Oxford Silver Machine speedway boss Nigel Wagstaff must have been encouraged by the display of Russian Renat Gafurov in the FIM World Team Cup qualifier at Swindon on Sunday.
Gafurov slowly adapted to the track to finish top of the Russian scorers with six points.
Another Oxford rider, who did well was Niels Kristian Iversen. He collected ten points for Denmark.
It's time to eat humble pie after I predicted Team Great Britain had it all to do to beat Denmark.
I said the meeting had probably come too soon for youngsters Chris Harris and Simon Stead.
But the pair rode like demons to prove the backbone of a superb GB victory over the Danes the Czech Republic and Russia.
The injury-hit Brits, without the services of Mark Loram and David Norris, were heroes to a man, with Lee Richardson dragging himself out of his sick-bed to reel off the most unlikely of 15-point maximums.
Scott Nicholls and Joe Screen, despite having some early engine problems, also weighed in with vital points as Team GB won 13 of the 25 races to emerge triumphant
Result: 1 Britain 59 (L Richardson 15, S Nicholls 12, C Harris 12, S Stead 12, J Screen 8); Denmark 54 (H Andersen 13, B Pedersen 12, N Pedersen 12, N-K Iversen 10, C Gjedde 7). Czech Rep 26 (A Dryml 12, T Topinka 7, T Suchanek 3, L Dryml 2, A Rymel 2). Russia 17 (R Gafurov 6, S Darkin 5, S Vlasov 2, D Gizatullin 2, O Kurguzkin 2).
Meanwhile, Sweden squeezed into Saturday's final in one of the most amazing finishes in World Cup history at Eskilstuna on Tuesday night.
Only two points separated Sweden, Australia and Poland as the verdict went to the last heat in one of the most exciting speedway events ever televised.
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