Mark Lovell

27/3/1960 - 12/7/2003

Record updated 30-Mar-20

ark Lovell was a British rally driver. He won the 1986 British Rally Championship in a Ford RS200 Group B, the 1987 and 1988 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the 1988 International Dutch Rally Drivers' Championship and the 2001 SCCA ProRally Drivers' Championship in the United States.

Born on March 27, 1960 in Axminster, England, Lovell started rallying in 1981 with a rear-drive Ford Escort Mark 1. His early performances led to him becoming a finalist in the Castrol Rally Challenge and which had been well noted by one of the judges, John Taylor. Taylor then recommended Lovell to Ford, and his first task was to help develop the front-wheel drive Escort Turbo through Ford's one-make series, which he won, gaining a free entry on the Lombard RAC Rally as a reward for his perseverance. In 1994 he finished 12th on the RAC Rally at the wheel of a Citroen 1000 Pistes, winning his class and finishing one place behind twice winner Roger Clark's Porsche. In 1985 he won the British national series in a Nissan 240RS before winning the Open series in 1986 at the wheel of a Ford RS200, the youngest driver to win this series. More titles followed. In 1987 and 1988 he won the Irish Tarmac Championship. In 1988 he was Dutch national champion in a Sierra Cosworth and finished top British driver on the RAC. Mark's return to professional motorsport was also highly successful, winning the SCCA's series in 2001, though he had many disappointments in 2002. In 2003 he had various different co-drivers (Freeman was the third), but on round four he again found winning form when he won the rally car category at the Pikes Peak International Hill Club, which counted as a qualifying round of the SCCA series. That was to be Mark's final rally success. Tragedy struck the first stage of the Oregon Trails Rally, round five in the 2003 SCCA Pro-Rally championship, held near Portland, Orgegon, on July 12. The Impreza of Subaru USA team driver Mark Lovell left the road and hit a tree, and both Mark and co-driver Roger Freeman lost their lives in the accident.

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