| March | ||
| 26th | The Smallmead Classic | Dave Mullett |
| A poor field for the opening meeting at Smallmead. Justin Elkins was very poor with 'engine failures' and really should not have been booked for the meeting. Mullett, Castagna and Gjedde all looked class. | ||
| 31st | Eastbourne Eagles Vs Oxford Cheetahs (EL) | 45 - 45 |
| A close meeting odd the odd-shaped Arlington circuit. Leigh Adams looked very good whilst Todd Wiltshire was struggling. Second-half was cancelled which was very dissapointing. | ||
| April | ||
| 2nd | Reading Racers Vs Swindon Robins (PT) | 48 - 42 |
| Good to see us beat the Robins for a change. Weather was poor which affected the racing. I think Charlie Gjedde is going to do very well for us this season. Shane Colvin had a good meeting too with 6+1 from four rides. | ||
| 6th | Oxford Cheetahs Vs Eastbourne Eagles (EL) | 47 - 43 |
| My second ever visit to Oxford. My first one was a disaster due to going a strange way from Woking and then getting lost due to the crap directions on a website. This one went very well though. managed to get a goodparking place in the car park (one where you don't get blocked in) and then a tasty cheeseburger. Some good racing too. I will have to go to Oxford more often. Far superior than Eastbourne and Arena Essex. Just a shame there is nowhere to sit. | ||
| 9th | Reading Racers Vs Newport Wasps (PT) | 46 - 44 |
| Not as convincing win as hoped for. wasps could have actually got a draw in the last heat but Phil Morris held off Glenn Cunningham two get the Racers both points but looks as if the bonus has gone. | ||
| 13th | Arena Essex Hammers Vs Reading Racers (PT) | 47 - 42 |
| Run the Hammers fairly close but they just kept winning the heats after heat 6. | ||
| 23rd | Reading Racers Vs Trelawny Tigers (PT) | 68 - 22 |
| Well Trelawny were an already weak team that were weakened even further by an injury and having Chris Harris at the U-21 meeting. Good pay day for the Racers. | ||
| 28th | Workington Comets Vs Edinburgh Monarchs (PT) | 48 - 42 |
| Jesus tap dancing Christ! A decent meeting at Derwent Park! Quite a bit of passing especially from Edinburghs young Aussie Christian Henry. | ||
| 30th | Reading Racers Vs Arena Essex Hammers (PT) | 59 - 31 |
| Very fine meeting indeed. Paul Clews was the star getting a 5 ride paid max after he knackered his no.1 bike up in a bad crash. Nice to see a collection for Paul to help him out with the costs for repairing his bike. Some good passing too. | ||
| May | ||
| 6th | Newport Wasps Vs Reading Racers (Severn Bridge Trophy First Leg) | 48 - 42 |
| I thought we might run the Wasps a bit closer than 6 points but Armando Castagna was riding in Italy so we had Andy Appleton as a guest. He scored 6+1 from 4 rides and didn't win a race. I think Mando would have got a few more points. The racing wasn't brilliant and the riders seemed to be having trouble controlling their machines. | ||
| 6th | Reading Racers Vs Newport Wasps (Severn Bridge Trophy Second Leg) | 57 - 33 (99 - 81) |
| Two meetings in the same day, I haven't done this for a while. The Severn Bridge trophy was kept at Smallmead with a convincing win. Chris Neath who was excellent for the Wasps earlier in the day looked to be suffering and didn't score a point. | ||
| 14th | Reading Racers Vs Isle of White Islanders (PT) | 44 - 46 |
| D'oh!!! This defeat almost certainly means we won't qualify for the Premier trophy Semis. This is a big dissapointment. We only lost by 4 points at Smallbrook so we could reasonably expect a win and the bonus at home but it was not to be. Charlie Gjedde was missing because he was on international duty. Had he been at Smallmead I think we would have won. | ||
| 21st | Reading Racers Vs Arena-Essex Hammers (KOC 1st rnd 2nd leg) | 48 - 42 (93 - 87) |
| The Essex boys did a lot better than their previous visit to Smallmead. We were missing Colvin but Chris Schramm did a good job with 5+2 from 7 rides including beating Shaun Tacey. | ||
| 26th | The British Final at Coventry | Mark Loram |
| This meeting was ruined by terrible track preparation. It was televised live on Sky Sports which made it all the more worse. Loram won but main rival Chris Louis was injured after winning his first two rides and withdrew from the meeting. Surprise of the night was Stuart Robson who won a thrilling run-off with Martin Dugard to finish second. | ||
| 27th | World U-21 Quarter Final at Peterborough | Lukas Dryml |
| Peterboroughs first FIM event I think and once the starting gate had been sorted a good meeting. Dryml was the best rider on display and it was interesting to see a South African rider (Eugene Smith) and a couple of Dutch riders. Theo Pijper was particulary impressive and qualified for the next round. | ||
| 28th | Reading Racers Vs Swindon Robins (PL) | 45 - 45 |
| The third meeting of my Bank Holiday Speedway special. We should have won this but Swindon got two 5-1's in contriversial circumstances in the last two heats to get a draw. We missed Shane Colvin again who was replaced by Will Beveridge. Gjedde was excluded from heat 15 after Moggo fell bringing Fry off. Gjedde denied there was any contact but GP ref Tony Steele ruled otherwise and Fry and Moggo went out again and got a 5-1 over Mando. Gutted! | ||
| June | ||
| 4th | Reading Racers Vs Hull Vikings (PL) | 45 - 45 |
| A match in which I think we were lucky to get a point. Vikings were hit by a few crashes and engine failures. Paul Thorp for the Vikings looked very impressive. The track was slick and dusty offering no chance for our riders to pass the opposition. Track preparation has got to be looked at. It all came down to a last heat decider with Racers needing a 5-1 to draw the match. Armando and Charlie managed it but only after some hard riding which brought protests from the Hull riders. | ||
| 11th | Reading Racers Vs Trelawny Tigers (PL) | 63 - 27 |
| Well on this visit they had a full strength team but it didn't do them much good. Brett Woodifield was the only Tiger to look half-decent. Steffen Mell was not impressive. Racing was not much cop but I think that was largely down to Trelawny being poor. Edinburgh next week so that should be far better. | ||
| 18th | Reading Racers Vs Edinburgh Monarchs (PL) | 50 - 40 |
| A storming 15 point max from Armando helped the Racers to victory here. The Monarchs used 3 tac subs to keep the deficit down to 10 points. Dave Mulletts improved form continued with a run out in heat 15 where he beat Robert Eriksson. | ||
| 23rd | Workington Comets Vs Reading Racers (PL) | 47 - 43 |
| Slightly dissapointed not to win here. Gjedde only scored 4 points. Mando was still flying and scored 15 points from 6 rides which included two wins over Stonehewer. Reasonable start to the Northern Tour though. | ||
| 24th | Glasgow Tigers Vs Reading Racers (PL) | 44 - 46 |
| First time I have seen Reading win away! Great meeting in which we were more dominant than the scoreline suggests. Mando once again the star for the Racers but took a nasty knock in heat 15. Chris Schramm did superbly in heat 14 to win the race ahead of Derek Sneddon and Simon Cartwright to clinch the win after Mullett had fell whilst leading. A really nice track to go to. | ||
| 25th | Newcastle Diamonds Vs Reading Racers (PL) | 49 - 41 |
| My first new track of the season and the last meeting of the Northern Tour. Mando affected by injury sustained at Ashfield but Phil showing improved form after switching bikes. We were actually winning 37 - 35 after heat 12 but two 5-1's and a 4-2 in the final 3 heats resulted in a scoreline which flattered the Geordies. Reading were never in a position to use tac subs either. | ||
| 29th | Oxford Cheetahs Vs Ipswich Witches (EL) | 59 - 31 |
| Crowd of 2000 for this one. Very one-sided and little in way of entertainment. not what you would expect from the two top teams in the Elite League but Ipswich have Chris Louis and Scotty Nicholls both injured so that didn't help. | ||
| 30th | Rye House Rockets Vs Somerset Rebels (CT) | 49 - 41 |
| My first ever visit to Rye House and my first ever Conference meeting. The track looked very well prepared. Problems with the starting gate and a bad crash involving David Mason caused this meeting to go on until 10:30. Not impressed with the antics of the Somerset team manager who was doing some gardening for one of his riders and also making obscene gestures to the crowd. | ||
| July | ||
| 2nd | Reading Racers Vs Isle of White Islanders (PL) | 46 - 44 |
| We were lucky to win this one. Dave Mullett is flying at the moment. Paid 14 from 5 rides, Racers top scorer. | ||
| 7th | Rye House Rockets Vs Boston Barracuda Braves (CKOC 1 st Leg) | 51 - 39 |
| Another trip to Hoddesdon for me. Sadly this meeting was marred by a nasty accident involving Rye's Phil Ambrose and Boston's Luke Clifton. Another mini-meeting in the second half too and all for £7. A bargain. | ||
| 9th | Reading Racers Vs Exeter Falcons (PL KOC QF 1st Leg) | 50 - 40 |
| A very good meeting with plenty of passing. Exeter did a lot better than their last visit to Smallmead when they only managed to score 26 points. The only downside is that we would have liked to take more than a 10 point lead to Exeter for the 2nd leg. it may not be enough. | ||
| 14th | Rye House Rockets Vs Peterborough Pumas (CL) | 47 - 43 |
| An excellent race between Chris Schramm and Nathan Morton was the highlight of this meeting. | ||
| 15th | Armando Castagna Testimonial | Jason Crump |
| It was nice to see a rider of Jason Crumps class at Smallmead. Decent meeting with a few laughs. Didn't particulary like going to Smallmead on a Sunday though! | ||
| 21st | Rye House Rockets Vs Newport Mavericks (CL) | 70-19 |
| Oh dear. Newport were missing several key riders and none of their riders which were present were competitive with the Rockets. rye House had Wolstenholme, Mason and Andrews back. If that team avoids injury they should walk the league. | ||
| 23rd | Reading Racers Vs Sheffield Tigers (PL) | 53 - 37 |
| A bigger win than expected. We had to use R/R for Clewsy but still managed to easily beat Sheffield and take the bonus point. Sheffield were a 3 man team with their reserves and second strings poor. Even Sean Wilson and Robbie Kessler were not their usual selves. | ||
| 28th | Rye House Rockets Vs Sheffield Prowlers (CL KOC Semi-Final 1st Leg) | 63 - 26 |
| The Rockets were hoping for a good lead to take back to Owlerton for the second leg but I don't think they expected on this big. Only Jamie Birkinshaw put up any resistance and overall it was a bit dissapointing to see another big victory. Some good races though involving Birkinshaw. | ||
| 30th | Reading Racers Vs Arena Essex Hammers (PL) | 48 - 42 |
| A great fightback for the Racers who lost Dave Mullett after only one ride. Some incredible racing and the best meeting I have ever seen at Smallmead. Readings reserves were especially worthy of praise. They took 13 rides between them. | ||
| August | ||
| 5th | 4TT Finals at Peterborough | Workington (spit!) |
| Another great 4TT Finals. Reading didn't do very well but it didn't really matter to the true Speedway fan. Some great racing and plenty of excitement. Workington won it in the last heat. Goodies purchased at the collectors fair too. | ||
| 6th | Reading Racers Vs Glasgow Tigers (PL) | 55 - 35 |
| An easy win. Racing not as good as the week before but then it never could be. Armando reigned supreme getting a 5 ride maximum. | ||
| 11th | Rye House Rockets Vs Arena Essex Select (Challenge) | 64 - 26 |
| A poor meeting between two unevenly matched teams. Only Lee Herne won a race for Arena and that wasn't until heat 14. Matt Read had a massive crash in heat 15 when his bike went over the fence but fortunatley did not hit anyone. Matt seemed unhurt too. On the plus side improvments seem to be being made to the stadium week by week and the training track is coming along nicely. | ||
| 13th | Reading Racers Vs Workington Comets (PL) | 38 - 52 |
| Oh dear, a severe stuffing by the marras. Phil Morris crashed in his first race and was out for the rest of the meeting. Brendan Mackay made his debut but was well off the pace. Massive crowd though which was a bonus. | ||
| 20th | Reading Racers Vs Berwick Bandits (PL) | 49 - 41 |
| Back to winning ways. Brent Werner guested for Phil Morris. Berwick were pretty poor but they held us 36-36 up to heat 12 before we pulled away. Dave Mullett excellent. | ||
| 23rd | Swindon Robins Vs Reading Racers (PL) | 46 - 44 |
| We almost won this. 42-42 going into the last heat. Sadly we just couldn't pull it off. We had R/R for Phil Morris and Glenn Cunningham guesting for Armando Castagna who had an injury problem. Only my second visit to Swindon since I came down here. Some good racing, it's just a pity there are no seats. | ||
| 27th | Reading Racers Vs Exeter Falcons (PL) | 43 - 47 |
| A terrible home defeat. Brendon Mackay was again way out of his depth. We were a four man team while Exeter had ex-Racer Krister Marsh at reserve which proved to be the trump card. This meeting probably cost us a place in the play-offs. | ||
| September | ||
| 7th | Reading Racers Vs Newcastle Diamonds (PL) | 42 - 48 |
| Another home defeat. Readings season has fallen apart. One can only hope that bringing in Brendon Mackay will pay dividends next season. | ||
| 9th | Premier League Riders Championship at Coventry | Carl Stonehewer |
| My fist ever PLRC. Quite a good atmosphere with loads of Workington fans. Some good racing, especially from Stonehewer who was class. Armando was disappointing and came last with only two points. | ||
| 10th | Reading Racers Vs Stoke Potters (PL) | 51 - 39 |
| At last a home win. Stokes heat leaders were poor and only managed two heat wins between them. Phil Morris got an excellent five ride maximum. | ||
| 15th | Rye House Rockets Vs Buxton Hitmen (CL) | 51 - 39 |
| The first time I have ever seen a Buxton team ride. Interesting to see Chris Collins the son of Peter Collins. I really hope he makes the grade as it would be sad to see British Speedway without a successful Collins. He did Ok scoring 5+1 from four rides. | ||
| 16th | Dave Mullett Testimonial | Lee Richardson |
| A few riders pulled out which affected the quality of the line up which was a shame. Paul Clews made a return to the saddle after his injury. | ||
| 24th | Reading Racers Vs Newport Wasps (PL) | 51 - 39 |
| A win to finish off the league campaign. Newport are poor this year though. My last match of the season. |
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Last Updated 28th October 2001