Thursday, April 23, 2026
OXFORD SPEEDWAY
Oxford Speedway

PREVIEW: Spires look to upset applecart at Leicester

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BETGOODWIN Oxford Spires are seeking their second away victory of the season in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership at Leicester’s Beaumont Park on Thursday evening (July 10) at 7.30pm.

Spires have showed improved form in their last couple of outings at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium – with a 62-28 drubbing of bottom club of Birmingham, followed by a narrow 44-46 defeat to a powerful Ipswich side who have moved back to the top of the table.

Leicester Lions won the corresponding meeting at Cowley in April by 49-41 – so Spires will need a win or draw to gain any league points from the meeting.

Craig Cook will return from illness, but Erik Riss remains sidelined with the re-occurrence of the debilitating condition he suffered in 2023, which amongst other things, affects his vision.

German star Riss wrote on his Facebook account on Saturday: “It is with deep regret that I have to announce that I am withdrawing from the Longtrack Grand Prix in Muhldorf this weekend, and also having to take a break from racing in general for now.

“Unfortunately, since last Sunday, I’m experiencing a recurrence of previous health issues which are causing severe discomfort and are impeding my vision.

“I am currently in the process of seeing various medical professionals, with the hope of finding answers so that I can receive the appropriate treatments and return to racing soon.

“I hope people can understand that this is a worrying time for me and it’s very hard to accept that I will have to deal with this condition again. I can only highlight that nobody is more devastated at the current situation as I am.”

Richard Lawson will again guest in place of Riss – he scored 7+1 for Spires at Oxford against Ipswich on Monday, including defeating Jason Doyle. Lawson is a former Leicester rider and a track specialist.

Leicester will use rider replacement for the injured Luke Becker.

The next meeting at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium sees Spires entertain Belle Vue Aces in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership next Thursday (July 17). Tickets are already on the Oxford Speedway website at https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/

Teams:

Leicester Lions: Max Fricke (C), Luke Becker R/R, Ryan Douglas, Kyle Howarth, Sam Masters, Drew Kemp, Joe Thompson (RS).

BetGoodwin Oxford Spires: Maciej Janowski (C), Rohan Tungate, Craig Cook, Charles Wright, Richard Lawson (G), Peter Kildemand, Luke Killeen (RS).

PHOTO by Les Aubrey