1990 was the Racers’ Golden Year! In the history of Reading Speedway, this has to be the most outstanding season of them all. Although the Racers won the league in both 1973 and 1980, this was the first time they had done the double, taking the British League title and winning the Knock Out Cup. But that wasn’t all, for at Bradford Per Jonsson became the World Champion, with another Racer, Todd Wiltshire, finishing in third position. That World Final will, of course, always be remembered for the first place run-off between Per and Shawn Moran, which was brilliantly won by the Racers’ super Swede. In fact, it was a great year of success all round for several members of the team. Here are some of the major achievements: Jeremy Doncaster was winner of the British semi-final and Czech Golden Helmet, Overseas Champion and runner-up in the World Team Cup with England; Todd Wiltshire was third in the World Championship, second in the World Pairs Championship with Australia and the SWAPA Rider of the Year; Armando Castagna was the Italian Champion; and Per Jonsson was the World Champion and winner of the Denny Pyeatt Memorial Trophy. The Drews Cobra Rivets junior team of David Steen, Troy Smith, Christian Howell, Lance Sealey and Mark Seabright did well too, taking the runners-up spot in the British League Division Two. It really was some season!

Just to show how strong the XXXX Racers were, Per Jonsson could only manage third in the Reading averages, behind ‘Donkey’ and ‘Hot Toddy’, while David Mullett (6.31 average) and Tony Olsson (6.29) were sixth and seventh in the averages. Other riders to wear the famous ‘Winged Wheel’ during this triumphant season were Armando Castagna, Jan Andersson, David Steen, Nathan Murray, Troy Smith and Christian Howell. Worthy of a special mention too, for the brilliant work done throughout the season, was team manager and master tactician Tim Sugar. The season had started with Mitch Shirra banned for a year by the Speedway Control Board; however, Jan Andersson came out of retirement and Per Jonsson was recalled. Todd Wiltshire was signed from National League Wimbledon for a reported fee of around £20,000 and the rest is history.

Jem Doncaster was back to his best, pushing his average back up above 9 points. The form of Todd Wiltshire was a revelation, his lightning gating had to be seen to be believed, and a final average of just under 9 was a marvellous achievement in his first year at British League level. Jan Andersson was a great man to have back at Smallmead, and an inspiration to everyone in the camp as he plundered another 250-plus points in the Racers’ cause. Tony Olsson proved to be a very solid team-man, but was badly injured while guesting for Cradley Heath on 25 August. Tony was out for the rest of the season and this meant a return for the ‘Italian Stallion’ Armando Castagna, who although only riding in eight matches did a solid job, and proved he had recovered from his broken leg of the previous season. David Mullett had a much better year, as he got to grips with the pace of the British League, proving to be a very reliable second-string as he gathered nearly 200 points. During the year, David passed the 100 appearances milestone for the Racers, on his way to a club record total of well over 400.

Per Jonsson fulfilled all his early potential with the World Championship triumph, and the luxury of three top-class heat-leaders definitely tilted things in the Racers’ favour. Nathan Murray began the year in the reserves, but found the pace too hot and, eventually, David Steen was given an extended run. David also found it tough, but the potential was there. Troy Smith and Christian Howell were also pressed into action when injuries decreed, but only rode in three and two matches respectively. Two sidecar meetings were staged at Smallmead and saw England defeat the World All-Stars 45-44 in an exciting encounter on 4 June, before Gary Moon won the Empire Classic two weeks later, on 18 June. The latter meeting was the unofficial World Championship of sidecar speedway, and was followed by a demonstration on 500cc Rotax mini desert racing cars, with the drivers including American speedway star John ‘Cowboy’ Cook.

The atmosphere at Smallmead was fantastic throughout the year, and the large attendances seemed to grow with the success of the team, right up to the end of the season, culminating in the brilliant Knock Out Cup final victory over Bradford. The rampant Racers took on the Dukes in the first leg on 8 October at Smallmead, winning 51-39. Todd Wiltshire led the scoring with a brilliant 15-point maximum, backed by a superb paid 14 return from Per Jonsson. That left the second leg balancing on a knife-edge, however, on 13 October, the Racers went up to the Odsal Stadium and produced a marvellous 47-43 victory, to win by 16 points on aggregate. All the riders were heroes on the night and it would be wrong to single anyone out, so here is the full list of scorers from that most memorable of nights: Todd Wiltshire (13), David Mullett (11+1), Armando Castagna (6+2), Jeremy Doncaster (6+1), Jan Andersson (5+1), Per Jonsson (4+1) and David Steen (2).

Another special memory is of the Denny Pyeatt Memorial meeting on 22 October, when Todd Wiltshire produced one of his super-fast starts to lead the final, but what a finish there was, as Per Jonsson caught and passed him to win in fantastic style. The Vintage Speedway Championship was again staged at Smallmead, with the victors being Mike Coombes (pre-war) and Vic Lonsdale (post-war). For the latter part of the 1980s and the early part of 1990, Vic Lonsdale was the video man at Smallmead, filming under the guise of LTV Productions. Sadly, Vic passed away in December 1991.

Vic was a former rider from the North, who had moved down to Buckinghamshire, and in 1990, as well as filming at Smallmead, he used to assist David Steen. Vic had won the Halifax Cycle Speedway Championship three years running (1950-52), before moving on to conventional speedway at Bradford in 1956. It was then that he earned his ‘Wildman of Speedway’ tag, following nasty crashes at Bradford, Motherwell and Liverpool. He may have been a bit on the wild side, but he was dedicated, even interrupting his honeymoon to ride in a meeting at Bradford! Vic rode for Middlesbrough and Newcastle in the 1960s, before moving on to Sheffield, his final track being Workington in 1970, when he was brought in to captain the new Comets side. Something of an extrovert, among Vic’s hobbies was collecting jars of shale, portions of safety fence and scraps of wire from various tracks – he really was quite a character.

Towards the end of the season, Mike Leach of ML Video Sport took over the meeting videos and he has done an excellent job of filming all the action at Smallmead ever since. On 11 June, a special Malcolm Holloway Farewell four-team tournament took place. The stars came out to pay tribute to the ‘Mad Wellie’, who had called it a day following a bad track crash at Bradford in 1989. After Reading and Oxford had tied on 27 points, Jem Doncaster beat Martin Dugard in a run-off for first place. A British League Select side was third with 25 points and Swindon came fourth on 16 points. Among the stars on show were Marvyn Cox, Graham Jones, Leigh Adams and Jan Staechmann, plus Malcolm himself, who made an emotional return to the track.

The plan was to start the 1991 season at Smallmead on Monday 18 March with a Thames Valley Trophy match against Swindon, but that was cancelled due to the rain. The first home match turned out to be a win against Poole in the Premiership, by 51 points to 39. Four days later, in the second leg at Poole, the result was reversed, leaving the scores tied at 90-90 on aggregate. Sadly, this was a season without Per Jonsson, who stayed at home in Sweden. Per was greatly missed, but the Racers also had to dispense with the services of two other favourites, due to the points system in speedway. Because of the team’s success in 1990, Armando Castagna and Tony Olsson were loaned out, as the Racers were left in a situation whereby they had to de-strengthen! Losing three loyal riders didn’t help and the Racers dropped to eleventh place in the league. Another contributory factor was a nasty injury suffered by star rider Todd Wiltshire in July. In the Gold Cup, Reading finished second in their group, just missing out on a place in the final. The Racers did have a good run in the Knock Out Cup, however, reaching the semi-final before going down to Cradley Heath on aggregate.

It may not have been a good year in the league, but the racing was still close and exciting, never more so than when near neighbours Oxford came to town in a Thames Valley Trophy meeting. A tremendous race took place between Todd Wiltshire and multi-World Champion Hans Nielsen. ‘Hot Toddy’ flew out of the gate to lead, only for Hans to catch him and overtake, but it wasn’t over, as Todd fought back to win in breathtaking style. Later in the season, on Bank Holiday Monday (6 May), Oxford were again the visitors for a Gold Cup match, and another superb race was witnessed. Heat eleven saw Jan Andersson gate ahead of Hans Nielsen and Martin Dugard, but both Cheetahs managed to get through on the inside of the first turn. Jan then broadsided right around the Oxford pair to take the lead, which he held for the rest of the race. It didn’t end there though, for in heat thirteen, Ray Morton pulled off the best win of his career, defeating the ‘Main Dane’ and Craig Boyce in tremendous style.

Part of Dave Stallworthy’s microphone duties took him to the British Youth Grass-Track Championship and the Welsh Open Youth Championship, where he saw for the first time a fifteen-year-old Welsh boy take victory in the senior A1 categories. Little did he know at the time that he was watching a rider destined to become a major player in Smallmead history. That rider was, of course, Phil Morris, and by the end of the summer, having turned sixteen, he had made his debut in the Racers’ team. On 18 June, the Racers went to Poole for the first leg of the replayed Premiership, going down narrowly by 41 points to 49. In the second leg at Smallmead on 8 July, the rampant Racers won 54-36 to secure an aggregate victory and win their only trophy of the season. Hero of the second leg was ‘Ripper’ Ray Morton, who notched a brilliant paid maximum.

In the Four-Team Championship at Peterborough on 21 July, David Mullett suffered a groin injury, and Todd Wiltshire took an awkward spill, which resulted in wrist and elbow injuries that were to rule him out of action for the duration. On 5 August, it was the turn of Jem Doncaster to be honoured with a Testimonial meeting. The weather stayed fine and there was excellent racing, as well as a good turnout of supporters. Australian stunt rider Matt Coulter from Melbourne also put on a great show for the Smallmead faithful. Matt, the world’s number one quad motor-cyclist, was known as the ‘Kangaroo Kid’, and at Jeremy’s meeting, he entertained the crowd until nearly eleven p.m.

Mitch Shirra qualified for the World Final in Sweden, and joining Mitch for the big night were Jem Doncaster and former Racers Per Jonsson and Armando Castagna. It wasn’t a good night for any of them though, as Per scored 7 points, Armando 6, Mitch 4 and Jem 2. In August, the International Sidecar Super Prix was won by Paul Pinfold and Keith Wall, while in October, the National Vintage Speedway Championship was held for the fourth (and final) time at Smallmead, with Manuel Hughes (post-war) and Paul Fudge (pre-war) being the winners.

The main men in 1991 were Todd Wiltshire, Jeremy Doncaster, Jan Andersson and David Mullett. Backing the top four were Ray Morton, David Steen and young Danish rider Tim Korneliussen. Tiny Tim found the pace too hot though, and after a few early-season matches, he was replaced by the exciting Australian Scott Humphries. Former Wimbledon junior Terry Mussett also had some outings at number seven. Jem was top man for the season, scoring 296 league and Knock Out Cup points, ahead of the brilliantly consistent Jan Andersson, who weighed in with 251 points. New boy Ray Morton fully justified his signing from Wimbledon, finishing as Racers’ third highest scorer with 183 points, while David Mullett had another good year, piling up 171 points. Mitch Shirra was brought back in to replace the injured Todd Wiltshire and did extremely well, and was almost back to his very best.

The Drews Cobra Rivets team included Jason Green, Mike Tomlin, Nick Upton, David Steen and Terry Mussett, with Paul King taking an active part in junior management. Like the Racers, the Rivets also managed to finish eleventh in the Division One Reserves League. On 2 September, Terry Mussett scored a 9-point maximum to win the Dick Bailey Memorial Shield, ahead of Garry Sweet and Darren Spicer. This took place after the Reading v. Cradley Heath match, but before any action took place, World Champion Jan O. Pedersen was paraded around the Smallmead circuit with his trophy. Although a Cradley rider, Jan O. was a popular champion, and the Smallmead fans showed him their appreciation.

1992 was another golden year in the history of Reading Speedway. Per Jonsson was back and the Racers became League Champions for the fourth time, won the B.S.P.A. Cup and were runners-up in both the Knock Out Cup and Gold Cup! On the individual front, Per nearly won his second World title, finishing second to Gary Havelock at Wroclaw, Poland, while in the British League Riders’ Championship, Per was again second, this time behind Joe Screen. Kiwi Mitch Shirra had moved on to Swindon again, but produced a tremendous effort to finish as runner-up in the World Long Track Championship, behind Marcel Gerhard of Switzerland.

The Racers’ Championship team consisted of Tim Sugar (team manager), Jan Andersson, Per Jonsson, David Mullett, Jeremy Doncaster, Armando Castagna, Ray Morton and Phil Morris. Many supporters remember the night at Smallmead though, when thousands packed into the stadium to witness a double cup final on 26 October. The first part of the double-header saw the Racers beat Poole 52-38, to win the B.S.P.A. Cup by an aggregate score of 92-88, having lost the first leg in Dorset by 10 points. The second match was against Bradford in the Knock Out Cup final, with the Racers having a 20-point deficit from the first leg. Amid a great atmosphere, Per and the boys gave it all they had, but unfortunately they could only manage a 53-37 win on the night, thereby losing 88-92 on aggregate. But what a night of high drama!

The Reading junior side finished seventh in the Reserve League and included Phil Morris, Mike Tomlin, Jason Green, Garry Sweet, Mark Sayer and Lance Sealey, son of track manager Jeff. Other officials backing up promoters Bill Dore and Pat Bliss were Andy Griffin (clerk of the course), Roger Nettlefold (timekeeper), Bob Radford (announcer), Clive Fisher (radio microphone), Dave Moss (starting marshall), John Ballard (machine examiner) and Tony Porter (staff manager). Not forgetting the major contribution from the St John’s Ambulance Brigade, plus Dr Budd (in the 1980s) and Dr Gargav (throughout the 1990s), without whom speedway simply could not run.

A special meeting took place at Smallmead on 15 June, when England defeated Australia 55-23 in a Test Match. Top man for England was David Mullett with 14 points, while Ray Morton scored an exceptional 11 points and Jem Doncaster chipped in with 6. This was the Second Test of the series, which England won overall by 2 matches to 1. Another terrific meeting in 1992 was David Mullett’s Testimonial on 21 September, when Dave’s Testimonial Racers defeated Cocker’s Magnificent Seven by 52 points to 38. The stars came out to pay tribute to David, and it was just reward for a rider who has always given 100 per cent effort for the Reading cause.

Highlights of the league campaign must surely have been the away wins at Cradley (47-42, headed by a brilliant paid 14 points from Per); at Belle Vue (47-43, with a marvellous paid 13 points from Ray Morton); at Swindon (50-40, led by a faultless 15-pointer from Per and 15 from Jan); at Eastbourne (49-41, including paid 14 points from David Mullett); at Ipswich (48-41, featuring a paid 15-point maximum from ex-Witch Jem); and at Arena-Essex (46-44, which included 14 points from Per). The Speedway Control Board also awarded the Racers a 75-0 victory at King’s Lynn, after the meeting had not gone ahead on its scheduled date. That made 7 away wins for the season and was the foundation for a successful assault on the League Championship.

So, it was another fabulous season for the Racers, led brilliantly by Super Swede Per Jonsson with 372 points and a 10.04 average. Evergreen Jan was as consistent as ever, weighing in with another 261 points – what an amazing servant to the Racers this fellow was. ‘Donkey’ had another superb year, achieving an 8.36 average and leading the side superbly. The backbone of the Racers’ powerhouse side was filled by David Mullett, Armando Castagna and Ray Morton, each of whom did all that was expected and more. The top six didn’t have a weak link and they were backed up by young Phil Morris, who obviously found the pace of the British League very fast, but never stopped plugging away. Mark Sayer, Lance Sealey, Garry Sweet and Mike Tomlin had odd outings in the Reading side when needed, and all struggled of course, but it must have been nice to have played a small part in another magnificent Racers team.

Sidecar racing was again staged at Smallmead in 1992, with a Thames Valley Team Championship on 8 June which saw Reading score 27 points to defeat Oxford (23) and Swindon (21). The Reading team was managed by Tim Sugar, and their top scorers were Gary Moon (who recorded a 12-point maximum) and Richard Moore (who yielded 9 points). The side also included former French speedway rider Thierry Hilaire. In the second half, a vintage speedway contest was won by Jim Gregory, while John Stallworthy finished as runner-up. One other sidecar event was held on 3 August, when the Tigers defeated the Kangaroos 47-43, with Roger Measor topping the winning team’s scoring (12 points), while Gary Moon recorded an outstanding 18-point maximum for the losing side. Finally for 1992, praise must go to the Reading Evening Post, for on 26 October, they produced a special Speedway Post cover, highlighting the double-header cup meeting and featuring a colour picture of Per Jonsson. The back page included a full A3-sized colour picture of Tim Sugar and the league-winning Racers, entitled ‘Simply The Best’.

After their great success, the Racers team had to be broken up in order to comply with the points limit for the 1993 campaign. Thirty-seven-year-old Jan Andersson half-solved the problem by deciding to retire in order to build his own house in Sweden. Everyone involved with the club would miss Jan, who was quite rightly referred to as ‘Mr Reading Speedway’, having ridden 392 league and Knock Out Cup matches for the Racers. He also held the all-time club record of 3,712.5 points, garnered on behalf of the ‘Winged Wheel’. The rest of the team jigsaw fell into place with Ray Morton being loaned out to Poole, leaving the way open for Tony Olsson and Peter Glanz to return to the Racers. Tony had been away from Reading since the golden year of 1990, plying his trade on loan at several tracks, including Hackney and Belle Vue. Dane Peter Glanz made the return to top league racing, following a stint at Second Division Milton Keynes.

The race formula was different in 1993, with eighteen-heat matches and eight-man teams. This meant a team spot for Mike Tomlin, who had previously ridden for the Rivets junior side. On paper, the team still looked strong, with the remainder of the side retained from the previous year. This meant that Per Jonsson, Armando Castagna, Jeremy Doncaster, David Mullett and Phil Morris were all back for another term, as was team manager Tim Sugar. However, there was sadness during the winter with the news that Joy Warne had died. Joy had been a dedicated member of the backroom staff at Smallmead and would be greatly missed.

The season started well at Smallmead when the Racers beat Bradford 58-50 in the first leg of the Premiership on 22 March. Five days later, Reading went to Bradford for the second leg and performed magnificently to draw 54-54. Armando Castagna was the star at Odsal, recording a brilliant paid 18-point maximum, as the Racers completed an aggregate victory by 112 points to 104. There was good media coverage throughout the season, not only from the Reading Chronicle and the Reading Evening Post, but also from Meridian TV and Radio Berkshire. Clive Fisher was the usual Smallmead roving microphone man, but Peter York had his first stint at Smallmead when Clive was on holiday. This was, of course, a prelude to ‘Yorkie’ becoming the full-time centre-green announcer in 1994.

The Reading Racers Social Club had a stand in the Butts Centre Shopping Precinct and Phil Morris spent all day there promoting the Racers. The club had been in full swing throughout the winter, organizing many events such as a Christmas dinner, video night and a talk. In April, they presented a much-needed cheque to Phil Morris for just over £325. Throughout the season, the club sold raffle tickets and ran a penny sponsorship scheme, as well as organizing coaches to away meetings. They also staged a six-a-side soccer tournament and fun day at Hartley Wintney Football Club later in the season on 31 July.

Off-track, it was not a good start to the season for David Mullett, who suffered a violent burglary which left his parents and his dog injured. David was also suffering from an attack of shingles but, despite his problems, his performances were as reliable as ever. It was reported in the Reading programme that during the winter, ‘Italian Stallion’ Armando Castagna had sampled two other forms of sport. Firstly, he had tried bobsleigh racing on an Italian Olympic course, and this was followed by boxing, with an Italian Championship contender! Armando was certainly fit for the season ahead, and that performance at Bradford in the Premiership showed it was paying off. Also from abroad, good news was received from former Racer Todd Wiltshire and his wife Linda in Australia, who had a baby son called Anders – a good choice of name from a Reading point of view!

The end of 1992 spelled the end of the Reserve League, although an English Junior League was formed for 1993. This new league comprised just six teams – Reading, Belle Vue, Long Eaton, Oxford, Cradley Heath and Wolverhampton. The three-man Reading side was now entitled Young Racers, and featured Lance Sealey, Garry Sweet and Mark Seabright. After only a handful of meetings in the Racers team, Mike Tomlin quit, having been unable to cope with the pressure. Tomlin was quickly replaced by Lance Sealey, whose father had been responsible for setting up the training track adjacent to Smallmead Stadium. The sidecar boys were back at Smallmead on 7 June, when the Mark Goodyer Memorial Trophy was held. The event was staged in memory of the rider who unfortunately died on 15 March 1992, the day after a track accident at Waikaraka Park in his native country. Richard Moore and Roger Measor tied on 12 points apiece, with the former taking the trophy after a run-off.

On 11 July, David Mullett joined the England team for the first Test Match v. Sweden at Exeter. The Swedes won the match 56-52, courtesy of a last-heat 5-1 from Tony Rickardsson and Racer Tony Olsson. Per Jonsson collected 14 points for Sweden, and Tony Olsson chipped in with a paid 5-point return. But it was a fairytale for David Mullett, despite the result, as he romped to a paid 11-point haul. Six days later, David rode in the second Test Match at Eastbourne, where England stormed to a 60-48 victory. On this occasion, David scored 3 points, meanwhile for Sweden, Per scored just a single point, but he was not helped by an early crash which put him out of the meeting. Fellow Racer Tony Olsson collected 4 points for the Swedes. The deciding Test Match at Newcastle resulted in a 57-48 victory for England, but there was only one Racer on show, namely Tony Olsson, who recorded another 4 points.

On 18 July, the Stars of Tomorrow was staged at Smallmead, and was won by Eastbourne’s Mark Bruton. The meeting was rain-affected and had to be reduced from twenty heats to twelve as a result. The following night, a sidecar challenge match was staged at Smallmead, between Reading and King’s Lynn. The visitors, managed by Dingle Brown, romped to a 54-33 victory, with the tremendous duo of Roger Measor and Shane Lapham recording a superb 21-point maximum.

In the H.E.A.T.-sponsored Four-Team Championship, Reading stormed through the qualifying rounds to the final at Peterborough, and what a great day it turned out to be for the Racers at the East of England Showground on 25 July. Per Jonsson and David Mullett led the way with 8 points apiece, as Reading won the tournament (27 points) ahead of Wolverhampton (25 points), Belle Vue (11) and Arena-Essex (9). Per and David were well backed up by Armando, who scored 7 points and Tony Olsson with 4 points. It was a great team effort, overseen as usual by Tim Sugar. Incidentally, let’s not forget that Phil Morris was team reserve on that glorious day, although he didn’t get a ride. Prior to the Fours triumph, Peter Glanz had decided to quit the Racers, and a replacement was sought. On the recommendation of Racers legend Jan Andersson, newcomer Kenneth Nystrom arrived, but failed to score on his debut against King’s Lynn on 16 August.

On the global stage, Per Jonsson and Armando Castagna reached the World Final in Pocking, Germany, with Per scoring 7 points and Armando 5. In the World Team Cup, Per recorded 6 points as Sweden finished third overall. The World Pairs brought further success for Per, as Sweden took the gold medal, with Per scoring 5 points, to back up Tony Rickardsson (15 points) and Henrik Gustafsson (6 points). On 31 October, there was further success for Per when he won the British League Riders’ Championship at Swindon with a 14-point tally, ahead of Henrik Gustafsson.

So, despite a drop to sixth in the league, it wasn’t a bad campaign for the Racers, as they won the Premiership and the Four-Team Championship, and then, of course, there was Per’s success in the British League Riders’ Championship. Per had a tremendous season for the Racers, piling up 466 points for an average of 10.34. The super Swede was now certainly the master of the Smallmead circuit, and some of his passing was quite astounding. There was one other success for Per in 1993, as prior to the start of the season, he had won the British Open Championship at Telford Ice Rink in February, scoring 14 points. Incidentally, Phil Morris took third place at Telford, becoming the youngest ever competitor in the event. Phil’s success was due in no small way to Jan Andersson, who had prepared a special machine for the battling Welshman.

Armando Castagna had a very solid season, rattling up 367 points, and he was always popular with the fans. The ever-reliable David Mullett had his best-ever season in terms of scoring, running up a massive 348 points. A fourth member of the Reading squad also topped the 300-points mark, as Jem Doncaster passed the magical total. That was some team effort when you think about it, and when bonus points were included, Tony Olsson also topped 300 points! Phil Morris continued to progress, moving his average above 5.5 points. Putting it bluntly, Kenneth Nystrom struggled, but he did put in two double-figure scores, with 11 at Cradley Heath, and 10 at home to Ipswich. Lance Sealey found it tough going, but plodded away and did have a personal best of 9 points against Poole in May.

The 1994 season can only be described as a disaster for the Racers. The start of the season was difficult, with Jeremy Doncaster wanting to go back ‘home’ to Ipswich and Per Jonsson unsigned. Tony Olsson had decided the previous November that a move into the Second Division would be beneficial to him, and he moved to Swindon in a loan deal. Ray Morton came back after his year at Poole, while joining the camp was Shane Bowes, on loan from Glasgow. Following an impressive performance at Smallmead in 1993, young Swindon rider Matthew Cross was also signed on loan. There was one off-track change too, as Clive Fisher moved on, to be replaced by Peter York as meeting presenter.

The season opened at Smallmead with a challenge match against King’s Lynn on 21 March. It should have been a league fixture, but King’s Lynn agreed to the change in view of the Racers’ team problems. Tony Olsson and Leigh Adams guested for Reading in that opening fixture, but they were unable to save the Racers from going down to a 47-49 defeat. On 18 April, the British semi-final of the World Championship was held at Smallmead, with David Mullett storming to victory with a marvellous 15-point maximum. This was a tremendous performance from David, as the field included the likes of Chris Louis, Jeremy Doncaster, Kelvin Tatum, Martin Dugard and Ben Howe. This was definitely one of the highlights of a troublesome season for the Racers.

Tony Rickardsson had decided to have a break from racing in the British League in order to concentrate on his Swedish, Polish and Danish League commitments. However, Tony did agree to help out Ipswich for a month, while the deal was sorted out to take Jem Doncaster back to Foxhall Heath. In April, Jem got his wish and was on his way back to Ipswich, with the Racers acting quickly to agree terms with Per Jonsson, enabling him to come back to Smallmead. Ironically, Per made his first appearance of the year at Smallmead on 25 April against Ipswich, for whom Jeremy Doncaster rode. Per top scored for the Racers with 12 points, meanwhile Jem also topped the Witches’ scorechart with 11 points!

On 1 May, David Mullett took his place in the British Final at Coventry, but in a meeting won by Andy Smith, he could only muster 3 points. Right through May, Per Jonsson was in unstoppable form around Smallmead, as he reeled off five consecutive 15-point maximums, and his theme tune of ‘Perfect’ by Fairground Attraction was certainly getting plenty of airplay! Per’s superb run came to an end at Smallmead on 5 June against Wolverhampton, when a dead-heat with Peter Karlsson was all that stopped another 15-pointer. What turned out to be Per’s final meeting at Smallmead was on 20 June, in a qualifying round for the Four-Team Championship, when he notched 10 points. The following week, Per rode in further Fours qualifying rounds at Poole (22 June) and Ipswich (23 June), but tragedy struck on Sunday 26 June in Poland. Per was riding for Apator Torun in a Polish League fixture at Bydgoszcz, when after winning his first three rides, he was involved in a horrific crash with two other riders. Per was rushed to hospital and it was diagnosed that he had suffered crushed fourth and fifth vertebrae and pressure to his spinal cord. This meant that Per was paralysed from the chest downwards and would never walk again.

The Racers’ season went downhill from this point on, and they almost gave up the ghost. Matthew Cross and Phil Morris suffered with injuries, David Mullett was injured in that Fours round at Ipswich, Armando Castagna broke a vertebra in Italy and Phil Morris broke a leg in a French grass-track meeting in July. The crash-weary Racers struggled on though, winning the odd match but losing in the main, as Jan Pedersen was brought in to help out in August. Prior to Per’s injury, Smallmead had again heard the roar of the sidecars when the Mark Goodyer Memorial Trophy was run on 13 June. The format was changed for the event, and featured a qualifying round along with the semi-final and a grand final. John Bowkett emerged as the winner, while Ray Blackall had to be satisfied with the runners-up position.

Plans were made to stage a special benefit meeting in order to raise funds for Per Jonsson. A non-profit making body was set up to organize things, headed by Jimmy Nilsen, Pat Bliss and Bob Radford. Of course, Jimmy Nilsen and Per had been friends for years and who can forget some of the epic races the two of them had, particularly around Smallmead? Armando Castagna had taken over the number one race jacket and was doing a great job for the beleaguered Racers, as well as becoming the Italian Champion again, but the cruel hand of fate struck again when he broke a leg in September. Reading had already used numerous guests and loanees and this meant even more would be employed before the end of the season.

On 26 September, the Per Jonsson Benefit meeting was staged at Smallmead, and over 4,000 fans turned out to pay tribute to a rider cut down in his prime. Many top stars rode in a four-team tournament, which was won by Team Mullett with 40 points. They comprised Tony Rickardsson, Jason Crump, Mark Loram, Jan Andersson and David Mullett. Second with 37 points were Team Nielsen, led by Hans, while third with 19 points were Team Ermolenko, led by Sam, and fourth with 12 points were Team Castagna, led by Armando. Other stars on show included Greg Hancock, Billy Hamill, Craig Boyce, Leigh Adams and the Karlsson brothers. Past masters Peter Collins, Anders Michanek and Barry Briggs also rode in two special heats, while the legendary Ivan Mauger did a demonstration four laps on one of Per’s bikes.

Against doctors’ advice, Per courageously flew over from his Gothenburg hospital to attend the benefit meeting. It was a night that Per and his wife Maria found equally emotional and enjoyable. If only it had been a Testimonial and not a benefit meeting held under such tragic circumstances. A few weeks later, Jimmy Nilsen, Pat Bliss and Bob Radford journeyed to Stockholm and presented Per with a cheque for just over £50,000. It was hoped that the money would go towards making Per’s life as comfortable as it could possibly be under the circumstances.

The Racers finished the year in tenth position out of eleven teams and it was scant reward that Per Jonsson finished on top of the overall British League averages. That fact just went to emphasize his loss even more, for he was riding at his peak when that dreadful crash occurred in Poland. The hugely popular Armando Castagna had a brilliant year in between injuries, piling up 349 points for an impressive 8.44 average in league and Knock Out Cup matches. David Mullett battled away in his usual style, having taken over the club captaincy and scored another 337 points for the Racers’ cause. After a spell with Arena-Essex, Jan Pedersen came to Berkshire, but didn’t really pull up any trees and generally he was better away from home than at Smallmead. The returning Ray Morton struggled with minor injuries throughout the season and never really got going as a result, in what was a difficult year for all concerned.

Shane Bowes had always proved himself to be a tremendous racer while at Second Division Glasgow, and he was certainly a thrill merchant around Smallmead. In what was an unhappy year for the Racers, Shane plugged away to notch 273 points for an average of 5.83, and was the only ever-present rider at the club. Taking everything into account, it must be said that ‘Bowsie’ did very well in his first year of top league racing. Matthew Cross started the season brightly, but found it progressively hard as the season wore on. This was borne out by the fact that he only managed to score 69 points from the 37 matches that he appeared in. Phil Morris’ form took a slight backward step in 1994, but then again, he only rode for half the season due to the broken leg he sustained in France. Of course, Phil was always interesting to watch, with his enthusiastic hustle-bustle style of riding. Finally, in a season to forget, Reading used some forty guests and loanees in an effort to plug the gaps created by the seemingly non-stop injuries.

1995 saw the dawn of the British Premier League, whereby all the teams from the previous British League Divisions One and Two joined forces to form one big league. There were several changes in the Racers camp, with Armando Castagna electing to stay in Argentina, although he did join Oxford later on. Not surprisingly, Shane Bowes was recalled by parent track Glasgow, and that left just three members of the side from the year before, in the form of ‘Welsh Wizard’ Phil Morris, ‘Ripper’ Ray Morton and long-serving David Mullett. David Norris did not want to leave Eastbourne, but was forced out by the points limit and duly arrived at Smallmead. Tony Olsson returned for his Testimonial year, following a good season at Swindon in Second Division racing. ‘Flying Finn’ Petri Kokko was signed on a full transfer from Newcastle, who had closed down, and the final team place was taken by Jason Gage, but this was only on a temporary basis, while Reading waited for Lee Richardson to reach his sixteenth birthday.

The Racers programme was now being produced by Cheney Graphics, a company run by Terry Cheney, who was a former speedway promoter at Milton Keynes. Nick Dyer started to write in the programme, but Tony Porter had to relinquish his position of staff manager at Smallmead due to becoming the publican at The White Swan in Aldershot. Ex-rider Barry Allaway was appointed as the training officer, with Steve Blay becoming pits marshall and understudy to clerk of the course Andy Griffin. All the other off-track posts were much the same as they had been before, with Bob Radford as announcer, Roger Nettlefold as timekeeper, Peter York as presenter, Dave Moss as starting marshall, John Ballard as machine examiner and Jeff Sealey as track manager. Of course, Alf Weedon (established 1947) was resident track photographer, and was always an interesting man to talk to. Incidentally, Alf actually attended his first speedway meeting at Lea Bridge, way back in 1932!

The Smallmead season opened on 3 April with a 48-48 draw against Poole, but the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for a very special visitor indeed, none other than Per Jonsson. On 10 April, Hull came to Smallmead for a league encounter and included in their ranks ex-Racer Glyn Taylor. Glyn did well scoring a paid 7-point total, which included a win first time out. This wasn’t bad for a man who first rode for Reading in 1977, some eighteen years previously! The British semi-final of the World Championship was staged at Eastbourne on 16 April, and David Norris produced a dazzling display to finish as runner-up to Martin Dugard. David Mullett was also in the meeting, and he too did well, recording 10 points. Talking of David Norris, he had proved himself to be a real crowd-pleaser at Smallmead, being quite brilliant from the back and he really was something else to watch.

Come the end of April, Jason Gage’s stint in the side was over and he made way for Lee Richardson. It was a baptism of fire for young Lee though, as he struggled through the rest of the season. Some supporters seemed to get on his back, but if only they could have known how he would turn out, for Lee went from being somewhat off the pace in 1995 to World Under-21 Champion in 1999! Back to 1995 and Phil Morris took part in the British Under-21 Final at Ipswich on 27 April, winning a couple of heats in a 9-point haul. It wasn’t a bad performance, for the field included the likes of Ben Howe (who won the meeting), Paul Hurry, Savalas Clouting, Scott Nicholls and James Grieves.

The British Final was staged at Coventry on 30 April and by notching 8 points, David Norris did well enough to qualify for the Overseas Final. Unfortunately, David Mullett was unable to take his place in the meeting after suffering a double fracture of the ankle in a crash at Poole just four days previously. It was a real blow, as the Racers had pulled out all the stops to win 49-47 at Wimborne Road and were led brilliantly with 13 points from David Norris and 10 from ‘Ripper’ Ray Morton. Sadly, the season was over for David Norris following an innocuous-looking fall at the Coventry-staged Overseas Final on 11 June. Having run two lasts, David came out for his third ride in heat twelve, but a simple spill resulted in a fractured right leg.

David Mullett had quickly returned to the side following his ankle injury, but in the home meeting against Arena-Essex on 26 June he crashed again, this time damaging knee ligaments. As in 1994, guest riders were the order of the day and there were plenty of them as the season wore on. At the end of July, Marvyn Cox was brought in to plug the gap left by the injury to David Norris, and David Mullett also returned after a month on the sidelines. Tony Olsson enjoyed a successful Testimonial meeting on 23 July, when a star-studded line-up turned out to honour a very popular Racer. Tony’s Select won a four-team tournament with 37 points. Managed by Exeter press officer Tony Lethbridge, the winning team comprised Chris Louis, Lars Gunnestad, Ronnie Correy, Alun Rossiter and Mark Simmonds. Reading were second on 33 points, while Oxford scored 29 points and Swindon brought up the rear with just 9 points. Other riders on show included Armando Castagna, Jimmy Nilsen and Craig Boyce, while old favourites Malcolm Holloway and Peter Glanz made a welcome track return to Smallmead. At the end of the season, it was announced that Tony would receive a cheque for £14,000. It was a welcome bonus for a rider who had been struggling with an overactive thyroid gland for much of the season.

At the end of August, Marvyn Cox left the Racers due to the cost of travel from his German base and the lack of sponsorship. Marvyn had actually become German Champion and rode in the revamped World Championship Grand Prix series, scoring 54 points from his six rounds. It wasn’t enough to guarantee him an automatic place in the 1996 Grand Prix though, so ‘Cocker’ had to try and get through the Grand Prix Challenge at Lonigo in October. In a tense meeting, Marvyn rode superbly, scoring 13 points and finishing as runner-up to Leigh Adams.

So it was another difficult season for the Racers, who were again plagued by injuries and saw crowd levels drop off, probably more as a direct result of losing Per Jonsson the previous year than anything else. Thirteenth place out of twenty-one probably wasn’t too bad, all things considered, and the riders battled away gamely. David Norris was ‘Mr Entertainment’ prior to his injury, as was Marvyn Cox during his short spell as a Racer. David Mullett put in another tremendous year, quickly recovering from two injuries to notch up 268 points for an 8.31 league and Knock Out Cup average. Petri Kokko did well in his first full year of British Speedway, finishing with an average a shade under 6, and the potential was obviously there for the future. Phil Morris continued to plug away as ever, always giving maximum commitment. Captain Tony Olsson had a good Testimonial year, despite his health problems, and Ray Morton too had a very consistent season, banging in over 300 points for a 7-point average. Finally, Lee Richardson (as mentioned before) found it an uphill struggle, but the future certainly looked bright.

Quite simply, 1996 was the Racers’ worst-ever season in top-flight racing, as they finished bottom of the league for the first time in their history. On the team front, David Norris went back to Eastbourne, but the task of finding a new number one rider seemed almost impossible. Eventually Erik Stenlund was brought in, but he could only manage to ride for eight days due to other commitments. The remainder of the side was pretty much as it had been in 1995, with the only other change seeing David Steen replace Lee Richardson in order to comply with the BSPA average ceiling. A special mention is due to Tony Olsson, who didn’t receive the necessary surgery on his thyroid gland until February, but still took his place at the start of the season. This was absolutely typical of Tony’s loyalty to the Racers; meanwhile, Ray Morton became the third different club captain in as many years.

The opening Smallmead meeting, a challenge match against Swindon on 25 March, was abandoned after just four heats due to rain. The following week, Peterborough arrived for a Premier League fixture, and left with the league points following a 50-46 victory. Erik Stenlund did well enough, scoring paid 9 points. However, Erik could only fit in one more match, the following Monday against Long Eaton, when he scored paid 10 points. In mid-April Jan Pedersen, who had helped out in 1994, re-joined the Racers on loan. It was a short and unsuccessful stay for the Dane though, who rode in twelve league and Knock Out Cup matches, scoring just 47 points. By the end of May, Jan made way for the return of the ‘Italian Stallion’ Armando Castagna. After a troublesome start against Ipswich on 3 June, when he just couldn’t get his machinery going properly, Armando set about adding some much needed bite to the Racers.

The World Championship trail had started early, with the British semi-final stage being held in April. Ray Morton did well, scoring 10 points at Poole and 11 points at Oxford, to qualify for the British Final at Coventry on 28 April. Joining Ray at Brandon Stadium was David Mullett, who was seeded direct. David scored 6 points at Coventry, but Ray continued his merry march forward with 8 points and a place in the ‘B’ final. Unfortunately, an engine failure cost him a higher placing, but eighth overall was enough for a spot in the Overseas Final, which was again staged at Coventry on 9 June. Ray tried everything he knew in the Overseas Final, scoring 7 points, but the meeting was marred by controversy, however, as many of the competing riders refused to use the newly-introduced solid block tyres, with the meeting being held up for an hour or so while arguments raged.

By the middle of June, Ray Morton had given up the team captaincy, with Petri Kokko taking over. Shortly afterwards, Ray was snapped up by Hull, who moved quickly to sign him on loan, with the Racers bringing in leggy German Jorg Pingel as a loaned replacement from Exeter. 5 August was a special day for Dave Stallworthy, as he took over permanently from Bob Radford as meeting announcer. Bob had decided to stand down and was the leaving the microphone in very capable hands. That special night for Dave featured a Premier League match against Hull, which the Racers won 54-42, with Petri Kokko leading the scoring on 13 points. Peter York was also away that night, working on the Isle of Wight as commentator for a jousting competition.

Reading Ravens surfaced in 1996, joining the British Conference League. Among the riders used by the new side were Youth Grass-track Champion Roger Lobb, and another grass-tracker in the shape of the extrovert Darren Andrews. Other team members included Carl Checketts, Mick Hester, Bill Haynes, Rob Cooling and Steve Targett. Lee Richardson also appeared in five matches for the Ravens, as did Lance Sealey. The side eventually finished eleventh out of thirteen teams, with the top man being Roger Lobb, closely followed by Darren Andrews. Lee Richardson is worthy of mention, for he achieved an average in excess of 11.5 from the handful of matches he rode in. With Reading having a team in the Conference League, it meant a first-ever visit to Smallmead of the Wight Wizards, who hailed from Ryde on the Isle of Wight. Included in the Wizards side for that first visit on 19 August was future Racer Justin Elkins, who roared to a 15-point maximum, as the visitors took a 40-38 victory. The second half of the meeting featured pre-war and post-war speedway machines, including Douglas, Rudge and early Jawas.

The Racers were covered by cable television throughout the season by a company called Tele Cential and the man providing race commentary was none other than a great friend to Reading Speedway over the years, Nick Dyer. Every so often a race sticks out in your mind and one such occurred at Smallmead on 2 September when Coventry visited. Going into heat fifteen, the Racers held a slim 2-point advantage as the riders came to the line. Armando Castagna and Tony Olsson represented Reading, while the Andersen brothers Brian and Jan, lined up for the Bees. Armando and Brian Andersen proceeded to trade places throughout the race in a wheel-to-wheel, shoulder-to-shoulder battle, with Armando coming home just in front to give the Racers a hard-fought 50-46 victory. It was an absolutely incredible race and the ‘Italian Stallion’ received a standing ovation from the Smallmead faithful.

On 14 October, the Per Jonsson Appeal meeting was held at Smallmead and the idea behind this and a previously-staged charity ice hockey match was to try and raise funds to buy Per a remarkable bed, which turned into a mobile chair at the flick of a switch. Sadly, the meeting between a Reading Select and a Swindon Select was abandoned due to heavy rain after just seven heats, with Reading leading 27-15. Several top stars had turned up to help this worthwhile cause, including recently crowned World Champion Billy Hamill, along with Jason Crump, Brian Karger and former Racers Jeremy Doncaster and Ray Morton. Fortunately, the bad weather came too late to stop the appeal from reaching the necessary amount to purchase the much needed equipment to make Per’s life a little more comfortable.

The Premier League Riders’ Championship took place at Bradford on 19 October, and Armando put on a terrific show, scoring 8 points from his four qualifying rides. His tally included a win in heat thirteen over Leigh Adams, Steve Johnston and Brian Andersen (again). Reading’s favourite Italian then lined up in the first semi-final against Adams and Andersen once more, plus Jason Crump. Sadly for Armando, he could only manage third place behind the flying Australians Crump and Adams, but it was a gallant effort as he just missed out on a place in the grand final.

Summing up the year, Tony Olsson finished as top man and how many times in the Racers’ history has a Swede done that? Tony rattled up 371 points for the ‘Winged Wheel’ and was obviously fitter than he had been the previous year. Armando Castagna was a little less consistent than in his last year at Smallmead (1994), but he still piled up over 200 points and was as popular as ever with the fans. The ever-loyal David Mullett completed his ninth full year as a Racer, but he was dogged by a series of seemingly endless bangs which knocked 1.5 points off his final average. Thankfully, David seemed to have ridden through the worst of it by the end of the year though. Petri Kokko found things hard and failed to progress from his excellent first year, but the potential was obviously still there. David Steen put in a steady season to score 180 points for a very creditable 5-point average. Likeable Jorg Pingel also did well in his 18-match stint for the Racers, averaging over 4.5 points. Phil Morris had a year to forget though, only reaching double figures once – at Cradley & Stoke on 17 July. Phil’s average actually dropped for the third season in a row, although it had consistently hovered around the 5-point mark since 1993.

It was all change in 1997 as the one big league was split into two, with the formation of a ten-team Elite League (i.e. First Division) and a fourteen-team Premier League (i.e. Second Division). Due to the falling attendances at Smallmead, Reading opted to go into the Premier League. Initially, many Racers supporters were dismayed at this decision, but once they had witnessed the superb standard of racing, they warmed to the idea. After three difficult years in the top league, it proved to be the right decision, as the Racers stormed to the league title and the glory days were back at Smallmead!

There were several changes to the on-track personnel, which saw Phil Morris spend the season on loan to Stoke, while Tony Olsson moved on to Swindon for a year of Elite League racing. Petri Kokko was the other non-returning rider, and he ended up sitting out the entire British season. David Mullett remained at Smallmead to lead the side and also staying on was David Steen from the 1996 line-up. Lee Richardson came back after a year on loan at Poole, and was joined by new boys Paul Pickering via Bradford, and Glenn Cunningham from Swindon. The format of teams was somewhat different in 1997, as six-man sides were tracked including one reserve rider, plus a track reserve in case of injuries. The reserve rider was allowed to take as many as seven rides in a match. Making up the Racers six was Tara O’Callaghan, who had previously had a handful of meetings with Eastbourne

There were off-track changes too, as ex-Racer Malcolm Holloway came in as speedway administrator. Further changes saw Bill Taylor join Alf Weedon as the second track photographer, while Doug Plester became the new starting marshall. The Smallmead season opened on 31 March with a challenge match against Oxford and a 48-42 victory, which included double-figure returns from David Mullett, Glenn Cunningham and Paul Pickering. This really did bode well for the season ahead, however, the next home match against Arena-Essex in the Knock Out Cup on 7 April, saw Tara O’Callaghan crash out in the first heat. It was a bad crash and Tara was taken away in the ambulance nursing a broken leg, and his season was over almost as soon as it had started. The Racers rallied though, and Lee Richardson took extra rides to cover for the injured rider and ended up with paid 12 points, his best-ever performance up to that point. Glenn Cunningham also rattled up his first-ever 15-point maximum, as the Racers ran out winners by 53 points to 37.

The Racers opted to operate the rider replacement rule to cover for the injured Tara O’Callaghan, which meant a couple of meetings for Roger Lobb, before Bobby Eldridge came in as track reserve. Led magnificently by David Mullett, the Racers continued on their merry way, topping the southern group of the Premier League Cup, winning 7 of their ten matches to progress into the semi-final. Double-figure scores were coming thick and fast from David, and he was well backed by Glenn Cunningham, who became known as the ‘Bristol Bomber’ as he stormed around Smallmead and piled up the points. Lee Richardson was improving all the time and was helped in no small way by ex-Racer John Davis.

On 26 May, Edinburgh visited Smallmead and David Mullett top scored with 14 points as the Racers won 50-40. David’s performance earned him the right to challenge Peter Carr for the first Silver Helmet match race to ever take place at Smallmead, and he didn’t disappoint the home fans as he roared to victory. The following week though, after the Racers had seen off Sheffield 59-31, David unfortunately lost the helmet to the flying Robbie Kessler. The Racers then notched up away league wins at Hull (49-41), Sheffield (46-44) and Newcastle (48-41) in a brilliant five-day spell which saw them move to the top of the league table. The victory at Newcastle on 8 June was marred by a heat seven crash though, which saw Paul Pickering taken to hospital with a broken collarbone. Incidentally, in the match at Sheffield on 5 June, Glenn Cunningham challenged Robbie Kessler for the Silver Helmet, but had to concede second-best to the German ace.

On 4 July, the Racers travelled up to Edinburgh for the first leg of the Knock Out Cup semi-final, and despite a brilliant 14 points from David Mullett, they went down by 12 points (39-51). David did have the satisfaction though of smashing the Armadale track record in the first heat. ‘Pickers’ was back by the time Edinburgh came down to Smallmead for the second leg on 21 July, but the Racers could only manage a 48-42 victory on the night, with the Monarchs going through by an aggregate victory of 93 points to 87. The end of July saw Krister Marsh come into the side to replace Bobby Eldridge, who had been having a tough time of it.

No matter what, the Racers continued on their march to the League Championship, suffering rare defeats at Glasgow and Long Eaton, before going right through August and into September with nine straight wins. A defeat at Edinburgh on 12 September was followed by a league-clinching victory over Newport at Smallmead on 15 September. It was a real party night as the Racers beat the Wasps by 52 points to 38. Glenn Cunningham led the way with 14 points and was well backed by David Mullett’s 12 points, as Reading claimed their fifth league title. The final league match of the year was at the Isle of Wight five days later, and saw the Racers suffer what was only their fourth league defeat of a glorious campaign.

David Mullett was the dominant rider, finishing on top of the overall Premier League averages with a staggering 10.68 figure. Glenn Cunningham had his best-ever year in speedway, finishing fourth in the PL averages on 10.06, proving he had well and truly arrived in his chosen sport. Great team-man David Steen had a tremendous year, notching 300 points in league and Knock Out Cup matches, and Lee Richardson also plundered 300 points in a season of real progress for the youngster. Paul Pickering was probably expected to do a little better, but certainly wasn’t helped by the collarbone injury at Newcastle – even so he still rattled up 276 points. Finally, Krister Marsh only rode half the season and found it tough going, but never stopped plugging away.

In the Premier League Riders’ Championship at Coventry on 13 September, the Racers had two representatives. David Mullett top scored in the qualifying heats with 12 points to gain a place in the semi-final, and Glenn Cunningham also made it to the semi-final, scoring 10 points. The ‘Bristol Bomber’ then scampered into the final by finishing second behind Peter Carr in the first semi-final. However, David wasn’t quite so fortunate as he came in third, behind Brett Woodifield and Robert Eriksson in the second semi-final. The final saw a first-bend clash which left Brett Woodifield in a heap. The race was stopped with the exclusion of Woodifield, but Peter ‘The Motor’ Carr made no mistake in the re-run, as he came home ahead of Glenn and Robert Eriksson. But all the same, second place for Glenn was a tremendous achievement.

The Premier League Pairs Championship was staged at Oxford on 26 September, with the Racers being represented by David Mullett and Lee Richardson. Despite a brilliant effort from Lee (who scored 19 points) and David (12 points), the Racers had to settle for the runners-up position, just 2 points behind the Long Eaton duo of Carl Stonehewer and Martin Dixon. The end-of-season Young Shield play-offs resulted in a quarter-final aggregate victory over the Isle of Wight by 113 points to 67, but the Racers lost out to Exeter in the semi-final, going down 84-96 on aggregate.

Smallmead also staged Amateur League racing in 1997, but due to there being thirteen teams in the league, it would have been impossible to stage a full home league programme of twelve fixtures. This problem was solved by Reading and Swindon teaming up under the banner of the M4 Raven Sprockets to stage six home meetings each. The Amateur League side did reasonably well to finish in seventh position, winning three of their home meetings at Smallmead and four at Swindon. The Raven Sprockets also enjoyed success on their travels at Lathallan, Buxton and against Belle Vue (although the match was staged at Buxton). Gary Phelps, John Jefferies, Keith Lansley, Steve Targett, Wayne Holloway, Simon Moon, Shane Colvin, Martin Williams, Ian Clarke and Karl Bainbridge all received an extended run in the side, with Jefferies topping the averages.

As the 1998 season started, everybody wondered how the Racers would follow the golden year of 1997. As it turned out, they did pretty well, finishing second in the league, behind the powerful Peterborough side, but they had some revenge, beating the Panthers over two legs to lift the Knock Out Cup. Conventional seven-man teams were the order of the day, as the format returned to the traditional way. Team changes saw Phil Morris return after a year at Stoke, while also returning was the popular Finn Petri Kokko. As usual, David Mullett was back, and joining him from the previous year were Lee Richardson and Krister Marsh, while completing the team were Justin Elkins and Lee Driver. From the previous season, Glenn Cunningham moved on to Peterborough, while David Steen linked up with Glasgow, and Paul Pickering spent the year at Stoke.

The season started at Edinburgh in the first leg of the Premiership on 27 March, but David Mullett was missing with a virus. Jesper Olsen stepped in as a brilliant guest, scoring 16 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Racers from going down to a 37-52 defeat. The tapes went up at Smallmead on 30 March with the second leg of the Premiership. Despite 14 points apiece from Petri Kokko and the fit-again David Mullett, Reading lost the opener by 42 points to 48, and the mighty Monarchs took the trophy by a handsome 100-79 scoreline on aggregate. The Racers got a much-needed win under their belt the following week though, when the Isle of Wight were sent packing 54-35 at Smallmead in a Knock Out Cup match. A solid team performance saw paid double-figure returns from Lee Richardson, Petri Kokko, Phil Morris and Justin Elkins. On 12 April, Reading notched up a brilliant 49-41 victory at Newport, which included a magnificent 15-point maximum from the ‘Flying Finn’ Petri Kokko.

The British Under-21 Championship Final took place at Arena-Essex on 24 April, with Scott Nicholls emerging victorious on 14 points. However, in second spot was the Racers’ sensational Lee Richardson on 13 points. This was a superb performance from Lee, as the line-up of riders included Paul Lee, David Howe, Andre Compton, Simon Stead and Blair Scott. It was made all the more remarkable by the fact that Lee broke his hand in a heat seven crash, but got back up to ride in the re-run and complete the rest of his rides! Unfortunately, Lee’s injury put him out of action for a month, with the Racers having to call on several guests to plug the gap.

May saw the Racers complete their Knock Out Cup fixtures, but not before they had suffered home and away defeats to Peterborough in the competition. How ironic it was that they should eventually turn the tables on the Panthers in the final at the end of the season. The match at Peterborough was a disaster, for not only did the Racers get hammered 27-60, but young Lee Driver was involved in a dreadful heat two crash, which left him with a broken thigh and crushed vertebra. To summarize briefly the Racers’ Knock Out Cup record in the southern group section, 5 wins and a draw were enough to claim second spot and a place in the semi-final. Sadly, Lee Driver was out for the rest of the season and was subsequently replaced by Ian Clarke. Thankfully, by the end of May Lee Richardson was back in the saddle and he never looked back, rattling up double-figure scores everywhere the Racers went.

A Honda challenge match was staged at Smallmead on 22 June, as the Racers took on Newport. The visitors adapted better to the Honda machinery, winning by 51 points to 39. The racing was somewhat slower than normal and there was not much of interest for the supporters to enthuse over. At the start of July, Phil Morris joined the injured list when he broke an elbow in a French grass-track meeting. Phil was out of action for two months, during which time the Racers operated the rider-replacement facility. A further team change saw Paul Clews joining (via Peterborough) to replace Ian Clarke, who had struggled with the pace of Premier League racing. On 16 July, the Racers journeyed up to Sheffield for the first leg of the Knock Out Cup semi-final and a brilliant performance saw them return with a 45-45 draw. Heroes of the night were Justin Elkins (with a quite superb paid 13 points) and skipper Petri Kokko (who weighed in with 13 points). The second leg was held at Smallmead on 20 July, and the Racers ran riot with a 56-34 victory. Lee Richardson plundered 17 points and was ably backed by David Mullett (paid 14) and Petri Kokko (11), as the Racers marched into the final with an aggregate victory of 101-79.

The Premier League Pairs Championship was held at Newport on 26 July, with Reading being represented by David Mullett and Petri Kokko. David scored 9 points and Petri 8, as the Racers qualified for the semi-final. Petri went on to win the second semi-final, but unfortunately David fell off and although he remounted, he was unable to catch the Peterborough pair of Brett Woodifield and former Racer Glenn Cunningham. Under the scoring system, that meant a place in the final for Peterborough, who went on to win the event ahead of Exeter. David Steen celebrated his Testimonial at Smallmead on 3 August in a meeting entitled ‘Bike Mania’. This featured speedway, moto-cross, quads and sidecars, with a crowd of over 3,000 in attendance. The speedway section of the event was won by David Mullett, after he had beaten Chris Louis in a run-off. Other riders taking part included Joe Screen, Todd Wiltshire, Armando Castagna, Carl Stonehewer, Jeremy Doncaster and Ray Morton.

The Racers had done well in the Four-Team Championship qualifying rounds, earning themselves a place in the semi-final at Peterborough on 30 August. Led by Lee Richardson with a maximum 6 points, they easily won their group for a place in the final, where they were joined by Edinburgh, Hull and Peterborough. Sadly, Reading couldn’t reproduce their semi-final form, as Peterborough stormed to victory with 24 points, ahead of Edinburgh (19), Hull (19) and the Racers on 10 points. Thirty years of Reading Speedway was celebrated at Smallmead on the evening of 31 August, when many ex-riders, team managers and officials turned up for the league match with Exeter. The reunion was organized by the Racers’ team manager Tim Sugar and was a roaring success. Bob Radford made a return to the microphone, interviewing many of the assembled guests, who witnessed the Racers run out winners by 59 points to 31. Reading were led quite magnificently by Lee Richardson with an outstanding 18-point maximum. This followed up an identical performance by Lee at Exeter in the morning, but it hadn’t been enough to stop the Racers from losing 41-49. There surely can’t be many riders who have scored 36 points on a single day in the whole history of speedway!

After beating Sheffield in the Knock Out Cup at Smallmead on 20 June, the Racers put together a marvellous run of eight wins in nine Premier League fixtures, to consolidate themselves in second position behind powerful Peterborough. The only reverse was the match at Exeter (previously mentioned), when Lee Richardson went through the card. Sheffield staged the Premier League Riders’ Championship on 13 September, with Lee Richardson taking his place in the line-up. It wasn’t Lee’s day though, as he scored 6 points and was excluded from one ride in a meeting that was sensationally won by former Racer Glenn Cunningham.

The first leg of the Knock Out Cup final was staged at Peterborough on 18 September, and what a showdown it promised to be between the best two teams in the Premier League. Phil Morris had just made his track return, so the Racers were at full strength, and they produced a brilliant performance at the home of the League Champions. Lee Richardson roared to 14 points and Petri Kokko scored 12, as the Racers won in brilliant style by 46 points to 44. The second leg was held at Smallmead on 21 September and the Racers ran riot, winning 57-33 amidst a great party atmosphere. Lee Richardson again led the way with an immaculate 18-point maximum, while backing him up with 10 points apiece were David Mullett and Petri Kokko, as the Racers stormed to an aggregate 103-77 victory. The cup was subsequently presented to skipper Petri Kokko by former Racers legend Jan Andersson. David Mullett also claimed a place in the Reading history books for being the only Racer to win two Knock Out Cup finals with the club, in 1990 and 1998.

After the cup joy, the end of season Young Shield play-offs were something of an anti-climax, as the Racers went down to Glasgow by 88 points to 91 on aggregate. At the end of the season, Reading boasted no fewer than three men in the top ten of the overall Premier League averages. Lee Richardson was in third place with a staggering 9.96 figure, and had been absolutely brilliant throughout the season – he was by far the most improved rider in the league. Not quite so dominant in 1998, but fifth in the overall PL averages was David Mullett on 9.69, who completed his eleventh full-time season for the Racers. Seventh in the PL averages was Petri Kokko on 9.41, and he led the side by example in what was his best-ever year in the sport.

Backing up the top three was Krister Marsh, who notched up 190 points from his 37 league and Knock Out Cup matches, and showed great improvement throughout the season. Justin Elkins accumulated 164 points, but it could have been so much more, if only he could have solved his mechanical problems. Battling Phil Morris had a year to forget however, as he spent the bulk of it on the injured list following the aforementioned grass-track spill in France, but the potential was still there, if only he could stay injury-free. Paul Clews came into the side late on and proved popular with the crowd, who appreciated his non-stop battling efforts. The final Smallmead fixture of the season was a challenge match against Newport on 12 October. The Racers ran out winners by 56 points to 34, and the match featured a 15-point maximum from Petri Kokko, and a paid 15-pointer from the sensational Lee Richardson.

A Southern Track Riders meeting was held at Smallmead on 15 November, with Shane Colvin winning the open event, while all-rounder Les Rowlands won the Over-40s event. The year ended on a very sad note in early December, when Bill Dore died in Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, at the age of seventy-six, almost a month after being admitted following a stroke. Tributes poured in from riders past and present for the man who had been the backbone of Reading Speedway, and there is no doubt that Bill was sorely missed by everyone connected with the club.

Pat Bliss started the 1999 season as sole promoter after the sad death of her father, but after two fantastic seasons of on-track success, the Racers came down with a bump. Team changes saw Krister Marsh link with Swindon, and Lee Richardson moved on to Poole in the Elite League. This was a quite understandable move for Lee after his superb year in 1998. Youngsters Peter Collyer and Shane Colvin were brought into the side, the rest of which was made up from 1998 regulars Phil Morris, Justin Elkins, Paul Clews and the evergreen David Mullett. Meanwhile, one off-track change in 1999 saw Reg Willis take over as the new starting marshall at Smallmead.

The tapes went up on the 25th consecutive season at Smallmead on 15 March when Newport arrived for the first leg of the Severn Bridge Trophy. It was a bad start for the Racers though, with the Wasps winning 51-38. Top man for Reading was David Mullett with 9 points, meanwhile Craig Watson collected a 15-point maximum for the visitors. The second leg, six days later, resulted in another Newport victory, by 54 points to 36, meaning an aggregate success of 105-74 for the Wasps. The Racers then got going with an aggregate success over old rivals Swindon in the Thames Valley Trophy. A 43-50 reverse at Blunsdon was followed by a 52-41 victory at Smallmead on 22 March, with Petri Kokko grabbing 14 points. A new competition, the Premier National Trophy, then started the season officially and Marc Norris, having just turned sixteen, took over from Peter Collyer in the team. The Racers won all four of their home group matches in the new competition, but unfortunately, lost all the away meetings to give them a final group position of fourth out of five teams.

The league campaign kicked off at Workington on 8 May with the Racers forcing a splendid 45-45 draw. The following day, they won 48-42 at Glasgow. Things looked even better the day after that, as the Racers won 49-44 at Newcastle with Petri Kokko recording a 15-point maximum at his former home track. Further success followed with home and away wins against Glasgow in the Knock Out Cup and Smallmead victories against Exeter and Glasgow (again) in the Premier League. The away Knock Out Cup match at Glasgow on 23 May was marred, however, by a heat fourteen crash which left Marc Norris nursing a broken arm. This meant an enforced lay-off for the youngster, who had been riding extremely well up to that point. Finn Jarno Kosonen was subsequently drafted into the side as his replacement. The following day, a Stars of Tomorrow meeting was held at Smallmead, and this resulted in a win for Jon Underwood with a 15-point maximum. Graig Gough finished second on 13 points, ahead of Simon Moon, who notched 11 points and beat Gary Phelps in a run-off for third place.

Three Premier League defeats at Edinburgh, Berwick and Newcastle followed, with the match at Berwick ending in controversy as Petri Kokko fell and suffered back injuries in heat thirteen. Rain had fallen throughout the day and the Racers refused to complete the match, due to the condition of the track. Disaster struck at Smallmead on 21 June, and the league match against Sheffield would be remembered for one thing only, a frightening horror smash in heat ten involving David Mullett and Andre Compton. Poor David Mullett ended up going through the fence and hitting the uprights as he went, suffering a broken left thigh and right ankle. The injury was to put David out of action for well over a year. The result of the meeting was academic, with the Racers going down by 40 points to 49.

The Racers then had three riders out injured and were in trouble as league defeats followed at the Isle of Wight and Sheffield. The Racers then made a quick exit from the Four-Team Championship, finishing bottom of their group. The Fours qualifying rounds were marred by an injury to Shane Colvin in the reserves race at Smallmead on 5 July though. This meant a return to the side for young Peter Collyer. Brief respite came in the second round of the Knock Out Cup against Sheffield at Smallmead on 12 July, as Petri Kokko and Marc Norris returned to help the Racers take a narrow 46-44 victory against the best team in the league. Three days later, however, they were well beaten (35-55) in the return at Owlerton. There was great news on 7 August, as former Racer Lee Richardson won the World Under-21 Championship in Vojens, Denmark, ahead of Ales Dryml and Nigel Sadler. This was a tremendous achievement for young Lee, as he took victory with a 13-point tally. There was a marvellous array of talent in the field, which apart from the top three included Hans Andersen, Charlie Gjedde, Bjarne Pedersen, Scott Nicholls, David Howe, Simon Stead and Chris Slabon.

Three weeks after the terrible accident to David Mullett, a new Swede was brought in to replace the veteran in the Racers’ beleaguered side. His name was Per Wester, who arrived on the recommendation of former Racer Jan Andersson, and he was to prove a great acquisition. A further change saw Justin Elkins, who had been having continuous problems with his machinery, announce his decision to quit, although he later linked up with Edinburgh. On 12 September the Premier League Riders’ Championship was staged at Sheffield, with Phil Morris representing the Racers. Against the cream of the Premier League, Phil battled away, but 5 points were all he could muster on the night.

It wasn’t until the last home league match of the year on 20 September that the Racers won again. Edinburgh were the visitors and a superb paid 15-pointer from Petri Kokko – ably backed by paid 14 from Per Wester and 13 from Phil Morris – led the Racers to a 51-39 victory. This, in fact, was the first home league victory since 7 June, when Glasgow were defeated. The Racers won only five league matches all season and slumped to the bottom of the league, but despite this, the standard of racing seen at Smallmead was quite brilliant throughout the year. The regular fans seemed to appreciate the racing, none more so than the girls in the middle of the grandstand, who created a superb atmosphere all year long. As the season ended, long-serving Racers team manager Tim Sugar announced his decision to quit the post, stating that he needed to take a break having done the job since 1988. Tim had been a wonderful team manager, leading the Racers to the British League and Knock Out Cup double in 1990; the Premiership in 1991; the Division One League Championship and BSPA Cup double in 1992; the Premiership in 1993; the Premier League Championship in 1997; and the Premier League Knock Out Cup in 1998 – a truly brilliant record.

Quickly running through the 1999 boys, Phil Morris had his best year in the sport and realized all his early potential with greatly improved confidence. It was magic to watch Phil slice his way through the opposition at Smallmead as he rattled up 239 points and stayed free from injury. Petri Kokko was solid and led the team’s scoring with 258 league and Knock Out Cup points, despite one or two injury problems. Good old David Mullett had settled back into the scoring groove, until he suffered that terrible injury against Sheffield. It was an awful thing to happen to a man who had given so much for the mighty ‘Winged Wheel’.

Per Wester came in and was a revelation, scoring 140 points from the 13 matches he appeared in. Per had actually been known as Per Karlsson previously, but took his girlfriend’s name upon the birth of their baby! Smashing lad Paul Clews battled away gamely and improved as the season wore on, scoring 157 points from 28 matches. Marc Norris burst on to the scene, but took that nasty bang at Glasgow, which took the steam out of his sails. When Justin Elkins was on form, he looked like a tiger hunched over the handlebars and was wonderful to watch, but sadly his equipment let him down all too often. Finally, popular Finn Jarno Kosonen showed glimpses of form in some races, but was sadly off the pace in many others.

There was sad news in November, with the death of long-serving track marshall John Hook. It was also announced that Edna Chandler had died. Edna had for many years done so much work behind the scenes for the club and been a loyal supporter of the team. That same month, Channel 4 screened a fly-on-the-wall look at Reading Speedway and very good it was too, looking particularly at the careers of Phil Morris and Peter Collyer.


By Robert Bamford, extracted from Speedway in the Thames Valley (Tempus Publishing).