PREVIEW: Four-Team Tournament to bring down curtain on season at the Bet Goodwin Oxford Stadium

THE BETGOODWIN Four Team-Tournament should provide a fitting climax to the 2025 speedway season, with the SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies taking on select teams from the Swindon Robins, Coventry Bees and Wolverhampton Wolves at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Sunday (October 26th) at 7pm.

The meeting was originally due to take place tonight (Thursday) but has been moved back 72 hours due to Storm Benjamin.

The main meeting will consist of a 16-heat four team tournament, with each of the four teams consisting of four riders who each take four programmed rides. The meeting will get off to an exciting start, since Heat 1 pits the No 1 riders against each other – with Oxford skipper Sam Masters against Scott Nicholls, Chris Harris and Dan Thompson.

The return of Nicholls, the skipper of the Oxford Cheetahs between 2022 and 2024 and record-breaking seven-times British Champion, is a major selling point. Former British Grand Prix Champion Harris is another former Oxford rider on display, and is No 1 for Coventry Bees, a club at which he obtained legendary status.

The field also contains the majority of the riders from both Cheetahs and the Real Mini Company Oxford Chargers powered by AW Mobbs, the WSRA National League champions.

The first sixteen races will determine which team wins on the night. In addition, there will be a concluding individual final between the top scores from each of the four sides. It will be the 33rd and final speedway meeting at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium in 2025.

Oxford Cheetahs returned to action in 2022, following a break of 15 years. It’s one of the speedway success stories of recent times. In contrast, sadly none of Swindon, Coventry or Wolverhampton are currently running. But there are various campaigns and plans to re-introduce them.

All four clubs are amongst the most successful of all-time in British Speedway. Coventry have won the top-tier on eight occasions (1968, 1978-79, 1987-88, 2005, 2007 and 2010), while Oxford (1964, 1985-86, 1989 and 2001), Swindon (1957, 1967, 2012, 2017 and 2019) and Wolverhampton (1991, 1996, 2002, 2009 and 2016) have all won it on five occasions.

Oxford manager Peter Schroeck said: “We wanted one more meeting at Oxford, and a big thank you to BetGoodwin for sponsoring this meeting.

“The meeting works on several levels. For starters, it’s a chance for everyone to have a bit of fun. The riders will still be competing, as they always do, but it’s an opportunity for everyone to enjoy themselves: the fans, the riders, the management, the track staff, all the sponsors and everyone connected with the club. It’s a celebration of Oxford Speedway.

“Of course, it’s not just about us. We’ve invited select teams from Swindon, Coventry and Wolverhampton, and we hope to have plenty of supporters from those tracks, showing the enthusiasm that still exists for the Robins, Bees and Wolves.

“It’s also a chance to welcome home our highly-successful Real Mini Company Oxford Chargers powered by AW Mobbs – the 2025 WSRA National League champions. I’m hugely grateful to the fans who travelled all the way up to Redcar when we clinched the title, but I also appreciate that it’s a long journey up there and not everyone could make it. The Chargers have a chance of a homecoming and to parade their trophy.”

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.

Season passes are NOT valid for this additional meeting.

Teams:

SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies: 1. Sam Masters, 2. Mitch McDiarmid, 3. Luke Killeen, 4. Senna Summers. Team manager: Peter Schroeck.

Swindon Robins Select: 1. Dan Thompson, 2. Simon Lambert, 3. Jason Edwards, 4. Paul Starke. Team manager: Alun Rossiter.

Coventry Bees Select: 1. Chris Harris, 2. Joe Thompson, 3. Jody Scott, 4. Ashton Vale. Team manager: Martin Coleman.                                                            

Wolverhampton Wolves Select: 1. Scott Nicholls, 2. Leon Flint, 3. Cameron Heeps, 4. Arran Butcher. Team manager: Sam Ermolenko.

PHOTO: Oxford Speedway legends Sam Masters and Scott Nicholls share a joke. Both will be competing in the BetGoodwin Four Team Tournament on Sunday (pic: Steve Edmunds)