Innovation

Speedway bikes have one gear, no brakes, a clutch, a 500cc engines running on methanol fuel and can accelerate up to 60mph, faster than a Formula 1 car.

Heeps said the incident "felt like forever".

"I knew I was going in, it was just [about] when it was going to stop.

"By the time it stopped, I felt I was going very fast and it knocked the wind out of me."

He went to hospital straight after the meeting. His his X-rays had all come back "all clear" but he had been "in quite a bit of discomfort".

"The doctor said I'm going to be very sore and said I have a lot of internal bruising," adding that he was "managing the pain".

"The first two days I didn't really move … it was horrible, I felt useless but I'm staring to get back on my feet."

Heeps said initially his back, ribs and stomach had hurt the most.

"That's all coming down now and it's more my ankle."

Heeps said he hoped to be back "as soon as I can", potentially for the meeting at home to the Edinburgh Monarchs on 18 June.

He said he was "confident" he would get over the issues.

"It might take one or two races to calm down a bit and not be so tense on the bike.

"But if you are riding well previous to your crash, then it will all click back in and you will be straight back into the swing of things."

Oxford Speedway Supporters Club have raised more than £3,000 so far to help replace his equipment.

"I can't say how thankful I am," Heeps said.

The club said it was "relieved" that he had not suffered any breaks even though "Cam says he feels like he's been hit by a train".

"We wish Cam a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on track soon!"

X

The singer representing Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest has revealed how her family became lifelong Norwich City fans.

Emmy Kristine Guttulsrud Kristiansen said her dad started following the Canaries aged seven when his favourite player, the late Martin Peters, left Tottenham Hotspur for Norwich in 1975.

The 26-year-old from Norway described Norwich as "beautiful" and said she loved watching games at Carrow Road.

Emmy, as she is known on stage, will perform at the Eurovision Grand Final if she gets through the semi-finals on 15 May.

"I grew up watching [Norwich] and going to a few matches," she told the BBC's Scrimmage Podcast.

"My first time at Carrow Road was in 2010.

"I remember the river, the ducks, the beautiful restaurants. It's just a beautiful city."

Emmy, who lives in the small Norwegian village of Sande, 37 miles (60km) south of Oslo, said she often listened to live match commentary on BBC Radio Norfolk.

Emmy's father, Roberth, described Norwich as a "good suit" for his family.

"Liverpool has about 50,000 supporters in Norway, and to be honest, that must be a bit boring.

"Norwich isn't the biggest or largest but it's a wonderful club."

Emmy, who has 1.2 million followers on TikTok, was selected to take part in Eurovision after she attended a songwriting camp in Norway.

She met an Irish songwriter who suggested she should apply to represent Ireland.

Emmy's song, Laika Party, is based on the Russian stray dog, Laika, who became the first living creature to orbit Earth in 1957.

It died during the mission.

"I'm so so excited [for Eurovison]. It's a childhood dream coming true," Emmy added.

"The only thing I can do is try my best to make Ireland proud. That's my main goal."

The grand final, which takes place in Basel, Switzerland, on 17 May, will be available to watch on BBC One and iPlayer.

The UK's entry is the female country-pop trio Remember Monday.