Mark Fiora (born 16 May 1962 in Mount Barker,

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

) is a retired

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

international Motorcycle speedway rider. He is a four time South Australian Champion, and winner of the Australian Best Pairs championship in 1988 with Craig Hodgson. Fiora also rode for 13 different teams in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

between 1981 and 1988.

Career

Australia

"Felix" Fiora, as he was known, was one of the earliest graduates of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

's Under-16 Sidewinders Speedway and started his senior racing career on South Australia's speedway's Rowley Park (Adelaide) and Riverview ( Murray Bridge) and was seen by many as a possible successor to

John Boulger John Boulger (born 18 June 1945 in Adelaide, South Australia) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. After he retired from riding Solos in the early 1980s, Boulger raced somewhat successfully in Speedcars (Midgets) from the mid- ...

as South Australia's best rider. Mark Fiora impressed in his early years and his experience in the UK during 1981 and 1982 finally saw his potential tapped when he won the 1983 South Australian Championship at Speedway Park. He made it two in a row in 1984 at the

North Arm Speedway North Arm Speedway was the first dedicated motorcycle speedway ever built in Adelaide, South Australia and was located in the industrial suburb of Gillman. It was run by the Speedway Riders' Association of South Australia and ran from 1981 unt ...

in Adelaide and made it a hat trick of state title wins when he won again in 1985 at the Riverview Speedway. After finishing second to former World (European) Under-21 Champion Steve Baker in 1986, Fiora made it four wins in five years when he won his last SA title in 1987 at the Westline Speedway in

Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta i ...

. Fiora would finish second to Craig Hodgson in 1988 and he finished second again the Hodgson in 1989 at North Arm. As South Australian Champion or runner-up, Fiora gained automatic qualification to the

Australian Championship The National Second Division (NSD) – also referred to under the working title The Championship – is a proposed Australian national second-tier men's, soccer league, to be run by Football Australia and the Association of Australian Football ...

, with his best result being 4th in 1988 when the title was held in Murray Bridge. Mark Fiora's best result at the Australian Best Pairs Championship was winning the title in 1988 at Murray Bridge with Craig Hodgson. Following the 1989/90 season, Mark Fiora at the age of 28, retired from competitive riding. At the 1992 Australian Championship held at North Arm, Fiora took part in demonstration rides throughout the night against other former South Australian riders, including twice national and nine time SA champion

. Fiora 'won' each of his four rides Mark Fiora holds the record for most wins in the South Australian Championship at different tracks, with each of his four title wins coming at different tracks (Speedway Park, North Arm, Riverview and Westline).

United Kingdom

Mark Fiora first raced in the British leagues in 1981 and he rode for 13 different sides until retiring from riding in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

after 1988. During his time in the UK, Mark Fiora rode for the Scunthorpe Stags,

Sheffield Tigers The Sheffield 'Tru Plant' Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team based in Sheffield, England. They currently race in the British SGB Premiership, and their home meetings take place at Owlerton Stadium. The Tigers traditionally hold their race ...

Edinburgh Monarchs The Edinburgh Monarchs are a Scottish Speedway team, currently based in Armadale. They compete in the SGB Championship, racing on Friday nights during the Speedway season. The club is run by a board of directors, chaired by Alex Harkess. The ...

Leicester Lions Leicester Lions are a speedway team which originally operated from 1968 until 1983.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. The club returned to speedway for the 2011 Premier League season, moving up to the Elite League ...

Birmingham Brummies Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team founded in 1928. They were inaugural members of the Southern League in 1929. The team have twice finished runner-up in the highest tier of British speedway, during the 1952 Speedway National Le ...

Newcastle Diamonds Newcastle Diamonds were a motorcycle speedway team that raced in the SGB Championship, every Sunday night during the season (March–October) from their home at the Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium, previously known as Broug ...

Wolverhampton Wolves Wolverhampton Wolves are a British speedway team based in Wolverhampton, England. They are sponsored by Parry's International Travel, and signed a deal with owner Dave Parry (previous speedway rider for the Wolverhampton Wolves) for the 20 ...

Middlesbrough Bears The Middlesbrough Bears were a British speedway team which operated under various names from 1939 until their closure in 1996. History The team was initially nicknamed the Bears in 1939 by the club's general manager Vic Wieland. The track at C ...

Reading Racers Reading Racers are a British motorcycle speedway team. Formed in 1968, they won four British League titles during their history. The club closed in October 2008 after the lease on Smallmead Stadium was sold and the site was demolished. In 2016 a ...

Long Eaton Invaders Long Eaton motorcycle speedway teams operated from 1950 until 1997 in Long Eaton, England. Teams have raced at the Long Eaton Stadium as the Long Eaton Archers, Long Eaton Rangers, Nottingham Outlaws and the Long Eaton Invaders. The Invaders ret ...

Bradford Dukes The Bradford Dukes were a British motorcycle speedway team which operated from the Odsal Stadium in Bradford from 1986 until their closure in 1997.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. History Speedway has long been asso ...

Cradley Heathens Cradley Heathens was a motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England. The team was founded in 1947 and competed at the top level of British speedway until its closure in 1995. It was revived as Dudley Heathens in 2010, competing in the National L ...

and finally, the

Ipswich Witches The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. They compete in the British SGB Premiership. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm (first r ...

. Fiora's best seasons in the UK were with Long Eaton in 1986 when he averaged 9.18 over his 38 matches and in 1988 for Middlesbrough when he averaged 9.45 over his 32 matches for the Bears.

International

Mark Fiora represented Australia in test matches both in Australia and overseas against various nations and composite teams.Australian Speedway test results 1928-2011
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References

External links

Mark Fiora racing @ Melbourne Showground on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiora, Mark Living people Australian speedway riders Cradley Heathens riders Leicester Lions riders Long Eaton Invaders riders Sheffield Tigers riders Newcastle Diamonds riders Edinburgh Monarchs riders Bradford Dukes riders Reading Racers riders Ipswich Witches riders 1962 births