Mark Lovell

Mark Johnathon Lovell (27 March 1960 – 12 July 2003) 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. He also won the 2003 Pikes Peak Rally only two weeks before his death.

When the Subaru Impreza WRX and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution were introduced in 2002 and 2003 to the United States, both cars created more interest in the sport of rallying. Subaru and subsequently Mitsubishi entered the US Pro Rally championship with factory teams; Lovell was the lead driver for the Subaru / Prodrive team, with Americans Karl Scheible (2002) and Ramana Lagemann (2003) as teammates.

Lovell and his co-driver Roger Freeman were both killed in July 2003 during the Oregon Trail Rally when their Works ProRally Subaru Impreza WRX left the road and struck a tree at high speed shortly after the start of the first stage.

A memorial page for both Lovell and Freeman has been set up, which includes many photographs of the team and events at both the Pikes Peak and Oregon Trail Pro Rallies.

Racing record

Complete WRC results Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pts 1982 Passey & Porter Ltd Ford Escort RS2000 MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL BRA FIN ITA CIV GBRRet NC 0 1983 British Junior Rally Team Ford Escort RS1600 MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV GBR23 NC 0 1984 British Junior Rally Team Ford Escort RS1600 MONSWERet POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV NC 0 British Citroën Citroën Visa 1000 Pistes GBR12 1985 British Junior Rally Team Ford Escort RS1600 MON SWE24 POR KEN FRA GRC NZL ARG FIN ITA CIV NC 0 Ford Escort RS Turbo GBRRet 1986 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford RS200 MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRE NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA GBRRet USA NC 0 1987 British Telecom Radiopaging Ford Sierra RS Cosworth MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRE USA NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA GBRRet NC 0 1988 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Sierra RS Cosworth MON SWE POR KEN FRA GRC USA NZL ARG FIN CIV ITA GBR17 NC 0 1989 Ford Motor Company Ltd Ford Sierra RS Cosworth SWE MON POR KEN FRARet GRC NZL ARG FIN AUS ITA CIV NC 0 Andrews Sykes Ford Champions Team GBR17

Titles

RACMSA British Rally Championship – 1986 winner, with Roger Freeman in a Ford RS200 Group B. Irish Tarmac Rally Championship – 1987 winner, with Roger Freeman in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, and 1988 winner, with Terry Harryman in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. Dutch Rally Championship – 1988 SCCA ProRally Championship – 2001, with Steve Turvey & Mike Kidd in a Subaru Impreza WRX Works car

Awards Autosport Magazine's British Rally Driver of the Year, 1985