Broadslide

Relive the sounds, the sights and the smells of the golden age of British speedway as motorcycle journalist Tim Britton takes you on a trip back through time.

From 1928 to 1980 the speedway era grew and evolved but the thrills and spills on the track continued to fascinate racegoers through the decades.

This was the ultimate spectator motorcycle sport – fast, furious and fun, with hardly time for eager crowds to draw breath before the next quartet of leather-clad riders reached the start gate and waited for the tape to spring up and set them racing. New Mortons bookazine Broadslide takes its name from the way speedway riders cornered their single-speed, brakeless machines. Tim Britton’s enthusiasm for the sport shines through in this 132-page glossy publication, in which he raids the archives to reveal long-forgotten images of pre-war speedway pioneers, frozen in time; harks back to the days of legendary riders such as Barry ‘Briggo’ Briggs, Ole Olsen and Ivan Mauger; and recounts the thoughts and memories of some of those who shaped the scene.

And then there are the bikes… oh, those amazing bikes!

Author: Tim Britton