more involved in the running of the speedway and Dore's son Martyn was tasked with the maintenance of the track and stadium. The club suffered the tragedy of losing their 25-year old American rider Denny Pyeatt, who suffered fatal head injuries during an away match at Hackney Hawks in July 1982. Despite tracking very competitive looking teams in the mid-1980s the club never achieved the dizzy heights of the start of the decade, until 1990 when the appointment of loyal fan Tim Sugar as the team manager saw the club win the league title in both 1990 and 1992, with top rider Per Jonsson also crowned world speedway champion in 1990. Jeremy Doncaster and their new Australian signing Todd Wiltshire topped the reading averages in 1990 and Jonsson averaged 10.04 in 1992. However, Jonsson suffered terrible injuries in a crash in Poland in 1994, and this had an adverse effect on the club and its fortunes. 1995 and 1996 were poor seasons for the club, as crowds dropped and media interest waned. 1997–2008 The 1997 season saw the club drop down to the second tier of the league for the first time since 1970. Although the Premier League name remained the same the top clubs formed the new Elite League. The decision not to join the Elite League brought some much needed success for the club as they were crowned champions that year, with Dave Mullett (who had been part of the championship winning teams in 1990 and 1992) proving to be the best rider in the league, the team subsequently won the double after winning the Knockout Cup. The period 1999 to 2003 were lean years for the club, which had seen veteran promoter Chris Shears and his son Ivan become part of the promotional set up. By 2004, Ivan Shears had replaced team manager Sugar and the club showed signs of resurgence with a large sponsorship deal with local telecomms company Euphony Communications. This secured the funds for the signature of English rider Danny Bird and Slovenian Matej Žagar. Bird and Phil Morris (who replaced an injured Žagar) won the Premier League Pairs Championship in June of that season. 2005 was a disappointing season for Reading and by the end of the campaign there were signs that the club need new investment to survive. Consequently, the promotion sold the club to BSI Speedway in 2006. The new promotion