Oxford Speedway News

Scott Nicholls will replace Niels-Kristian Iversen in the Oxford Rebels line-up in the Bob Kilby Memorial Meeting at Swindon later today.

Iversen has a re-arranged meeting in Poland.

Six-times British Champion Nicholls will make a fine replacement.

OXFORD CHEETAHS UPDATE

OXFORD Cheetahs fans are being encouraged to lobby their City Councillors to express their opposition to any development on the site of Oxford Stadium.

Supporters’ Club Chairman Gavin Beckley said: “The deadline for formal objections to the list of preferred options for potential future development sites for housing expired in July, and apparently there were a high number of objections to the site containing the stadium.

“But it has been reported in the local media that any decisions regarding the 70 or so sites, including Oxford Stadium, are unlikely to be taken by councillors until the New Year.

“We need people to lobby the city councillors and politely let them know our views and opinions, in readiness for when they make their decisions.

“We do not want any redevelopment to the site of Oxford Stadium. The only condition where this would be acceptable would be, if an alternative stadium which could incorporate both Speedway and Greyhound Racing, was built elsewhere within Oxfordshire.

“If people live with the city of Oxford, they can contact their own councillor. For those from the rest of Oxfordshire and surrounding areas, it is probably best to contact either Val Smith or Rae Humberstone, who are the two councillors for the ward of Blackbird Leys, the area containing the stadium. Bob Timbs from the adjacent Lye Valley ward, is another good person to contact.

“The more people who contact the councillors to lobby them over the future of the stadium, the better, especially those from within the city itself.”

A full list of Oxford city councillors is available at: http://mycouncil.oxford.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx

No actual planning application has been submitted regarding the stadium, but its presence on the list of preferred options still caused alarm. However, it has created an opportunity to allow fans a chance to voice their opinions, and influence how any future planning application may be received.

OXFORD CHEETAHS PRESS RELEASE

OXFORD Rebels will make a rare return to action at Swindon’s Abbey Stadium tonight (Thursday, September 22nd) at 7.30pm.

The occasion is the Bob Kilby Memorial Meeting. Former Oxford skipper Kilby died in 2009 at the age of 64.

The meeting is a three team tournament featuring Swindon, Oxford and Exeter - the three clubs that Kilby rode for during a highly successful 20-year career between 1964 and 1983.

Oxford were called the Rebels during the spell that Kilby rode for the club in 1973 and 1974, so Oxford will ride as the Rebels rather than the more traditional Cheetahs.

With no permanent team, the Oxford side has been specially constructed for the evening. It consists of a quartet of former Oxford riders in Niels-Kristian Iversen, Charlie Gjedde, David Howe and Lubos Tomicek.

Niels-Kristian Iversen is a two-time World Cup Winner with Denmark, and has ridden in 26 Grand Prix rounds during his career. He rode for Oxford between 2003 and 2005, helping the club to the Craven Shield at the conclusion of the 2005 season.

Charlie Gjedde was the darling of the Oxford crowd in 2003. The Dane rode for the club in a doubling-up capacity that season, competing for Oxford in the Elite League and Swindon in the Premier League and ended the season with an average in excess of eight points for Oxford.

David Howe rode for the Oxford Cheetahs in 2006, the club’s penultimate year of operation. He is now the No.1 for Premier League Scunthorpe.

Lubos Tomicek made his debut for Oxford in 2003 as a 17-year-old in the short-lived British League Cup competition. He made appearances for Oxford between 2003 and 2007, and was making huge strides forward in 2007 only for the Elite League operation at Cowley to cease mid-season.

Ex-Oxford rider & team manager Mick Bell will manage the side,

Cheetahs’ fans are being encouraged to turn up at Blunsdon wearing the team colours.

OXFORD CHEETAHS PRESS RELEASE

Press release from Swindon Speedway:

ONE of Swindon’s all-time greats will be remembered with a special meeting at the Abbey Stadium this Thursday.

Bob Kilby raced for the Robins, Oxford and Exeter throughout his career and teams representing all three clubs will take to the track in his honour.

Kilby was an integral part of Swindon’s brilliant 1967 British League-winning side and had three different spells with the club.

The meeting also gives speedway-starved fans from the defunct Oxford and Exeter clubs a rare chance to cheers their teams once again.

Robins have named a powerful quartet with Scott Nicholls, Simon Stead, Jesper B Monberg and Cory Gathjercole.

And the Oxford Rebels team, which will be managed by former Robins boss Mick Bell, is made up of all former Oxford riders with Danish duo Niels Kristian Iversen, Charlie Gjedde, David Howe and Lubos Tomicek.

And the Falcons have named Rory Schlein, Lewis Bridger and Richard Sweetman. They’ll be joined by Kyle Newman, whose father Keith rode for the Falcons.

Robins co-promoter Gary Patchett said: “We are delighted to be staging this meeting and we hope supporters of Oxford and Exeter take the opportunity to come and see their teams in action one more time.

“We would love to see the sport return to both cities and we staged a very successful meeting along similar lines two years ago including a Cradley Heath team and they now have a side in the National League.

“I am also hoping fans who perhaps no longer come and watch the sport but remember Bob Kilby will come along to support the event which is in his memory.”

Former Oxford Cheetah Greg Hancock closed in on his second World Speedway Championship, after triumphing in Nordic Grand Prix in Vojens, Denmark on Saturday evening.

The 41-year-old Californian, who rode for the Oxford Cheetahs between 2003 and 2005, defeated Jason Crump, Fredrik Lindgren and Chris Holder in the final.

With main rivals Jarek Hampel, Andreas Jonsson and Tomasz Gollob all failing to make the semi-finals, Hancock extended his championship lead to a massive 31 points with only two rounds remaining.

NORDIC SGP SCORES: 1 Greg Hancock 22, 2 Jason Crump 17, 3 Freddie Lindgren 13, 4 Chris Holder 11, 5 Kenneth Bjerre 13, 6 Nicki Pedersen 10, 7 Emil Sayfutdinov 9, 8 Artem Laguta 9, 9 Jaroslaw Hampel 8, 10 Andreas Jonsson 8, 11 Antonio Lindback 6, 12 Chris Harris 5, 13 Tomasz Gollob 5, 14 Bjarne Pedersen 3, 15 Rune Holta 3, 16 Janusz Kolodziej 2, 17 Michael Jepsen Jensen DNR, 18 Mikkel Michelsen DNR.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER NINE ROUNDS): 1 Greg Hancock 139, 2 Jaroslaw Hampel 108, 3 Andreas Jonsson 100, 4 Jason Crump 96, 5 Tomasz Gollob 93, 6 Chris Holder 88, 7 Emil Sayfutdinov 88, 8 Kenneth Bjerre 85, 9 Nicki Pedersen 75, 10 Fredrik Lindgren 73, 11 Antonio Lindback 66, 12 Chris Harris 48, 13 Rune Holta 44, 14 Janusz Kolodziej 41, 15 Artem Laguta 21, 16 Magnus Zetterstrom 19, 17 Thomas H Jonasson 17, 18 Darcy Ward 15, 19 Matej Zagar 9, 20 Scott Nicholls 5, 21 Damian Balinski 4, 22 Matej Kus 3, 23 Bjarne Pedersen 3, 24 Mikkel B Jensen 2, 25 Tai Woffinden 2, 26 Simon Gustafsson 1.