| Coventry Bees | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track address | Brandon Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1928 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club facts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colours | Yellow and Black | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track size | 301 metres (329 yd) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track record time | 57.6 seconds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track record holder | Chris Harris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major team honours | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coventry Bees are a motorcycle speedway team that existed from 1929 to 2018. They raced at Brandon Stadium, Brandon near Coventry, England. [1]
A Coventry team was first formed in 1928 and competed in the inaugural season of the Southern League and then the National League from 1932 during the pre-war era at Brandon stadium. There were also meetings at a stadium at the Lythalls Lane Stadium. After the war, the club became The Bees and were involved every season from 1948 until the loss of Brandon stadium shortly before the start of the 2017 season, during which they ran a series of challenge matches at other tracks. [2] [3] [4]
Although the club have won the now defunct Midland Cup eleven times, the first silverware won at national level by the club was the 1953 Speedway National League Division Two league title. [5] The first major trophy was becoming league champions of the Great Britain during the 1968 British League season. They went on to become League champions in 1968, 1978, 1979, 1987, 1988, 2005 and 2007 and 2010. In 2010, they won the Elite League Championship, defeating the Poole Pirates in both legs of the play-off grand finals. [6]
On 28 October 2007, the Bees lifted the Elite League Knockout Cup for the second year running, defeating the Swindon Robins in the final, completing a clean sweep of all three major trophies, having already annexed the Craven Shield by beating Swindon Robins and the Poole Pirates over the three leg final. This was their third Knockout Cup success.
On 24 November 2010, following changes to the rules for rider averages made at the Annual General Meeting of the BSPA, the Coventry Bees and Peterborough Panthers walked out of the meeting. [7] As a result, on 27 November, the BSPA omitted both teams from the 2011 Elite League for failing to declare their intent to compete in the 2011 league at the AGM. [8] [9] Two months later on 17 February 2011, it was announced by the BSPA that both Coventry and Peterborough would not be competing in the Elite League after both clubs rejected an offer [10] On 8 April 2011, the BSPA officially confirmed both teams had returned to the Elite League for the 2011 season. [11]
On 11 August 2011, Edward Kennett resigned from the team, after it was deemed his silencer was 'illegal' when racing against Lakeside on 6 August. [12] Kennett said this was caused by 'a member of his team' who had 'tampered with it'. Kennett was banned from racing for 7 days by the SCB [13] and appeared in front of a disciplinary hearing on 16 August where he received a 6-month worldwide ban. [14]
On 21 September 2011, the Bees were put up for sale by owner Avtar Sandhu [15] and then taken over by businessman Mick Horton, with the promotional licence held jointly by Colin Pratt and Mick Horton. [16]
On 26 February 2017 it was announced by the BSPA that the club has had its licence frozen and therefore would not be competing in the Speedway Great Britain Premiership 2017 season. The licence being frozen was due to the club being unable to satisfy the BSPA that they can fulfil a full season of league racing. This was primarily due to having an agreement with Leicester Lions to only use their stadium for a handful of fixtures and not having any guarantees of being able to return to Brandon Stadium for the remaining fixtures. [17] [18]
The Bees were reformed to compete in the 2018 National League, with home meetings being staged at Leicester. [19] The Bees became homeless once more in 2019 as the Leicester promotion decided to run their own National League junior team (The Cubs). Brandon Stadium today lies derelict with several planning applications having been made for redevelopment. Many club enthusiasts, supported by the local council, have campaigned for the return of speedway and stock car racing to the stadium. [20]
In early 2022, an organisation advocating the return of motorsport to the site, Save Coventry Speedway, proposed to the council that speedway be restored to the stadium, along with a museum and restaurant. [21] In January 2024, Brandon Estates appeal for planning application to redevelop the site was dismissed by the Inspector. [22]
Hans Andersen 
Nigel Boocock 
Dicky Case Simon Cross Tom Farndon Gary Guglielmi 
Billy Hamill Greg Hancock Chris Harris 
Andreas Jonsson John Jørgensen Tommy Knudsen 
Ken McKinlay Garry Middleton Rick Miller Scott Nicholls Hans Nielsen Olle Nygren Ole Olsen Les Owen Jack Parker Lee Richardson Rory Schlein 
Mitch Shirra Andy Smith 
Jiří Štancl Kelvin Tatum Jack Young Extended content | ||||||||||||||||||
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Coventry Storm made their competitive debut in the 2013 National League season. [23] The Bees had previously run a team in the third tier of British speedway in 2004, under the name Coventry Cougars. The initial team line-up was Joe Jacobs, James Sarjeant, Oliver Greenwood, Brendan Johnson, Richard Franklin, Trevor Heath, and Martin Knuckey, but a broken wrist for Greenwood saw Robert Branford replace him, with Tommy Fenwick also replacing Heath. [24]
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Christopher Calvin Harris from Truro, Cornwall, nicknamed Bomber, is a Great Britain international motorcycle speedway rider from England.
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The 2007 Elite League speedway season was the 73rd season of the top division of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 2006 Elite League speedway season was the 72nd season of the top division of speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 2005 Elite League speedway season was the 71st season of the top division of speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The Premiership Shield formerly the Elite Shield (2006-2017) and Charity Shield (2018) was a motorcycle speedway competition held in the United Kingdom for the highest league at the time. Like football's Community Shield, it was contested for by the winners of the league and the winners of the Knockout Cup. The Shield began in 2006 and was contested as a season opener, although a postponed meeting in 2006, at Kirkmanshulme Lane led to that meeting taking place later in the season.
The 2008 Elite League speedway season was the 74th season of the top division of UK speedway and the 12th since its establishment as the Elite League. The first fixtures of the season took place on 29 March and the season ended on 27 October. The Coventry Bees were the defending champions from 2007.
The 2010 Elite League speedway season was the 76th season of the top division of UK speedway and the 14th since its establishment in 1997.
The 2011 Premier League season was the second division of British speedway. Glasgow Tigers won the league after winning both matches of a double-header on 9 October.
The 2011 Elite League speedway season was the 77th season of the top division of UK speedway and took place between 26 March and 20 October 2011. The Coventry Bees were the defending champions after winning in 2010.
Brandon Stadium, also known as Coventry Stadium, is located 6 miles east of Coventry in Brandon, Warwickshire, England. It was the home of the Coventry Bees motorcycle speedway team. It also hosted BriSCA F1 Stock Car Racing on the 1st Saturday of the month from April through to November. From 1978 until early 2016 it intermittently hosted greyhound racing. As of 2023, it is closed and has become dilapidated after several fires, including an arson attack in 2022.
The 2014 Elite League speedway season was the 80th season of the top division of UK speedway and the took place between March and October 2014. The Poole Pirates were the defending champions after winning in 2013.
Aaron Richard Summers is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Australia.
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