Shawn Moran (born November 19, 1961, in

Lakewood, California Lakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 82,496 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west, northwest and south, Bellflower on the north, Cerritos on the northeast, Cypress on t ...

) is an American former professional

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 clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

rider who was one of the most popular and talented riders ever to race for Sheffield Tigers. He earned 74 caps for the United States national speedway team.

Career

Moran first rode in British speedway for Hull Vikings in 1979 under the alias 'David East', before riding under his real identity in 1980.Lanning, Russell (1985) "Rider Profile: Shawn Moran", ''

Speedway Star Speedway Star is a national motorcycle speedway magazine. The magazine is published every week of the year and the emphasis of the publication is on British speedway but also features international speedway from around the world. The magazine is ...

'', April 20, 1985, p. 26-7 He had been subject to a bid to sign him by Cradley Heath before he joined Sheffield from Hull in 1980 for £8,000 and established himself as a fans' favourite who topped the clubs

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

s every year he was with them. After finishing 15th at the 1980 European Under-21 Championship, Moran won the 1981 Championship in

Slaný Slaný (; ) is a town in Kladno District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 17,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, with a 15-point maximum. In

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, along with reigning

World Champion 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 ...

Bruce Penhall Bruce Lee Penhall (born May 10, 1957) is an American former professional motorcycle speedway racer who later starred in television and in film. He was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and rode for the successful Cradley Heath Hea ...

Bobby Schwartz Robert Benjamin Schwartz (born August 10, 1956) is an American professional motorcycle speedway rider. He became Speedway World Pairs Championship, World Pairs Champion with Bruce Penhall in 1981 Speedway World Pairs Championship, 1981 and Denni ...

Scott Autrey Scott Brian Autrey (born July 9, 1953) is an American former professional motorcycle speedway rider. In 1976, he became the first American rider to reach a speedway world final since Ernie Roccio in 1951. He earned 22 caps for the United States ...

, and his older brother Kelly Moran, Shawn won the

Speedway World Team Cup The Speedway World Team Cup was an annual motorcycle speedway, speedway event held each year in different countries. The competition started in 1960 and was replaced with the Speedway World Cup in 2001. Format From 1960 until 1985, each team c ...

at the

White City Stadium White City Stadium in London, England, was built for the 1908 Summer Olympics. It hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car racing, concerts and a match at the 1966 FIFA W ...

in London, England. He would later repeat this success with Team USA in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

at the Svítkov Stadion in

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

, Czechoslovakia alongside Sam Ermolenko, Rick Miller, Billy Hamill and Kelly Moran. Moran also helped the US team to second place in both

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

and

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

at the Veterans Memorial Stadium in

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

(the only times that the World Team Cup Finals were held outside of Great Britain or Europe), while finishing third in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

(

Leszno Leszno (, , ) is a historic city in western Poland, seat of Leszno County within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Leszno is a former residential cit ...

, Poland) and

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

(three rounds held at

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region Denmark, Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vej ...

in Denmark,

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, England and

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czechoslovakia). In 1986 Moran was joined by his brother Kelly at Sheffield. Shawn amassed a total of 3,257 points for the Tigers at an

of 9.36. Although regarded as a world-class rider, the individual World Championship eluded him. Moran was first nicknamed 'Shooey' by Bobby "Boogaloo" Schwartz and it stuck throughout his career. He rode in three World Championships in

(

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

) where he finished 8th,

(

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

) where he finished 5th and

(Bradford). Arguably 1985 was his best season as he won both the Overseas and Intercontinental Finals on his way to the World Final at Bradford. He finished the 1985 World Final at the

Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium (known as Bartercard Odsal Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a multi-purpose stadium, multipurpose stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium is currently the home of Bradford Bulls rugby league football club and ...

in fifth place with 10-points and two wins from his 5 rides. In the 1990 World Final at Odsal he lost a run-off to Sweden's Per Jonsson after both finished on 13 points, 1 point clear of Australia's

Todd Wiltshire Todd Wiltshire (born 26 September 1968 in Bankstown, New South Wales) is an Australian former motorcycle speedway rider, who competed at the highest level of the sport, finishing a career best third in the 1990 Individual Speedway World Champi ...

. Moran, though, remains America's only World Longtrack Champion. He won the crown in 1983 while still recovering from a broken leg. He is also a three time winner of the Intercontinental Final, winning in

Vojens Vojens () is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,424 (1 January 2025).1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

in Vetlanda, Sweden, and

at Fjelsted Speedway Stadium in Denmark. In 1989, Moran won the

British League Riders' Championship The British League Riders Championship was an individual motorcycle speedway contest between the top riders (or two riders) with the highest Calculated Match Average, average from each club competing in the British League in the UK, or the top ...

, held at

Belle Vue Stadium Belle Vue Stadium was a Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom, greyhound racing track in Belle Vue, Manchester, England, where the first race around an oval track in Britain was held on 24 July 1926. It has also been used for motorcycle speedw ...

on 1 October and the Peter Craven Memorial Trophy, also at Belle Vue Stadium. During his career, Shawn Moran was a regular visitor to Australia. He proved to be a popular rider 'Down Under' and enjoyed success on the often larger Australian tracks. In the 1989/90 Australian season Moran was a resident international rider at the tight North Arm Speedway in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, and rode for a "Rest of the World" team in a series of test matches against the

Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizenship, citizens, nationality, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Aust ...

throughout the season. In 1984 Moran released a cover version of the 1975 Chris Spedding single, "Motor Bikin'".''Speedway Star'', October 20, 1984, p. 8

World Final Appearances

Individual World Championship

Ullevi Ullevi, sometimes known as Nya Ullevi (, ''New Ullevi''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships six times; the ...

- 8th - 7pts *

- 5th - 10pts *

- Bradford, Odsal Stadium - ''2nd'' - ''13pts'' + ''2pts''* ''* 1990 - Disqualified - Failed random drug and alcohol test at 1990 Overseas Final''

World Pairs Championship

Lonigo Lonigo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy, its population counts around 16,400 inhabitants. In its ''frazione'' of Bagnolo is the Villa Pisani (Bagnolo), Villa Pisani, a Renaissance patrician villa designed ...

Santa Marina Stadium The Santa Marina Stadium is a 5,000-capacity motorcycle stadium in the Lonigo, Italy. The stadium is situated in the southern part of Lonigo, which itself is 25km south of Vicenza. The stadium is affiliated to the Federazione Motociclistica Ita ...

(with

) – 4th – 19pts (8) *

Rybnik Rybnik (Polish pronunciation: ; ) is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Katowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 mi) from the Czech Republic, Czech border. It i ...

Rybnik Municipal Stadium Rybnik Stadium (Polish - Stadion Miejski w Rybniku) is a motorcycle speedway and association football stadium located in the northern part of Rybnik off Gliwicka 72. The stadium is the home arena of Polish speedway team KS ROW Rybnik who compet ...

(with Bobby Schwartz) - 3rd - 22pts (11) *

- Bradford, Odsal Stadium (with Sam Ermolenko) - 3rd - 39pts (23)

World Team Cup

- London,

(with

/ Bobby Schwartz / Kelly Moran /

) - Winner - 34pts (8) *

Alfred Smoczyk Stadium Alfred Smoczyk Stadium () is a stadium in Leszno, Poland. It is currently used for speedway matches and is the home stadium of Unia Leszno. The stadium has a capacity of 16,700 people. The stadium is located on ''ulica Strzelecka 7''. Histor ...

(with Kelly Moran / Bobby Schwartz /

Lance King Lance King (born November 23, 1962) is an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter known for his work in progressive and power metal. He has performed with bands including Balance of Power, Pyramaze, and Gemini, and founded Nightmare Reco ...

/ John Cook) – 3rd – 20pts (6) *

, Veterans Memorial Stadium (with Bobby Schwartz / John Cook / Lance King / Sam Ermolenko) – 2nd – 35pts (11) *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

- Göteborg, Ullevi,

Vojens Vojens () is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,424 (1 January 2025).Speedway Center, Bradford, Odsal Stadium (with Bobby Schwartz / Sam Ermolenko / Lance King / Rick Miller) - 2nd - 76pts (27) *

, Fredericia Speedway,

Brandon Stadium Brandon Stadium, also known as Coventry Stadium, is located 6 miles east of Coventry in Brandon, Warwickshire, England. It was the home of the Coventry Bees motorcycle speedway team. It also hosted BriSCA F1 Stock Car Racing on the 1st Saturd ...

, Marketa Stadium (with Sam Ermolenko / Lance King / Rick Miller / Kelly Moran / John Cook) - 3rd - 93pts (23) *

- Long Beach, Veterans Memorial Stadium (with Sam Ermolenko / Lance King / Kelly Moran / Rick Miller) - 2nd - 32pts (8) *

, Svítkov Stadion - Winner - 37pts (10)

Individual Under-21 World Championship

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

Pocking Pocking (; ) is a town in the Passau (district), district of Passau, in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is situated about 30 km south-west of Passau, close to the Austria, Austrian border. History A Roman settlement was founded in the area of Poc ...

, Rottalstadion - 15th - 2pts *

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, Slaný Speedway - Winner - 15pts ''Between 1977 and 1987 the Under-21 Championship was known as the European Junior Championship.''