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Oxford Cheetahs
Club information
Track address	Oxford Stadium Sandy Lane Cowley, Oxford
Country	England
Founded	1939
Promoter	Jamie Courtney
Team manager	Peter Schroeck
League	SGB Premiership SGB Championship National Development League
Website	Official Website
Club facts
Colours	Blue and Yellow
Track size	297 metres (325 yd)
Track record time	56.2 seconds
Track record date	13 October 1988
Track record holder	Hans Nielsen
Major team honours
United Kingdom Champions 1964, 1985, 1986, 1989, 2001 Knockout Cup Winners 1964, 1985, 1986 UK tier 3 winners 1950, 2023 National Trophy tier 3 winners 1950 Premier League Fours 1994, 1996 Gold Cup Winners 1989 League Cup Winners (shared) 1986 Premiership Winners 1987 Midland Cup Winners 1975, 1985, 1986 Britannia Shield Winners 1964 Craven Shield Winners 2005

The Oxford Cheetahs are a British speedway team based at Oxford Stadium, in Oxford, England. They were founded in 1939 and are five times champions of Britain, in 1964, 1985, 1986, 1989 and 2001. The club folded in 2007 but returned to racing when participating in the SGB Championship 2022.

During their history they have run under several other names; from 1972 to 1975, they were known as Oxford Rebels and from 2003 to 2005, they were known as Oxford Silver Machine. They have also run junior sides known as the Oxford Cubs, Oxford Silver Machine Academy, Oxford Lions and Oxford Chargers. For 2024 the club will run two teams in addition to the Cheetahs, one under a new guise of the Oxford Spires in the Premiership and the Chargers in the development league.

Current squads

Spires SGB Premiership	Cheetahs SGB Championship	Chargers NDL
Rohan Tungate	Sam Masters	Jody Scott
Peter Kildemand	Luke Killeen	Ashton Vale
Charles Wright	Cameron Heeps	Arran Butcher
Erik Riss	Dan Gilkes	Jacob Clouting
Maciej Janowski	Jordan Jenkins	Darryl Ritchings
	Jonas Knudsen	Max Broadhurst
Luke Killeen	Mitchell McDiarmid	Senna Summers

History

Origins and 1940s

The Oxford Motorcycle Speedway Club moved to Oxford Stadium in 1939 from a grass circuit in Sandford-on-Thames. The Secretary Ted Mander orchestrated the move and the first individual meeting was held on Easter Saturday 8 April 1939 won by Roy Duke. The club contested team meetings against Smallford, Wisbech, High Beech and Reading.

Racing resumed on 28 April 1940, with guest teams racing. This was followed by just two meetings in 1941 before Mander announced that racing would be suspended for the duration of the World War II. Despite the war ending in 1945 there was no racing from 1942 to 1948. However, during 1948 the stadium owner Leslie Calcutt unsuccessfully applied to the Speedway Control Board for a licence to race in the Third Division.

Following major track renovations in 1949, the club joined the 1949 Speedway National League Division Three. The club took the nickname 'Cheetahs' following a competition for the general public, held by the local Oxford Mail newspaper. The team manager was Ron Bear and the club colours were dark blue and yellow, with the first match being an away fixture at Exeter on 18 April 1949. Oxford lost heavily 60-24 and three days later lost to Hastings 47–37 in their first home fixture. The Cheetahs finished in last place during their inaugural season and used 24 different riders.

1950s

The Cheetahs went from finishing last in 1949 to winning the division 3 league and cup double in 1950 and were subsequently promoted to Division two in 1951. Pat Clark was the team's number 1 rider, hitting a season average of 9.99.

After finishing bottom of the division two in 1952 they rode in the third division called the Southern League in 1953 but following a league restructure, which included the signing of Ronnie Genz, the Cheetahs returned to division two in 1954.

Following a league merger the Cheetahs rode in the top tier for the first time in 1957. The team continued to race in the top tier but did not manage to gain any notable success.

1960s

The Cheetahs headed Arne Pander record a third place finish in 1960 and then after struggling in the top division for several years they dramatically won the top-tier league for the first time in 1964 despite finishing last the season before with many of the same riders. The winning team consisted of Ron How, Arne Pander, Jimmy Gooch, Ronnie Genz, Colin Gooddy, Jack Geran, Colin McKee, Eddie Reeves and John Bishop. They also completed a treble by winning the National Trophy and Britannia Shield.

The team failed to emulate the success in the following season, primarily due to the creation of the British League and a division of 18 teams, which forced members of the team to depart under the Speedway Control Board rules. The results suffered and towards the end of the sixties, the team struggled.

1970s

In 1972, the club was rebranded, the Cheetahs became the Oxford Rebels and the stadium renamed as Cowley Stadium. The takeover was by a new consortium, which included former riders Bob Dugard and Danny Dunton, Dave Lanning and the famous musician Acker Bilk. The team under performed badly, finishing 17th from 18 teams despite the new image and failed to make any impact in subsequent seasons.

In what was to be the final year for the Rebels in 1975, the team did win the Midland Cup against Wolverhampton Wolves under the captainship of Dag Lovaas. Following the threat of track closure the promoters started a new team at White City Stadium called the White City Rebels leaving Oxford with no team or riders.

A new Oxford team were formed after a committee of fans had created a "Save Our Stadium" campaign over the previous winter and entered the 1976 National League season (tier 2). The club dumped the unpopular name of Rebels and reverted back to the Cheetahs under new promoters Harry Bastable and Tony Allsop and the venue was known again as Oxford Stadium. In 1977, Oxford Stadium was purchased by David Hawkins' Northern Sports for £250,000, ending the concern about permanent closure. The team continued to compete in the second division and saw the number riders include the likes of Martin Yeates and George Hunter.

1980s

Dave Perks topped the league averages in 1980 but the team failed to finish any higher than 12th from 1980 to 1983. Then in 1984, Oxford Cheetahs changed the face of British speedway. Northern Sports invested heavily into the stadium with a £1.5 million three tier grandstand restaurant and sports centre. David Hawkins installed Bernard Crapper and John Payne as speedway co-promoters and the team were entered for the 1984 British League season (the top league tier). The Cheetahs broke all transfer fee records by signing Danish international Hans Nielsen from Birmingham for a record £30,000, Simon Wigg from Cradley Heath for £25,000, Marvyn Cox for £15,000 from Rye House, Melvyn Taylor for £12,000 from King's Lynn and Dane Jens Rasmussen.

After a moderate 1984 campaign the team won four trophies in 1985. They won the league, Knockout Cup, Midland Cup and pairs. The Oxford City council gave the team a civic reception and parade through Oxford on an open top bus.

The following season, the team won a clean sweep of five trophies, winning the league, KO Cup, League Cup, Midland Cup and pairs. Hans Nielsen, was arguably the world's leading rider during the period, topping the league averages a remarkable seven consecutive seasons and being crowned world champion three times in 1986, 1987 and 1989. The Cheetahs won a third league championship in 1989, with Martin Dugard supporting Nielsen and Wigg in the averages.

1990s

Northern Sports parent company Hawkins of Harrow began to run into financial trouble and the team suffered lack of investment, Hans Nielsen left and the team applied to and raced in division two in 1993. They won the division two fours championship in 1994. Northern Sports were later liquidated, meaning the team was not financed by the stadium owners. Additionally in 1995 and 1996 there was only one division of British speedway meaning the Oxford Cheetahs returned to the top division under independent promoters. In 1997, another league restructure resulted in a new Elite League, with the Premier League becoming division two, Oxford competed in the latter.

The team competed in the Elite League under new promotion from 1998 and signed Todd Wiltshire as their number 1.

2000s

• Leigh Adams
• Todd Wiltshire
• Steve Johnston

Promoter Steve Purchase signed Australian Leigh Adams for the 2001 season and supported by Wiltshire, Brian Andersen, Steve Johnston and the Dryml brothers Lukáš and Aleš, the Cheetahs became champions of Britain for the fifth time.

The Oxford Cheetahs were renamed for three seasons as the Oxford Silver Machine from 2003 to 2005, under the promotion of Nigel Wagstaff. Again the renaming was not popular with the fans but number 1 rider Greg Hancock was. However, in 2006 they reverted to their original name, which was apt because it would be their final full season as a top tier speedway team for 18 years.

Until 30 May 2007, the Cheetahs rode in the Elite League and operated a junior side known as the Oxford Lions which competed in the Conference League. In a statement issued by the British Speedway Promoters Association on 31 May 2007, their owner Colin Horton closed the club as a result of poor attendances and financial losses. In June 2007, businessman Allen Trump invested in the club (also sponsoring the club via LCD Publishing) to secure the lease on the track and the Cheetahs completed the 2007 season in the Conference League, replacing the Lions.

After the 2007 season, owner Allen Trump planned to bring the Cheetahs back into the Premier League for 2008. However, Trump was unable to secure a deal with landlords, the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) to continue speedway racing at the Cowley and handed the promotion back to the BSPA. Further negotiations with the GRA were unsuccessful and Oxford had no speedway for 14 years. A number of committed fans keen to see the return of speedway to Oxford remained active. Two supporters groups, the Oxford Speedway Supporters Club (OSSC) and Save Oxford Speedway (SOS) held regular events and trips for Oxford fans and actively campaigned for the return of speedway to Oxford.

2020s

On 11 November 2021, it was confirmed that the Cheetahs would return for the 2022 season in the SGB Championship, after a 14-year absence from British Speedway. The stadium had been leased to Kevin Boothby, who was keen to bring back the sport. Jamie Courtney would be the team promoter. The Cheetahs also ran a junior side called the Chargers for the 2022 NDL season and 2023 NDL season, winning the league title during the latter.

In 2024, Oxford named three teams to compete in all three tiers of British speedway (the first time that a club had a team in each of the three leagues). The Cheetahs remained in the Championship, with the slightly odd decision being made to enter the Spires into the Premiership, with the Chargers remained in the NDL. The Cheetahs reached the play off and knockout cup finals.

Previous teams (from 1949)

Season summary

Notable riders

• Brian Andersen
• Pat Clark
• Marvyn Cox
• Todd Wiltshire
• Aleš Dryml Jr.
• Martin Dugard
• Ronnie Genz
• Colin Gooddy
• Andy Grahame
• Greg Hancock
• Ron How
• George Hunter
• Steve Johnston
• Gordon Kennett
• Scott Nicholls
• Hans Nielsen
• Arne Pander
• Dave Perks
• Jens Rasmussen
• Nigel Sparshott
• Melvyn Taylor
• Rick Timmo
• Simon Wigg
• Todd Wiltshire
• Martin Yeates

See also

• List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
• Knockout Cup (speedway)

Further reading

• The Story of Oxford Speedway. (Robert Bamford and Glynn Shailes, 2007) ISBN 978-0-7524-4161-0

References

1. ^ Lawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. ISBN 978-0-244-72538-9
2. ^ Bamford/Shailes, Robert/Glynn (2007). The History of Oxford Speedway. Tempus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7524-4161-0.
3. "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
4. "Bulldogs rout Oxford". Bristol Evening Post. 5 June 1954. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. ^ "UK Speedway Champions". Speedway Champions.
6. "1957 season results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
7. "SPEEDWAY: Former Cheetahs star How dies at 81". Oxford Mail.
8. Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 65. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
9. "Speedway". Reading Evening Post. 21 April 1972. Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
10. "Speedway rider Gary Peterson killed". Reading Evening Post. 18 October 1975. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
11. Lawson,K (2018) “Rebels 1975 – The Last Season”. ISBN 978-0-244-99725-0
12. Lawson,K (2018) “The Cheetahs – The Resurrection”. ISBN 978-0-244-69934-5
13. Oakes, P (2006). Speedway Star Almanac. Pinegen Ltd. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0.
14. "Oxford Stadium Conservation Area Appraisal". Oxford City Council. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
15. "Goodbye Marvyn". Hoddesdon and Broxbourne Mercury. 18 November 1983. Retrieved 28 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
16. "Oxford Cheetahs issue rallying call". Speedway Great Britain. 3 March 2017.
17. Bamford, Reg (2004). Speedway Yearbook. Tempus Publishing, Stroud. ISBN 978-0-7524-2955-7.
18. "Grahame's glory". Birmingham Mail. 1 November 1985. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
19. "SPEEDWAY: Nielsen regret at Oxford". Oxford Mail.
20. "Bees:We had fight". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 30 October 1986. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
21. "Former Oxford Cheetahs promoter Bernard Crapper dies". BBC News. 17 November 2010.
22. "Aussie Ace to join Oxford". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
23. "Oxford". wwosbackup. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
24. "Get set for the Oxford 'Silver Machine'". Oxford Mail.
25. "Oxford Closure - Full Statement". British Speedway Promoters' Association. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
26. "Oxford Saved". British Speedway Promoters' Association. 9 June 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2007.
27. "Cheetahs to return to Premier League?". WorldSpeedway.com. 1 December 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
28. "Oxford Speedway: Allen Trump tells why". WorldSpeedway.com. 16 December 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
29. "Major blow for Cheetahs". British Speedway Promoters' Association. 24 January 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
30. "Oxford Speedway - Home of the Oxford TFSuccess.com Cheetahs". Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
31. Oxford Speedway Supporters Club website
32. "Oxford Cheetahs: Speedway side set for British Championship return in 2022". BBC Sport.
33. "Speedway and Oxford Cheetahs set to return to Oxford Stadium". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
34. "Oxford Cheetahs: Speedway side set for British Championship return in 2022". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
35. "Jenkins leads the Chargers". Official British Speedway. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
36. "Chargers' win title". British Speedway. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
37. "Poole Pirates crowned speedway champions". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
38. "Rider Averages" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
39. "2006 Elite League Greensheet Averages". Speedway Great Britain. 3 March 2017.
40. "2005 Elite League Greensheet Averages". Speedway Great Britain. 3 March 2017.

v t e United Kingdom Speedway Seasons
Tier One League Top division	1929 1929 1930 1930 1931 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Tier Two League Second division	1934 1936 1937 1938 1939 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Tier Three League Third division	1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1994 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Champions	League champions Cup winners

v t e SGB Premiership
2025 Teams	Belle Vue Aces Birmingham Brummies Ipswich Witches King's Lynn Stars Leicester Lions Oxford Spires Sheffield Tigers
Former Teams	Peterborough Panthers Poole Pirates Rye House Rockets Somerset Rebels Swindon Robins Wolverhampton Wolves
Seasons	2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Domestic cups	SGB Premiership Knockout Cup Riders' Individual Championship SGB Premiership Pairs Premiership Shield

v t e SGB Championship
2024 Teams	Berwick Bandits Edinburgh Monarchs Glasgow Tigers Oxford Cheetahs Plymouth Gladiators Poole Pirates Redcar Bears Scunthorpe Scorpions Workington Comets
Former Teams	Birmingham Brummies Eastbourne Eagles Ipswich Witches Kent Kings Lakeside Hammers Leicester Lions Newcastle Diamonds Peterborough Panthers Sheffield Tigers Somerset Rebels
Seasons	2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Domestic cups	Knockout Cup Pairs Fours Riders' Individual Championship

• Sport in Oxford
• Organisations based in Oxford
• SGB Premiership teams
• SGB Championship teams
• 1939 establishments in England