Mark Loram

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

Mark Loram
Luxo Stars
2005-2006Piraterna
Individual honours
2000
Overseas Champion
1997, 1999, 2001British Champion
1989National League Riders Champ
Team honours
1988
National League
1997Elite League
1988, 2001, 2002, 2003Knockout Cup winner

Mark Roysten Gregory Loram (born 12 January 1971)

England national speedway team and 10 caps for the Great Britain team.[5]

Career

1987 to 1993

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

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, 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

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

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

Speedway Grand Prix results

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

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

First

1991 & 1993

References

  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. 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. 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. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
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