Ian Russell Clark (born 23 December 1958) is a British former

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...

rider.

Career

Born in

Sandon, Essex Sandon is a village and civil parish just off junction 17 of the A12 in Essex, England, adjacent to Great Baddow and close to Danbury. The population taken at the 2011 Census includes Howe Green and totals 1,613. It was known for an ancient oak ...

, Clark's early experience came in

grasstrack Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of track racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. It is one of the oldest types of motorcycle sports in the ...

, in which he was British Schoolboy Champion in both 1973 and 1974.Oakes, Peter & Mauger, Ivan (1976) ''Who's Who of World Speedway'', Studio Publications, , p. 28 He took up speedway in 1973 at the training school at

Hackney Wick Hackney Wick is a neighbourhood in east London, England. The area forms the south-eastern part of the district of Hackney, and also of the wider London Borough of Hackney. Adjacent areas of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets are sometimes a ...

, and made his competitive debut in 1975 for

Peterborough Panthers The Peterborough Panthers are a British speedway team based in Peterborough, England. They are three times champions of the United Kingdom, winning the highest level league in 1999, 2006 and 2021. History 1970–1994 The Panthers inaugural se ...

. During five seasons with Panthers he was capped in the National League England team, and made several guest appearances in the British League.Jones, Alan (2010) ''Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar'', Automedia, p. 160 In 1977, he helped the Peterborough Panthers win the Fours Championship during the

1977 National League season The 1977 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom. Summary Newport had moved down from the British League. Their riders were transferred to Bristol Bulldogs but they acquired new riders and were rena ...

. In 1980, he signed for

British League The British League was the main motorcycle speedway league in Britain from its formation in 1965 until 1995 when British speedway was restructured. It initially had a single division, with a second division starting in 1968 (which was renamed the ...

Leicester Lions in a £2,750 transfer, reaching the semi-final of the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

the same year.Oakes, Peter (1980) ''1980 Speedway Yearbook'', Studio Publications, , p. 247 In 1981 his performances were down on the previous year and he was sold to

Hackney Hawks Hackney Hawks speedway opened in 1963 at Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, London and operated until 1983. The team replaced the Hackney Wick Wolves who had raced at the stadium from 1935 to 1939. The Hawks were then themselves replaced by the ...

. In 1982 he primarily rode for

Canterbury Crusaders The Crusaders (formerly Canterbury Crusaders and BNZ Crusaders due to sponsorship by the Bank of New Zealand) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch, who compete in the Super Rugby competition. They are the mos ...

, before spending two seasons with

Oxford Cheetahs The Oxford Cheetahs are a British speedway teamLawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. based at Oxford Stadium, in Oxford, England. They were founded in 1939 and are five times champions of Britain, in 1964, 1985, 1986, 1989 and ...

. He returned to Peterborough in 1985 before spending his final three seasons with

Milton Keynes Knights The Milton Keynes Knights are a Speedway team which originally operated from 1978 until their closure in 1992. The team were revived in 2012 but have had to race at various venues outside of Milton Keynes. History 1978–1988 The inaugural leag ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Ian 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