Mark Loram: "There were riders you would quite happily take on at Exeter because they didn’t want to know"

MARK Loram had a knack of winning at most places but at Exeter he and his colleagues always had a helping hand.

The 2000 world champion had no qualms with staring down the barrel of that famous steel fence at the County Ground, shattering the track record by 0.7 seconds in 1996 during a 48-48 draw with Oxford Cheetahs in which the number one weighed in with 14 points.

Lifting the lid on his two-year stint in Devon for new Exeter Speedway magazine Falcons Nest, Loram revealed how the talent that would take him to the top was aided by the bravery to tackle one of Britain’s most specialist circuits.

“Without disrespect or naming anyone, there were riders you would quite happily take on at Exeter because they didn’t want to know,” he said.

OFF HE GOES: The view most opponents had of
Mark Loram around Exeter

“Riders who you would have your work cut out against on other tracks. You would have teams where two or three riders would have a go and the rest would be pretty petrified.

“I loved it, though. Yes, it was hairy if you were behind but if you got out in front it was so much fun.”

Check out Falcons Nest issue one for the full feature with Loram who talks the track, the logistics of riding at Exeter the night after driving back from Poland, “wild nights out” and Simon Wigg.

It launches on Tuesday but can be pre-ordered now for £2.25 plus £1.75 postage and packaging.

Online payments can be done via PayPal: paypal.me/progammeordering or send an email  to programmeordering@gmail.com to pay via cheque.