29-681: 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. Brandon Stadium's first speedway meeting took place on 29 September 1928, hot on
58-475: A 228-acre (0.92 km ) nature reserve with a wide variety of wildlife, especially pondlife. The reserve's visitor centre was opened in 1998 by Sir David Attenborough . Also to the west and north of Brandon Marsh is Brandon Wood , a community woodland owned and managed by a local group the Friends Of Brandon Wood. A grassy mound marks the remains of Brandon Castle , which is found to
87-472: A joint civil parish of Brandon and Bretford . Administratively it is part of the borough of Rugby . The River Avon passes just to the east of the village. Brandon is located upon the A428 road between Coventry , 5 miles (8.0 km) to the west, and Rugby , 6 miles (9.7 km) to the east. Just 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Brandon is the suburban village of Binley Woods and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to
116-472: A number of old cottages and has a pub near the railway line. Just to the north of the village is Brandon Stadium , also known as the Coventry Stadium, which was used for speedway racing, greyhound racing , and stock car racing before being sold with the intention of house-building on the site. The stadium was home to the Coventry Bees speedway team. West of the village is Brandon Marsh ,
145-661: Is 409 metres (447 yards) 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
174-543: Is sometimes referred to as Foleshill Stadium or Coventry Stadium but should not be confused with Brandon Stadium . In 1928 the Coventry Greyhounds Ltd constructed a greyhound and speedway stadium in the Holbrooks area of Coventry off Lythalls Lane, Foleshill . Opening night was 7 April 1928; the track was a reasonable size and able to accommodate over 5,000 spectators. There was a large grandstand on
203-412: 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. In May 2022, the stadium caught fire, causing substantial damage to
232-626: The Oaks but had to settle for runners up spot to Prancing Kitty. Robeen Printer had arrived in England with a fine reputation following a victory in the Irish Laurels . The fawn was bought for record 1,650 guineas for a bitch by the Sanderson's. McKay would become Racing Manager at the track some years later. Success in the fifties came in the form of Drumman Rambler trained by Olly Chetland,
261-554: The Coventry greyhound finished runner up in the 1952 English Greyhound Derby final. Duke of Alva (Dicky Myles) claimed the St Leger title in 1957. Midland Sports owned three Midlands tracks and with competition for business this ultimately let to the demise of Lythalls Lane. An agreement was reached for the redevelopment of the site and planning permission was passed. The last meeting was held on 25 September 1964. Today there
290-519: The Eclipse, the event had returned after a two-year break. After the war the Sanderson's (Alan and wife Hilda) acquired the freehold of the stadium, Alan Sanderson owned the luxury Selsdon Park Hotel built in the 1920s and was reputed to have bottomless pockets. In addition to the Lythalls Lane purchase was the nearby Brandon Stadium that hosted the Coventry Bees speedway team. Sanderson
319-546: The Speedway promoter. 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. 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 . Matt Dartnall trained two hounds through to
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#1732801395377348-530: The east is the hamlet of Bretford . Brandon is separated from the much larger village of Wolston by a railway viaduct , but the two villages practically form a single entity. The railway viaduct dates from 1837 and was part of the original London and Birmingham Railway , which is now part of the Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford Line , which runs across the parish; Brandon and Wolston railway station operated here until 1960. The village contains
377-406: The grounds, with firefighters taking four hours to extinguish the fire. The cause was revealed as arson. Several months before the incident, an anonymous urban explorer had noted security concerns at the site that left it vulnerable to attack, and Brandon Estates had been previously accused of failing to keep the site secure. On 12 May 2023, the owners Brandon Estates appealed against the decision of
406-520: The heels of Coventry's first speedway venue at Lythalls Lane Stadium . Coventry were founder members of the National League from 1932 to 1933. The team were all set to return to action in 1934, but the Brandon proprietor C. W. East suddenly put the stadium up for sale. Despite challenge matches taking place during 1934 and 1936, league speedway would not return to Brandon for 15 years. Coventry
435-487: The home straight and tote facilities right in front of the winning line. The first speedway in Coventry arrived during the inaugural year of UK speedway on 21 July 1928. The racing was organised by Midlands Speedways (a Manchester company) with a series of open and challenge events. The track got off to an inauspicious start when the General and Racing Manager Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Nigel Fitzjohn committed suicide in
464-586: The local council refusing planning permission for 124 houses and a 3G football pitch on the site. In January 2024, Brandon Estates appeal for planning application to redevelop the site was dismissed by the Inspector. 52°23′33″N 1°24′6″W / 52.39250°N 1.40167°W / 52.39250; -1.40167 Brandon, Warwickshire Brandon is a small village in Warwickshire , England . Along with nearby Bretford , it forms part of
493-474: 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
522-520: The purchase of Leicester Stadium in Blackbird Road from Leicester Stadium Ltd. The new guise would be Midland Sports. The Sanderson's employed George McKay as their greyhound trainer considerable success. Duffys Arrival reached the final of the 1945 English Greyhound Derby losing out to Ballyhennessy Seal. Another of McKay's charges Robeen Printer won the St Leger in 1945 and then went for
551-501: The south of the village. The castle was built in the 12th century by the de Verdon family. It was garrisoned in 1195, but was relatively short lived, as it was said to have been ‘pulled down’ in 1265 by the baronial troops from Kenilworth Castle , because John de Verdon was an active supporter of the king. Lythalls Lane Stadium Lythalls Lane Stadium was a greyhound racing and Motorcycle speedway stadium in Coventry . It
580-570: The stadium offices in 1929. The 47-year old took a dose of prussic acid, a highly poisonous substance. Then in early 1933 the main stand caught fire and was destroyed. In 1938 the Eclipse Stakes was inaugurated at the track over 500 yards. Lythalls Lane was located in a mainly rural area during World War II and the only damage during the Coventry Blitz in 1940 and 1941 was a clubhouse that burned. A year later Ballynennan Moon won
609-471: 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 301 metres (329 yards) in length while the greyhound track
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#1732801395377638-729: The track and DeMulder went on to win the Trainer of the Year . During 1980 Iskagh Ruler (Tompkins) reached the English Greyhound Derby final. 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
667-594: 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 . Sidecar speedway
696-570: 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. The 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
725-521: Was also a big speedway fan. The racing was very profitable as indicated by a tote turnover of £1,529,244 in 1947 and the track could attract the best greyhounds of the era. In the Invitation Stakes run at Coventry on 9 August 1945 Bah's Choice beat Quare Times by five lengths in a new track record with a time of 29.45sec. In 1946 Clare Orton (son of the great Sidney Orton) was recruited by the track. The company changed name in 1950 following
754-463: 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 . 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
783-418: Was devastated during the war and after the war the stadium freehold was acquired by the Sanderson's (Allan and wife Hilda) and it was not until 1948 that speedway returned. The track then ran under the company 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
812-662: 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. The racing arrived shortly after a failed Barratts Homes bid for sister track Leicester Stadium fuelling speculation that it
841-548: 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. Leading trainers Geoff DeMulder, Barbara Tompkins and Natalie Savva all became attached to
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