| "a
prose that possesses a kind of petrol-driven
Dirty Realism, as though
Raymond Carver had decided to turn up at a speedway
meeting" The
Times
Quantum of Shale

Like a medieval astrologer peering at the heavens, author Jeff Scott
continues to interpret the cycles, epicycles, and motorcycles of the
spinning planets of Speedway in this his latest book: Quantum
of Shale.
As he engages with the myriad social and cultural gears that power
this unique engine of British sport, Scott seeks to determine whether
the forces that turn these wheels within wheels are centrifugal or
centripetal. Will Speedway adjust to the increasing challenges
of 21st Century Britain and so plot an enduring course towards significance
and survival?
As in his other critically acclaimed works documenting the current
status of Speedway, Quantum of Shale follows Scott’s
travels around Britain as he visits Speedway tracks on race
day. There
he observes and participates in the sport’s rituals, culture
and traditions that have engendered the fierce loyalties
of its primarily blue collar fan base. Yet, while he does this
with respect and affection, Scott also acknowledges those trends that
appear to conspire to knock Speedway from its orbit and sets his visits
within the context of a pitiless economic calculus that scars the
curve of a beautiful but undervalued sport.
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Some
recent praise of Jeff Scott's work...
"Bill Brysonesque!"
"There is more than a hint of the great, sly realist Martin Parr in Scott's
photographs" Daily Telegraph
|