Sunday, April 13, 2025
OXFORD SPEEDWAY
CheetahsOxford Speedway

PREVIEW: Cheetahs start season with MAXiCab Knockout Cup action

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SD TIMMO CAR SALES Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies are involved in their opening match of the new season when they entertain the Scunthorpe Scorpions in MAXiCab Knockout Cup action at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Wednesday (April 9) at 7.30pm.

It’s the first leg of a quarter-final tie and Cheetahs will be looking to build up a lead ahead of the second leg at Scunthorpe’s Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday, May 23.

Cheetahs – who reached the final of both the Cab Direct league championship and Knockout Cup last season – have a different look to them this season, with Scott Nicholls still out injured with a badly dislocated shoulder, after a crash in the first leg of the Cup Final at Oxford last October. Cheetahs have constructed a solid-looking side without Nicholls, while No 1 Sam Masters is the new skipper.

Western Australian State Champion Mitch McDiarmid will make his British Speedway debut at reserve for Cheetahs – while Scunthorpe also include an Australian newcomer in Declan Kennedy.

Team manager Peter Schroeck says: “I feel there is plenty of room for improvement in the Cheetahs and I’m confident that the side can be successful.

“Obviously, after the injury to Scott, the team has been built in a different way. This season it’s more up to the team as a whole to contribute points and back up Sam.

“Mitch is a bit of an unknown quantity, but we can see what he’s already done at a young age and he looks very promising. Cheetahs will do Luke the world of good. For Spires, I don’t put any pressure on the Rising Star – it’s up to the other six riders. In the Cab Direct Championship, this is the level where Luke can really excel and pile up the points.

“I won’t set a points target for the first leg of the cup against Scunthorpe. We just need to score as many points as we can, before we head up there for the second leg next month.”

Skipper Sam Masters says: “If you look at our line-up, we’ve got a bunch of young fellas riding for us, so I would have helped them out as much as I could in any case. They’re all keen to do well and we all want to go as far in our careers as possible.

“When I was kid, I watched Todd Wiltshire a lot. He was an Oxford man, so I always wanted to race for the team. A couple of years ago that finally happened and, all of a sudden, I was an Oxford Cheetah just as Todd had been. After missing a few years, there’s such a nice vibe at Oxford – the supporters really enjoy having their speedway back. I’d love to help bring some silverware to Oxford – that would be even more exciting.”

Tickets are already on sale on the Oxford Speedway website at https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/

Admission is available at the early bird price of £21 for all adults, which increases to £23 on Race Day. All 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. Spectators are also reminded that they will need to pay £2 if they are planning to park in the Unipart car park.

Teams:

SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies: Sam Masters (C), Jonas Knudsen, Jordan Jenkins, Dan Gilkes, Cameron Heeps, Mitch McDiarmid, Luke Killeen.

Ellie Rose Travel Scunthorpe Scorpions: Steve Worrall, Luke Harrison, Simon Lambert (C), Connor Mountain, Jake Allen, Declan Kennedy, Zaine Kennedy.

PHOTO: Oxford Cheetahs 2025 (Pic: Ian Wagstaff)