Oxford Stadium to host prestigious Championship Pairs for a second time in September
Oxford Speedway co-promoters Jamie Courtney and Kevin Boothby were thrilled to secure a second major British Speedway event at Oxford Stadium which will take place in September.
The Cowley venue will host the prestigious Championship Pairs on Friday, September 1, where each club will be represented by its two top riders in a round-robin turn knockout format.
It follows the successful staging of last year’s event where over 2,000 fans from across the UK and Europe packed the stadium’s terraces to watch Redcar Bears defeat Poole Pirates in the grand final.
The meeting will again coincide with the British Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium which is scheduled to take place the following day. Courtney is hopeful of an equally positive turnout this year.
“The Championship Pairs is a real highlight on the British Speedway calendar, and we were proud to deliver an excellent renewal of the competition in Oxford last August,” said Courtney.
“It’s a competition that unites fanbases and guarantees thrill-a-minute racing with great benefits for not just ourselves but local people and businesses too with many supporters stopping over in Oxford while en route to Cardiff the following day.
“Our regeneration campaign was an overwhelming success and hosting high-profile events of this nature remains a core ambition as we look ahead to 2023.”
The announcement comes with less than a month until the beginning of the new speedway season, with the Monarch Cheetahs and WSRA Chargers set to take to the track on Wednesday, March 22, for the club’s annual press and practice session.
A pre-season challenge fixture against Swindon Robins Select – who will include 2017 World Champion Jason Doyle – will follow a week later before the Cheetahs’ BSN Series campaign begins on April 5 at home to Poole Pirates.
Oxford Stadium MD Kevin Boothby said excitement is building ahead of tapes-up.
“Speedway was a big part of my childhood and to be reconnected with the sport as part of Oxford Stadium’s regeneration has been a real treat,” said Boothby. “The passion and enthusiasm of the Cheetahs and Chargers fanbase is outstanding and we’re very grateful to everyone who contributed to last year’s success story.
“It was their voice which made our decision to reintroduce speedway in 2022 and not wait an additional year to buy some extra time for planning and preparation regarding the rebuild.
“We’ve built a competitive team this season and we’re hopeful of challenging for top honours to reward those who supported the club through 15 years of hurt when speedway had seemingly been lost to Oxford forever.”
Ticketing information will be available closer to the staging of the event. Tapes-up is scheduled for 7pm.
Oxford Stadium’s usual Friday evening greyhound fixture will be moved to accommodate the Championship Pairs with further information available soon.