Paul Pickering (speedway rider)
{{Short description|English speedway rider}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox Speedway rider
| name = Paul Pickering
| image =
| nationality = British (English)
| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|15 February 1966}}
| birth_place = Hartlepool, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| years1 = 1992–1993
| career1 = Middlesbrough Bears
| years2 = 1993–1996
| career2 = Bradford Dukes
| years3 = 1997
| career3 = Reading Racers
| years4 = 1998–2007
| career4 = Stoke Potters
| years5 = 2004
| career5 = Ipswich Witches
| indivyear1 =
| indivhonour1 =
| teamyear1 = 1995
| teamhonour1 = Knockout Cup
| teamyear2 = 1997
| teamhonour2 = Premier league
}}
Paul Pickering (born 14 September 1968) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from England.{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf |title=ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022, Paul Pickering |website=British Speedway |access-date=28 June 2023}}{{cite book |last=Oakes |first=Peter |title=British Speedway Who's Who, Profile Paul Pickering |year=2004 |page= |publisher=Peter Oakes, Peterborough |isbn=0-948882-81-6}}{{cite web |url=https://www.crash.net/speedway/news/99242/1/pickering-the-matter-is-now-closed |title=Pickering: The matter is now closed |website=Crash.net |access-date=25 June 2023}}
Career
Pickering started racing in the British leagues during the 1992 British League Division Two season, when riding for the Middlesbrough Bears. He improved his average the following season to 6.46 (an improvement of nearly 4 points).{{cite web |url=https://wwosbackup.proboards.com/thread/2289/paul-pickering |title=Paul Pickering |website=WWOS Backup |access-date=25 June 2023}}
In 1993, he had also started to make appearances in the top division for Bradford Dukes and in 1994 joined them permanently.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000637/19940308/301/0022 |title=Pickering aims for big league glory |website=Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail |date=8 March 1994 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=4 October 2024 }} During the 1995 Premier League speedway season, he was instrumental in helping the team win the Knockout Cup.
He won more honours in 1997 as part of the Reading Racers league winning team, before joining Stoke Potters in 1998, where he was the team's leading scorer with an average of 9.00. He enjoyed some of his best years at Stoke, consistently averaging around the 8 to 9 point mark. He was voted the team's rider of the decade.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/stoke/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8455000/8455066.stm |title=Paul Pickering is Stoke Potters rider of the decade |website=BBC News |access-date=25 June 2023}}
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickering, Paul}}
Category:British speedway riders
Category:Bradford Dukes riders
Category:Middlesbrough Bears riders
Category:Reading Racers riders
{{UK-speedway-bio-stub}}