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Mark Loram

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For the English footballer, see Mark Loram (footballer).

Mark Loram
Born (1971-01-12) 12 January 1971 (age 53)
Mtarfa, Malta
NationalityBritish
Career history
Great Britain
1987-1988Hackney
1989, 2006-2009Ipswich
1990-1994King's Lynn
1995-1996Exeter
1997Bradford
1998Wolverhampton
1999-2000Poole
2001Peterborough
2002-2003Eastbourne
2004-2005Arena Essex
Poland
1992, 1999-2000Częstochowa
1993-1997Toruń
1998, 2007Ostrów
2001-2003Bydgoszcz
2004Rybnik
2005Gorzów
2006Leszno
Sweden
1992-1997Bysarna
1999-2000Smederna
2001-2004Luxo Stars
2005-2006Piraterna
Individual honours
2000World Champion
1997Danish Grand Prix Winner
1999Swedish Grand Prix Winner
1994Commonwealth Champion
1999Overseas Champion
1997, 1999, 2001British Champion
1989National League Riders Champ
Team honours
1988National League
1997Elite League
1988, 2001, 2002, 2003Knockout Cup winner

Mark Roysten Gregory Loram (born 12 January 1971)[1] is a British former motorcycle speedway rider,[2] who won the World Speedway Championship in 2000 and won the British Championship in 1997, 1999, and 2001.[3][4] He earned 36 international caps for the England national speedway team and 10 caps for the Great Britain team.[5]

Career

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1987 to 1993

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Born in Mtarfa, Malta, Mark Loram started his career with the Hackney Kestrels during the 1987 British League season.[6] He averaged a respectable 5.08 and retained his place in the Hackney side for the 1988 National League season, where he not only topped the league averages but also led hackney to the league and cup double.[2] he also became the British junior champion.

He signed for Ipswich Witches for the 1989 National League season and won his first individual honours by winning the Riders' Championship.[7][2] He also reached the final of the Under 21 World Championship. The following season he stepped up to the highest league after joining King's Lynn Stars for the 1990 British League season.[8] Despite the team finishing last he topped the club averages for the season, reached his British Speedway Championship and competed in the 1990 Individual Long Track World Championship.[9]

For the next three seasons (1991, 1992 and 1993) he rode for King's Lynn as a heat leader and reached a second World U21 final in 1992, losing to Leigh Adams in a run-off for the title.[10]

1994 to 1999

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By 1994 he was competing with the world's best riders and reached the final of the 1994 Individual Speedway World Championship, where he finished in 8th place.[11][12] The following season in 1995 he moved to Exeter Falcons from King's Lynn and took part in the 1995 Speedway Grand Prix (the new version of the World Championship).

In 1997, he became British champion, won the Danish Grand Prix in Vojens and won the league title with Bradford Dukes. After a season with Wolverhampton Wolves in 1998,[13] he joined Poole Pirates. In 1999, Loram became the first rider in Speedway Grand Prix history to win a GP whilst being entered as a wild card and won the Swedish Grand Prix in Linköping. He also became British champion for the second time.

2000 to 2009

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Loram became the Speedway World Champion in 2000 despite not winning any of the Grand Prix meetings held that year, the only rider to ever do so. However he was the only rider to reach the semi-finals in all six meetings which along with runner-up placings in the opening two rounds in the Czech Republic and Sweden as well as a third in Britain in Round 4 gave him enough points to secure his first and only world title. Loram scored 102 points over the six rounds to defeat 1996 champion Billy Hamill on 95 and defending champion Tony Rickardsson on 94. Loram's win saw him become the 7th British rider to win speedway's ultimate individual prize. He would remain a Grand Prix rider until the end of the 2004 season.

Loram won a third British Speedway Championship in 2001 and won the Knockout Cup with Peterborough Panthers during the 2001 Elite League speedway season. He won another Knockout Cup with Eastbourne Eagles the following year. After two seasons with Eastbourne he joined the Arena Essex Hammers for 2004 and 2005 seasons.

In March 2007, Loram broke his thigh and dislocated his arm whilst riding in the opening fixture of the Elite League season for the Ipswich Witches. This ended his involvement in the sport for 2007, and he was unable to ride in 2008 and 2009. On 17 December 2009, Loram officially announced his retirement from speedway.

World Final Appearances

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Speedway Grand Prix results

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Year Position Points Best Finish Notes
1995 6th 77 3rd Third in British Grand Prix
1996 7th 58 2nd Second in Danish Grand Prix
1997 5th 81 Winner Won Danish Grand Prix
1998 10th 52 6th
1999 5th 71 Winner Won Swedish Grand Prix
2000 1st 102 2nd Only rider to make every semi-final
2001 9th 54 4th
2002 8th 97 3rd Third in Polish and Slovenian Grand Prix
2003 18th 32 11th
2004 17th 38 9th

World Longtrack Championship

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Finals

  • 1990 -  GER Herxheim 15pts (10th)
  • 1991 -  CZE Marianske Lazne 8pts (10th)
  • 1992 -  GER Pfarrkirchen 18pts (5th)
  • 1993 -  GER Muhldorf 5pts (14th)
  • 1994 -  CZE Marianske Lazne 9pts (10th)

British Grasstrack Championship

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First

1991 & 1993

References

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  1. ^ Bamford, Robert (January 2004). Tempus Speedway Yearbook 2004. NPI Media Group. ISBN 0-7524-2915-9.
  2. ^ a b c "2008 Rider index" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  3. ^ Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 523. ISBN 0-316-72645-1.
  4. ^ "Mark Royston Gregory Loram Wielka Brytania". Polish Speedway Database. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  5. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  6. ^ Fenn, C. (2003) Hackney Speedway, Friday at Eight, Stroud: Tempus Publishing, ISBN 0-7524-2737-7
  7. ^ "Speedway". Daily Record. 11 September 1989. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "HISTORY ARCHIVE". British Speedway. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Mark Loram". Grasstrack GB. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Screen's luck runs out". Manchester Evening News. 24 August 1992. Retrieved 9 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK". Speedway.org. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  12. ^ "WORLD INDIVIDUAL FINAL - RIDER INDEX". British Speedway. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Loram joins Wolves". Birmingham Daily Post. 5 January 1998. Retrieved 1 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
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