2001 Elite League speedway season

British motorcycle speedway season

2001 Elite League speedway seasonLeague| Sky Sports Elite League

|

Champions| Oxford Cheetahs
Knockout Cup| Peterborough Panthers
Craven Shield| Poole Pirates
Riders Championship| Jason Crump
Highest average| Jason Crump
Division/s below| Premier League
Conference League

* <- 2000
* 2002 ->

The 2001 Elite League speedway season was the 67th season of top division of speedway in the United Kingdom and in 2001 was governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).[1][2]

## Season summary

[edit]

In 2001, the league consisted of nine teams and operated on a standard format without play-offs.[3] Oxford Cheetahs won their first title since 1989. Leigh Adams was brought in from King's Lynn to lead the team that retained fellow Australian riders Todd Wiltshire and Steve Johnston, Czech brothers Lukáš Dryml and Aleš Dryml Jr. and Dane Brian Andersen. In a closely fought three way title battle they claimed the crown ahead of Poole and Coventry.[4] Poole were led by three times World Champion Tony Rickardsson who would claim his fourth Speedway World Championship during the season. Jason Crump was runner-up in the World Championship and topped the league averages for King's Lynn.[5]

## Final table

[edit]

Pos |  | M | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Bon | Tot

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1  | Oxford Cheetahs | 32  | 20  | 5  | 7  | 1495  | 1367  | 45  | 13  | 58
2  | Poole Pirates | 32  | 21  | 2  | 9  | 1538  | 1325  | 44  | 13  | 57
3  | Coventry Bees | 32  | 21  | 2  | 9  | 1518  | 1356  | 44  | 11  | 55
4  | Ipswich Witches | 32  | 17  | 2  | 13  | 1444  | 1429  | 36  | 7  | 43
5  | Peterborough Panthers | 30  | 12  | 2  | 16  | 1356  | 1329  | 26  | 7  | 33
6  | King's Lynn Knights | 31  | 12  | 1  | 19  | 1381  | 1467  | 25  | 7  | 32
7  | Eastbourne Eagles | 32  | 11  | 3  | 18  | 1373  | 1463  | 25  | 7  | 32
8  | Wolverhampton Wolves | 32  | 12  | 0  | 20  | 1397  | 1478  | 24  | 4  | 28
9  | Belle Vue Aces | 30  | 7  | 1  | 22  | 1196  | 1484  | 15  | 1  | 16

Peterborough's home fixtures with Belle Vue were not held.

### 'A' Fixtures

[edit]

Home \ Away  | BV | COV | EAS | IPS | KL | OX | PET | PP | WOL

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Belle Vue Aces |  | 42–48  | 49–41  | 45–45  | 46–44  | 47–42  | 47–43  | 42–50  | 44–46
Coventry Bees | 56–34  |  | 43–47  | 48–42  | 47–43  | 40–50  | 62–28  | 41–49  | 47–43
Eastbourne Eagles | 51–39  | 45–45  |  | 40–50  | 75–0+  | 45–45  | 49–41  | 44–46  | 49–41
Ipswich Witches | 56–34  | 39–51  | 49–29  |  | 47–42  | 49–41  | 42–48  | 47–43  | 50–40
King's Lynn Knights | 46–44  | 42–48  | 59–31  | 50–40  |  | 44–46  | 50–40  | 49–41  | 51–41
Oxford Cheetahs | 59–31  | 52–38  | 47–43  | 46–44  | 45–45  |  | 38–34  | 54–36  | 47–43
Peterborough Panthers | n/a  | 46–44  | 45–45  | 42–50  | 55–35  | 44–46  |  | 42–48  | 54–36
Poole Pirates | 60–30  | 45–45  | 54–36  | 44–46  | 51–39  | 45–45  | 50–40  |  | 54–36
Wolverhampton Wolves | 52–38  | 37–47  | 43–47  | 42–51  | 48–42  | 53–37  | 42–48  | 49–40  |

Source: [6]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

+awarded

### 'B' Fixtures

[edit]

Home \ Away  | BV | COV | EAS | IPS | KL | OX | PET | PP | WOL

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Belle Vue Aces |  | 44–46  | 42–30  | 42–48  | 47–43  | 42–48  | 47–42  | 32–58  | 40–50
Coventry Bees | 52–38  |  | 65–25  | 48–42  | 48–42  | 47–43  | 40–50  | 52–38  | 448–42
Eastbourne Eagles | 64–26  | 39–51  |  | 40–50  | 51–39  | 41–51  | 47–42  | 44–46  | 51–39
Ipswich Witches | 49–41  | 43–47  | 56–34  |  | 48–44  | 45–45  | 39–51  | 46–44  | 47–43
King's Lynn Knights | 51–38  | 48–42  | 51–39  | 49–40  |  | 44–46  | 48–45  | 42–48  | 53–37
Oxford Cheetahs | 53–36  | 37–53  | 44–46  | 59–31  | 52–38  |  | 53–37  | 46–44  | 48–42
Peterborough Panthers | n/a  | 455–35  | 62–28  | 57–33  | 49–41  | 45–45  |  | 44–46  | 58–32
Poole Pirates | 57–33  | 48–42  | 56–34  | 49–41  | 42–30  | 52–38  | 56–34  |  | 54–36
Wolverhampton Wolves | 54–36  | 38–52  | 47–43  | 51–39  | 50–37  | 43–47  | 55–35  | 46–44  |

Source: [6]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

## Elite League Knockout Cup

[edit]

The 2001 Elite League Knockout Cup was the 63rd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Peterborough Panthers were the winners of the competition.[7]

First round

Date  | Team one  | Score  | Team two

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04/04 | Poole | 50-40 | Ipswich
17/05 | Ipswich | 56-34 | Poole

Second round

Date  | Team one  | Score  | Team two

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09/07 | Reading | 50-40 | Exeter
08/07 | Stoke | 41-48 | Hull
12/05 | Coventry | 39-50 | Peterborough
12/05 | Eastbourne | 50-40 | Oxford
11/05 | Oxford | 53-37 | Eastbourne
11/05 | Peterborough | 50-40 | Coventry
09/05 | King's Lynn | 56-34 | Belle Vue
07/05 | Belle Vue | 39-47 | King's Lynn

Semi-finals

Date  | Team one  | Score  | Team two

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09/10 | Ipswich | 46-44 | Oxford
14/09 | Oxford | 45-45 | Ipswich
14/09 | Peterborough | 49-41 | King's Lynn
12/09 | King's Lynn | 38-33 | Peterborough

Final

First leg

25 October 2001

Peterborough Panthers
Ryan Sullivan 13
| 51 - 39| Ipswich Witches
Scott Nicholls 14

|
|

| [8] |

East of England Showground

Second leg

27 October 2001

Ipswich Witches
Scott Nicholls 14
Craig Boyce 9
Jarek Hampel 8
Jeremy Doncaster 8
Chris Louis 7
Savalas Clouting 2
Carl Baldwin 0| 48 - 42| Peterborough Panthers
Mark Loram 12
Ryan Sullivan 11
Nigel Sadler 8
Mario Jirout 6
David Howe 4
Shane Parker 1
Sam Tesar r/r

|
|

| [9] |

Foxhall Stadium

Peterborough Panthers were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 93-87.

## Riders' Championship

[edit]

Jason Crump won the Elite League Riders' Championship for the second time. The final was held at Owlerton Stadium on 20 September.[10]

Pos. | Rider | Pts | Total | SF | Final

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1 |  Jason Crump | 3 3 3 3 2 | 14 | x | 3
2 |  Scott Nicholls | 3 1 3 2 3 | 12 | x | 2
3 |  Nicki Pedersen | 1 3 2 3 2 | 11 | 3 | 1
4 |  Mikael Karlsson | 2 2 2 3 2 | 11 | 2 | 0
5 |  Craig Boyce | 0 1 3 2 3 | 9 | 1 |
6 |  Tony Rickardsson | 3 3 2 1 0 | 9 | 0 |
7 |  Ryan Sullivan | 3 1 1 1 3 | 9 |  |
8 |  Lee Richardson | 2 3 2 2 0 | 9 |  |
9 |  Leigh Adams | 1 2 1 1 3 | 8 |  |
10 |  Mark Loram | 0 2 0 3 2 | 7 |  |
11 |  Sam Ermolenko | 2 1 1 2 1 | 7 |  |
12 |  Jason Lyons | 1 2 3 0 0 | 6 |  |
13 |  Dean Barker | 2 0 0 1 1 | 4 |  |
14 |  Krzysztof Cegielski | 1 0 1 0 1 | 3 |  |
15 |  Steve Johnston | 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 |  |
16 |  David Norris | 0 0 0 | 0 |  |
17 |  David Howe (res) | 1 | 1 |  |
18 |  Paul Lee (res) | 0 | 0 |  |

## Leading final averages

[edit]

Rider  | Team  | Average

|
|

Jason Crump | King's Lynn | 10.39
Scott Nicholls | Ipswich | 10.11
Leigh Adams | Oxford | 10.08
Tony Rickardsson | Poole | 9.66
Ryan Sullivan | Peterborough | 9.52
Billy Hamill | Coventry | 9.26
Greg Hancock | Coventry | 9.05
Nicki Pedersen | King's Lynn | 9.01
Mikael Karlsson | Wolverhampton | 9.00
Peter Karlsson | King's Lynn | 8.75

## Riders & final averages

[edit]

Belle Vue

*   * Peter Karlsson 8.00
*   * Jimmy Nilsen 7.78
*   * Jason Lyons 6.74
*   * Kai Laukkanen 6.33
*   * Matej Ferjan 6.14
*   * Andy Smith 5.81
*   * Tomáš Topinka 4.74
*   * Neil Collins 4.21
*   * Henka Gustaffson 4.13
*   * Tomasz Jędrzejak 4.00
*   * Wayne Carter 3.79
*   * Adam Labedzki 3.65

Coventry

*   * Billy Hamill 9.26
*   * Greg Hancock 9.05
*   * Andreas Jonsson 7.90
*   * Lee Richardson 7.44
*   * Stuart Robson 5.39
*   * Billy Janniro 5.17
*   * Paul Lee 2.88

Eastbourne

*   * Martin Dugard 8.16
*   * Joe Screen 7.60
*   * Dean Barker 6.80
*   * David Norris 6.70
*   * Antonín Šváb Jr. 6.46
*   * Stefan Andersson 6.07
*   * Roman Povazhny 6.00
*   * Brent Werner 5.42
*   * Joonas Kylmäkorpi 5.39
*   * Marcus Andersson 5.06

Ipswich

*   * Scott Nicholls 10.11
*   * Craig Boyce 8.06
*   * Chris Louis 7.79
*   * Jarosław Hampel 7.35
*   * Jeremy Doncaster 6.35
*   * Jason Bunyan 2.66
*   * Savalas Clouting 2.08

King's Lynn

*   * Jason Crump 10.39
*   * Nicki Pedersen 9.01
*   * Peter Karlsson 8.75
*   * Niklas Klingberg 6.76
*   * Ronni Pedersen 6.64
*   * Tom P. Madsen 5.20
*   * Freddie Eriksson 4.71
*   * Tomasz Bajerski 4.00
*   * Lee Redmond 2.08
*   * Joachim Kugelmann 1.83

Oxford

*   * Leigh Adams 10.08
*   * Todd Wiltshire 7.16
*   * Brian Andersen 6.99
*   * Lukáš Dryml 6.75
*   * Steve Johnston 6.47
*   * Aleš Dryml Jr. 6.12
*   * Andrew Appleton 2.73

Peterborough

*   * Ryan Sullivan 9.52
*   * Mark Loram 8.37
*   * Simon Stead 7.31
*   * Matej Ferjan 6.59
*   * Shane Parker 6.18
*   * David Howe 5.86
*   * Nigel Sadler 5.66
*   * Marián Jirout 5.23
*   * Grant MacDonald 0.38

Poole

*   * Tony Rickardsson 9.66
*   * Krzysztof Cegielski 8.34
*   * Gary Havelock 8.16
*   * Hans N. Andersen 6.73
*   * Grzegorz Walasek 6.53
*   * Lars Gunnestad 6.51
*   * Magnus Zetterström 5.86
*   * Craig Watson 4.87
*   * David Ruud 4.42

Wolverhampton

*   * Mikael Karlsson 9.00
*   * Sam Ermolenko 7.34
*   * Paul Hurry 7.33
*   * Jesper B. Jensen 5.71
*   * Daniel Nermark 5.62
*   * Krzysztof Jabłoński 4.70
*   * Alun Rossiter 2.76
*   * Wayne Broadhurst 1.69

## See also

[edit]

* Speedway in the United Kingdom
* List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
* Knockout Cup (speedway)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Historic league tables". Speedway Archive.
2. ^ "HISTORY ARCHIVE". British Speedway. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
3. ^ "2001 league tables". Speedway GB.
4. ^ "Oxford". wwosbackup. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
5. ^ "HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK". Speedway.org. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
6. ^ a b "2001 fixtures & results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
7. ^ "2001 Elite League Knockout Cup". Speedway archive.
8. ^ "Speedway". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. 26 October 2001. Retrieved 6 October 2024 - via British Newspaper Archive.
9. ^ "Peterborough lift the cup". Crash.net. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
10. ^ "Elite League Riders' Championship". WWOS Backup. Retrieved 8 June 2023.

* v
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Speedway in the United Kingdom

Current leagues|

* SGB Premiership
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Former leagues|

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Current individual competitions|

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Former individual competitions|

* London Riders'
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See also|

* Speedway
* British Speedway Promoters' Association
* Speedway Control Bureau

* v
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United Kingdom Speedway Seasons

Tier One League
Top division|

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Tier Two League
Second division|

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Tier Three League
Third division|

* 1947
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Champions|

* League champions
* Cup winners

* v
* t
* e

Elite League

Teams|

* Belle Vue Aces
* Birmingham Brummies
* Bradford Dukes
* Coventry Bees
* Eastbourne Eagles
* Hull Vikings
* Ipswich Witches
* King's Lynn Stars
* Lakeside Hammers
* Leicester Lions
* Oxford Cheetahs
* Peterborough Panthers
* Poole Pirates
* Reading Bulldogs
* Rye House Rockets
* Somerset Rebels
* Swindon Robins
* Wolverhampton Wolves

Seasons|

* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016

Domestic cups|

* Elite League Knockout Cup
* Craven Shield
* Elite Shield
* Elite League Riders' Championship
* Elite League Pairs Championship

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