated throughout with pictures of each track, which give you a good clue as to what the venue is like. Terrific value at only a fiver!

Available from: Methanol Press

The Go! Team

2010-05-17T22:10:00.002+01:00

It's not every day that you find an image of a speedway rider on a bands CD cover, but in 2007 The Go! Team's "Proof of Youth" featured a roughly cut out seventies speedway picture (Andy Grahame in Birmingham Brumies colours - I'll get me anorak...) on their resolutely low tech cut and paste cover.

It's almost impossible to describe The Go! Team's music in words, but if you imagine a mix of jangly guitars, shouty cheerleader chants, kids TV themes, nursery rhyme tunes and 70's car-chase music samples over hip-hop beats, you are half way there. The bands debut album "Thunder, Lightning, Strike" is a great record, that is completely nuts in places, but also fantastic fun throughout. One track is titled "Junior Kick-Start" - perhaps a clue to the future speedway reference.

The follow up album, Proof of Youth promised much and in places it is inspired, but it is also flawed. The record is let down by a poor sound quality where the vocals are often completely drowned out by the surrounding sonic chaos. Although the lo-fi sound should add to the charm, it spoils otherwise great tunes. Rap legend Chuck D sounds as if his vocal was recorded in an outside toilet. Perhaps album number three will see them fulfill their undoubted potential.

The Go! Team

Retrotastic

2010-05-17T20:47:00.002+01:00

It's the third and deciding heat of the Great Britain versus Sweden 1:32 scale test match. Peter Collins edged it in heat one on the kitchen lino, Anders Michanek won a dramatic heat two on the rather grippy living room carpet, so it's all to race for on the super slick polished dining room table. Perhaps track man Ole Olsen has overdone it with the Mr Sheen again...

Hero

2010-05-16T01:35:00.001+01:00

Last month the world of speedway lost one of its true characters. Kelly "Jellyman" Moran was probably the most naturally gifted racer of his generation, famous for his incredible balance and spectacular riding style. He was also somewhat infamous for his off track "party" lifestyle. It all ensured that he became one of the fans favorites, bringing a dose of Californian excitement and colour wherever he rode.

There is a fitting tribute to Kelly on the Moto Freako blog.

The Moran Brothers book by Brian Burford.

Photos by Mike Patrick

Oval Racing Bikes

2010-05-15T19:34:00.002+01:00

Some rather cool illustrations (by Des Penny) of the various types of oval racing bikes. These were featured in an old, out of print book simply entitled "Speedway" by Alasdair Domhnullach (published in 1992 by Empire Features.) The book looks at all types of Oval racing on two, three & four wheels and even includes a chapter on inshore powerboats which race on an oval course!

The term "Speedway" covers a broad range of racing and commonly means different things around the world. Speedway generally means spindly left turn bikes in Europe, banked Nascar or Indycar racing tracks in the USA and Dirt Track cars, sidecars or "solo's" in Australia and New Zealand.

Race Face(s)

2010-03-28T18:47:00.000+01:00

Ivan Mauger (left) and Ole Olsen at Costa Mesa, in the early seventies.

Dirt

2010-03-28T18:42:00.000+01:00

Dirt deflectors, who needs them?

Martin Ashby - Swindon & England

Fairing Well

2010-03-26T22:12:00.004Z

A couple of riders in the UK are pioneering the use of a sleek new composite fairing design on their speedway bikes this season, in place of the traditional fabric covers that are usually used. The fairings are primarily designed to improve the appearance of the bikes and present a more professional and futuristic image for the sport.

They subsequently offer extra value to sponsors in terms of the actual available area, and the fact that they can be wiped down very easily between races. There are also a number of new safety innovations built into the design.

The modular kits are manufactured by Race Bitz UK and are available in standard fibreglass or carbon fibre. Laminated printed graphics are also available to complete the look.

Pictured above at the Belle Vue press day are Ricky Ashworth (top) and Patrick Hougaard (below.)

Photos by Eddie Garvey http://www.etgphotography.co.uk/

Race Bitz

Sideburn

2010-03-26T21:16:00.000Z

The latest issue (we are up to number five now) of the mighty Sideburn magazine is now out. It is another lovingly crafted little production, packed full of dirt track goodness.

Almost certainly not available at your local newsagents, so take out a subscription, you won't be disappointed.

Sideburn Magazine

Sump

2010-03-20T08:03:00.000Z

Check out this cool classic bike site and their feature on speedway.

Sump

Tron: Legacy

2010-03-20T07:32:00.004Z

Scheduled for release in December 2010 (early 2011 in the UK) is Tron: Legacy, the long awaited sequel to the original 1982 cult classic. Filmed in full 3D and featuring the latest computer wizardry, the film is sure to be visually stunning.

The sound track also promises much, as elusive Parisian techno rockers Daft Punk are at the controls. Lets just hope there is a storyline to match...

The conceptual "Light-Cycles" featured in the film were created by German design genius Daniel Simon, who is best known for his incredible "Cosmic Motors" book.

http://danielsimon.net/

Roof-top Speedway Madness

2010-03-01T19:02:00.002Z

Grand Prix rider Jarek Hampel recently took part in a rather unique and spectacular publicity stunt in his native Poland, organised by who else but Red Bull... He rode his GM powered machine on the snow covered roof of the landmark Spodek arena in Katowice, powersliding his way around. It makes you wonder where else you could ride a speedway bike...

Photos: Lukas Nazdraczew/Red Bull Photofiles
Hell for Leather Magazine
Hampel Racing

Race Face

2010-02-28T21:29:00.009Z

Kiwi legend Mitch Shira in his Coventry "Bees" race jacket in the mid seventies.

Retrotastic

2010-02-28T20:37:00.016Z

It may not appeal to the playstation generation, but this looks like proper old fashioned fun.

Seen on the ever inspiring Sideburn blog, originally from the Old Timer Workshop blog.

What If...

2010-01-16T10:09:00.003Z

...Red Bull sponsored speedway in a big way...

Mid way through the 2009 season, it was announced that Jason Crump would be sponsored by Red Bull. On the surface, this sounded like major news for the sport, but it soon became clear that the deal was limited to a Red Bull crash helmet, cap and the obligatory drinks bottle. Admittedly for many years Red Bull have sponsored their "athletes" with a corporate crash helmet, but it is was disappointing that the deal wasn't taken further with Crump racing in the full Red Bull corporate livery. This would have given the sport a real injection of credibility, with the prospect of attracting other serious corporate companies to speedway.

Crumps friendship with Red Bull F1 racer Mark Webber has been well documented, and could help raise the profile of speedway around the world. During the press conference after Webbers victory at the Brazilian GP, he paid tribute to Crump for winning the Speedway World Championship after overcoming a serious injury.

At the same time, the organisers of the Speedway Grand Prix have to put their house in order, to make this sort of deal possible. At the British Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff, the event sponsor was the rival "Rockstar" energy drink. This in itself is not a problem as long as the branding is on the air fence, podium, infield etc. But in speedway the organisers insist that the event sponsor has their branding on the front of all the bikes (and potentially on the riders race jacket bibs.) So we had the ridiculous scenario of the Red Bull sponsored Crump, and the "Monster" sponsored Greg Hancock being forced to carry the branding of a rival company on their bikes! This doesn't happen in other events any more because it is a sure-fire way to scupper any potential sponsorship deal...

As a sport, we can't really complain about the lack of major sponsorship, if we insist on crazy regulations that discourage potential backers.

Original Photo: Michal Szmyd

Photoshop Rendering: Dave Curtis

Image published in the Speedway Star

Leg-trailers

2010-01-03T19:42:00.001Z

The art of John Proud captures the era of the pioneer speedway riders. The origins of the sport can be traced back to the board tracks of the USA and the dirt tracks of Australia.

John Proud The New Cafe Racer Society

Balance

2009-12-30T21:03:00.003Z

An outrageous shot of Peter Collins grappling with a tear off, while completely locked-up, at full speed. Respect.
Peter Collins

Loramski

2009-12-28T22:52:00.013Z

Speedway legend Mark Loram has reluctantly announced his retirement from the sport, due to on-going complications with a serious leg injury sustained in a track crash at Ipswich in 2007. Over the past couple of decades, Loram has established himself as a real fans favourite, mainly due to his incredible ability to overtake the opposition, which combined with his infamous inability to "gate," ensured that he was one of the most exciting riders to watch.

The highlight of Mark's career was undoubtedly lifting the Speedway Grand Prix World Title in 2000. Following his triumph, I can remember reading an article in one of the mainstream bike magazines about Mark and the journalist was knocked out by how chilled out and down to earth he was compared to the usual egotistical prima donnas in Moto GP who he normally interviewed.

We salute you Loramski for all the entertainment you have provided over the years, and wish you good luck and good health for the future.

Photos: Philip Lee Harvey (Top) Speedway Star

The New Slide King

2009-12-22T13:38:00.006Z

The unstoppable Australian speedway talent machine has been in full swing in recent years, producing riders of tthe calibre of World U21 champion Darcy Ward and new Grand Prix recruits Chris Holder and Tai Woffinden. Although Tai has chosen to ride wearing the Union Jack, he is still very much a product of the Australian system.

The latest name to add to that list is fourteen year old Arthur Sissis, but by the looks of it he may well be lost to the shale sport, as he has made the recent switch to tarmac, having won a place in the prestigious Red Bull Rookies cup which aims to unearth the future stars of Moto GP. He raced in the competition in 2009 and is on the provisional entry list for 2010.

Sissis wouldn't be the first Aussie to make such a switch, as Casey Stoner raced junior speedway and dirt-track, and Gary McCoy also started out in speedway.

Meanwhile in good old Blighty, we struggle to produce riders who can compete at the highest level in both speedway and circuit racing. There are the occasional talents who still emerge through but it is more a case of despite the system rather than because of it. Dorna, the organisers of Moto GP, have resorted to developing young British racers in the highly successful Spanish system and riders such as Bradley Smith, Scott Redding and Danny Webb are starting to prove the worth of such an initiative.

The ACU and BSPA really need to study how other countries seem to consistently produce a conveyor belt of young riders who posses the ability to race on the world stage on both shale and tarmac. They need to learn from these countries and have the resolve to put in place youth development schemes that will produce the British World Champions of the future.

Photos:
Red Bull Rookies - http://www.redbullrookiescup.com/riders_detail_2010.php?id=47
Doug McFarlane - http://community.webshots.com/user/maccattack

Quantum of Shale

2009-12-21T22:43:00.010Z

More highly recommended reading material from Jeff Scott, with another volume of his entertaining and honest observations from around the various speedway tracks of Britain.

As he continues on his never ending journey, Jeff meets many of the characters involved in the sport, both the high profile riders, managers and promoters, as well as the unsung heroes such as the track raker's, and program sellers, as they all follow the highs and lows that the sport can often generate.

Jeff manages to capture much of the essence of British speedway, reflecting on the good and not so good aspects as he continues on his travels. He documents what is basically an unfashionable, working class sport, that is kept alive across the country by a band of well meaning enthusiasts, who wear their anoraks with pride.

"Finally, an honorary mention for Jeff Scott's Quantum of Shale: More Tales from the Shale (Methanol, £20). Scott writes extensively (one might even say obsessively...) on Speedway and Quantum is of his usual high standard. Needless to say if mud and noisy bikes don't interest you then neither will this, but if they do, Jeff's the man."

Giles Richards, Sports book of the year, The Observer, Sunday 6 December 2009.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/dec/06/sport-books-of-the-year-gypsy-joe

Quantum of Shale is available from: Amazon, Waterstones and http://www.methanolpress.com/

Safety Issues in Speedway - Rear Guards

2009-11-14T09:27:00.002Z

The issue of riders sustaining serious friction burns in crashes, after becoming tangled up with their opponents rear tyres, has come to a head this year, following two separate high profile incidents involving Nicki Pedersen & Jason Crump.

In this weeks Speedway Star, former World Champion Peter Collins displays his "tyre hugger" device that aims to prevent this type of injury, and he is campaigning to make it compulsory throughout the sport. There are however rear guards that are already on the market (such as the Race-Bitz guard used by Antonio Lindback) that attempt to solve the problem by running the guard much closer to the tyre. The Race-Bitz design also solves the problem of a rider striking the solid metal "lift bar" that speedway bikes traditionally have, by moving it closer to the seat, as part of the seat bracket. This means that a rider can "bail out" without the bar getting in his way and he can't strike it with his lower back in a crash.

Safety issues must always be a priority in the sport, but perhaps what is needed more than a compulsory item that every rider is forced to use, is a tightening of the scrutineering regulations in this area.

Photos by Eddie Garvey/Speedway Star, Fredric Svalin & Michal Szmyd.
Eddie Garvey
Speedway Star
Svalin
Michal Szmyd

Retrotastic

2009-10-31T23:51:00.001Z

A fantastic set of photos, taken by Loomis Dean in 1949. They are from the vast archives of Life magazine, which are now available through Google.

http://images.google.com/hosted/life

Details

2009-09-29T14:42:00.003+01:00

More interesting detail photographs taken by Fredric Svalin.

www.svalin.net/Wordpress/category/speedway/

Hands On

2009-09-24T10:49:00.002+01:00

All the atmosphere of the pits captured by Fredric Svalin.

http://www.svalin.net/

The Slide King

2009-09-20T22:13:00.004+01:00

Garry McCoy is best known for his spectacular sliding technique. This outrageous style can probably be traced back to the fact that he started out on his two wheel career as a junior speedway rider in his native Australia.

Although many riders have successfully made the transition from dirt track to tarmac over the years, none have taken the sliding style to quite the same extremes that McCoy does.

2000 was the year that McCoy really made his mark in the 500cc class, becoming a real fans favorite, due to the crazy riding style and his unassuming underdog status. Riding the beautiful Red Bull WCM Yamaha, he became a genuine title contender that year.

In the years since, a combination of injuries and dodgy bikes (Kawasaki 4 stroke, Foggy Petronas and the Ilmor) have meant that McCoy has never had the equipment to match his undoubted talent, but in 2009 he is still battling away, riding a Triumph Daytona 675 in World Supersport.

http://www.garry-mccoy.net/

Speedway Hair (Part Three)

2009-09-20T13:43:00.007+01:00

Having covered 70's sideburns and 80's "big hair" we now come to the late 80's / early 90's and believe it or not, rave culture hits speedway.

Pictured above is a young Sean Wilson and it's difficult to know quite where to start. The hair is one thing, but it's the trousers and the hat and the...

Now being speedway fans, we have heard the term "rose tinted spectacles" once too often, but here we have the real deal.

Speedway Hair (Part Two)

2009-09-20T11:27:00.007+01:00

The year is 1987 and pictured above are three members of the Canterbury Crusaders speedway team. (Left to right - Paul Whittaker, Rob Tilbury and Richard Pettman.)

The photo certainly captures the era (you can almost smell the hair spray) but the best part of the story is that the number one rider on their team was a certain Dave Mullett. Before anyone asks, no he didn't have one...

Speedway Hair (Part One)

2009-09-20T11:02:00.006+01:00

This fantastic collection of speedway rider portraits from the 1970's was featured in a recent edition of the rather marvelous (and ironically named) Sideburn magazine.

The original shots were taken by Alf Weedon, whose work is featured on the Retro Speedway website.

Sideburn Magazine
Retro Speedway

Hero

2009-09-19T10:42:00.002+01:00

It is exactly 20 years since the career of three times World Champion Erik Gundersen was ended in a horrific crash during the World Team Championship Final at Odsal Stadium in Bradford. Although Erik was a hero to many, he surely became an even bigger inspiration in the aftermath of his crash, as he showed remarkable spirit and courage to overcome his injuries.

There is a very poignant article by Richard Clark in this weeks Speedway Star (Sept 19, 2009), which looks back to the day of his crash, and also catches up with Erik in the present day, as he takes a leading role in coaching young riders in his native Denmark.

http://www.speedwaystar.net/

Ice Man

2009-09-19T09:50:00.005+01:00

Stunning shots of Austrian Ice speedway racer Franky Zorn.

Photographer: Rutger Pauw for Red Bull.
http://www.frankyzorn.at/

Hero

2009-09-12T15:55:00.001+01:00

Barry Sheene pictured leading his arch rival Kenny Roberts, and believe it or not, riding a speedway bike for a press feature.

Precious Metal

2009-09-12T14:07:00.002+01:00

How cool is this 1920 Indian Power-plus Daytona racer? Well let's just say that Steve McQueen owned one, in his amazing collection of vehicles. It really is that cool...
http://www.mcqueenonline.com/1920indianpowerplus.htm

Jawa Landspeed Racer - Update

2009-09-12T13:49:00.001+01:00

In previous post's we have shown the wild Jawa Longtrack based bike that has been put together by Joker Machine in California and which was ridden by 1996 Speedway World Champion Billy Hamill during the recent speed trials at Bonneville. They ran 144.2mph in the Modified Altered Fuel 500 Class, but frustratingly they missed out on the record in their class by just 1mph.

I don't know if the rules allow it, but Billy should dig out the old Team KR fairing for the bike, and by the looks of it, stop dodging salads... Better luck next time gents.
Joker Machine Landspeed Racer

League Speedway - Polish Style

2009-09-07T22:28:00.001+01:00

In a previous post, we showed the fantastic new purpose built "Moto Arena" in Torun, Poland. It is the home of Unibax Torun in the ultra competitive Polish Ekstraraliga and the fans display an incredible passion for the sport.

It all seems a very long way from the bare terraces and empty seats on view on Sky Sports at Eastbourne on a Monday night.

Photos courtesy of Michal Szmyd.
http://picasaweb.google.com/speedway.photography

Classic Racing Patches (Part Two)

2009-09-07T12:29:00.000+01:00

J.A.P. Speedway Engine

2009-09-05T22:20:00.000+01:00

Vintage Cigarette Cards

2009-09-05T21:54:00.004+01:00

http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/

Sights, Sounds and Smells

2009-09-05T21:04:00.008+01:00

The eternal appeal of speedway goes well beyond the obvious visual spectacle of four riders sliding their brake-less, methanol drunk machines around in circles, inches from each other, and the perimeter fence.

It goes back to the first time we ever went to a speedway track (probably as an impressionable, spotty, youngster) and went over to the pits before the riders parade. It was then that we were hit by that indescribable combination of the aroma of Castrol R and the low level hum of fourteen 500cc single cylinder engines being warmed up simultaneously.

No matter how many years may pass by and how disillusioned we may become with shortsighted promoters, slick tracks, shoddy stadiums and the ridiculous rulebook, we are still captivated by that totally unique assault on the senses.

Hero

2009-09-05T19:27:00.001+01:00

Early 90's action from Kevin Schwantz at Laguna Seca on-board his iconic Lucky Strike Suzuki RGV500.

Photos by Wayne D Baker.

http://www.kevin-schwantz.com/html/index.php

The King Returns

2009-09-05T17:10:00.004+01:00

Saturday night during the Indianapolis Moto GP weekend means just one thing. Dirt track racing at the Indy Mile.

There was extra interest this year as "King" Kenny Roberts returned to the scene of his legendary 1975 victory at the mile, and was reunited with the fearsome 2 stroke Yamaha TZ 750 which he famously tamed to take that win.

Roberts was joined by a certain Valentino Rossi, who was rumoured to be thinking about having a couple of laps on the TZ. Perhaps wisely he thought better of the idea, declaring, "this night is for Kenny Roberts."
http://sideburnmag.blogspot.com/2009/08/indy-mile-update.html
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2009/Aug/090830b.htm
http://www.motogpmatters.com/news/2009/09/02/the_indy_mile_unforgettable_photos_by_sc.html

Speedway / Board Track Inspired Custom

2009-08-21T19:29:00.010+01:00

This is the Hulster 8 valve, created by maverick Swedish custom builder Stellan Egeland. It won the 2007 AMD World Championship of custom bike building, and certainly makes a refreshing change to the usual cliché laden offerings from the custom bike scene.

I somehow doubt you would ever see a machine like this rolling out of the Orange County Choppers workshop on American Chopper...

Ultimate Speedway Stadium

2009-08-21T13:31:00.021+01:00

For those of us more familiar with the ramshackle arenas that host speedway in the UK, the stadium pictured above, seems like a distant, Utopian dream, but it is all very real.

It is the brand new Moto Arena in Torun, Poland. Featuring an all seated capacity of 15,500, and a 325m track, it has been designed from the ground up specifically for speedway,and is rumoured to be hosting a round of the SGP in 2010.
http://www.speedway.torun.pl/

Fashion Police (Part Four)

2009-08-20T22:03:00.009+01:00

Oh dear... Believe it or not, this rider is not competing at an amateur practice session in Scunthorpe, but he is racing at the very pinnacle of the sport, in the FIM Speedway Grand Prix at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. The rider in question is Russian racer Roman Povazhny, the year is 2003 and its all going wrong on several fronts.

Firstly the dreaded Wulfsport attire, secondly the dodgy bike covers sponsored by Lada, but the real shocker is the number plate which looks like a white sheet of paper with the number 29 scrawled in black marker pen.

Poor old Roman bailed out of the meeting with only two points to his name, finishing 22 out of 24 with two third places.

Race Face

2009-08-20T21:56:00.002+01:00

Colin Watson 1932
http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/

US Speedway Action

2009-08-19T23:39:00.005+01:00

Some cool photos from Brad Pappalardo.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pappalardophotos/

Classic Style

2009-08-16T19:57:00.002+01:00

Fantastic shot of Peter Collins at full speed on his longtracker.

Fashion Police (Part Three)

2009-08-16T18:26:00.008+01:00

Another shambolic attempt at team colours, this time from Oxford during the (often shambolic) Nigel Wagstaff era. The idea was for the riders to wear a football style shirt, as the fans would then inevitably rush out to purchase the home and away versions...

There were various iterations, each looking as bad as the next one, as they flapped around in the wind as the riders sped by. The classic all black "bin bag" version looked incredibly ungainly, as did the white and grey/silver "Sunday League" combinations.

Jawa Bonneville Racer - Update

2009-08-16T17:49:00.003+01:00

Footage of the first shakedown tests of the Joker Machine Jawa Land-speed Racer, piloted by Billy Hamill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPIqbIfM51Y

Fashion Police (Part Two)

2009-08-12T22:42:00.005+01:00

Coordinated team colours were a great (if somewhat obvious) innovation. Trying to do it on the cheap by getting the riders to wear lycra suits on top of their leathers/kevlars was not such a great idea...

The year is 1998 and pictured above is a young Jason Crump, wearing a rather hideous purple and yellow Oxford suit, complete with leopard (or cheetah to be exact) skin detailing.

Mercifully everyone quickly realised this would make the sport an even bigger laughing stock than it already was and they shelled out for some proper team kevlar suits.

The Fashion Police

2009-08-12T18:25:00.013+01:00

At Keep Turning Left we like to celebrate all that is inspiring and cool in the racing world. But it can be fun (and somewhat disturbing) to remind ourselves of some of the horrific design crimes that have been committed in the past. This could become quite a long list...

Perhaps the guiltiest of all has to be Wulfsport. Previously confined to colourblind clubman motocross riders, their evil dayglo nylon creations gradually spread into the speedway world in the late 90's.

The riders MX style kit looked terrible, but it is the supporters merchandise that is truly offensive. Now admittedly speedway supporters have never been renowned for their fashion sensibilities, but the classic denim jacket with sewn on patches and metal badges, still wins hands down over these multicolour, fire hazard, monstrosities.

Hero

2009-08-11T19:01:00.002+01:00

Spectacular action from Randy Mamola on the 89 Cagiva.

Tai Fighter

2009-08-11T15:27:00.009+01:00

Tai in the studio, looking every inch the true pro.
http://www.taiwoffinden.com/index.php

Classic Racing Patches

2009-08-11T12:09:00.022+01:00

Cafe Racer

2009-08-10T23:42:00.004+01:00

http://www.davida.co.uk/

Vintage Racers

2009-08-10T23:27:00.007+01:00

http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/index.htm

http://minywaln.blogspot.com/

Hero

2009-08-10T20:42:00.006+01:00

"Fast" Freddie Spencer.

Iconic

2009-08-10T20:35:00.006+01:00

Classic Harley board-racer.