Arrogant, brash, volatile and, according to some, just plain crazy, outspoken Yorkshireman Kenny Carter was the biggest box office attraction in speedway racing. The British and Bradford No.1 was on the brink of World Championship glory . . . until it all went horrifically wrong for the 'Tyke on a Bike'.
On May 21, 1986, at his moorland farm perched on the hills above his home town of Halifax, Carter callously shot dead his 25-year-old wife Pam and then killed himself, orphaning their two young children in the process.
No-one knew the demons that were raging inside the head of a fiercely driven, self-obsessed individual who could not accept losing – be it a friendly game of snooker with friends, a full throttle, four-lap speedway race or the love of his life, who he wrongly suspected of cheating on him. Kenny was never able to reveal his true feelings . . . until it was too late.
Tragedy is the harrowing story of Carter's rollercoaster life and examines the traumatic chain of events that led up to that nightmare ending.
It considers the impact the death of his young brother, the suicide of his mother and the overbearing presence of his dominant father – a former club road-racer – had on his life and career. Was Kenny damned from the start?
Very few people understood the real Kenny Carter, or knew of the appalling family tragedies he suffered in his early youth. Devastating events that would haunt him until his death and no doubt shaped the explosive personality that fans of his motorcycle sport came to either love or hate.
This updated edition (with two new chapters) includes candid contributions from his most fierce rivals, team-mates and managers.
On May 21, 1986, at his moorland farm perched on the hills above his home town of Halifax, Carter callously shot dead his 25-year-old wife Pam and then killed himself, orphaning their two young children in the process.
No-one knew the demons that were raging inside the head of a fiercely driven, self-obsessed individual who could not accept losing – be it a friendly game of snooker with friends, a full throttle, four-lap speedway race or the love of his life, who he wrongly suspected of cheating on him. Kenny was never able to reveal his true feelings . . . until it was too late.
Tragedy is the harrowing story of Carter's rollercoaster life and examines the traumatic chain of events that led up to that nightmare ending.
It considers the impact the death of his young brother, the suicide of his mother and the overbearing presence of his dominant father – a former club road-racer – had on his life and career. Was Kenny damned from the start?
Very few people understood the real Kenny Carter, or knew of the appalling family tragedies he suffered in his early youth. Devastating events that would haunt him until his death and no doubt shaped the explosive personality that fans of his motorcycle sport came to either love or hate.
This updated edition (with two new chapters) includes candid contributions from his most fierce rivals, team-mates and managers.
