MAGIC moments of speedway in Bradford are recalled in a nostalgic new DVD looking back at now-defunct tracks, including Odsal.

Six hours of nostalgia will bring memories flooding back for fans of the sport in the city - and beyond - 17 years since the roar of 500cc bikes with no brakes was last heard at Bradford Speedway.

The triple disc DVD - entitled Defunct British Speedway Tracks - includes old archive footage of the Tudors, Northern and Dukes racing at Odsal, where the sport was last staged in 1997.

Among the former Bradford riding favourites featured in the package include stars such as Arthur Forrest, Oliver Hart, Kenny Carter and Gary Havelock. The team is also seen in action away from Odsal at Belle Vue and West Ham.

Ardent speedway fan John Murphy, of Bradford, said: "That word 'defunct' is something speedway fans absolutely despise. However, fair play to 'Backtrack' for keeping the history alive.

"As long as the track perimeter remains around the Odsal pitch, so does the spirit and skill of Erik Gundersen, Per Jonsson, and all Bradford and opposing riders who entertained so many in what was, and is, a unique stadium.

"So many great teams are no more, and the biggest sadness is not one remains in the London Metropolitan area - Wimbledon, Hackney, West Ham, Haringey, New Cross and, of course, Wembley. They are all gone.

"But the memories live on in our hearts and whilst we now lament the demise of Birmingham we must stretch every sinew to support the speedway that still runs and provides the very best in motor sport entertainment."

As well as Odsal, the DVD features 64 other past venues including Halifax, Castleford and the vast majority of British speedway’s long-lost tracks from famous big city arenas to remote, much-loved outposts in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, said a spokesman for producers Retro Speedway.

The spokesman added: "Lap up the action time again with more than 250 races."

The DVD release comes at the same time as an update on a Persimmon Homes development near Odsal featuring streets named after Bradford speedway legends.

Peterson Court, Forrest Close, Dukes Avenue and Northern View will take pride of place on the development a stone’s throw from Odsal Stadium.

The development is due to be ready next year, but a sales office on site is set to open in October - the same month Gary Peterson died in a race at Wolverhampton in 1975.

Mr Murphy said: "His untimely death was compounded by the closure of speedway in Bradford weeks later.

"It reflects so well on Bradford Council and Persimmon Homes that Peterson Court will take its place as part of the development."

The DVD, priced at £20, can be ordered from Retro Speedway on 01708 734502, from www.retro-speedway.com, or by post to Retro Speedway (Defunct Tracks DVD), 103 Douglas Road, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 1AW.