Nicholls stresses importance of Ben Fund ahead of Bonanza meeting at Cowley

INJURED Oxford star Scott Nicholls has stated the importance of the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund, ahead of the Ben Fund Bonanza being held at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium on Sunday, March 23 (6pm).

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

Cost of entry is £25 for all categories of admission, but with under-16s admitted free if accompanied by an adult.

Sandy Lane is hosting the 15th staging of the annual event, which raises money for both long-term and short-term injured riders via the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund.

The line-up is reckoned to be the best for the event since at least the Rye House staging of 2010. Of the 12 riders revealed so far, there are three members of the BetGoodwin Oxford Spires – Maciej Janowski, Charles Wright and Erik Riss. In addition, Sam Masters will be representing the SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies. There are also three 2025 Grand Prix riders – current World No 3 Freddie Lindgren, 2017 World Champion Jason Doyle, and Max Fricke.

Nicholls – the captain of the Oxford Cheetahs for the past three seasons – will not be fit at the start of the season and indeed could spend the majority of the year recovering from a shoulder injury he sustained last October.

The 46-year-old seven-time British Champion said: “I think there’s a lot of riders out there who are not actually aware of how much the Ben Fund put into the sport. What they provide and how much passion they have. It’s a shame because what they do is unbelievable. I think the Bonanza is something that every rider should do, maybe not contractual but I think it should be highlighted to them just how important the Ben Fund people are, and how much they do.

“I think it’s something that the promoters should be more aware of promoting, and also notifying the riders just what they do. Sometimes it seems an imposition to go out for the Ben Fund collections during a match, when you are trying to do a job, but if it was emphasised just how much they actually give, the riders would probably say ‘No problem at all!.’ It is awesome what they do, it really is, and I think a lot of riders would be absolutely screwed without it.

“I think every club should have the Ben Fund on the race suit. They could have something on their websites detailing what they do, because a lot of people will not actually be aware what it is. It’s only right that they tell people what it is and what it supports”, Nicholls concluded.

A fund raiser for the Ben Fund is set to take place at the Wheatley New Club, 3 Blenheim Lane, Wheatley, Oxfordshire OX33 1NJ this Friday (March 7) at 7.30pm.

It will a Race Evening / Social Night, where participants can choose a rider for each race. It’s similar to horse racing evening, except in this case, the horses will have a rider’s name.

There will be eight races, plus an auction race at the end of the evening. The event is being organised by Oxford supporter Neil Ramsden. The Ben Fund mascot will be present at the event.

Ben Fund Bonanza line-up so far:

Maciej Janowski (Oxford Spires)

Charles Wright (Oxford Spires and Redcar)

Erik Riss (Oxford Spires and Redcar)

Sam Masters (Oxford Cheetahs and Leicester)

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)