'Dons Snub Their Place in Speedway History': Review by John Hyam

John Hyam, the doyen of the London speedway scene has recently kindly reviewed my book in the South London Press.

Despite the decimation of the speedway club scene in London, barely a week goes by without John continuing his one man campaign to grab the attention of his readers with tales of handlebar heroes. I'm sure that we all salute his sterling and conscientious efforts!

His review reads:

Jeff Scott travelled to more than 30 tracks to research his book, and included the now closed Wimbledon Speedway in his original draft, writes John Hyam.

But there's nothing about them in the book, as Scott explains: "Wimbledon continue their search for a news home and welcome news or developments, which at the time of writing, are publicly thin on the ground. In case you
wondered why I didn't include a chapter on the Dons in my book - I had actually written three - I'm afraid that Wimbledon club management, as is their right, chose to rattle litigious sabres in lieu of reading and commenting upon the chapters I devoted to the Dons.

"What a shame! This was the only club to take this approach. Unfortunately this meant that many interesting people I met with at Plough Lane were excluded from this account including the lovely story of the shale collector who has a collection of said material from every past and present track! Maybe I can tell this and the other stories another time."

There's also an amusing little item going to back to last year when it was suggested that Wimbledon might try to share with Sittingbourne Crusaders - the original venue and not the present Central Park suggestion. On the chapter about Crusaders, it deals with an idea put forward last year that Wimbledon wanted to track-share with them. It relates to a then discussion with Crusaders' fans, in which one said: "How are they gonna get the fans here?" before he continues: "There's talk of bringing them over in mini-buses, though they brought so few the first time they came here they'll only need a taxi!"

Sadly, that's the Dons' loss. They should have appeared in what I regard as one of the most fascinating books I have come across since I saw my first speedway meeting at New Cross in April 1946.

It doesn't need fact files, historical facts and biographies of the old-timers to make it buzz. And while it is far from being a book at bedtime, or one to read on the bus or train (its size precludes that), it is certainly a wonderful addition to anyone’s speedway library.

18th August 2006

Devils Draw Crowds to Flock Underneath the Lee of the A38 Flyover

SORRY! This page has been removed…

A fully revised and updated version of this blog entry now appears in my new paperback book Shifting Shale (Methanol Press £20) published in June 2007.

All my blog entries from 2006 are included in this book along with many other accounts from my travels that I withheld from the blog. These include the SRA Dinner, Brighton Bonanza, Riding with the Ref’s at Sittingbourne, the Corduroy Revolution at Reading and many, many more!

A fuller description of this book is below




Shifting Shale: 2006 A Race Odyssey


Like the modern-day gladiators of motorcycle speedway, author, observer and minutia obsessive Jeff Scott goes round in circles, Shifting Shale - just like his fearless heroes.

Only the shale he is shifting is not the pinky gloopy stuff which adorns the tracks in the rundown stadiums of broken dreams but his masterwork – a 320,000 word analysis of what once was “Britain's second largest watched sport” (after football).

Entitled Showered in Shale, this epic tome published early in 2006 received plaudits like no other speedway book and, taking his author role seriously and ignoring the edict of one who said “I'd like to write and be published, but I couldn't bear the endless rounds of book signing”, he sets off around the tracks once more to 'press the flesh', meet his public and most importantly, sell some books.

So, not only is this another unique speedway observational book - but a book that will appeal to anyone who has promoted their own work. Scott sets up his stall in the shadows of these mostly decaying yet hugely attractive full-of-triumph-and-tragedy corrugated arenas to sell his wares. His only weapons are charm, humour and unsold volumes.

And it is mostly from this table-side vista a freshly askew insight into the joys of watching four riders race four laps on an uncertain surface on a methanol guzzling 500cc two wheeled monster with no brakes. It’s a spectacle that defies logic insomuch as firstly, four riders try to squeeze into the first bend when there is only space for one and secondly, to turn each corner, the rider actually accelerates and steers to the right. Although he's turning left …

Which, in effect, is the power of this new book - built as a blog, but now read as a book. Reading Jeff Scott, there are no brakes. To stop, you have to throttle off and put your foot down. But the buzz is so captivating, it is a very hard thing to do.

And when he leaves his tableware to the elements and wanders into the pits, the bar, car park, centre green or up to the referee's box, once more, you are actually there.

Elsewhere, he enjoys being a guest of Sky Sports at the prestigious Speedway Riders Association end of year bash, a day astride an actual speedway bike at Sittingbourne Speedway, comparing sales figures with legendary former riders, hobnobbing with riders on the Isle of Wight ferry and even spending the night sleeping with two speedway riders at the Norfolk Arena ...

It's dafter, funnier, deeper and a 'must have' companion to his masterpiece Showered in Shale, and his other books – the hilarious When Eagles Dared or the poignantly photographed Shale Britannia.

Behind the Glass at Sandy Lane

SORRY! This page has been removed…

A fully revised and updated version of this blog entry now appears in my new paperback book Shifting Shale (Methanol Press £20) published in June 2007.

All my blog entries from 2006 are included in this book along with many other accounts from my travels that I withheld from the blog. These include the SRA Dinner, Brighton Bonanza, Riding with the Ref’s at Sittingbourne, the Corduroy Revolution at Reading and many, many more!

A fuller description of this book is below




Shifting Shale: 2006 A Race Odyssey


Like the modern-day gladiators of motorcycle speedway, author, observer and minutia obsessive Jeff Scott goes round in circles, Shifting Shale - just like his fearless heroes.

Only the shale he is shifting is not the pinky gloopy stuff which adorns the tracks in the rundown stadiums of broken dreams but his masterwork – a 320,000 word analysis of what once was “Britain's second largest watched sport” (after football).

Entitled Showered in Shale, this epic tome published early in 2006 received plaudits like no other speedway book and, taking his author role seriously and ignoring the edict of one who said “I'd like to write and be published, but I couldn't bear the endless rounds of book signing”, he sets off around the tracks once more to 'press the flesh', meet his public and most importantly, sell some books.

So, not only is this another unique speedway observational book - but a book that will appeal to anyone who has promoted their own work. Scott sets up his stall in the shadows of these mostly decaying yet hugely attractive full-of-triumph-and-tragedy corrugated arenas to sell his wares. His only weapons are charm, humour and unsold volumes.

And it is mostly from this table-side vista a freshly askew insight into the joys of watching four riders race four laps on an uncertain surface on a methanol guzzling 500cc two wheeled monster with no brakes. It’s a spectacle that defies logic insomuch as firstly, four riders try to squeeze into the first bend when there is only space for one and secondly, to turn each corner, the rider actually accelerates and steers to the right. Although he's turning left …

Which, in effect, is the power of this new book - built as a blog, but now read as a book. Reading Jeff Scott, there are no brakes. To stop, you have to throttle off and put your foot down. But the buzz is so captivating, it is a very hard thing to do.

And when he leaves his tableware to the elements and wanders into the pits, the bar, car park, centre green or up to the referee's box, once more, you are actually there.

Elsewhere, he enjoys being a guest of Sky Sports at the prestigious Speedway Riders Association end of year bash, a day astride an actual speedway bike at Sittingbourne Speedway, comparing sales figures with legendary former riders, hobnobbing with riders on the Isle of Wight ferry and even spending the night sleeping with two speedway riders at the Norfolk Arena ...

It's dafter, funnier, deeper and a 'must have' companion to his masterpiece Showered in Shale, and his other books – the hilarious When Eagles Dared or the poignantly photographed Shale Britannia.

The One and Only Sittingbourne Speedway

SORRY! This page has been removed…

A fully revised and updated version of this blog entry now appears in my new paperback book Shifting Shale (Methanol Press £20) published in June 2007.

All my blog entries from 2006 are included in this book along with many other accounts from my travels that I withheld from the blog. These include the SRA Dinner, Brighton Bonanza, Riding with the Ref’s at Sittingbourne, the Corduroy Revolution at Reading and many, many more!

A fuller description of this book is below




Shifting Shale: 2006 A Race Odyssey


Like the modern-day gladiators of motorcycle speedway, author, observer and minutia obsessive Jeff Scott goes round in circles, Shifting Shale - just like his fearless heroes.

Only the shale he is shifting is not the pinky gloopy stuff which adorns the tracks in the rundown stadiums of broken dreams but his masterwork – a 320,000 word analysis of what once was “Britain's second largest watched sport” (after football).

Entitled Showered in Shale, this epic tome published early in 2006 received plaudits like no other speedway book and, taking his author role seriously and ignoring the edict of one who said “I'd like to write and be published, but I couldn't bear the endless rounds of book signing”, he sets off around the tracks once more to 'press the flesh', meet his public and most importantly, sell some books.

So, not only is this another unique speedway observational book - but a book that will appeal to anyone who has promoted their own work. Scott sets up his stall in the shadows of these mostly decaying yet hugely attractive full-of-triumph-and-tragedy corrugated arenas to sell his wares. His only weapons are charm, humour and unsold volumes.

And it is mostly from this table-side vista a freshly askew insight into the joys of watching four riders race four laps on an uncertain surface on a methanol guzzling 500cc two wheeled monster with no brakes. It’s a spectacle that defies logic insomuch as firstly, four riders try to squeeze into the first bend when there is only space for one and secondly, to turn each corner, the rider actually accelerates and steers to the right. Although he's turning left …

Which, in effect, is the power of this new book - built as a blog, but now read as a book. Reading Jeff Scott, there are no brakes. To stop, you have to throttle off and put your foot down. But the buzz is so captivating, it is a very hard thing to do.

And when he leaves his tableware to the elements and wanders into the pits, the bar, car park, centre green or up to the referee's box, once more, you are actually there.

Elsewhere, he enjoys being a guest of Sky Sports at the prestigious Speedway Riders Association end of year bash, a day astride an actual speedway bike at Sittingbourne Speedway, comparing sales figures with legendary former riders, hobnobbing with riders on the Isle of Wight ferry and even spending the night sleeping with two speedway riders at the Norfolk Arena ...

It's dafter, funnier, deeper and a 'must have' companion to his masterpiece Showered in Shale, and his other books – the hilarious When Eagles Dared or the poignantly photographed Shale Britannia.

A Trip to the Barbers

SORRY! This page has been removed…

A fully revised and updated version of this blog entry now appears in my new paperback book Shifting Shale (Methanol Press £20) published in June 2007.

All my blog entries from 2006 are included in this book along with many other accounts from my travels that I withheld from the blog. These include the SRA Dinner, Brighton Bonanza, Riding with the Ref’s at Sittingbourne, the Corduroy Revolution at Reading and many, many more!

A fuller description of this book is below




Shifting Shale: 2006 A Race Odyssey


Like the modern-day gladiators of motorcycle speedway, author, observer and minutia obsessive Jeff Scott goes round in circles, Shifting Shale - just like his fearless heroes.

Only the shale he is shifting is not the pinky gloopy stuff which adorns the tracks in the rundown stadiums of broken dreams but his masterwork – a 320,000 word analysis of what once was “Britain's second largest watched sport” (after football).

Entitled Showered in Shale, this epic tome published early in 2006 received plaudits like no other speedway book and, taking his author role seriously and ignoring the edict of one who said “I'd like to write and be published, but I couldn't bear the endless rounds of book signing”, he sets off around the tracks once more to 'press the flesh', meet his public and most importantly, sell some books.

So, not only is this another unique speedway observational book - but a book that will appeal to anyone who has promoted their own work. Scott sets up his stall in the shadows of these mostly decaying yet hugely attractive full-of-triumph-and-tragedy corrugated arenas to sell his wares. His only weapons are charm, humour and unsold volumes.

And it is mostly from this table-side vista a freshly askew insight into the joys of watching four riders race four laps on an uncertain surface on a methanol guzzling 500cc two wheeled monster with no brakes. It’s a spectacle that defies logic insomuch as firstly, four riders try to squeeze into the first bend when there is only space for one and secondly, to turn each corner, the rider actually accelerates and steers to the right. Although he's turning left …

Which, in effect, is the power of this new book - built as a blog, but now read as a book. Reading Jeff Scott, there are no brakes. To stop, you have to throttle off and put your foot down. But the buzz is so captivating, it is a very hard thing to do.

And when he leaves his tableware to the elements and wanders into the pits, the bar, car park, centre green or up to the referee's box, once more, you are actually there.

Elsewhere, he enjoys being a guest of Sky Sports at the prestigious Speedway Riders Association end of year bash, a day astride an actual speedway bike at Sittingbourne Speedway, comparing sales figures with legendary former riders, hobnobbing with riders on the Isle of Wight ferry and even spending the night sleeping with two speedway riders at the Norfolk Arena ...

It's dafter, funnier, deeper and a 'must have' companion to his masterpiece Showered in Shale, and his other books – the hilarious When Eagles Dared or the poignantly photographed Shale Britannia.

52 Years On

SORRY! This page has been removed…

A fully revised and updated version of this blog entry now appears in my new paperback book Shifting Shale (Methanol Press £20) published in June 2007.

All my blog entries from 2006 are included in this book along with many other accounts from my travels that I withheld from the blog. These include the SRA Dinner, Brighton Bonanza, Riding with the Ref’s at Sittingbourne, the Corduroy Revolution at Reading and many, many more!

A fuller description of this book is below




Shifting Shale: 2006 A Race Odyssey


Like the modern-day gladiators of motorcycle speedway, author, observer and minutia obsessive Jeff Scott goes round in circles, Shifting Shale - just like his fearless heroes.

Only the shale he is shifting is not the pinky gloopy stuff which adorns the tracks in the rundown stadiums of broken dreams but his masterwork – a 320,000 word analysis of what once was “Britain's second largest watched sport” (after football).

Entitled Showered in Shale, this epic tome published early in 2006 received plaudits like no other speedway book and, taking his author role seriously and ignoring the edict of one who said “I'd like to write and be published, but I couldn't bear the endless rounds of book signing”, he sets off around the tracks once more to 'press the flesh', meet his public and most importantly, sell some books.

So, not only is this another unique speedway observational book - but a book that will appeal to anyone who has promoted their own work. Scott sets up his stall in the shadows of these mostly decaying yet hugely attractive full-of-triumph-and-tragedy corrugated arenas to sell his wares. His only weapons are charm, humour and unsold volumes.

And it is mostly from this table-side vista a freshly askew insight into the joys of watching four riders race four laps on an uncertain surface on a methanol guzzling 500cc two wheeled monster with no brakes. It’s a spectacle that defies logic insomuch as firstly, four riders try to squeeze into the first bend when there is only space for one and secondly, to turn each corner, the rider actually accelerates and steers to the right. Although he's turning left …

Which, in effect, is the power of this new book - built as a blog, but now read as a book. Reading Jeff Scott, there are no brakes. To stop, you have to throttle off and put your foot down. But the buzz is so captivating, it is a very hard thing to do.

And when he leaves his tableware to the elements and wanders into the pits, the bar, car park, centre green or up to the referee's box, once more, you are actually there.

Elsewhere, he enjoys being a guest of Sky Sports at the prestigious Speedway Riders Association end of year bash, a day astride an actual speedway bike at Sittingbourne Speedway, comparing sales figures with legendary former riders, hobnobbing with riders on the Isle of Wight ferry and even spending the night sleeping with two speedway riders at the Norfolk Arena ...

It's dafter, funnier, deeper and a 'must have' companion to his masterpiece Showered in Shale, and his other books – the hilarious When Eagles Dared or the poignantly photographed Shale Britannia.

"Life's what you make it, isn't it?"

SORRY! This page has been removed…

A fully revised and updated version of this blog entry now appears in my new paperback book Shifting Shale (Methanol Press £20) published in June 2007.

All my blog entries from 2006 are included in this book along with many other accounts from my travels that I withheld from the blog. These include the SRA Dinner, Brighton Bonanza, Riding with the Ref’s at Sittingbourne, the Corduroy Revolution at Reading and many, many more!

A fuller description of this book is below




Shifting Shale: 2006 A Race Odyssey


Like the modern-day gladiators of motorcycle speedway, author, observer and minutia obsessive Jeff Scott goes round in circles, Shifting Shale - just like his fearless heroes.

Only the shale he is shifting is not the pinky gloopy stuff which adorns the tracks in the rundown stadiums of broken dreams but his masterwork – a 320,000 word analysis of what once was “Britain's second largest watched sport” (after football).

Entitled Showered in Shale, this epic tome published early in 2006 received plaudits like no other speedway book and, taking his author role seriously and ignoring the edict of one who said “I'd like to write and be published, but I couldn't bear the endless rounds of book signing”, he sets off around the tracks once more to 'press the flesh', meet his public and most importantly, sell some books.

So, not only is this another unique speedway observational book - but a book that will appeal to anyone who has promoted their own work. Scott sets up his stall in the shadows of these mostly decaying yet hugely attractive full-of-triumph-and-tragedy corrugated arenas to sell his wares. His only weapons are charm, humour and unsold volumes.

And it is mostly from this table-side vista a freshly askew insight into the joys of watching four riders race four laps on an uncertain surface on a methanol guzzling 500cc two wheeled monster with no brakes. It’s a spectacle that defies logic insomuch as firstly, four riders try to squeeze into the first bend when there is only space for one and secondly, to turn each corner, the rider actually accelerates and steers to the right. Although he's turning left …

Which, in effect, is the power of this new book - built as a blog, but now read as a book. Reading Jeff Scott, there are no brakes. To stop, you have to throttle off and put your foot down. But the buzz is so captivating, it is a very hard thing to do.

And when he leaves his tableware to the elements and wanders into the pits, the bar, car park, centre green or up to the referee's box, once more, you are actually there.

Elsewhere, he enjoys being a guest of Sky Sports at the prestigious Speedway Riders Association end of year bash, a day astride an actual speedway bike at Sittingbourne Speedway, comparing sales figures with legendary former riders, hobnobbing with riders on the Isle of Wight ferry and even spending the night sleeping with two speedway riders at the Norfolk Arena ...

It's dafter, funnier, deeper and a 'must have' companion to his masterpiece Showered in Shale, and his other books – the hilarious When Eagles Dared or the poignantly photographed Shale Britannia.

Speedway Star Review

SHOWERED IN SHALE by Jeff Scott (Methanol Press, softback, 508 pages & 400 photos)

Available now at all good track shops, visit www.methanolpress.com or send £25 cheque to cover P&P made payable to "J Scott", Methanol Press, 2 Tidy Street, Brighton BN1 4EL

70 meetings and 10,000 miles, this is not a statement from a rider’s schedule, but a fan’s journey through a speedway season. Showered in Shale is a ‘labour of love’ for its author Jeff Scott and this affection comes through its pages.

From the Isle of Wight to Glasgow, from Poole to Belle Vue and Ipswich to Newport, all of British Speedway is covered by Scott. This is as close to a printed documentary from a fan’s perspective that you’re going to get, and very interesting it is too.

Some clubs come over better than others - I’ll let you decide which ones they are. The good, the bad, and the ugly are on view here and its author has captured very well the family atmosphere of our sport – but as with all families, there are fallings out and failings. There is embarrassment, anger, excitement, humour and some dead-pan remarks that could have only come from speedway people.

There are many familiar names and faces inside, from the usual suspects in the pits to hardcore supporters who populate our terraces week in and week out. They’re all here, in almost soap opera style proportions.

Last year’s infamous Wolves v Eastbourne clash that resulted in some ugly scenes is covered with a lot of depth. The aftermath in particular gives this chapter a great feeling of involvement and examination and the book is worth the money alone to read an objective account of the whole sorry affair.

Another highlight is the Brighton Bonanza, where Scott provides a rare insight into this event that is both fascinating and very interesting. If you’ve never been to the Bonanza this should inspire you to taste this very unique speedway meeting.

Most of the riders from all leagues appear, but one in particular is a regular character in this book – Nicki Pedersen. Love him or hate him, it would be a duller place without him and Scott seems just as intrigued by the Dane as I am.

This is British Speedway stripped bare, this is how it really is and some of it isn’t pretty. Another thing that this book does, intentional or otherwise, is to illustrate to the reader in raw detail how our sport and it’s administration is struggling with the financial constraints that it finds itself in. Many years into the future, historians will gladly hold this book to their bosom for its insight.

Scott has done well to find something to say that is of interest at each venue he has visited, but I do think that it could have benefited from a bit more editing. Having said that, what the author has achieved - and it will be interesting to see how many people really take this on board - is that he’s provided a book that will stand-up as a fly on the wall type narrative of where and what our sport really is in the early millennium. This to me can be illustrated by one or two of the pictures, one especially from Oxford last year that proves that Sky’s intervention really does provide a showbiz gloss that’s only matched by our one day a year in Cardiff.

Incidentally, Cardiff is a notable absentee from his tour, but it’s one that really would have been at odds with the rest of the book. It would have stuck out like a cathedral in this busy and vibrant village we call speedway. But perhaps the one meeting that he did miss, and it really should have been included, was the emotionally charged End of Era meeting at Exeter. Its inclusion would have given this book a sure-fire historical anchor.

Showered in Shale is a quirky book, it’s different and off-the-wall. Each chapter begins with an extract from Sky and taken out of context they really do make you smile. One of my favourites is Jonathan Green’s comments: “Both teams really want to win here tonight,” – don’t they always?

As well as these titbits of entertainment we also get some extracts from SCB rule book which, isolated as they are, masks how a rule book has to state the obvious for purposes of avoiding misinterpretation such as: 9.2.1 (A Track) must be formed by two straights and two bends. Love it.

All in all this is a very entertaining book and brought many a smile to my face. For me, it wasn’t a page turner but a book that I could pick up with a coffee, read a chapter, put it down, and then come back to it again later. For that alone; Showered in Shale should find its way onto any true speedway fan’s book shelf.

Review: Brian Burford

Speedway can get into your blood. For Jeff Scott it happened in 1975 when Smallmead opened its doors. As a teenager he wanted to become a speedway rider. His mother told him it was too dangerous and expensive; heartbroken, he's never even sat on a motorbike.

Instead he travelled the world, acquired and threw off his "Johnny Rotten of Academic Publishing" reputation, yet still he yearned for the thrill of the shale. The closest he has come to participating himself has been to watch the Racers, his adopted Eagles, or create execrable fantasy speedway teams.

Last year Jeff fulfilled two lifelong ambitions - he wrote a book and made it his mission to visit every speedway track in the country. He encountered many of the people that make the world of speedway so special and chronicled them and his travels in his book, faithfully employing his "more-is-more" style of writing.

When not deeply inhaling exhaust fumes at tracks around the country, he follows his beloved Sunderland AFC or works as book publicist.


For more on Jeff's speedway pursuits, his continuing lessons in life and geography visit his Blog at www.methanolpress.com/blog.htm

Some More Kind Praise

"A compelling journey that delves deep into the psyche of British speedway. Scott's odyssey is a multi-faceted account of the state of the sport."
Ben Findon, Daily Telegraph

“Speedway from a supporters view - a new slant after all the recent riders books - thoroughly enjoyed a humorous and interesting read. Recommended.”
Pat Bliss, long time Reading Racers promoter


“I loved the book, it reminded me of a Bill Bryson travel book, only with a speedway theme. I have not been in " The Grove " in Berwick since 1980 and it`s good to know that it seems to be exactly as I remember it.”
Danny Brotherton, Reader