DETAILS of the consortium seeking to take over Coventry Stadium and restore motorsports to the Brandon venue have been revealed.
The Save Coventry Speedway and Stox Campaign Group (SCS) said the consortium – which includes two established motor racing promotors – was established in January and had already met with the group several times.
The consortium includes Graeme Robson, the owner of G&T Robson Agricultural Buildings, and Russell Andrew, owner of freight transport company RR Andrew Ltd, concrete manufacturing company Kwik Mix UK Ltd, and three coach transport companies.
Both are promoters of stock car racing under the Yorstox name, and are currently operational at Odsal Stadium, Bradford.
Other consortium members include Lyndon Rushby, owner of Rushby Developments, John Whalley, Managing Director of Rugby-based Nationwide Windows and Doors, and Huntapac Ltd Managing Director Warren Hunter – who made a formal offer to buy Coventry Stadium in 2020.
Matt Ford, speedway’s most successful promoter over a period of two decades, has also declared his wish to promote Coventry Bees.
Stadium owners Brandon Estates first presented a proposal to build homes on the site – the former home of the Coventry Bees speedway racing team – in 2014, with the venue closing in 2016. Rugby Borough Council’s planning committee unanimously refused the plan in 2022, with a subsequent appeal rejected by the Planning Inspectorate in 2024.
An SCS spokesperson said it was vital to secure speedway and stock car promoters to make the site sustainable.
They added: “We hope that, by providing the names and credentials of these individuals, this will give supporters confidence that the dream of restoring Coventry Stadium for motorsport is underpinned by serious businesspeople who possess not only the financial capability but also the organisational and technical expertise to turn our dream into a reality.
“With a business plan in place, all are firmly committed to the vision, and the over-riding reason for their involvement is their passion for motorsport and their desire to see the stadium return to its established use.
“Gaining control of the stadium and restoring it for motorsports is the best outcome for local residents who have suffered for nearly a decade while the stadium has been left to deteriorate, and the overwhelming majority of the local community, who have also made it clear they do not support housing development.
“The Campaign Group and the Consortium recognise the inconvenience and trauma that the closure of the stadium has caused and undertake that on taking control, the first priority would be to secure and tidy up the site.”
SCS is encouraging supporters to back a policy in Rugby Borough Council’s new Local Plan – which is currently under public consultation – supporting the restoration of Coventry Stadium for motor sports and blocking future development proposals.
The Local Plan consultation period ends on May 19. Responses can be sent by email to [email protected] with ‘Preferred Option Consultation’ in the subject line, or by post to Preferred Option Consultation, Development Strategy Team, Town Hall, Evreux Way, Rugby, CV21 2RR. Names and addresses must be included.
