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Hammers career : 1998-2000
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MATT READ was a product of the junior grasstrack scene and first caught 1997 Hammers boss Peter Thorogood's eye when he partnered Dane Jan Pedersen to victory in a pairs meeting at Arena-Essex.
A versatile motorcyclist with lots of natural ability, Matt had been riding for the combined King's Lynn / Ipswich Conference League side and was snapped up on a full Hammers contract in time for the start of the 1998 season.
Despite the worst possible debut - he broke his wrist at press day and missed the season-opening trophy competition - Matt settled down to become an exciting addition to the squad, averaging four points a match from an ever-present 32 league starts.
Come 1999 and Matt continued to make steady improvement, although it was evident that his racing style suited the wider spaces of some of the Hammers' rival circuits than his own. Nonetheless, he helped Hammers' cause in their charge for Knockout Cup honours that year and played a vital role in the side at reserve during the summer alongside Gary Corbett to help reach the cup final.
Matt started his third Hammers season in 2000, but an early run of injuries hampered his progress and he was surprisingly dropped from the side in the summer. Matt took a couple of outings for Reading before temporarily retiring from speedway at the end of that year.
Come 2002 and popular Matt was back in the saddle, taking what many thought was a positive career step by signing for the Isle of Wight Islanders and their large, pacy Smallbrook circuit. He was a big hit, averaging a shade under six points a match.
He was again on the move in 2003, lining up for Somerset and achieving a career-best average of nearly seven points a match. Disaster struck Matt, though, the following season when he was involved in a horror smash in the south of France during a World Longtrack Championship round.
Matt didn't ride again but the legacy of his entertainment remains and he celebrated a well-deserved farewell meeting at Somerset last year. He can sometimes be seen around the Arena-Essex Raceway watching the Hammers and his brother Ben is heavily involved in the pit crew of Joonas Kylmakorpi.
Year |
Matches |
Rides |
Points |
Bonus |
Total |
Average |
Full Max |
Paid Max |
1998 |
32 |
135 |
110 |
25 |
135 |
4.00 |
0 |
0 |
1999 |
35 |
149 |
164 |
36 |
200 |
5.37 |
0 |
0 |
2000 |
16 |
65 |
71 |
20 |
91 |
5.60 |
0 |
0 |
TOTAL |
51 |
349 |
235 |
56 |
426 |
4.88 |
0 |
0 |
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