Reading Racers All-time 1-7 & Dream Signing That Never Happened

[ReadingRacer2017]

Please note I only started watching the Racers in 1990, so some legends of smallmead may be missing.

 

1. Todd Wiltshire - 1990/1991 Best trapper in the business

2. Ulrich Ostergaard - Pretty much unbeatable home and away in 2008

3. Per Jonsson - The King, so good you wanted him to miss the start occasionally

4. Janusz Kolodziej - Will never forget the mid-race fist in the air, as he passed Leigh Adams at Smallmead

5. Matej Zagar - Most stylish rider seen round Smallmead since Per

6. Lee Richardson - Still remember his debut, few years later the improvement was remarkable

7. Danny Bird - Best Trapper since Todd, could also pass. Sad ending

 

Dream Signing - Jason Crump

[steve roberts]

Please note I only started watching the Racers in 1990, so some legends of smallmead may be missing.

 

1. Todd Wiltshire - 1990/1991 Best trapper in the business

2. Ulrich Ostergaard - Pretty much unbeatable home and away in 2008

3. Per Jonsson - The King, so good you wanted him to miss the start occasionally

4. Janusz Kolodziej - Will never forget the mid-race fist in the air, as he passed Leigh Adams at Smallmead

5. Matej Zagar - Most stylish rider seen round Smallmead since Per

6. Lee Richardson - Still remember his debut, few years later the improvement was remarkable

7. Danny Bird - Best Trapper since Todd, could also pass. Sad ending

 

Dream Signing - Jason Crump

Remember Danny Bird riding for the IOW...what was the sad ending?

[racers and royals]

Remember Danny Bird riding for the IOW...what was the sad ending?

Failed drugs test- he's still banned !!

[The Doctor...]

Please note I only started watching the Racers in 1990, so some legends of smallmead may be missing.

 

1. Todd Wiltshire - 1990/1991 Best trapper in the business

2. Ulrich Ostergaard - Pretty much unbeatable home and away in 2008

3. Per Jonsson - The King, so good you wanted him to miss the start occasionally

4. Janusz Kolodziej - Will never forget the mid-race fist in the air, as he passed Leigh Adams at Smallmead

5. Matej Zagar - Most stylish rider seen round Smallmead since Per

6. Lee Richardson - Still remember his debut, few years later the improvement was remarkable

7. Danny Bird - Best Trapper since Todd, could also pass. Sad ending

 

Dream Signing - Jason Crump

 

Blimey. Thanks for the starting this thread...1990 was my first season aswell.

 

I still remember Lee's debut aswell - what a turnaround.

 

My 1-7..

 

1. Per - along the lines of what you said, when he gated, it was frankly boring! Go on Per, miss the start... reel them in!

2. Dave Mullett

3. Jan Andersson

4. Janusz - i remember his first ride, running a last i think, but riding in such way that had everyone so excited.. an amazing rider for us in the short time he was with us.

5. Todd - my all time favourite rider.

6. Matej Zagar

7. Andrew Appleton

 

Rider i wished we'd signed... - i'll also say Crump - as a rider i did not like him one bit, but i will always remember him guesting for us multiple times when Per was injured and he spoke so sincerely on the PA at Reading letting us know he would cover Per as much as he could as he respected him so much. I can remember being choked as he said it all those years ago, and to be honest it still chokes me a bit now.

 

 

Special mention for Mr Phil Morris who was a talisman for us both on and off track for years, and i will always be thankful to him and forum member Big H for saving me from a beating at the hands of a large number of workington fans one night on a northern tour at that pub they all went to after the meetings up there!

 

And of course, there can only be one team manager... Tim Sugar. Unassuming, tactically astute and most certainly a legend as far as the history of the club goes.

 

Cheers

Tom.

Edited July 25, 2017 by The Doctor...

[steve roberts]

Failed drugs test- he's still banned !!

 

 

Failed drugs test- he's still banned !!

Didn't know that...thanks for the information.

[longlivefrankie]

Crikey... Surprised nobody mentioned Anders Michanek, Dave Jessup, John Davis, Bernie Leigh, Dickie May, Geoff Curtis.

 

I'm easily amused but I can remember turning up at Smallmead for a wasps away match I think it was a spring gold cup final 2nd leg on asunday afternoon , and seeing a sign something like" Smallmead rubbish tip this way" kept us amused for the whole afternoon.

 

Good days though when speedway was proper speedway

[The Doctor...]

Crikey... Surprised nobody mentioned Anders Michanek, Dave Jessup, John Davis, Bernie Leigh, Dickie May, Geoff Curtis.

 

I'm easily amused but I can remember turning up at Smallmead for a wasps away match I think it was a spring gold cup final 2nd leg on asunday afternoon , and seeing a sign something like" Smallmead rubbish tip this way" kept us amused for the whole afternoon.

 

Good days though when speedway was proper speedway

 

Way before my time i'm afraid. I'm sure Racers and Royals and Wackie will put their 1-7's up with some earlier names than youngsters like me.

[steve roberts]

 

Way before my time i'm afraid. I'm sure Racers and Royals and Wackie will put their 1-7's up with some earlier names than youngsters like me.

My favourite "Racers' were the late Geoff Curtis (rumoured to be joining Oxford before his untimely death) and , of course, Dag Lovaas!

[Sidney the robin]

The best seven for me (no order) was Michanek,Jonsson,Lovaas,Andersson,Jessup,Davis,Zagar ----------------/. my favourite seven )was Michanek,Jonsson,Lovaas, Curtis,Holloway,Glanz,Mullett.

Edited July 26, 2017 by Sidney the robin

[AndyP]

My favourite seven Racers:

 

1. Anders Michanek

2. Jan Andersson

3. Todd Wiltshire

4. Per Jonsson

5. Phil Morris

6. Dave Mullett

7. Ulrich Ostergaard

 

All good guys to work with as well.

[steve roberts]

My favourite seven Racers:

 

1. Anders Michanek

2. Jan Andersson

3. Todd Wiltshire

4. Per Jonsson

5. Phil Morris

6. Dave Mullett

7. Ulrich Ostergaard

 

All good guys to work with as well.

Phil Morris came over as a very articulate person and developed into a good club man after the raw edges were smoothed out.

Edited July 26, 2017 by steve roberts

[SPEEDY69]

Mine:

Doncaster

Jonsson

Andersson

Morton

Mullett

Hunt

Schwartz

 

Dream signing: John Cook

[Guest]

Reading speedway at Tilehurst:

http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/reading%20Tilehurst.htm

 

Reading speedway at Smallmead:

http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/Reading.htm

 

​With thanks to this website - Defunct Speedway Tracks:

http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk

Edited July 28, 2017 by Guest

[shalefan]

Having given this some thought I think I would go with the following;

 

1. P. Jonsson

2. J. Davis

3. D. Jessup

4. A. Michanek

5. J. Andersson

6. B. Schwartz

7. M. Zagar

 

Some great riders left out many mentioned above my thread but I would like to give 2 special mentions, 1 to The German rider we had in Hans Wasserman who appeared if memory serves me right to be hitting some form when a serious injury halted his career and the other rider would be the American Denny Pyeatt who was hitting form when he was tragically taken from us in a track crash at Hackney. Would have been very interesting watching them progress had they had the chance.

[ruckerroo]

1, jonsson

2, mullett

3, j andersson

4,brannefors

5,zagar

6, morris

7,shirra.

 

honorary mention to tim hunt, who tho wasn't a superstar rider certainly knew how to chuck it in.

[waiheke1]

80s to date

1 Jonsson

2 Andersson

3 Schwartz

4 Doncaster

5 Wiltshire

6 Davis

7 Shirra

8 Zagar

[Sidney the robin]

1, jonsson

2, mullett

3, j andersson

4,brannefors

5,zagar

6, morris

7,shirra.

 

honorary mention to tim hunt, who tho wasn't a superstar rider certainly knew how to chuck it in.

Dirty comes to mind.😜 Edited August 4, 2017 by Sidney the robin

[Grachan]

Reading was my local track for many years. Had my first meeting been in 1973 or 1975 I may well have ended up supporting them, but fate took me to speedway for the first time in 1974, so, as a result, Reading... BOOO!!!

 

My own favourite period at Smallmead would have to be the early 90s, when I went regularly and saw them almost on equal terms to the mighty Robins. Almost! Not quite!.

 

1. Anders Michanek. It was amazing to go to Reading in 1975 and see Anders Michanek riding. He was, like, World Champion!

2. Jan Andersson. A great club man who I got to be on speaking terms with after seeing him in the queue dressed up as a chamber maid at The Rocky Horror Show in Oxford.

3. Per Jonsson. You think you have him beat. You're just getting ready to cheer. Last bend. Still beating him. Damn! He got past.

4. John Davis. Much fun to be had booing John Davis on the back straight. Then he signed for Swindon and you realized he was actually alright really.

5. Armando Castagna. Always made me laugh when Armando won a race an Nessun Dorma got played.

6. Dave Mullett. Proper club man.

7. Martin Ashby. Because he's Martin Ashby.

 

Special mentions to Doug Underwood (in case the track needs sorting), Dave Steen (in case the electrics go wrong) and Eugeniusz Blaszak (in case you need something from the shops).

[lucifer sam]

1. Per Jonsson

2. Dave Mullett

(these two are at 1 & 2 for a reason - Racers & Royals, how many 5-1s was it over the 1992 season?)

3. Todd Wiltshire

4. Jan Andersson

5. Anders Michanek

6. Bobby Schwartz

7. Jeremy Doncaster

 

All the best

Rob

Edited August 4, 2017 by lucifer sam

[AndyP]

Special mentions .... and Eugeniusz Blaszak (in case you need something from the shops).