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]
Coventry versus Oxford in 2007
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]
Closureedit
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]
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]
^"BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
^"Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
^"Coventry Bees". Defunct Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
^Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 129. ISBN0-904584-45-3.
^"BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - POST-WAR ERA (1946-1964)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
^"Coventry Bees crowned Elite League champions". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
^"Coventry Bees speedway future under threat". BBC Sport. BBC. 24 November 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
^"British Speedway Statement". British Speedway Promoters' Association. 27 November 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
^"Coventry Bees' Elite League exit confirmed by BSPA". BBC Sport. BBC. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
^"British Speedway Statement". British Speedway Promoters' Association. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
^"BSPA confirm return of Coventry Bees and Peterborough". BBC Sport. BBC. 8 April 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
^"Coventry Bees skipper Edward Kennett resigns from club". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
^"Coventry Bees skipper Edward Kennett banned for a week". BBC Sport. BBC. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
^"Ex-Coventry captain Edward Kennett gets six-month ban". BBC Sport. BBC. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
^"Coventry Bees speedway put up for sale". BBC Sport. BBC. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
^"Mick Horton is new Coventry Bees speedway owner". BBC Sport. BBC. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
^"BSPA STATEMENT". Coventry Bees (Official Website). 26 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
^"STATEMENT: CLLR MICHAEL STOKES". Coventry Bees (Official Website). 26 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
^"SGB Statement: Coventry Bees", speedwaygb.co, 9 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018
^Fair, Thomas (13 November 2021). "Engines roar no more - the current state of Coventry Stadium". CoventryLive. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
^Suart, Paul (14 April 2022). "Campaigners' bid to bring speedway back to Coventry Stadium moves step closer". CoventryLive. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
^"Coventry Planning Appeal Dismissed". British Speedway. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
^"Coventry Storm into National League". Official Coventry Bees Website. Coventry Speedway. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
^"Double Change for Storm", coventrybees.co, 20 April 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013
External linksedit
Official website
May 11, 2024
coventry, bees, motorcycle, speedway, team, that, existed, from, 1929, 2018, they, raced, brandon, stadium, brandon, near, coventry, england, club, informationtrack, addressbrandon, stadiumcountryenglandfounded1928closed2018websitewww, savecoventryspeedway, co. Coventry Bees are a motorcycle speedway team that existed from 1929 to 2018 They raced at Brandon Stadium Brandon near Coventry England 1 Coventry BeesClub informationTrack addressBrandon StadiumCountryEnglandFounded1928Closed2018Websitewww wbr savecoventryspeedway wbr comClub factsColoursYellow and BlackTrack size301 metres 329 yd Track record time57 6 secondsTrack record holderChris HarrisMajor team honoursLeague Champions1968 1978 1979 1987 1988 2005 2007 2010Knockout Cup Winners1967 2006 2007League Cup Winners1981 1985 1987Craven Shield Winners1997 2000 2007 2008British League Pairs Champions1978Elite League Pairs Champions2008 2010National League Division Two champions1953Midland Cup Winners1952 1960 1966 1969 1970 1971 1976 1977 1978 1979 1981 1982Midland League Winners1980Northern Shield Winners1954Central Shield Winners1961Midland Development League Champions2016 Contents 1 History 2 Closure 3 Notable riders 4 Season summary 5 Season summary juniors 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory edit nbsp Coventry Stadium at Brandon 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 nbsp Coventry versus Oxford in 2007 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 Closure editOn 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 Notable riders edit nbsp Hans Andersen nbsp Nigel Boocock nbsp Dicky Case nbsp Simon Cross nbsp Tom Farndon nbsp Gary Guglielmi nbsp Billy Hamill nbsp Greg Hancock nbsp Chris Harris nbsp Andreas Jonsson nbsp John Jorgensen nbsp Tommy Knudsen nbsp Ken McKinlay nbsp Garry Middleton nbsp Rick Miller nbsp Scott Nicholls nbsp Hans Nielsen nbsp Olle Nygren nbsp Ole Olsen nbsp Les Owen nbsp Jack Parker nbsp Lee Richardson nbsp Rory Schlein nbsp Mitch Shirra nbsp Andy Smith nbsp Jiri Stancl nbsp Kelvin Tatum nbsp Jack YoungSeason summary editExtended content Year and league Position Notes 1929 Speedway Southern League 3rd 1930 Speedway Southern League 6th 1931 Speedway Southern League 10th 1932 Speedway National League 7th 1933 Speedway National League 7th 1948 Speedway National League Division Three 8th 1949 Speedway National League Division Two 12th 1950 Speedway National League Division Two 4th 1951 Speedway National League Division Two 4th 1952 Speedway National League Division Two 2nd Midland Cup 1953 Speedway National League Division Two 1st Div 2 champions 1954 Speedway National League 8th 1955 Speedway National League 2nd 1956 Speedway National League 5th 1957 Speedway National League 8th 1958 Speedway National League 7th 1959 Speedway National League 3rd 1960 Speedway National League 9th Midland Cup 1961 Speedway National League 3rd 1962 Speedway National League 3rd 1963 Speedway National League 4th 1964 Speedway National League 2nd 1965 British League season 3rd 1966 British League season 2nd Midland Cup 1967 British League season 2nd Knockout Cup winners 1968 British League season 1st champions 1969 British League season 14th Midland Cup 1970 British League season 3rd Midland Cup 1971 British League season 3rd Midland Cup 1972 British League season 10th 1973 British League season 15th 1974 British League season 15th 1975 British League season 16th 1976 British League season 4th Midland Cup 1977 British League season 8th Midland Cup 1978 British League season 1st champions Midland Cup 1979 British League season 1st champions Midland Cup 1980 British League season 4th 1981 British League season 5th League cup winners Midland Cup 1982 British League season 4th Midland Cup 1983 British League season 3rd 1984 British League season 12th 1985 British League season 3rd League Cup winners 1986 British League season 5th 1987 British League season 1st champions League Cup winners 1988 British League season 1st champions 1989 British League season 5th 1990 British League season 8th 1991 British League season 7th 1992 British League season 8th 1993 British League season 5th 1994 British League season 4th 1995 Premier League speedway season 15th 1996 Premier League speedway season 10th 1997 Elite League speedway season 8th Craven Shield winners 1998 Elite League speedway season 3rd 1999 Elite League speedway season 4th 2000 Elite League speedway season 4th Craven Shield winners 2001 Elite League speedway season 3rd 2002 Elite League speedway season 3rd 2003 Elite League speedway season 2nd 2004 Elite League speedway season 10th 2005 Elite League speedway season 2nd PO Champions 2006 Elite League speedway season 4th Knockout Cup winners 2007 Elite League speedway season 1st champions Knockout Cup amp Craven Shield winners 2008 Elite League speedway season 6th Craven Shield winners 2009 Elite League speedway season 4th 2010 Elite League speedway season 4th PO Champions 2011 Elite League speedway season 5th 2012 Elite League speedway season 8th 2013 Elite League speedway season 10th 2014 Elite League speedway season 3rd PO Final 2015 Elite League speedway season 2nd PO Semi 2016 Elite League 7thSeason summary juniors editExtended content 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 Year and league Position Notes 2004 Speedway Conference League N A Cougars Conference Trophy only 2013 National League speedway season 5th Storm 2014 National League speedway season 2nd Storm 2015 National League speedway season 4th Storm 2016 National League speedway season 10th StormSee also editCategory Coventry Bees riders Category Coventry Storm ridersReferences edit BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES PRE WAR ERA 1929 1939 Official British Speedway website Retrieved 14 August 2021 Year by Year Speedway Researcher Retrieved 14 August 2021 Coventry Bees Defunct Speedway Researcher Retrieved 14 August 2021 Rogers Martin 1978 The Illustrated History of Speedway Studio Publications Ipswich Ltd p 129 ISBN 0 904584 45 3 BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES POST WAR ERA 1946 1964 Official British Speedway website Retrieved 14 August 2021 Coventry Bees crowned Elite League champions BBC Sport BBC 5 October 2010 Retrieved 5 October 2010 Coventry Bees speedway future under threat BBC Sport BBC 24 November 2010 Retrieved 15 January 2011 British Speedway Statement British Speedway Promoters Association 27 November 2010 Retrieved 15 January 2011 Coventry Bees Elite League exit confirmed by BSPA BBC Sport BBC 29 November 2010 Retrieved 15 January 2011 British Speedway Statement British Speedway Promoters Association Retrieved 17 February 2011 BSPA confirm return of Coventry Bees and Peterborough BBC Sport BBC 8 April 2011 Retrieved 8 April 2011 Coventry Bees skipper Edward Kennett resigns from club BBC Sport BBC 11 August 2011 Retrieved 21 September 2011 Coventry Bees skipper Edward Kennett banned for a week BBC Sport BBC 8 August 2011 Retrieved 21 September 2011 Ex Coventry captain Edward Kennett gets six month ban BBC Sport BBC 17 August 2011 Retrieved 21 September 2011 Coventry Bees speedway put up for sale BBC Sport BBC 21 September 2011 Retrieved 21 September 2011 Mick Horton is new Coventry Bees speedway owner BBC Sport BBC 31 October 2011 Retrieved 31 October 2011 BSPA STATEMENT Coventry Bees Official Website 26 February 2017 Retrieved 27 February 2017 STATEMENT CLLR MICHAEL STOKES Coventry Bees Official Website 26 February 2017 Retrieved 27 February 2017 SGB Statement Coventry Bees speedwaygb co 9 January 2018 Retrieved 18 January 2018 Fair Thomas 13 November 2021 Engines roar no more the current state of Coventry Stadium CoventryLive Retrieved 28 June 2022 Suart Paul 14 April 2022 Campaigners bid to bring speedway back to Coventry Stadium moves step closer CoventryLive Retrieved 28 June 2022 Coventry Planning Appeal Dismissed British Speedway Retrieved 23 January 2024 Coventry Storm into National League Official Coventry Bees Website Coventry Speedway 18 December 2012 Retrieved 25 December 2012 Double Change for Storm coventrybees co 20 April 2013 Retrieved 4 May 2013External links editOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Coventry Bees amp oldid 1198279010, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
