skydog

Me too! I soon learned that if Nick said something it was almost certainly right, or at least based on fact!

Dont be offended by people forgetting it... I think it's purely been overshadowed by the success that Rye House enjoyed since then, which can only be a good thing... kind of!

Hi Rob, it's nice to hear a little reminder of how a nomadic team turned out to be such a success for Rye House, I'd actually forgotten that. I would like to assure you that at Reading we are certainly not in this to make money, none of us have ever taken a penny, not in "wages", expenses or anything else. It's more a case of spending our own (we are not wealthy people), as an example last years pit board and website included 3 "sponsor's names" that were paid for by 2 of us out of our pockets. We take no gate receipts, and as you said, money comes in from sponsorship, fundraising and club members who donate a small amount each month. Also we have a land and property professional who is a Speedway enthusiast and is every bit as keen as we are, constantly looking for what he considers to be suitable land (he is obviously far more knowledgeable than we are) and speaking to land owners and planning departments. We all know this has all been done by various people in various locations across the country with varying results but our attitude is that nobody else is gonna do this in Reading so we'll keep trying for the foreseeable. I get what you mean when you say you can't be sure what peoples motives are or how serious they are, but I hope this reasures you that our intentions are honourable! I hope one day I can say our venture was as successful as yours...

All teams using a historic name have to prove each season that they are actively trying to resurrect the team with their own track. We at Reading are indeed trying. We have recently stated that we are in talks with a land owner about whether a track is feasible on their land. This is obviously the first step on a very long road. The ruling that prevents us from racing in the NDL is that nobody can promote in the top 3 leagues unless they have their own track. Reference Cradley, I think when they first started using Monmore, the fact that CVS was a promoter of both was seen as acceptable. It seems that now Cradley have ceased to operate the BSPA have decided they dont want the same situation again. That's fine, they're in charge, they make the rules and we accept that. We just thought we may be able to help when it looked like the NDL may collapse through lack of numbers. Thankfully the league has survived anyway.

Hi Mike, thanks for your time in compiling this, but you seem to have missed the Carmarthen v Reading match from September 7th.

Oh yeah I see what everyone means now...

How close did you get to the track? I walked it with the 2nd half riders after heat 12. Most tracks at that point are quite honestly frighteningly bad. in 3 years of getting that close, that was by far the best condition I've seen a track in. No ruts, no concrete, loads of material. I didnt see the whole of the Prem match but from what I did see that track was fine if you attacked it.

That's a shame, I remember him from when i was very young.

Hi Sings, I know you're very knowledgeable, and always speak sense, but I'm wondering when did Dan Gilkes "tread water for a long time on a 500"? He was only just over 15 (and therefore only just on a 500) when he appeared for Reading in 2017 in his first SDL match and scored 6 (I think), and the following season he was so good in both the SDL and the MDL that the NL promoters were queueing up for him part way through the season. To be honest he could have gone NL at the start of 2018, he was quick enough.

Pretty sure it was Anders Henriksson that Stoney punched... before grappling a raker to the ground in a headlock. No ban as far as I remember.

Per Jonsson

So unless they get a report from all matches, they dont cover any?

I have emailed a report on the Isle of Wight v Reading MSDL match on Thursday. I dont get the Star anymore, and probably wont be going anywhere that sells it, can anyone tell me if it appears please?

Excuse me for this one but we need to give as much exposure as possible to anyone good enough to support Reading Speedway... Reading Speedway are proud to announce a new sponsor in Lind Harley Davidson, who will sponsor the no. 1 race jacket for the remainder of the 2019 season. The family owned company have businesses in Reading, Guildford, Norwich and Newmarket. With the local branch at 660 Wokingham Rd, Reading, they are more than just a motorcycle store, offering repairs, servicing and mots, and can even sell your bike for you. They also organise social nights and exhibitions and offer a vast array of motorcycling accessories and merchandise. Visit their website at www.lind.co.uk, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter under Lind Harley-Davidson and Instagram at lindhduk. Reading Speedway are always grateful for any sponsorship we receive, we thank Lind and we hope that this is the start of a beautiful friendship!

Who did it used to be forthcoming from? The first time I sent a report to SS for a Reading match, a report by someone else who I had never heard of was used so I figured you had your own man on the job.

Am I the only person who remembers when we had the majority of top riders in the British League and people were saying "why should BSI be allowed to basically hijack Saturday nights... if it wasn't for league racing there would be no riders to race in the GP, and yet they steal the riders away in precedence to the leagues"...? now people are saying the Polish league should be told they are not allowed to run on the Friday as well as the Saturday...?

Wouldn't like to pm me too would you please..?

I'll take the blame for that... I put it on Facebook but unfortunately it didn't get put on the website. Probably my fault that the BSPA website didn't change it either. I will hide behind what you said about us doing it for the love of it and I'm afraid a 4 month old baby and a wedding in 3 weeks has distracted me somewhat! Incidentally although we originally intended to race tonight instead, we couldn't find a team to come to us so abandoned that idea. Swindon did know this though.

Thanks very much

Morning all, I was at Highbridge last night for the U21 semi... can anyone tell me who the older of the 2 mascots was? Think the announcer said his 1st name was Eli? Thanks in advance...

All the club's claim to be making efforts. This isn't a new stipulation, we have to do this every year.

They aren't prevented. I don't know why Rob said that in the SS article. The fact is that each club have to show sufficient evidence that they are attempting to find land to bring Speedway back to the area they are representing. If they cannot do that to the satisfaction of the BSPA they won't be allowed to continue using the defunct club's name. There is some question as to what satisfies the BSPA, but going by what Rob claimed he is doing, he shouldn't have a problem. Whether this "rule" is viewed as fair or not, it certainly isn't as Rob suggested.

I so wanted to reply to you but I couldn't!!

Let's get back to good news... Racers Move Closer To Home. The air is full of excitement and methanol fumes as the Reading Speedway management team have made a shock last minute switch in their plans for the 2019 season. The exiled Racers team will still take their place in the Midland & Southern Development League but will now race their home matches just down the M4 at Swindon after travelling to Eastbourne for the last two seasons. Racers' Emma Pike contacted the Wiltshire club when there were rumours concerning the future of the Eastbourne raceway at the end of last season, but there seemed to be no chance of a move. With Eastbourne continuing to race but moving the Development League matches to Sundays- where they would stage stand alone matches - the club were all set for another season in Sussex. However a last minute offer from Robins co-promoter Lee Kilby proved to be too good to turn down for the bosses of the nomadic team. Emma quickly asked team managers Gene Carter and Mat Stevens to contact the riders who had already committed to 2019 to ensure they could accommodate not only the change in venue, but also in race night. The Racers will stage six "home" league matches which will follow Swindon's Premier League contests on either Monday or Thursday nights. Emma commented "While we remain ever grateful to the Eastbourne management for continuing to accommodate us, this was really a no-brainer. We're so excited to be able to offer all those Reading fans that have missed seeing their team for so long, the opportunity to travel just along the M4 to see the winged wheel on track again. Also we hope to take advantage by securing more sponsorship, which as an amateur club with no income, we rely on massively." While Swindon is currently the closest the Racers can possibly get to racing in Reading, the management team haven't given up on bringing the club home and their fourth member, Andy Griffin, has been busy meeting people regarding the search for a suitable site. With Kilby's addition to the promotional ranks at Swindon, the club agreed it is important to support the Development League level of the sport. Lee stated "We're really happy to help the Racers get on track a bit closer to home, with the added bonus of giving the Robins fans some extra value for money. We'll be offering six extra heats of action at no extra charge on the gate at least six times during the season, which is great news" Emma and her team wished to express their gratitude to Lee and rest of the Swindon management for facilitating this arrangement, as the clubs now confer on dates for the Racers matches, with full details to be released soon.

Thanks