READING Racers have had two homes since speedway first appeared in the town on Monday, June 17, 1968 at the Reading Greyhound Stadium in Tilehurst, on the west side of the Berkshire town.
The Racers' first home match was against Nelson Admirals which resulted in a 41-37 victory for the new team. An estimated 6,000 packed into the atmospheric little stadium, which was sandwiched between the A329 road to Oxford and the main Paddington to Bristol railway line.
Emotionally they said goodbye to Tilehurst as Division One champions on Monday, October 8, 1973 before beating an Ole Olsen All Star septet.
In six years, Reading had progressed from nowhere into being the best team in the country and probably the world.
At that time the Greyhound Racing Association were heavily into property speculation, though some speedway fans were not unhappy to see them go into liquidation later.
Today the Stadium Industrial Estate stands on the site where the world's top riders raced speedway bikes.
Tilehurst was far from ideal in many respects. The track was tarmac and had been used for stock car racing by Spedeworth. When it had not operated in 1967 and with plans for a brand new Division Two in 1968, it looked a good site.
Speedway was new to Reading, and the only time locals could have seen the sport was at other venues. The decision was made to put a speedway surface on top of the tarmac and, in truth, the 360-yard circuit had a better shape for speedway than for stock cars.
The new team made its bow at Plymouth where a similar experiment was taking place less successfully with silver sand on the tarmac surface at Pennycross Stadium. Racers lost 42-36 ten days before Tilchurst opened, John Poyser top scoring with ten points.
Allied Presentations was a consortium of five promoters - Reg Fearman, Len Silver, Danny Dunton, Ron Wilson and the late Maurice Littlechild - who were basically sharing the risks and the profits. Former rider Fearman, based at Henley-on-Thames, was the front man at Tilehurst.
By 1968, he had almost a decade of promoting experience, but was still a comparatively young man who could combine energy and attention to detail.
Fearman drove a Rolls Royce car and wore Saville Row suits in the pits, masterminding the introduction of the sport in Reading.
Former Hackney rider John Poyser was rider-coach and an excellent number one for the team in the new league.
Poyser apart, the team was no great shakes, finishing eighth out of ten in their first season. Among the names in the supporting cast were Ted Spittles, lan Champion, Dene Dayies, Stuart Wallace and Phil Pratt. Towards the end of the season, Vic White joined for five matches before becoming Leicester team manager.
The 1969 season was a different story altogether, and the changes were all at the top end.
In came Mick Bell, a junior from Oxford. By the end of the season, he had a nine-point average and was second in the Division Two Riders' Championship.
Just as exciting was the discovery of Dickie May, son of former Wembley rider Charlie. By then Richard, as he later became known, was already 25, but his age was clouded in mystery. Speedway was like that in an age when marriage was the kiss of death to most pop stars!
For good measure Bernie Leigh also broke into the side in 1969, and though they didn't know it then, the Racers had found three members of a team that would win Division One four years later.
Racers were runners-up in a Division Two that had grown to 16 teams, but 1970 was anti-climatic in some ways.
Bell had been recalled to Oxford, and while May and Leigh improved, with Mike Vernam enjoying the better of his two seasons, they slipped back to ninth place.
In the meantime, Allied Presentations had purchased Newcastle from arch-rival Mike Parker, who had taken Ole Olson with him to Wolverhampton. It was a poor season at Brough Park and the company switched the Division One licence south to Reading.
It was an inspired move - unless you were a Diamonds fan of course - and though Racers followers had most definitely enjoyed Division Two speedway, they were now in the big time.
May and Leigh were retained, Bell moved back and the Racers took three of the Newcastle team. Anders Michanek was a tried and tested number one rider, a super-star with charisma for the next three seasons at Tilehurst.
Two other Newcastle riders moved. Geoff Curtis had averaged 5.15 for the Diamonds, though his career with Crewe suggested he had far greater potential, and that was something he developed steadily with Reading.
Dag Lovaas, an 18-year-old Norwegian, had been a gamble that hadn't paid off for Newcastle and a 3.91 average far from guaranteed a return for 1971. But promoter Fearman was lobbied successfully on Dag's behalf and he joined the Racers.
The final piece of the jigsaw locked a very shrewd move as former Poole captain Geoff Mudge joined the new team as skipper. But the Australian suffered a bad knee injury and missed half the season. Despite that, Racers made their mark to finish sixth out of 17.
Michanek got a ten point average, Lovaas doubled his 1970 figures and Curtis was up by a point and a half. Just as important was the fact that May, Bell and Leigh all successfully moved up with the team.
So it was no surprise when Racers kept the same team for 1972, but the question to he asked was whether the improvement could carry on. The emphatic answer was yes, and all seven improved on their 1971 averages. Racers won eight and drew one of their 17 away matches, and they kept a clean sheet at Tilehurst.
In most seasons, that has been enough to win the league title. Belle Vue, however, were unstoppable, losing only two of 34 matches - but the Racers were proud to he runners-up and were now a team to watch.
That success meant they fell prey to rider control and someone had to go. Geoff Mudge moved on to Newport, and while initially Racers replaced him with Peter Murray, they played horses for courses all year.
They used the promising Bobby McNeil, 'Crazy' Jack Millen, the experienced Mike Broadbank and others like Richard Greer, Trevor Geer, Paul Gachet and raw junior Jack Walker.
This time Racers won ten matches on the road, but at home they were beaten by arch-rivals Sheffield - the Tigers reserves outscoring their Reading counterparts 17-1.
Towards the end of the season, the news broke that Tilehurst had been sold and warehouses would he built on the site.
The feeling within the team and the promotion was a burning desire to go out as league champions - and thus put more pressure on Reading Council to come up with a new site.
The haste was so indecent that Racers had no home shale for any re-run of the Speedway Star Knockout Cup Final. .
They had taken a 16-point lead to Belle Vue, but Geoff Curtis had ridden his last ever match for the club. A serious eye infection knocked him out of the final.
Michanek had bike trouble and the Racers drew on aggregate. The only solution was a run-off, and it was to provide one of the greatest races of all-time, a judgement made then by Frank Varey. Peter Collins rode with his clutch on the right hand side of his handlebars - he was racing with a broken left hand. Anders Michanek, who religiously only took one bike, had hit magneto problems.
Both team managers gambled on their number ones, with Michanek aboard Bernie Leigh's bike. The statisticians say the lead changed hands 16 times, but it seemed more if you were there on the night.
Michanek had the lead coming out of the last bend, but in a scrupulously fair race from both riders, Collins grabbed victory by inches.
The Tilehurst chapter was over and Reg Fearman wanted to move into Palmer Park, but the council rejected that and offered a former rubbish tip at Smallmead.
As 1974 dawned, hopes dimmed of the project being completed on time, partly because most of Britain was working a three day week as Ted Heath called his 'Who runs the country' election.
Heath was never to return as Prime Minister - Harold Wilson and later Margaret Thatcher saw to that - but the Racers were back, albeit later than hoped, on Monday, April 28, 1975.
Allied Presentations took on a different shape with only Fearman and Silver remaining of the original promotion.
They were joined by Frank Higley, a local businessman, and, more significantly, Bill Dore, a greyhound enthusiast with a large building company.
Building Smallmead was a nightmare, with heavy equipment having to come over a tiny humpback bridge. Underpinning buildings on a former rubbish tip meant going down 50 feet or more, but while that was financially impossible, the project went ahead. In the meantime, the riders were loaned out. Michanek did not return to Britain in 1974, but won the World Final in Gothenburg with as convincing a 15-point maximum as has ever been seen - and he lowered the Ullevi track record three times in the process.
Michanek returned as reigning World Champion, while the early Division Two discoveries Bell, May and Leigh were all back.
John Davis joined the club from Oxford in a swap for Dag Lovaas with new signings Bob Humphreys and Bengt Jansson, who was nearing the veteran stage.
Huge queues tailed back to the M4 to see the new track which Reg Fearman had based on the old Southampton circuit, and the new team finished sixth of 18 Division One teams.
Racers stayed in the same spot the following year with Michanek not returning and May departing the scene.
Dave Jessup arrived from Leicester as the new number one, with Pole Boleslaw Proch a lively reserve.
Proch at least fared better than fellow countryman Eugeniusz Blaszak, who was sent home following a conviction for shoplifting.
Racers were again placed sixth with Bernie Leigh enjoying his best season in the sport, but in 1977 the Racers moved up to third place, only two points adrift of champions White City with German Hans Wassermann replacing Mick Bell, who had left for Coventry.
Wasserman's career ended with back injuries sustained at Ipswich the following year. With Bob Humphreys moving to new Second Division club Milton Keynes and Boley Proch departing, too, the team slid to 14th spot.
Reg Fearman moved on to Poole and Bill Dore took control of the club in 1979, appointing the previously unknown Brian Constable as manager.
Jessup departed for King's Lynn, but in came Swedish youngster Jan Andersson from Swindon, Mel Taylor from Mildenhall and Terry Betts from King's Lynn for what was to he his last season as a rider.
Constable went off to start his own restaurant business and Dave Lanning moved into the manager's seat in 1980, with Mick Bell back at the club as the new team manager. Among the new faces were Bobby Schwartz from Cradley Heath, Jiri Stancl and the young Tony Briggs.
Lanning took out an insurance policy to guarantee the club £50,000 if they won the league.
Reputedly the premium was paid by the sale of Andy Campbell, but when it came to sharing out the winnings, Lanning was excluded and a bitter feud ensued.
Jan Andersson began his long reign as number one that year, just ahead of Davis and Schwartz.
"We were all in competition with each other then, and really it was the money that kept all of the different temperaments on board," said the Swede.
Martin Ashby was recruited late on to help bring the title to Smallmead for the first time, just seven years after the Tilehurst swansong.
Despite retaining their three heat leaders, the Racers slumped to 11th the following year, with John Davis quiting the club for Poole in mid-season.
The 1982 campaign saw a marginal improvement as the team climbed to ninth, but American Denny Pyeatt was killed at Hackney late in the season while fellow countryman Steve Gresham could only post a 5.57 average as third heat leader.
Mitch Shirra joined Reading in 1983 and ended Andersson's three year reign at the top of the averages.
With Schwartz on board, and King's Lynn reject Pierre Brannefors turning into a real find, the Racers hoisted themselves up into fourth place.
The 1984 season again saw the Racers in fourth spot despite the sale of Schwartz to Eastbourne, and a surprise decline in Brannefors performances.
Andersson went back to the top of the averages, but there was a new entry at number three.
Racers fought tooth and nail against a block on Per Jonsson with Speedway Control Board manager Dick Bracher saying he was too young.
From the start, Jonsson had style and dash, even if his ability to organise, especially on the mechanical side, was still to come.
At the time just about everyone in the Reading camp hailed him as a future World Champion, but there were some lean years for the team in the meantime.
The return of John Davis and Malcolm Holloway in 1985 didn't stop the side plunging to ninth place in a British League now down to 11 clubs. Jonsson, though, underlined his huge potential by winning the World Under-21 Championship with a 15-point maximum in Abensberg.
The following year was marginally better, though Davis missed almost half the league matches due to injury.
Top man Andersson was asked to find a replacement and he came up with Tony Olsson, who went on to become Racers captain.
By now, Dave Mullett was in his third season as Racers number eight and often scoring well, and Peter Glanz at last looked a potential heat leader in 1987.
Shirra returned in 1988 after a year on loan to Swindon and Glanz sought a move to Wolverhampton which didn't work out well. Jonsson took over as number one - just ahead of Andersson, who celebrated his Testimonial and then quit the British scene with Racers placed fifth.
At the end of that season, Racers did a deal with outgoing Ipswich boss Chris Shears which saw Jeremy Doncaster and Carl Blackbird join the side - and Armando Castagna made it a trio of ex-Witches late on.
However, Jonsson decided to stay in Sweden and in 1989 the club slipped back into seventh place.
With Shirra banned in 1990, changes were on the cards, and Pat Bliss - Bill Dore's oldest daughter was now firmly in day-to-day control of the club.
She brought Jonsson back after a year away and then tempted Andersson back. Racers also dipped into the transfer market and signed Todd Wiltshire, a Division Two star with Wimbledon who some felt might find senior league racing too tough.
With Doncaster, Olsson and Mullett retained, the number seven spot was filled at different times by David Steen and Nathan Murray.
For many Racers fans, this was the best of their winning sides. It had more depth than the 1973 league winning septet and more team spirit than their 1980 side.
A major blow came when Tony Olsson suffered multiple arm and leg injuries, but again Racers came up trumps with Armando Castagna stepping in.
The team also won the Speedway Star Knockout Cup for the only time, Per Jonsson was World Champion and Todd Wiltshire a tremendous third.
The points limit took its toll in 1991, even though Jonsson stayed at home again because he couldn't agree terms - while both Castagna and Olsson had to be loaned out.
As if that wasn't enough to decimate the team, Todd Wiltshire suffered a serious arm injury at the National Fours Finals, missed half the season and Racers slumped to 11th.
Then, in 1992, Racers came back to win their fourth league championship, and they won it by a clear 12 points.
Though the Gold Cup went to Wolverhampton, and Bradford just edged a Ray Morton-less Racers in the Speedway Star Knockout Cup Final, their league dominance was total.
Racers packed eight wins in their last nine matches in a very hectic October - and won the BSPA Cup for good measure. Andersson then quit for good, Wiltshire injured his back badly in Australia and Doncaster's scoring ebbed badly in 1993.
Racers finished in sixth place and Jonsson rounded off a fine individual season by winning the Division One Riders title. And as in 1991, the Racers won the Premiership.
Racers struggled at the start in 1994 with Jonsson holding out on terms, Doncaster wanting to return to Ipswich and Olsson being granted his wish for a season on loan with Swindon.
Eventually Jonsson was tempted back and the team went top of the league. Castagna suffered back injuries, and soon after Jonsson's career was ended when a Polish League crash left him paralysed from the chest downwards.
It was a season when the Racers almost gave up the ghost with a long injury list, though the way in which the Per Jonsson Benefit was organised gave everyone a sense of purpose.
Only an incredible paid 17 from loanee Jan Pedersen at Belle Vue saved Reading from their first-ever wooden spoon as they were glad to see the back of an horrendous 1994 season.
The dawning of the Premier League saw Tony Olsson return to form a potent looking heat leader trio with new signing David Norris and the dependable Dave Mullett. Norris' season ended with a complex leg fracture at the Overseas Final, Mullett had two spells injured and Olsson has been out of action with an overactive thyroid gland.
With Reading being unable to track down Cox (before he agreed to join Oxford) and unable to agree terms with Rickardsson, Gustafsson, Loram or Ott, they started 1996 without a recognised number one.
The Racers started the season with Tony Olsson, Petri Kokko, Ray Morton, Dave Mullett, Phil Morris, David Steen and Erik Stenlund. Stenlund was only to be a temporary member of the team and was soon replaced by Jan Pedersen. However, Pedersen completed only 12 matches before Armando Castagna was able to return after helping with the opening of a family hotel.
Changes continued as Ray Morton was allowed to join Hull in June. This was only after the successful loan signing of Jorg Pingel from Exeter. The BSPA had originally put a block on the loan arguing that he wasn't a good enough replacement.
The season turned out to be the worst in the clubs history as they finished nineteenth and last in the League. Rider of the season was Olsson despite starting the season not fully recovered from a thyroid operation. The form of Dave Mullett dipped by a point and a half on his average.
With the forming of a Second Division in 1997, Reading were well placed to run a team in this new league after a terrible 1996. The loss of form of Mullett was to be to there advantage, as his average was low enough for him to be Racers number one, in the new set-up.
Mullett was joined by David Steen from 1996 and there was a recall for Lee Richardson after a season on loan to Poole. Richardson was to be a bargain on a three point average and would finish the season with a near seven point average.
Racers completed the team with Paul Pickering (guested successfully in 1996 for Racers), Glenn Cunningham (on the recommendations of Malcolm Holloway after Jorg Pingel failed to agree terms) and Tara O'Callaghan.
O'Callaghan was a great gater but unfortunately was unable to stay on for four laps.
He was to sit out the whole of the 1997 season after fracturing his leg in the first official fixture. A rule allowed Reading to use Rider Replacement for him for the rest of the season and an additional rider known as a Track Reserve. This position was first filled by Bobby Eldridge, but after a dip in form he was replaced by Krister Marsh.
Marsh had been dropped by Oxford, but not before he had been involved in a controversial incident at Reading earlier in the season. Oxford had used him as a replacement in heat one (at Reading) which was against a rule revised earlier in the season. Reading lost by two points on the night but this was amended to a draw on appeal.
A run of eleven wins at the start of the season set the Racers up to win a fifth league title. They also managed to collect all thirteen bonus points on offer in the League. This was despite a 59-29 loss on the Isle of Wight (took over from Skegness mid-season) when the Racers complained of poor track conditions. It was reported that pieces of glass had been found and Reading tracked only a Track Reserve, Steve Target, in two of the last three heats.
Reading gained revenge in the end of season play-offs by winning both legs against the Isle of Wight. The semis proved a match too far as they lost to eventual winners Exeter.
Racers success was built on the consistency of Mullett, who finished the season as the Leagues number one, and the improvements of Cunningham and Richardson.
As with all title winning teams, Reading were forced to release riders for the 1998 season. Cunningham not being a Reading asset was signed by Peterborough and Pickering was signed by Stoke.
Another casualty of the averages was David Steen who was due his testimonial season. He was signed by Glasgow but would hold his Bike Mania meeting at Reading. The meeting was well attended with the car park packed.
Reading welcomed back Petri Kokko, who had missed the 1997 British season, on a bargain average of just over seven. Another Racer to return was Phil Morris from his loan spell at Stoke.
Lee Richardson, Dave Mullett and Krister Marsh were retained from 1997 and joined by Justin Elkins (loan from Poole) and the new signing of youngster Lee Driver.
The season started badly for the Racers as they lost both legs of the Premiership to a race fit Edinburgh team. Mullett was forced to miss these matches due to a virus but Jesper Olsen guested for him at Edinburgh and scored 16. Ironically Olsen was to guest For Edinburgh at Reading and help them win the Shield.
However, the Premier League Cup Group matches go well and include a win at Newport and a draw on the Isle of Wight. Racers finish second in the group and qualify for the semis.
Sadly for the Racers, injury was to hit in April and May.
Lee Richardson broke his hand at the British Under-21 Final at Arena Essex. Despite courageously fighting on to claim second for the second year running, he was to be missing for about a month.
Richardson missed a league win at Stoke and a win and two losses on the Northern Tour in a busy period for the Racers. Guest appearances from Frank Smart helped in the victories, but Reading lost at home to Peterborough as guest Pickering only scored six.
The ever improving Lee Driver was t-boned by Ross Brady in May, at Peterborough, as the Racers lost 60-27. Driver suffered multiple injuries, including a broken femur and vertebrae, and has been unable to return to action since.
Richardson returned but almost immediately Phil Morris was hurt in a grasstrack meeting. Following loses at Hull, Sheffield and Isle of Wight, he was replaced by Paul Clews who had been dropped by Peterborough.
Reading drew at Sheffield in the Semi-Final of the Cup despite Richardson being delayed in traffic. He eventually arrived mid-meeting, but with Elkins in great form, Reading were level.
A remarkable Premier League Cup success followed against League Champions Peterborough. Inspired by Richardson, Kokko and ex-Panther Clews, Reading avenged previous heavy defeats to win by two at Peterborough.
A comfortable home win followed and Petri Kokko received the Cup from ex-Racer, Jan Andersson.
The season ended with yet another injury as Mullett crashed with Kai Laukkanen at Glasgow. Reading managed to hold a respectable eight point deficit, but ex-Racer, Paul Pickering, inspired Glasgow to an aggregate win. With Reading out of the play-offs, they raced to a home and away challenge win over Newport.
Good heatleader strength enabled Reading to finish second defending their title.
Unfortunately no consistent support came from either the second strings or reserves. This was not helped by the constant mechanical problems of Justin Elkins.
Towards the end of the season, the news broke that Tilehurst had been sold and warehouses would he built on the site.
