Cameron Heeps ‘blown away’, after Oxford Speedway fans collect over £3,000 to repair his machinery

AUSTRALIAN Cameron Heeps, the second heat-leader for the SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies, has expressed his gratitude after the supporters of the club raised over £3,000 to repair his machinery after a horror crash.

A GoFundMe account was started by Oxford Speedway Supporters’ Club chairman Gavin Beckley and simply read: “While riding for the Oxford Cheetahs on the 28th of May, Cameron Heeps suffered a big fall. The Oxford Speedway Supporters’ Club are raising money to help replace his damaged equipment.”

A track collection has also been held, which was added to the online campaign, and the overall figure is just over £3,000.

Heeps crashed during Heat 12 of the Oxford vs Scunthorpe meeting. After contact from Scunthorpe’s Zaine Kennedy, Heeps straightened up and smashed into the third bend fence at high speed in one of the highest-impact accidents seen at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium. A hush descended over the venue, while there was amazement when, after medical treatment, the 29-year-old got to his feet and hobbled off the track.

A subsequent hospital visit revealed Heeps had not broken any bones, but had lots of bruising and soft tissue damage.

Meanwhile, his bike was almost totally wrecked in the crash and sustained considerable damage. Heeps has subsequently missed three meetings for the Cheetahs, which means he can’t earn to pay for that damage. Heeps has a young family – his first child was born just after the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Heeps said: “I can’t thank the supporters enough. It’s blown me away the support that I have at Oxford and the amount of money that the fans have raised for me. I’m a bit speechless, because I can’t say thank you enough.

“I’m so grateful, because I don’t have to stress about how I’m going to pay to repair the bike. I think the engine, the carby (carburettor), clutch and the seat are all we could save. A good 80 per cent of the bike has gone into the bin, but we can now put it back to how it was.

“The air fence and fence behind it both did their job. The fence behind was strong enough not to completely break, but weak enough to have plenty of give. It was the perfect mix. They did a great job when they re-build the track when speedway came back – they knew what they were doing and it was spot on.

“My brain wants to get back racing, but my body is telling me to hold on a bit! I took a pretty big hit, and I’ll come back when I’m feeling comfortable.

“I don’t think I could ever pay the fans back – they’ve gone above and beyond. But once I’m back, I’ll put on a show and hopefully myself and the rest of the boys and can bring back some silverware for them.”

The GoFundMe link for the Cameron Heeps Machinery Fund set up by Oxford Speedway Supporters’ Club is: https://gofund.me/b1c0ba18

Heeps will miss Cheetahs’ trip to Edinburgh on Friday night. International commitments have decimated the Oxford line-up and only Sam Masters and Jordan Jenkins are left from Cheetahs’ normal one-to-seven.

The next meeting at the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium sees the BetGoodwin Oxford Spires take on the King’s Lynn Stars in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership clash next Thursday (June 12) at 7.30pm. Tickets are on sale on the Oxford Speedway website at: https://oxfordspeedway.club/tickets/

Teams for Edinburgh vs Oxford on Friday:

Edinburgh Monarchs: Michael Palm Toft, Paco Castagna R/R, Jonatan Grahn, Kye Thomson, Justin Sedgmen, Victor Palovaara, Mark Parker.

SD Timmo Car Sales Oxford Cheetahs powered by County Plumbing Supplies: Sam Masters (C), Cameron Heeps R/R, Lasse Fredriksen (G), Ben Morley (G), Jordan Jenkins, Jody Scott (G), Jacob Hook (G).

PHOTO: Cameron Heeps catches up with the paramedics who treated him the previous week at Oxford on Wednesday evening (pic: Steve Edmunds)