Product Description

From soon after its arrival in this country on 19 February 1928 at High Beech in Essex, speedway has enjoyed a large and devoted following. In the immediate pre-war and post-war boom periods it almost rivalled football as Britain's national sport, with regular weekly attendances of between 20,000 and 40,000 at many of the numerous tracks around the country. Although it no longer attracts these sorts of numbers, thirty tracks are still thriving; East Anglia is widely acknowledged as the modern heartland of the sport.

Covering the history of speedway in the region from its beginnings on the grass track at the Firs Stadium in Norwich in 1930 up to the present day, this book features histories of all the leading teams - including Norwich, Ipswich, Yarmouth, King's Lynn, Rayleigh, Peterborough and Mildenhall. It also describes the many star riders associated with East Anglia: from Bert Spencer, with his spectacular leg-trailing skills, Aub Lawson and his streaming scarf and the determination of Ove Fundin in taking on all-comers to win the World Championship, through to the more recent exploits of riders such as Michael Lee, John Louis, Terry Betts, Billy Saunders, Jason Crump and Tony Rickardsson.

Norman Jacobs, a long-standing follower of the sport and experienced author, brings to life the thrill of speedway in this exciting history. Containing 200 illustrations, many from private collections and never before published, this book is essential for anyone with an interest in the most exciting of sports.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #226914 in Books
• Published on: 2000-07-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Customer Reviews

The best speedway book ever written
This book is probably the best speedway book ever written. It covers the history of all the tracks in East Anglia, Norwich, Yarmouth, Rayleigh, Ipswich, King's Lynn, Peterborough and Mildenhall. It is very well written and captures the whole magic of speedway. There are approximately 180 well chosen illustrations, showing not just riders and racing but also programmes covers, adverts and other ephemera items which will surely bring back memories.

This is history and nostalgia at its very best.

A "must" for any speedway fan, past or present.
This is a superb book, written by an author whose obvious passion for the sport shines through. The history of speedway in East Anglia makes facinating reading, and there are some wonderful photographs from the past. I would highly recommend this book, even if you haven't been to speedway for years. It will bring back many happy memories from the golden days of the sport in the Eastern region, and it will surely encourage its reader, to get back on the terraces to support the most exciting sport in the world! Speedway is booming in Britain at the moment,so read the book, and go and watch it live again.