Danny Clark
Personal information
Full nameDaniel Clark
Born (1951-08-30) 30 August 1951
George Town, Tasmania, Australia
Team information
DisciplineTrack
RoleRider
Major wins
European championships:
Omnium 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988
Derny 1985, 1986, 1990
Motor-paced 1988
Madison 1979, 1988
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Men's cycling
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich 1000m time trial
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 1970 Edinburgh Individual Pursuit
Men's track cycling
UCI Track Cycling World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1980 BesanconKeirin
Gold medal – first place 1981 BrnoKeirin
Gold medal – first place 1988 GhentMotor-paced
Gold medal – first place 1991 StuttgartMotor-paced
Silver medal – second place 1981 BrnoPoints
Silver medal – second place 1982 LeicesterKeirin
Silver medal – second place 1983 ZurichKeirin
Silver medal – second place 1985 Bassano del GrappaMotor-paced
Silver medal – second place 1987 ViennaMotor-paced
Bronze medal – third place 1990 MaebashiMotor-paced
Bronze medal – third place 1990 MaebashiPoints

Daniel "Danny" Clark OAM[1] (born 30 August 1951[2] in George Town, Tasmania, Australia) is a retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer from Australia, who was a professional rider from 1974 to 1997. He won five world championships and at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, came second in the 1,000m time trial.[3]

Clark was often fastest finishing rider in six-day races, especially as Patrick Sercu slowed after the mid-1970s. Clark and the British rider, Tony Doyle, won many six-day races. Clark enjoyed the party atmosphere of the races, and continued to work in them as a Derny pacer after retiring.

Biography

Clark began cycling on a bike borrowed from a local enthusiast, which he used for three months before acquiring his eldest brother's semi-racer.[4] He became one of the most successful riders in six-day racing in the 1970s and 1980s, winning 74 races, second to Patrick Sercu's 88. Most of these wins came after a crash in the 1983 Frankfurt six-day which broke his hip. Clark still carries a plate inserted to help the fracture heal and said that when sprinting or climbing, only his right leg delivered full power.[4]

Clark won the Australian one-mile penny-farthing championship in Evandale, Tasmania, in 1989, beating the Briton Doug Pinkerton and Matthew Driver.[5]

He lives in Surfers Paradise, near Brisbane.[5]

Major results

Olympic Games

World championships

  • Besançon 1980:
  • Brno 1981:
    • Keirin
    • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver, points
  • Leicester 1982:
    • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver, keirin
  • Zurich 1983:
    • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver, keirin
  • Bassano del Grappa 1985:
  • Vienna 1987:
    • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver, motor-paced
  • Ghent 1988:
    • Motor-paced
  • Maebashi 1990:
    • 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze, motor-paced
    • 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze, points
  • Stuttgart 1991:
    • Motor-paced

Six-days

European championships

  • Omnium 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988
  • Derny 1985, 1986, 1990
  • Motor-paced 1988
  • Madison 1979 with Don Allan, 1988 with Tony Doyle

Honours

Clark received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1986[1] and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1987.[6] He received an Australian Sports Medal and a Centenary Medal in 2001.[7][8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Clark, Daniel, OAM". It's an Honour. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  2. ↑ Site du Cyclisme, Rider database, Danny Clark
  3. ↑ "Danny Clark Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 Licorice Gallery, Interview with Danny Clark
  5. 1 2 Canberra Bicycle Museum, Article about Danny Clark sourced from "Freewheel" Issue 11, New Zealand Archived 4 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Danny Clark". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Clark, Danny: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Clark, Daniel: Centenary Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
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