DVD Review: Speedway 73 - Classic Years

Tony McDonald has been busier than ever since he took on the role of deputy editor at Speedway Star, but he's found time to produce a new dual DVD set that will hopefully become the first of a series.

Speedway 73 - Classic Years on DVD is the title, bringing together lots of great action and interesting stories and clips from the 1973 season.

We caught up with Tony to find out about the inspiration for the DVDs and what you can expect to find on them:

"I decided to launch this new 'Classic Years' series with '73 for quite obvious reasons - the sudden explosion of ITV coverage on World of Sport being the biggest factor. I was really thrilled, after some 52 years, to come across a very good quality recording of the England v Sweden match at Sheffield (nine heats), where the throaty roar of two-valve Jawas and the packed Owlerton terraces (when the back straight was still open) gladden the heart! All that's ever previously appeared on Youtube from that 40-38 encounter is the Heat 13 epic between PC and Mich.

My other personal favourite is on disc 2, the Polish TV documentary footage showing lots of interesting close-ups and action clips from not only the World Final, but the practice (even a fallen Ivan). One or two of these races were not shown by what was quite limited ITV output from Chorzow.

The opening 'Around The Tracks' segment features colour home cine camera footage which is very much of its time. Understandably, the quality isn't great from such distances but it's enabled us to feature some 'lesser' venues and riders - and the fact that (by referring to Speedway Star) I could mostly confirm the identities of the riders shows it's not too fuzzy!

In an ideal world, we will go on to produce more 'Classic Years' DVDs covering the rest of the 70s and 80s (though that will take a few years of graft) but it all very much depends on the response from fans. Focusing on just one season is unchartered territory for us, so let's see what the response is...

Obviously, I've used some appropriate film and audio interviews I conducted over the years in the process of producing previous DVDs and Backtrack mag, so expect some interviewee overlap.

This is our first DVD in about 18 months. That's simply due to lack of time since I was appointed assistant editor of Speedway Star in Jan 2024. This DVD has been about six months in the making (not that that in itself is important).

I hate doing the narration and don't feel at all comfortable with it. By the way, the guitar interludes we use are all exclusively created by my good mate Richard Clark, the former Speedway Star editor and the man I replaced there when he quit last year!"

Running to nearly four hours, there's plenty to enjoy. As Tony mentioned, the additional footage from the World Final is fascinating and previously unseen outside of Poland. The concept of a post-meeting parade of riders is certainly something that not many will have witnessed before.

Interviews with Ivan Mauger, Eric Boocock, Ray Wilson, Anders Michanek and others add some useful context to the events of the season. Mauger's move to Exeter being one of the biggest stories of the year, along with a stunning World Final win for a previously unknown Pole.

The cine footage from tracks such as Poole, Sunderland, Hyde Road, Eastbourne and Workington is great to see. As is some footage from New Zealand showing all three of the great Kiwis in action, with Ronnie Moore still proudly sporting his Wimbledon body colour.

The whole production is to be commended, offering a chance to look back on the glorious days when speedway could pack out Wembley three times in one season.

You can find out more and order your copy on the Retro Speedway website.

This article was first published on 13th July 2025

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