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publishers of Backtrack and Vintage Speedway Magazine.
World Team Cup Winner 1973
"I regard 1971 as my best year and after I finished fourth in the World
Final and then went to Wroclaw and became the first Englishman to score a
maximum in the World Team Cup final, there was no-one prouder than Mum and
Dad. It was beyond their wildest dreams, if you like. They didn't travel to
Poland but they heard the result on the radio."
Consumed by his business, Ray didn't go back to watch speedway at Leicester
for several year following his retirement. "When I did, I'd just go along
and watch a meeting from the terraces, like anyone else, and then go home. I
saw it in a different light and I'm not saying I enjoyed it. The adrenalin
wasn't pumping and I can appreciate now what footballers mean when they say
they can't go along and watch a match it's not the same if you're not
actually involved. I found it difficult to go as a spectator for a couple of
years, which is why I stayed away."
Ray now watches the GPs at home on his plasma TV ("I cheer on Crumpie
because I knew his Dad well") and keeps in touch with a number of his former
Leicester team-mates through reunions. "It was sad to lose Bruce Forrester
last year he used to come with me to a lot of my continental meetings and
act as mechanic. Graham Plant attended Bruce's funeral we hadn't seen him
for a while."
There are fresh rumours of another possible Leicester revival, possibly at
Conference League level, so would Ray welcome any involvement if the Lions
did roar again soon?
"It was sad when Leicester was forced to close in '83 it had been a big
part of my life for so long, and I really felt for the fans. I think
Ochiltree needed to close Leicester to fund the stadium improvements he
wanted to make at Coventry. One could be bitter about it, but I suppose
that's business.
"It would be nice to think that Leicester could come back. There's a strong
fan base here and if a site could be found, it would be a successful venue.
But no, it¹s not my style to go back and want to be involved in the running
of the place in any way. I'm too old I'm 60 next month! and besides, I
like to keep a low key. Every year Vic White tries to get me to go along to
the veteran riders' dinner and I should go really."
Season British Other Points
league Matches (Not inc bonus)
Totals 2787 1217 4004
Martin Rogers
"I absolutely don't expect to promote speedway again but if I did I would have loved to be able to open a new venue in Leicester."
Your most satisfying season (as a promoter- and why)?
1980, our first at Leicester and as promoters. I had been involved elsewhere as a reporter, announcer, programme editor, PR-man and then, for seven years, was general manager at King¹s Lynn -- and it was time for Lin and myself to do it on our own account. Starting pretty much from scratch, it was a brilliant year. There was a great atmosphere, almost everything we tried came off, it was such a new adventure. (Martin was named Promoter of the Year)
Most satisfying signing?
Les Collins. He came to Leicester to spearhead our new, young team and was a gem to work with. He won the BLRC, was second in the world, established himself as the real deal, and yet was and still is - the same good polite, friendly and unassuming guy we first encountered as a 16-year-old at Crewe.
Happiest moment in speedway?
Again, too many to mention. Perhaps I can be allowed one from each of the tracks we promoted King¹s Lynn winning the KO Cup for the first time in 1977 (before we were the promoters), Leicester beating Coventry at Blackbird Road in 1980, and Peterborough winning the 1988 Four Team Tournament in our last meeting as promoters.
Saddest moment in speedway?
The closure of Leicester, when Midland Stadiums sold the venue for a housing development, would have to be the greatest regret. We were treated disgracefully and quite apart from the personal drama it involved, it was so sad for the fans who had supported us with such enthusiasm.
Why did you quit the sport?
As a promoter you have to be the biggest fan in the place. You can¹t do that indefinitely. When your use-by date is approaching and you fear maybe you¹re not going to be able to maintain that level of enthusiasm, it¹s time to go. Also we wanted to get out before our son Martin had any ideas about wanting to ride
What are you doing now and where are you doing it?
I¹m an associate editor on the Gold Coast Bulletin, the leading regional daily in Australia. I was writing on sport for a number of years, and then the paper¹s sports editor. Now I am editor of the Real Estate liftout which is a quite big deal as this is the fastest-growing area in the country.
What are your future plans and dreams?
Looking forward to working less and relaxing more. Lin packed up work as legal secretary 18 months ago and I don¹t intend to work full-time for that much longer. We have moved house several times and are thinking about building a new home which would incorporate the best features of all the places we have been in. We also want to get to a number of big-ticket sporting events in the next few years, including the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, Wimbledon, the Australian Open, that sort of thing.
