DATE OF BIRTH: 26 July 1983, Northampton, Northamptonshire.
BRITISH CAREER: (1998-99) Buxton; (2000) Swindon, Boston; (2001) Swindon; (2002) Swindon II.
CAREER RECORD WITH SWINDON: Meetings: 67 (24 League; 6 Knock-Out Cup; 27 Premier Trophy; 6 Young Shield; 3 Challenge; 1 Three-Team Tournament) Rides: 257 Points: 281 Bonus: 77 Total: 358 Average: 5.57 Maximums: 1 (1 paid)
NOTE: The above stats only relate to appearances for the main Swindon side and do not include any outings for the Sprockets.
CLUB DEBUT: 25 March 2000 versus Stoke (Away) Premier Trophy; 6 points (5 rides).
MARK JAMES STEEL first watched the sport of speedway at Coventry when aged just nine and later became mascot for the Bees. He subsequently worked his way up via the junior scene, eventually making his official debut in British racing on 30 August 1998. That was when he turned out for Buxton against Mildenhall in a Conference League Knock-Out Cup match. Mark went on to appear in four league matches, scoring 34 points for an encouraging first year average of 7.80.
The following year, he remained with the Hitmen, yielding 55 points from eleven league matches for a 5.79 average. However, the undoubted highlight of his season occurred in a challenge match at King's Lynn on 15 August, when he rode for Club Cradley Heath and scorched to a quite brilliant 18-point maximum.
Moving on to 2000, and Swindon unveiled the promising youngster as the final piece of their team-building jigsaw on their Press and Practice Day in March. His first Robins' match was at Stoke in a Premier Trophy fixture on 25 March, when he incredibly took victory in only his second race of the night, before going on to finish the evening with a 6-point tally.
Having initially doubled-up with Conference League Boston, Steel decided to concentrate full-time on the Robins. Quietly and efficiently, he went about the business of scoring points from the No. 7 berth and every so often, he produced some stunning rides. As it stated on the back of his leathers, Mark was ‘Poetry in Motion' and his celebration routine quickly endeared him to the Blunsdon faithful.
Indeed, in a quite remarkable performance against Arena-Essex in the Premier Trophy at the Abbey on 25 May, he steamed to a paid 12 points from four starts. This included a terrific last ride, when he had to come from the back on the third lap in order to remain unbeaten. Unfortunately, his performance wasn't recorded as a paid maximum as a reserve switch had seen him replaced by Claus Kristensen in his third programmed ride.
Later in the year, having overcome a nasty thumb injury, he made three impressive appearances for Young England in the Test series versus Young Australia, netting a total of 15 points for a solid 7.20 average. With breathtaking style, he also recorded a paid maximum (9+3 points) for Swindon in a league fixture at Reading on 21 August. Steel was clearly the find of the year in the Premier League, borne out by an impressive 5.40 average and - capping a marvellous debut campaign with the club - he was a big player in the Robins' double success in the Knock-Out Cup and Young Shield.
In 2001, Mark started where he had left off, knocking up plenty of points in the early season Premier Trophy competition, before raising his league average to 5.87. In late June, however, he made the tough decision to concentrate solely on his electrical apprenticeship, which he had previously been combining with his riding career. He made a brief comeback to racing in 2002 as a member of the Swindon Sprockets side in the Conference League Trophy, recording a total of 43 points from four matches for an average of 9.20.
For the senior Swindon side, Steel made a total of 67 appearances in all competitions during 2000 and 2001, his grand total of 281 points yielding an average of 5.57. Tragically, Mark died on 22 August 2005, after vanishing while diving for the wreck of the ‘Kyarra' from the ‘Killer Prawn' boat off Anvil Point on the Dorset coast. The Kyarra was a 6,953-ton Australian steamer that had been sunk by a German torpedo in 1918, killing all six members of the crew.
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Swindon Motorsports Ltd launches "Call for Sites" to help identify new motorsports arena in Swindon.
DATE OF BIRTH: 26 July 1983, Northampton, Northamptonshire.
Later in the year, having overcome a nasty thumb injury, he made three impressive appearances for Young England in the Test series versus Young Australia, netting a total of 15 points for a solid 7.20 average. With breathtaking style, he also recorded a paid maximum (9+3 points) for Swindon in a league fixture at Reading on 21 August. Steel was clearly the find of the year in the Premier League, borne out by an impressive 5.40 average and - capping a marvellous debut campaign with the club - he was a big player in the Robins' double success in the Knock-Out Cup and Young Shield.
