SOS: Save our Speedway! The sport isn’t dead yet but change is needed, says Oxford Team Manager Peter Schroeck

Research by the Speedway Star has shown the glum reality of speedway in the modern age, with teams and tracks disappearing. In 2000, 28 tracks were spread across the UK and 33 teams took to the shale; whereas in 2023 there are just 19 tracks and 24 teams with those numbers set to fall even further.

But one track bucking the trend is Oxford. After a 15-year hiatus, the track – and club – have been saved and have returned to their ground alongside a greyhound track.

In 2021, the venue was riddled with overgrown grass, dilapidated concrete, and facilities not suitable for anyone. Originally sold for housing, the lease was transferred with the plan being to host dog racing. From there, speedway was an uncertain step, but one that fans in Oxford have supported.

“When I rode, Oxford was one of the top clubs,” says Team Manager Peter Schroeck. “It’s got a rich history and the fan base is still here – they felt robbed.”

Schroeck and promoter Jamie Courtney took up the challenge even though elsewhere in the country, tracks were closing. The most recent under threat being Wolverhampton and Peterborough, which is set to close at the end of the season to make way for housing.

“If we do it properly it can grow,” says Schroeck. “We can’t worry about what everybody else is doing.

“For years a plaster has been put over speedway’s issues. I think that it’s time it almost collapses, and the right people need to take it to the next level. I still think there is room for speedway, 100%, but we’ve come to a standstill. We’re still doing things the same way as in the 80s – and the 70s and 60s.”

Schroeck and Courtney frequently attend Oxford school assemblies to appeal to young people, and kids are welcome to attend meets for free.

“We’ve got some young riders who need to have new fans on board, but the world has changed. We’re trying to get onto the next level of racing,” he says.

Luke Killeen is one of those racers. At 18, he stepped up to the Cheetahs and comes over from Australia just to race for the season. 

“Speedway is still massive in Poland and big in Denmark and Sweden. It’s dying in England, but there are people putting in their best efforts to stop that.

“Not many people are being introduced to it, and people aren’t bringing their families. The original fans are getting old and can’t make it down, so no one is left to come. But if they come and watch, I’ll promise they’ll fall in love with it.”

That’s what happened to super-fan Rob Peasley who’s been supporting speedway for 40 years. He said: “People have all sorts of passions and speedway is mine.

“I’ve been going since I was a little kid and watching the racing is still a thrill. During other racing they disappear for half a lap, with speedway you can see every second of every race. When Oxford didn’t come back in 2008 it left a big hole.”