is the home page for J & S Publications of St.Austell, books by Jeremy Jackson. Jeremy is a prolific writer of motorcycle books & has been involved in the sport since he was seventeen years of age. Among his titles are:-
1)ICE ONE BRUCE, The story of the Life & Times of Bruce Semmens,
2)THE MIGHTY ATOM, The Life & Times of Len Read, 3)CHAMPIONS,
A profile of the Westcountry Motorcycle Champions, 4)CHAMPIONS TAKE 2,
5)CHAMPIONS 3, includes colour & 28 more profiles with12 British Champions,
6)ST.AUSTELL SPEEDWAY THE BWOC GULLS with co-writer David Collins,
7)ST.AUSTELL SPEEDWAY THE BWOC GULLS FLY AGAIN with David Collins,
8)ST.AUSTELL SPEEDWAY THE EARLY YEARS 1949-1954(Published by Tempus)
9)ST.AUSTELL SPEEDWAY 1958-1963 PLUS THE SIDECAR YEARS
10)CHAMPIONS 4 CELEBRATION, 112 pages includes Chris Harris
Some are out of print barring the 3 above which are still available, details below, his last speedway book hit the bookshops on 6 OCT 2007 @ £11-95, they are now reduced in price to £3-00 + £2 P & P & can be ordered direct by mail from the author, Jeremy Jackson, 85,Park Way, St.Austell, PL25 4HR.
ST.AUSTELL SPEEDWAY 1958-1963 plus THE SIDECAR YEARS,includes year by year race action, rare photos, introduction to all the sidecar drivers, a biking spectator's overview, a tribute to the great Trevor Redmond, plus a 2006 sidecar update giving the reader a chance to meet the British Champions.
The launch evening at Porthpean Golf Club, St.Austell,on 6th.Oct.raised an incredible £587 for THE MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE ASSOCIATION. reg 294354.
Riders who supported the event were, Glyn Chandler, Jack Geran, Eric Martyn, Reg Hawken, Ivor Toms, Alf Webster, Tom Brown & Chris Bennett. Sidecar aces at the evening were Ken Westaway, Joe Sturtridge, Alan Martin,David Stephens, Gerry Wheeler, Stuart Rattenbury, Eric Roberts, Peter Yates, & Terrence Eddy. Dave Stallworthy & Eric Martyn shared the evenings presentation. Sadly David Stephens(Phil Williams passenger has since died)
Many of the old track-staff attended as well as former Cornish speedway promoters Brian Annear & Ray Purvis.
Excerpts from Book Reviews, October 2007.The book is a most interesting & accurate account of the final years of racing action at Par Moor Stadium. When I first picked up the book as a long term speedway fan, I could just not put it down, since it brought back so many fond memories. Jerry pays tribute to Trevor Redmond, his version of 'the Haka' had to be seen to be believed. All this & much much more has been faithfully chronicled by Jerry & once again the reader is treated to a social history with reports from many Cornish folk who were supporters of the St.Austell Gulls. I take pleasure in thoroughly recommending it to those who have an interest in motor cycle racing & sidecar racing in Cornwall. Those who supported the Cornish Gulls & anyone who just simply enjoys speedway will find this book an enjoyable read. Glynn Shailes is the former Press Officer for Oxford and Swindon Speedway's.
Like its predecessor this publication again shows Jeremy's depth of research & determination to preserve for posterity the resurgence of interest in a sport which all the family could enjoy.The riders were the equivalent of today's modern pop stars & could be sure of a huge following wherever they went, with TV offering little by way of counter attraction. The way in which the story is presented goes far beyond the usual dull & unemotional manner in which facts of historical interest are so often presented. Jeremy's enthusiasm for speedway racing shines all the way through & his descriptions of individual meetings, how the riders fared, & some of the more memorable incidents that occurred during the evening never fail to escape attention. For many who attended these meetings they will recreate fond memories of the past & riders who became household names. Many top riders rode in anger at St.Austell including several World Champions, often to be seen for the first time by many. An intriguing addition is the chapter on the sidecar racing which was included in the stock-car racing programme until 1986. I found the the description of what these home built & home prepared outfits looked like when they made their debut remarkably accurate as I can recall them so well. They were a far cry from the ultra smart finishes & sponsorship logos on todays counterparts. As for health & safety regulations ! They added a thrill to every meeting as well as a sense of danger. Many came to a stock car meeting just to see them in action. Definitely a book for all Westcountry speedway enthusiasts as well as those who have seen the St.Austell Gulls battle their team. Fittingly it serves to pay tribute to Trevor Redmond, a superb showman who took the ups with the downs , often battling against all odds to keep going. More than just a promoter, he performed almost every role himself at one time or another wherever the occasion arose. To him the final chapter is devoted & it is pleasing to see mention of Chris Julian throughout the book. His nineteen years as a rider & impressive points scorer ensure he was the mainstay of any team. Jeff Clew, Motorcycle Author, Editor, photographer, & Journalist. (sadly Jeff passed away in 2009)
'St.Austell Speedway 1958-1963, The full title of Jeremy's last book published by J & S Publications includes 'Plus The Sidecar Years' but I suspect it is the solo action that will be of interest to most of you. It was an interesting period in the life of this Cornish venue as Trevor Redmond kept faith with the Gulls fans for 6 years before calling it a day. The track featured non-league action until 1962 when it became the second home of the ill fated Neath Dragons before running 'The Gulls' in the Provincial League of 1963. Hazy days indeed reflected in some of the slightly fuzzy photographs but that isn't a criticism as sometimes these give the mood of the era before the state of the art single lens reflex & now digital cameras have made photography easy for everyone.
The sidecars look nothing like the modern machines. Big British twins with highish frames(which I've been lucky to see in action at the BMF Rally at Peterborough )-and go like stink! This professionally produced book adds to our stock of information about this far flung part of Britain & worth splashing out £5 + £1-50 P & P. available from Jeremy. Jim Henry, Editor of The Speedway Researcher, promoting research into the history of speedway & dirt track racing.
St.Austell Speedway The Early Years are £10-00 plus £2 post & packing throughout UK, add £4 for Europe, Canada & Australia.
CHAMPIONS 4 CELEBRATION' A profile of Cornish motorsport champions,
highlights 17 stories in total including 2009 British Speedway champion ,
Chris 'Bomber' Harris. The book follows the previous books Jeremy has written moving across the bike disciplines but this time he includes
two, three and four wheeled champions. In this publication he breaks new
ground delving deep with his research to bring the stories of 10 National champions from Sidecar Enduro, Car trials, Speed Hillclimbing, International Enduro, Sidecar Speedway, Youth Trials, Speedway, Karting and Youth Grass-track racing. The book was launched at a Social evening at THE COPPICE INN Lanner on 27-11-09 which raised £330 for the A.C.U. Benevolent Fund.
BOOK REVIEW of CHAMPIONS 4 CELEBRATION, ISBN:978-0-9526419-8-8
@ £9-99 + £2-00 P & P.
Scott Brooks heads up the Mac Room Print Shop of DNA Print Ltd. of Ipswich, Suffolk,
'Following in the treadmarks of previous works in the Champions series Jeremy Jackson brings you his latest publication ‘Champions 4 Celebration’. Having had success with his St.Austell Speedway books this new edition
focuses on Cornish motorsport champions. It charts the early days of the Hawkins family, Gareth Andrew starting his riding career in 1993, Jamie Paget riding on the continent and all the results of 2009 British Speedway Champion
Chris Harris. Written with typical passion and detail that has lead Jeremy to become a well respected author and columnist on the subject, this book is filled with personal accounts, records, and fact-files. The real key to this book is the amazing photographs throughout. Being a speedway fan myself, the book, through it’s images, has been a great way to become introduced to other sports such as enduro, moto-x, grasstrack, trials and more!
Champions 4 Celebration will appeal to many levels, from local interest, to sport historians, and motorsport fans in general. I found the book entertaining and good value for money.'
Glynn Shailes says, ' Congratulations Jerry on your latest book, it's an excellent publication, newsy and written as are all your books from the heart.'
John Hawkins wrote; 'The Hawkins family must record their sincere appreciation of the high quality content of your recent book about motorcycle sport in Cornwall. We also appreciate the time taken, plus your great enthusiasm for our sport. Also, even more aware of the care and research needed to produce Champions 4 Celebration. Well done and we wish you continued success in publishing and informing members of the community about our great sport.'