BOOKSHELF

Press, 18 September 1976, Page 16

BOOKSHELF

Short of shouting “shazam” before leaping into the saddle. Ronnie Moore did just about everything Superman could have done in the pulsating world of speedway racing. Moore, Tasmanian born and Christchurch domiciled, was the whiz kid of the cinders in his later teenage years, and won his first world title at the age of 21. At twice that age he was still coming off the bend at full throttle to dive underneath stronger but less sagacious rivals to catch the friendly wave of a chequered flag.

Between these two ages of the man, Moore showed a defiant, spitting back wheel to everyone who was anybody in the cutthroat world of speedway.

He w r on the world title twice, was runner-up trice, and captured a host of championships in team and individual racing in both hemispheres.

He also had 10 bonesmashing spills, but in the face of such setbacks his catch-cry was constantly “get me to the track on time.” Why, he won the

world title in 1954 with a metal brace on a leg which had been broken in five places. No wonder speedway fans dubbed him “Mirac” — for miraculous — and no wonder Rod Dew, a leading Christchurch sportswriter, was moved to put his incredible story into words. The result was THE RONNIE MOORE STORY (Pegasus Press; 191 pages; $8.50). It is an absorbing story of a true champion, a “natural” in his field, and a man who captivated spectators in many countries through his sheer artistry and skill. Rod Dew has justly earned a high reputation as a speedway reporter in his 17 years with “The Press.” in that time he has come to know Moore well, and this rapport between writer and subject shines brightly through the text. The author researched his material down to grass roots level, and his industriousness is evident whether the book is studied casually of in detail. Dew’s deft treatment es-