The 2000 Elite League speedway season was the 66th season of the top tier of

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. It was the fourth known as the Elite League and was governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the

British Speedway Promoters' Association The British Speedway Promoters Limited (BSPL) organises the domestic motorcycle speedway competitions in the United Kingdom. They are also responsible for the promotion and running of the FIM meetings staged in Britain. Each club has a promote ...

(

BSPA The British Speedway Promoters Limited (BSPL) organises the domestic motorcycle speedway competitions in the United Kingdom. They are also responsible for the promotion and running of the FIM meetings staged in Britain. Each club has a promote ...

Season summary

In 2000, the league decreased to nine teams with the

Hull Vikings The Hull Vikings were a speedway team from Hull, England, who operated primarily from The Boulevard (stadium) and Craven Park from 1971 to 2005. History The team originated as the Hull Angels and were based at Hedon Stadium in Hedon on the ...

dropping back down to the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

after just one season. The league operated on a standard format without play-offs.

Eastbourne Eagles The Eastbourne Eagles were a British speedway team, based at Arlington Stadium, near Eastbourne, England, that raced in the SGB Championship. History Speedway was initially introduced to Eastbourne in 1929. During their first league season th ...

claimed the

millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

season league title but only finished two points clear of King's Lynn Knights. Martin Dugard topped scored for the Eagles but was well supported by their new signing

Joe Screen Joseph Screen (born 27 November 1972 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire), is a former British international speedway rider. His major speedway honours include winning the World Under-21 Championship in 1993, the British Championship in 1996 and 2004, ...

from Hull Vikings. Three other English riders finished with averages in excess of 7 which was the crucial difference during the season. They were David Norris,

Paul Hurry Paul William George Hurry (born 9 April 1975 in Canterbury, Kent) is a British international motorcycle speedway rider. Hurry began his racing career aged 16 with the Arena Essex Hammers in 1991. In 1994 he became British under 21 champion and ...

and Dean Barker. The King's Lynn Australian pairing of

Leigh Adams Leigh Scott Adams (born 28 April 1971 in Mildura, Victoria)Oakes, P.(2004). ''British Speedway Who's Who''. is an Australian former motorcycle speedway rider. He is a multiple Speedway Grand Prix winner and World Team Champion. He also w ...

and

Jason Crump Jason Philip Crump (born 6 August 1975) is an Australian international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a three-time Speedway World Champion, a World Cup winner and a former World Under-21 Champion. In a 21-year career in Speedway, Jason Cr ...

topped the league averages but did not have the back up that Eastbourne relied on. King's Lynn gained consolation when winning the Knockout Cup.

Final table

_{Oxford v Belle Vue not held.}

Elite League Knockout Cup

The 2000 Speedway Star Knockout Cup was the 62nd edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams.

King's Lynn Stars King's Lynn Stars are a motorcycle speedway team who compete in the SGB Premiership. The nickname "Stars" comes from the defunct Norwich Stars team. The team was founded in 1965 and has been running continually since then, except for 1996 when Kin ...

were the winners of the competition. First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final First leg Second leg King's Lynn Knights were declared Knockout Cup Champions, on aggregate score 100-80.

Leading final averages

Riders & final averages

Belle Vue * 8.34 * 7.02 * 7.00 * 6.45 * 6.20 * 6.20 * 5.78 * 5.58 * 5.37 * 5.38 * 4.64 * 3.76 * 2.20 Coventry * 9.00 * 8.77 * 7.63 * 5.35 * 5.34 * 5.30 * 5.26 * 4.56 Eastbourne * 9.67 * 8.82 * 7.73 * 7.34 * 7.20 * 7.02 * 5.73 * 2.89 Ipswich * 9.57 * 9.52 * 6.53 * 6.51 * 6.13 * 4.65 * 4.15 * 3.51 * 3.46 King's Lynn * 10.17 * 10.15 * 7.98 * 6.86 * 6.57 * 5.88 * 4.40 * 4.14 Oxford * 8.24 * 7.97 * 7.36 * 6.93 * 5.49 * 5.27 * 4.57 * 4.54 * 4.26 Peterborough * 9.18 * 8.69 * 6.85 * 6.84 * 5.92 * 5.82 * 5.67 * 5.46 * 4.50 * 4.47 Poole * 10.10 * 8.57 * 7.60 * 7.21 * 5.17 * 4.26 * 3.41 * 1.28 Wolverhampton * 8.32 * 7.94 * 7.75 * 7.48 * 5.79 * 5.55 * 3.72

References