Brandon Stadium, also known as Coventry Stadium, is located 6 miles east of Coventry in Brandon, Warwickshire, England.[1] It was the home of the Coventry Bees motorcycle speedway team.[2] It also hosted BriSCA F1 Stock Car Racing on the 1st Saturday of the month from April through to November.[3] 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.[4]
Brandon Stadium's first speedway meeting took place on 29 September 1928. The track was owned by Midland Sports Stadiums (who also owned Leicester Speedway) and Charles Ochiltree promoted the Speedway and Stock Car Racing until his death in 1998. His son Martin then carried on promoting duties until the stadium was sold to Avtar Sandhu in 2003. The stadium's capacity is approximately 12,500. The record attendance for Brandon stands at 24,000, and was set during a speedway meeting, the Brandonapolis of 1954 on a Thursday night, where they locked the gates and were turning away buses.
The shale speedway track, which is inside the dog track is 301m (988feet) in length while the greyhound track is 409m (1,342feet) in length.
Brandon Stadium has been a popular stop for many high-profile speedway events in its lifetime. Under the old format of the Speedway World Championship events including the British Speedway Championship, the Commonwealth and Overseas finals as well as hosting the 1998, 1999 and 2000 Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain. The 'Brandonapolis' was an annual event at which featured some of the world's best speedway riders. It was postponed in 2011, due to a dispute with the BSPA.
In 1991, Brandon Stadium staged the Under-21 World Championship final which was won by Denmark's Brian Andersen. The stadium also hosted the last Speedway World Team Cup Final in 2000 (won by Sweden) after having previously held the final in 1993 won by the United States.
Jason CrumpSidecar speedway was a regular feature at Brandon Stadium with both team and individual meetings taking place. The most prestigious meeting was the Gold Trophy, Sidecars World Cup in 2010 and the British Open Championship from 1996 to 1999.
Mick Headland & Jesse HeadlandThe speedway track was also used for BriSCA F1 Stock Cars, having raced here continuously since 1954. The first meeting was held on 30 June, the first heat being won by Percy 'Hellcat' Brine, he also won the meeting Final. The BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars World Championship has been held here many times since 1960. The track was also used for BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars, V8 Hotstox, and various other forms of oval Motorsport including Bangers, Saloon Stock Cars, Ministox and Sprint Cars.
The Sanderson family had the majority shareholding in Midland Sports since the end of the war. Charles Ochiltree was installed as the Managing Director of Coventry Stadium Ltd at Brandon despite only having a minor shareholding in the company. Alan Sanderson died in November 1968 resulting in Ochiltree becoming the dominant decision maker for the track and fourteen years after the closure of Lythalls Lane Stadium greyhound racing returned to Coventry in 1978.[5]
The racing arrived shortly after a failed Barratts Homes bid for sister track Leicester Stadium fuelling speculation that it was to be a replacement for Leicester. The first meeting took place on 19 September 1978 and facilities included a restaurant, a modern computerised tote and bars. The circuit was all sand and the hare was an 'Outside McGee' and Ron Day was installed as General Manager with Geoff Hammond as Racing Manager. A competition called the Eclipse returned to its traditional Coventry roots one year later.[6]
Leading trainers Geoff DeMulder, Barbara Tompkins and Natalie Savva all became attached to the track and DeMulder went on to win the Trainer of the Year. During 1980 Iskagh Ruler (Tompkins) reached the English Greyhound Derby final.[7] General Manager Ron Day died whilst in South Africa in 1981 and Sean Doyle (son of trainer Paddy Doyle) the young Racing Manager who had joined Coventry at the end of 1980 from Cradley Heath lost a battle with cancer. Mick Wheble the Racing Manager at sister track Leicester was brought in as Racing and Operations Manager. Barbara Tompkins won the 1983 English Greyhound Derby for Coventry when Im Slippy was victorious at White City Stadium.[8]
Midland Sports finally sold sister track Leicester in 1984 to Barratts Homes and another Derby final appearance by a Tompkins trained runner (Murlens Slippy) was overshadowed by the imminent closure of the stadium to greyhound racing. It finished on 24 October 1986 but Ochiltree remained theSpeedway promoter.[9] [10]
Greyhounds returned in 2004, Simon Harris the Wimbledon Racing Manager was recruited at the end of 2003,the track was relaid in time for an April 2004 start.[11] New kennels were built for the racing schedule of Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evening racing. The track received more good news when it was awarded the 2004 Trainers championship.[12] Matt Dartnall trained two hounds through to the 2009 English Greyhound Derby final.
After Boxing Day 2009 the company went into liquidation and closed. Just three years later the well-known professional gambler and owner Harry Findlay re-opened Coventry until 2014 when it shut once again. Independent racing (unaffiliated to a governing body) then took place until January 2016.
| width=50 | Distance metres | width=200 | Greyhound | width=50 | Time | width=200 | Date | width=250 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 260 | Ballagarrow Jet | 16.06 | 1979 | ||||||
| 260 | Echo Spark | 15.87 | 28 January 1983 | ||||||
| 263 | Dynamo Joe | 15.73 | 9 June 2012 | ||||||
| 263 | College Olympic | 15.66 | 15 July 2012 | ||||||
| 263 | Southview Ace | 15.66 | 15 May 2013 | ||||||
| 280 | Flywithoutwings | 16.97 | 23 May 2004 | ||||||
| 280 | Cavecourt Jon | 16.81 | 13 June 2004 | ||||||
| 280 | Ningbo Jack | 16.80 | 11 July 2004 | ||||||
| 280 | Ningbo Jack | 16.63 | 18 July 2004 | ||||||
| 450 | Many Are Called | 27.02 | 29 May 2013 | ||||||
| 460 | Brainy Prince | 28.23 | 1979 | ||||||
| 460 | Parkers Moon | 28.20 | 29 May 1984 | ||||||
| 480 | Avon Towser | 29.44 | 23 May 2004 | ||||||
| 480 | Avon Towser | 29.30 | 6 June 2004 | ||||||
| 480 | Baltimore Joe | 29.23 | 27 June 2004 | Trainers Championship | |||||
| 480 | Pitch Rocket | 29.21 | 30 June 2004 | ||||||
| 480 | Droopys Shearer | 28.89 | 18 July 2004 | ||||||
| 480 | Barnfield On Air | 28.85 | 31 October 2007 | ||||||
| 485 | Fridays Shea | 29.20 | 20 May 2012 | ||||||
| 485 | Holdem Spy | 29.16 | 26 August 2012 | ||||||
| 485 | Castlebride Dan | 29.15 | 9 December 2012 | ||||||
| 485 | Castlebride Dan | 29.00 | 3 March 2013 | ||||||
| 485 | Farloe Warhawk | 28.99 | 5 May 2013 | ||||||
| 485 | Calzaghe Davy | 28.97 | 26 May 2013 | ||||||
| 485 | Sawpit Sensation | 28.79 | 16 June 2013 | ||||||
| 625 | Well Tutored | 38.96 | 23 December 2006 | ||||||
| 625 | Rough Domino | 38.69 | 11 January 2009 | ||||||
| 670 | Solar Shamrock | 42.54 | 1979 | ||||||
| 670 | Decoy Lassie | 42.04 | 15 October 1982 | ||||||
| 672 | Blonde Fletch | 41.44 | 22 July 2012 | ||||||
| 672 | Crinkill Jewel | 41.32 | 5 August 2012 | ||||||
| 672 | Farloe Tango | 41.15 | 18 August 2013 | ||||||
| 680 | Lear Princess | 42.75 | 13 June 2004 | ||||||
| 680 | Maxie Rumble | 42.71 | 20 June 2004 | ||||||
| 680 | Shelbourne Star | 42.55 | 28 July 2004 | ||||||
| 680 | Tinrah Lad | 42.48 | 29 January 2006 | ||||||
| 680 | Barnfield Brooke | 42.47 | 23 December 2007 | ||||||
| 859 | Ballymac Swift | 53.71 | 28 April 2013 | ||||||
| 870 | Eternal Mist | 56.68 | 14 November 1978 | ||||||
| 880 | Shelbourne Maura | 57.77 | 2 May 2004 | ||||||
| 880 | Gors Nikita | 56.91 | 19 December 2004 | ||||||
| 880 | Dolly | 56.97 | 14 January 2005 | ||||||
| 880 | Head Iton Jordan | 56.75 | 23 April 2006 | ||||||
| 880 | Head Iton Jordan | 56.62 | 14 May 2006 | ||||||
| 880 | Head Iton Jordan | 56.53 | 22 July 2007 | ||||||
| 894 | Charleys Lucy | 57.06 | 14 July 2012 | ||||||
| 894 | Dromana Becky | 56.59 | 9 September 2012 | ||||||
| 894 | Tyrur Pudsy | 56.66 | 24 February 2013 | ||||||
| 1025 | Slaneyside Demon | 68.32 | 17 January 2007 | ||||||
| 1080 | Zuzu's Petal | 70.77 | 23 December 2005 | ||||||
| 485 H | Baran Bally Hi | 29.95 | 3 March 2013 |
In May 2022, the stadium caught fire, causing substantial damage to the grounds, with firefighters taking four hours to extinguish the fire. The cause was revealed as arson.[14] Several months before the incident, an anonymous urban explorer had noted security concerns at the site that left it vulnerable to attack,[15] and Brandon Estates had been previously accused of failing to keep the site secure.[16]
On 12 May 2023, the owners Brandon Estates appealed against the decision of the local council refusing planning permission for 124 houses and a 3G football pitch on the site.[17] In January 2024, Brandon Estates appeal for planning application to redevelop the site was dismissed by the Inspector.[18]