PREVIEW: Ben Fund Bonanza promises to be a cracking start to the season
SIX Oxford riders are included in a top line-up, as the Ben Fund Bonanza launches another action-packed season at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium this Sunday (March 23) at 6pm.
No fewer than four BetGoodwin Oxford Spires – newly-appointed skipper Maciej Janowski, Charles Wright, Erik Riss and Peter Kildemand – are in the line-up.
For SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies, both skipper Sam Masters and Jonas Knudsen ride in the meeting. In addition, a third Cheetah – Dan Gilkes – has been announced as meeting reserve.
The line-up is headed by three 2025 Grand Prix riders – current World No 3 Freddie Lindgren, 2017 World Champion Jason Doyle, and Max Fricke.
The individual event will consist of 27 races in total, including women’s and youth races. The main event is 20 qualifying races, a semi-final and a Grand Final.
Sandy Lane is hosting the 15th staging of the Bonanza, which raises money for both long-term and short-term injured riders via registered charity, the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund.
One rider currently on the sidelines is Scott Nicholls, the captain of Oxford Cheetahs for the last three seasons. The 46-year-old suffered a dislocated shoulder at Sandy Lane at the end of last season, and admitted at the recent Celebration Of Speedway in Hertfordshire he is still at least three months away from a return.
Nicholls says: “It’s an honour for Oxford to stage the Bonanza and it is an honour that we have a Ben Fund. It’s such a unique concept. I don’t think there are many sports out there that have something as good as the Ben Fund.
“I’ve been fortunate to have not had to use it much; I had only used it once before in my career, that was years back and only for a short period of time. But the support they offer, and the love and support they offer, nothing’s too much trouble.
“I’m not just talking about the financial aspect – obviously there’s a threshold to what they can do for people, but with my latest injury and asked if they could help at all, and it’s not just financial. It’s the support network that is there. For example, if you need some physio, you can see this guy.”
The race-suits of both Nicholls and Polish star Tobiasz Musielak will be auctioned in the main bar after the meeting.
Tickets are on sale on the Oxford Speedway website at https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/
Gates open at 4.30pm – no-one can be admitted until this time, due to the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership Media Day also taking place at the stadium on the same day.
Admission is £25 for all adults, while all accompanied under-16s go free. A reminder that Oxford Speedway is online ticket sales only – tickets remain on sale on the website until the start-time of the meeting.
Season Passes are NOT valid for this meeting, and nor is the stadium parking for season pass holders. Season pass holders will need to buy the Unipart parking.
BetGoodwin Oxford Spires ride at King’s Lynn in the Premiership Knockout Cup on Monday night, with the return leg at Cowley on Thursday evening (7.30pm).
Ben Fund Bonanza full line-up:
Maciej Janowski (Oxford Spires)
Charles Wright (Oxford Spires and Redcar)
Erik Riss (Oxford Spires and Redcar)
Peter Kildemand (Oxford Spires and Berwick)
Sam Masters (Oxford Cheetahs and Leicester)
Jonas Knudsen (Oxford Cheetahs)
Freddie Lindgren (unattached)
Jason Doyle (Ipswich)
Max Fricke (Leicester)
Danny King (Ipswich and Redcar)
Tom Brennan (Ipswich)
Tobiasz Musielak (Birmingham)
Adam Ellis (Ipswich)
Lewis Kerr (Poole)
Justin Sedgmen (Edinburgh)
Ben Barker (Plymouth)
Reserve: Dan Gilkes (Oxford Cheetahs)
PHOTO: Scott Nicholls after winning the 2019 Ben Fund Bonanza at Leicester (pic: Steve Dixon)