Ian Clark (speedway rider)
| Born | 23 December 1958 Sandon, Essex, England |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1975-1979, 1985 | Peterborough Panthers |
| 1976 | Cradley United |
| 1976 | Swindon Robins |
| 1977 | Birmingham Brummies |
| 1977 | White City Rebels |
| 1980-1981 | Leicester Lions |
| 1981-1983 | Hackney Hawks |
| 1981-1982 | Canterbury Crusaders |
| 1983-1984 | Oxford Cheetahs |
| 1986-1988 | Milton Keynes Knights |
| Team honours | |
| 1977 | National League Fours Champion |
Ian Russell Clark (born 23 December 1958) is a British former motorcycle speedway rider.[1]
Career
[edit]Born in Sandon, Essex, Clark's early experience came in grasstrack, in which he was the British Schoolboy Champion in both 1973 and 1974.[2] He took up speedway in 1973 at the training school at Hackney Wick, and made his competitive debut in 1975 for the Peterborough Panthers.[3][2] During his five seasons with the Panthers he was capped in the National League England team, and made several guest appearances in the British League.[4]
In 1977, he helped the Peterborough Panthers win the Fours Championship during the 1977 National League season.[5]
In 1980, he signed for British League Leicester Lions in a £2,750 transfer, reaching the semi-final of the World Championship the same year.[4][6] In 1981 his performances were down on the previous year and he was sold to Hackney Hawks.[4] In 1982, he primarily rode for Canterbury Crusaders, before spending two seasons with Oxford Cheetahs. He returned to Peterborough in 1985 before spending his final three seasons with Milton Keynes Knights. Ian still competes today in Grasstrack racing. He races in the GT140 class and in 2023, won the British GT140 Grasstrack Championship.
References
[edit]- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ a b Oakes, Peter & Mauger, Ivan (1976) Who's Who of World Speedway, Studio Publications, ISBN 0-904584-04-6, p. 28
- ^ "Super Swede". Peterborough Standard. 9 April 1976. Retrieved 19 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 160
- ^ "Speedway". Lincolnshire Free Press. 9 August 1977. Retrieved 10 May 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1980) 1980 Speedway Yearbook, Studio Publications, ISBN 0-86215-007-8, p. 247
- 1958 births
- Living people
- British speedway riders
- English motorcycle racers
- Peterborough Panthers riders
- Leicester Lions riders
- Hackney Hawks riders
- Canterbury Crusaders riders
- Oxford Cheetahs riders
- Milton Keynes Knights riders
- Cradley Heathens riders
- Swindon Robins riders
- Birmingham Brummies riders
- White City Rebels riders