Reading Racers
Encyclopedia
Reading Racers were a British motorcycle speedway
team. Formed in 1968, they won four British League
titles during their history. The club closed in October 2008 after the lease on Smallmead Stadium expired and the site was demolished.
. The Racers returned for the 1975 season, a crowd of 9,264 witnessed the opening meeting against Hull
and Reading won the match by 18 points. The club finished 6th that campaign and had an average crowd of almost 6,500 every meeting. Between 1976 and 1979 the crowd figures remained high, despite a poor 1978 when the club finished 14th out 19 teams.
The club enjoyed a successful 1980 season, winning the British League
title and attracting crowds of over 7,000 on a regular basis. The club made headline news with a £40,000 insurance bond
payment for winning the league title, which gained much media interest. However, behind the scenes unrest in the management structure saw major changes at the end of the season with Bill Dore taking control of the club with local businessman Frankie Higley. Dore's daughter Pat Bliss became more involved in the running of the speedway and Dore's son Martyn was tasked with the maintenance of the track and stadium.
Despite tracking very competitive looking teams in the mid 1980's the club never achieved the dizzy heights of the start of the decade, until 1990 when the appointment of loyal fan Tim Sugar as the team manager saw the club win the league title in both 1990 and 1992, with top rider Per Jonsson
also crowned world speedway champion in 1990. However, Jonsson suffered terrible injuries in a crash in Poland in 1994, and this had an adverse effect on the club and its fortunes.
1995 and 1996 were poor seasons for the club, as crowds dropped and media interest wained. The 1997 season saw the club move into the reformed lower second division
this bought some much needed success for the club as they were crowned league champions that year, with Dave Mullett (who had been part of the championship winning teams in 1990 and 1992) proving to be the best rider in the league, subsequently won the league cup in 1998. Sadly the period 1999 to 2003 were lean years for the club, which had seen veteran promoter Chris Shears and his son Ivan become part of the promotional set up.
By 2004, Ivan Shears (who soon earned the nickname of the tactical genius) had replaced long standing team manager Sugar and the club showed signs of resurgence with a large sponsorship deal with local telecomms company Euphony Communications. This secured the funds for the signature of leading English rider Danny Bird and highly rated Slovenian Matej Žagar
. Injuries at key times denied Racers more success that year, but Bird along with loyal servant to the clubPhil Morris
(who replaced an injured Žagar) won the Premier League Pairs Championship
in June of that season.
2005 was a disappointing season for Reading and by the end of the campaign there were signs that the club need new investment to survive. Consequently the promotion sold the club to BSI Speedway in 2006. The new promotion took Reading into the Elite League
and changed the club name to the Reading Bulldogs. Their first season was a huge success on track as the Bulldogs narrowly missed out on the title, losing by a single point to Peterborough Panthers
in the play-off final. Sadly the success on track wasn't mirrored off track, as crowds were on average around 650 people short of the 2,000 required each meeting to break even, the fact that Smallmead Stadium had no seen no real investment to its infrastructure since it was built was a key factor in this, although many fans also blamed the changing of the club nickname from Racers to Bulldogs, a move which had seen a number of the hardcore fans of the club boycot meetings as a protest.
The majority of the successful 2006 team were retained for the 2007 season, but crowds dropped alarmingly, with some meetings being witnessed by less than 900 fans. This led to BSI deciding to put the club up for sale mid-season, which resulted in the club being purchased by Swindon based businessman Mark Legg, who appointed ex-rider Malcolm Holloway as his co-promoter, with the astute Tim Sugar returning as Team Manager, whilst the club's press officer and webmaster Andy Povey was appointed to head up rider recruitment, marketing and commercial activities. It was confirmed at the time of the takeover that Reading would see out the remaining fixtures of the 2007 season in the Elite League.
the club also reverted to their original Reading Racers name.
sadly the new promotion and new change had little effect on the crowds and the new owners lost a reported six figure sum in the space of four months.
As a result the club opted to drop a division to the Premier League
in 2008, sadly the season was a traumatic time on and off track for the club. Povey and Holloway's team building decisions proved a disastrous, with only Dane Ulrich Østergaard's performances saving their blushes on numerous occasions. However performances on track were overshadowed by the news that the Smallmead Stadium lease expired in October 2008 and would not be renewed.
A final farewell meeting was held on 19 October as a near capacity crowd of 3,200 including former Reading riders Anders Michanek
, Jan Andersson, Bernie Leigh, John Davis
, Richard May, Tony Olsson
and Phil Morris witnessed Ulrich Ostergaard win the £3,000 winner’s purse.
, and a casino
as well as speedway has been given the go ahead by the local council. The plans showed the new track will be ten metres longer than the track at Smallmead, which was their home for last thirty-two years (it was always intended to be a temporary track but the new stadium never got built). However the construction of the new stadium has been delayed numerous times and now will not be ready until the 2012 season at the earliest.
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
team. Formed in 1968, they won four British League
Speedway British League
The British League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1965 until 1995 when it became known as the Premier League. Prior to 1965 the division had been known as the National League....
titles during their history. The club closed in October 2008 after the lease on Smallmead Stadium expired and the site was demolished.
History
The club was formed in 1968 and were originally based at the Tilehurst Stadium until it was closed in 1973. Smallmead Stadium was constructed during 1974 near the site of a refuge tip close to Junction 11 of the M4 motorwayM4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
. The Racers returned for the 1975 season, a crowd of 9,264 witnessed the opening meeting against Hull
Hull Vikings
Hull Vikings, were a speedway team from Hull, England. The team began life as the 'Hull Angels', based at Hedon on the outskirts of Hull between 1947 and mid 1949. Speedway came back to Hull after a long gap and were known as the Vikings, racing at The Boulevard, the former ground of rugby league...
and Reading won the match by 18 points. The club finished 6th that campaign and had an average crowd of almost 6,500 every meeting. Between 1976 and 1979 the crowd figures remained high, despite a poor 1978 when the club finished 14th out 19 teams.
The club enjoyed a successful 1980 season, winning the British League
Speedway British League
The British League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1965 until 1995 when it became known as the Premier League. Prior to 1965 the division had been known as the National League....
title and attracting crowds of over 7,000 on a regular basis. The club made headline news with a £40,000 insurance bond
Insurance bond
An insurance bond is a single premium life assurance policy for the purposes of investment.Due to tax laws they are a common form of investment in the UK and some offshore centres....
payment for winning the league title, which gained much media interest. However, behind the scenes unrest in the management structure saw major changes at the end of the season with Bill Dore taking control of the club with local businessman Frankie Higley. Dore's daughter Pat Bliss became more involved in the running of the speedway and Dore's son Martyn was tasked with the maintenance of the track and stadium.
Despite tracking very competitive looking teams in the mid 1980's the club never achieved the dizzy heights of the start of the decade, until 1990 when the appointment of loyal fan Tim Sugar as the team manager saw the club win the league title in both 1990 and 1992, with top rider Per Jonsson
Per Jonsson
Per Jonsson is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1990, and finished runner-up in 1992.In 1985, his second season with the Reading Racers, the team won six major trophies...
also crowned world speedway champion in 1990. However, Jonsson suffered terrible injuries in a crash in Poland in 1994, and this had an adverse effect on the club and its fortunes.
1995 and 1996 were poor seasons for the club, as crowds dropped and media interest wained. The 1997 season saw the club move into the reformed lower second division
Speedway Premier League
The Premier League is the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom and goverened by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The Premier League was founded in 1995 when it replaced the British League as the first division...
this bought some much needed success for the club as they were crowned league champions that year, with Dave Mullett (who had been part of the championship winning teams in 1990 and 1992) proving to be the best rider in the league, subsequently won the league cup in 1998. Sadly the period 1999 to 2003 were lean years for the club, which had seen veteran promoter Chris Shears and his son Ivan become part of the promotional set up.
By 2004, Ivan Shears (who soon earned the nickname of the tactical genius) had replaced long standing team manager Sugar and the club showed signs of resurgence with a large sponsorship deal with local telecomms company Euphony Communications. This secured the funds for the signature of leading English rider Danny Bird and highly rated Slovenian Matej Žagar
Matej Žagar
Matej Žagar is a Slovenian motorcycle speedway rider who was won Individual Speedway European Champion titles...
. Injuries at key times denied Racers more success that year, but Bird along with loyal servant to the clubPhil Morris
Phil Morris (speedway rider)
Phillip William Morris is a retired British motorcycle speedway rider who has appeared on several UK television game shows.-Career:...
(who replaced an injured Žagar) won the Premier League Pairs Championship
Speedway Premier League Pairs Championship
The Premier League Pairs Championship is a contest between the top two riders from each club competing in the Speedway Premier League in the UK. The meetings comprise ten teams of two riders drawn into two qualifying groups.-Gate positions:...
in June of that season.
2005 was a disappointing season for Reading and by the end of the campaign there were signs that the club need new investment to survive. Consequently the promotion sold the club to BSI Speedway in 2006. The new promotion took Reading into the Elite League
Speedway Elite League
The Elite League is the top division of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom and is governed by the Speedway Control Bureau , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . It is sponsored by Sky Sports...
and changed the club name to the Reading Bulldogs. Their first season was a huge success on track as the Bulldogs narrowly missed out on the title, losing by a single point to Peterborough Panthers
Peterborough Panthers
The Peterborough Panthers are a British speedway team based in Peterborough, England.They were the British Elite League Speedway Champions in 1999 and 2006...
in the play-off final. Sadly the success on track wasn't mirrored off track, as crowds were on average around 650 people short of the 2,000 required each meeting to break even, the fact that Smallmead Stadium had no seen no real investment to its infrastructure since it was built was a key factor in this, although many fans also blamed the changing of the club nickname from Racers to Bulldogs, a move which had seen a number of the hardcore fans of the club boycot meetings as a protest.
The majority of the successful 2006 team were retained for the 2007 season, but crowds dropped alarmingly, with some meetings being witnessed by less than 900 fans. This led to BSI deciding to put the club up for sale mid-season, which resulted in the club being purchased by Swindon based businessman Mark Legg, who appointed ex-rider Malcolm Holloway as his co-promoter, with the astute Tim Sugar returning as Team Manager, whilst the club's press officer and webmaster Andy Povey was appointed to head up rider recruitment, marketing and commercial activities. It was confirmed at the time of the takeover that Reading would see out the remaining fixtures of the 2007 season in the Elite League.
the club also reverted to their original Reading Racers name.
sadly the new promotion and new change had little effect on the crowds and the new owners lost a reported six figure sum in the space of four months.
As a result the club opted to drop a division to the Premier League
Speedway Premier League
The Premier League is the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom and goverened by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The Premier League was founded in 1995 when it replaced the British League as the first division...
in 2008, sadly the season was a traumatic time on and off track for the club. Povey and Holloway's team building decisions proved a disastrous, with only Dane Ulrich Østergaard's performances saving their blushes on numerous occasions. However performances on track were overshadowed by the news that the Smallmead Stadium lease expired in October 2008 and would not be renewed.
A final farewell meeting was held on 19 October as a near capacity crowd of 3,200 including former Reading riders Anders Michanek
Anders Michanek
Anders Michanek is a Speedway rider. In 1974 he won the Speedway World Championship in his Swedish homeland with a maximum score of 15 points. He also won the World Pairs Championship with the late Tommy Jansson in 1973 and 1975 and with Sören Sjösten in 1974.Michanek had a very successful career...
, Jan Andersson, Bernie Leigh, John Davis
John Davis (speedway rider)
John Henry Davis is a former international motorcycle speedway rider who represented England when they won the World Team Cup in 1977.-World Final Appearances:* 1977 - Gothenburg, Ullevi - Reserve - did not ride...
, Richard May, Tony Olsson
Tony Olsson
John Tony Olsson is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. He was a member of the Sweden speedway team when they finished third in the 1988 and 1989 World Team Cup finals. He also represented his country at Test level.-Career:He twice finished runner-up in the Swedish Under-21...
and Phil Morris witnessed Ulrich Ostergaard win the £3,000 winner’s purse.
Stadium plans
With Smallmead Stadium's lease expiring in October 2008, the club announced plans for new stadium at Island Road, Reading. A new complex featuring greyhound racingGreyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
, and a casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
as well as speedway has been given the go ahead by the local council. The plans showed the new track will be ten metres longer than the track at Smallmead, which was their home for last thirty-two years (it was always intended to be a temporary track but the new stadium never got built). However the construction of the new stadium has been delayed numerous times and now will not be ready until the 2012 season at the earliest.