Oxford Cheetahs looking forward to battle with arch-rivals
PETER SCHROECK, team manager of the SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs, has been buoyed by the recent good news surrounding Oxford Speedway – and is looking forward to the MAXiCab Knockout Cup quarter-final clash with the Poole Pirates at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Wednesday evening (May 13) at 7.30pm.
Last Wednesday, promoter Jamie Courtney revealed that, following extensive negotiations, the long‑term future of Oxford Speedway at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium had been secured, with Spencer Timmo and Mike Austin joining and strengthening the promotional team and Mike set to become co‑promoter alongside Jamie.
It came five weeks after the loss of the broadcast contract for greyhounds at the stadium, which also had a knock-on effect for speedway.
Schroeck said: “The news regarding the club was terrific and it puts everyone’s minds at rest, after a few weeks of uncertainty.
“The easiest thing Jamie could have done a few weeks ago would have been to given up and walked away. He had the same shock that we all had. But he cared for Oxford Speedway as a club. There were many pieces to the puzzle, but Jamie sorted them out.
“I can’t fault the effort of the Cheetahs at any point this season, but it’s great we can now shift the focus on track again and concentrate on getting results.
“That starts with the cup clash at Oxford against Poole on Wednesday evening. It was extremely close between the two clubs on aggregate in the BSN Series, and with every chance it could be again, every point will be fought over.
“We want to build up an advantage that we can defend at Poole a week later, while Cheetahs also start their Cab Direct Championship league fixtures at Edinburgh and Workington this weekend. There’s a lot of exciting speedway ahead and I hope our fantastic supporters join us on the next chapter of our journey, starting by getting behind the boys at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium against Poole on Wednesday evening.”
Tickets are 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. Parking at the Unipart car park is now fully restored and the club thank Unipart for their understanding and co-operation.
Ultimate Season Passes ARE valid for this meeting, since it is Cheetahs’ opening home meeting in the MAXiCab Knockout Cup. Passes are not valid for any subsequent progression in the competition.
* Full preview of Wednesday evening to follow
PHOTO by Steve Edmunds