Marvyn Cox

{{Short description|British motorcycle speedway rider}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Use British English|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox Speedway rider | image = Marvyn Cox.jpg | nationality = British (English) | birth_date = {{birth date|1964|7|11|df=y}} | death_date = | birth_place = [[Whitstable]], [[Kent]]

| indivyear1 = 1986, 1994 | indivhonour1 = [[Speedway World Championship]] finalist | indivyear2 = 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 | indivhonour2 = [[Individual Long Track World Championship]] finalist | indivyear3 = 1993, 1995 | indivhonour3 = [[German Individual Speedway Championship|German champion]] | indivyear4 = 1984 | indivhonour4 =[[1984 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship|European Junior Champion]] | indivyear5 = 1984 | indivhonour5 =[[British Speedway Under 21 Championship|British Under 21 Champion]] | teamyear1 = [[1986 Speedway World Team Cup|1986]] (bronze) [[1987 Speedway World Team Cup|1987]] (silver) | teamhonour1 = [[Speedway World Team Cup|World Team Cup]] | teamyear2 = 1985, 1986, 1989 | teamhonour2 = [[British League|British League Champion]] | teamyear3 = 1985, 1986 | teamhonour3 = [[Knockout Cup (speedway)|British League KO Cup winner]] | teamyear4 = 1996 | teamhonour4 = [[Premier League Four-Team Championship]] | teamyear5 = 1985 | teamhonour5= [[Midland Cup (speedway)|Midland Cup]] }} '''Marvyn Cox''' (born 11 July 1964 in [[Whitstable]], [[Kent]]) is a former [[motorcycle speedway]] rider.<ref>Oakes, P.(2006). ''Speedway Star Almanac''. {{ISBN|0-9552376-1-0}}</ref> Cox was twice a winner of the [[German Individual Speedway Championship|German Individual Championship]] in 1993 and 1995, when he raced under a German licence.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/99870/page/37 |title=Vote for your dream team |website=Speedway Star |access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref> At retirement, he had earned 25 international caps for the [[England national speedway team]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf |title=ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022 |website=British Speedway |access-date=21 June 2023}}</ref>

==Domestic career== Cox started his British leagues career riding for [[Rye House Rockets]] during the [[1981 National League season]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1981fixtures.pdf |title=1981 season results |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=1 November 2023}}</ref> He made great progress during the 1982 season,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000473/19820429/276/0031 |title=Opening fixture at new circuit |website=Motherwell Times |date=29 April 1982 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=19 September 2024}}</ref> improving his average to 8.87 but his season was overshadowed by tragedy when he was involved in an accident with American Denny Pyeatt whilst riding for Hackney in a league match against Reading, in which Pyeatt lost his life.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwaybikes.com/rw/uDenny_Pyeatt.htm|title=Denny Pyeatt|website=Speedway Bikes|access-date=30 July 2021}}</ref>

He topped the Rye House averages in 1983, which attracted the interest of [[Oxford Cheetahs]]. The Cheetahs signed Cox from Rye House for £15,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003580/19831118/028/0028 |title=Goodbye Marvyn |website=Hoddesdon and Broxbourne Mercury |date=18 November 1983 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=28 September 2024}}</ref> The Oxford team had returned to the [[British League]] and the other signings to start as the top five riders for the season were [[Hans Nielsen (speedway rider)|Hans Nielsen]] for a record £30,000, [[Simon Wigg]] for £25,000, [[Melvyn Taylor]] for £12,000 and [[Jens Rasmussen (speedway rider)|Jens Rasmussen]], with [[Ian Clark (speedway rider)|Ian Clark]] and [[Nigel Sparshott]] at 6 & 7.<ref name=Oxstory>{{cite book|last=Bamford/Shailes|first=Robert/Glynn|title=The Story of Oxford Speedway|year=2007|pages=128–135|publisher=Tempus Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-0-7524-4161-0}}</ref> During the 1984 season, he won both the [[1984 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship|European Junior Championship]] and the [[British Speedway Under 21 Championship|British Under 21 Championship]].

After a mid-table finish with Oxford in 1984, he was part of the Oxford team that won the league and cup double during the [[1985 British League season]].<ref name=Oxstory/> They repeated the league and cup double the following season during the [[1986 British League season]] and later won a third title during the [[1989 British League season]]. He was a very popular rider at the Cowley circuit.<ref name=Oxstory/>

His form, from an individual perspective, continued to impress, and he reached the final of the 1986 [[Speedway World Championship]] and won two medals with England at the [[Speedway World Team Cup]]. He also became a leading rider on the Longtrack, reaching six [[Individual Long Track World Championship]] finals from 1989 to 1995.

In 1996, he returned to Oxford Cheetahs after spells with Bradford, [[Poole Pirates]] and [[Reading Racers]], and some time in Germany. His return saw him help Oxford win the [[Premier League Four-Team Championship]], which was held on 4 August 1996, at the [[East of England Arena]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Cheetahs race to four team title |work=Hull Daily Mail |date=5 August 1996 |access-date=5 July 2023 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0003600/19960805/026/0034 | via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

He competed in the first two seasons of the [[Speedway Grand Prix]] series in 1995 and 1996<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wwosbackup.proboards.com/thread/643/marvyn-cox|title=Speedway riders, history and results|website=wwosbackup|access-date=11 July 2021}}</ref> and also rode in the [[Elitserien (speedway)|Swedish Elitserien]] for [[Valsarna]] from 1995 to 1996. He finished his career at Poole after two seasons in 1997 and 1998.

==World Final appearances== ===Individual World Championship=== * [[1986 Individual Speedway World Championship|1986]] - {{Flagicon|POL}} [[Chorzów]], [[Silesian Stadium]] - 12th - 3pts * [[1994 Individual Speedway World Championship|1994]] - {{Flagicon|DEN}} [[Vojens]], [[Vojens Speedway Center|Speedway Center]] - 6th - 9pts

===World Team Cup=== * [[1986 Speedway World Team Cup|1986]] - {{Flagicon|ENG}} [[Bradford]], [[Odsal Stadium]] (with [[Simon Wigg]] / [[Kelvin Tatum]] / [[Jeremy Doncaster]] / [[Chris Morton]]) - '''3rd''' - 81pts (0) * [[1987 Speedway World Team Cup|1987]] - {{Flagicon|ENG}} [[Coventry]], [[Brandon Stadium]] (with [[Kelvin Tatum]] / [[Jeremy Doncaster]] / [[Simon Wigg]] / [[Simon Cross]]) - '''2nd''' - 101pts (2)

==Speedway Grand Prix results== * [[1995 Speedway Grand Prix]]- 12th - 54pts * [[1996 Speedway Grand Prix]]- 18th - 15pts

==World Longtrack Championship Finals== * 1989 – {{Flagicon|TCH}} [[Mariánské Lázně]] 16pts (10th) * 1990 – {{Flagicon|GER}} [[Herxheim bei Landau/Pfalz|Herxheim]] 23pts (6th) * 1991 – {{Flagicon|TCH}} [[Mariánské Lázně]] 7pts (12th) * 1992 – {{Flagicon|GER}} [[Pfarrkirchen]] 5pts (14th) * 1994 – {{Flagicon|CZE}} [[Mariánské Lázně]] 0pts (18th) * 1995 – {{Flagicon|GER}} [[Scheeßel]] 17pts (4th)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://grasstrackgb.co.uk/marvyn-cox/ Marvin Cox] at Grasstrack GB

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Marvyn}} [[Category:1964 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:British speedway riders]] [[Category:English motorcycle racers]] [[Category:Bradford Dukes riders]] [[Category:Hackney Hawks riders]] [[Category:Oxford Cheetahs riders]] [[Category:Poole Pirates riders]] [[Category:Rye House Rockets riders]] [[Category:Valsarna riders]] [[Category:People from Whitstable]] [[Category:Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship riders]] [[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]