Danny Clark (cyclist)

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]

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

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. "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. Licorice Gallery, Interview with Danny Clark
  5. 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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