Coventry Speedway

Further to what we were discussing last week, it has been confirmed today that Birmingham Speedway at Perry Barr has closed with immediate effect. The team's record has been expunged from the league according to the table shown after the match on Sky tonight. Coventry Bees have announced on their website that they will honour Birmingham season tickets for the remaining league matches at Brandon this season.

Relieved to see Bees' skipper Chris Harris (no.37) walk away from this high-speed crash at the Latvian Grand Prix in Daugavpils yesterday The "upside-down" bike in the distance belongs to former Bees No.1 Krzysztof Kasprzak, who ended up trapped beneath the safety fence in the incident - KK also walked away, and went on to win the GP

Excellent shot Cliff ! That tog in the background; what's the point of having a camera, in a position like that, and pointing it skywards whilst watching the action?! [edit]... unless of course he's actually stepping back to avoid being hit!

His camera is set facing the first bend - Chris Holder, as you can see, is straightening up coming out of bend 2 into the back straight, having nudged KK into Bomber! So he was actually in a good position for action photos - but not this action!

Here's Chris Harris at his best in heat 11 of the Swindon meeting

Ah, the "good old days" - Briggs, Ashby, Kilby, Broadbank(s) et al Here is Martin Ashby (Man of Marlborough, as CO always referred to him), chasing the late Col Cottrell, albeit at Rugby Road!

I haven't seen any mention of John (Nick for short) Nicholls, how come nobody seems to remember him. I am sure he had a place in the Bees team at some time or other.

Go to post 104 where he was remembered at the time of his passing, and in the next one too! Here is a team photo which includes Nick Thanks to Johnnie Walker, there is also this one

Remembering a true speedway legend, Simon Wigg, on what would have been his 54th birthday. Only a Bee for one season - 1993 - but fondly remembered

Hi, Midland Red, lost touch of Brandon over the years, but now I read your comments, I have an insurance note for Coventry Speedway trial I did, dated 1950, would it be of any interest to anyone if I tried to show it on here?

I remember Alan Molyneux set a new statistic back in the seventies of getting a maximum followed by a nil score in consecutive matches (home, where he could be breathtakingly quick out the gate and then away, where you could not believe it was the same rider such was his ineffectiveness). Has that ever been repeated?

I never really took an interest in speedway, my loss I suppose. I recall going to the Brandon Stadium to see Cavalcade of Speed when a motorcyclist was badly injured. Also went there to see the Harlem Globetrotters play the Texas Cowboys. Good theatre, I suppose, the outcome was very predicable. Norman

I've just joined as your site came up in a search. I spotted the name of my dad in some of the posts. He was Allen Walker and he was the announcer and DJ at Brandon stadium from the late 1940s to the 1960s. He died tragically young (aged 48) in 1969. He took my sister and I to Brandon a lot and we sat in the 'box' and listened to him play record requests until the magic moment when the lights went down and the racing started. His theme tune was Juke Box Saturday Night and as far as music was concerned he loved his big bands. I was named after Glenn Miller. I have a suspicion that he made up some of the requests, just so he could play his favourites. On Saturdays some times I'd go with him to Fennells in the Precinct to collect the pile of discs for that night, and then off to Brandon on the back of his Lambretta complete with personalised number plate ARW1! I still miss him and Coventry, so if anyone has any memories of him, do get in touch.

I have vague memories of speedway perhaps pre war. My father raced motorcycles but not speedway but he still liked to go to Brandon whenever he could. That ramble over now to the point, I am 90% certain that at the start of each evenings racing the tune When the Saints Come Marching In was played.

I remember those days very well. Allen Walker was part of that speedway experience and I would be interested to see a photo of him if Glen could post one here. There are some songs that still bring back memories of those nights at Brandon with Allen's music choices. In particular I associate "May Each Day", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Juke Box Saturday Night" with speedway at Brandon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsJ_bzYyrHw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj0Rz-uP4Mk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK72A_eV8Lg