Pavel Mareš (speedway rider)

Pavel Mareš (20 January 1943 – 4 June 2023) was an international speedway rider from the Czech Republic.^[1]

Pavel Mareš

Born	20 January 1943 (1943-01-20) Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia
Died	4 June 2023(2023-06-04) (aged 80)
Nationality	Czech
Career history
Czechoslovakia
1964	Rudá Hvězda Praha
Individual honours
1965	Czechoslovakian final silver medal
Team honours
1971	World Pairs finalist

Speedway career

Mareš won the silver medal in the 1965 Czechoslovakian Individual Speedway Championship.^[2] He also partnered Václav Verner to the World Pairs final at the 1971 Speedway World Pairs Championship^[3] where they finished just outside the medals in fourth place behind winners Poland.^[4]

Mareš also raced in ice speedway and participated in the 1967 Individual Ice Speedway World Championship.^[5]

Like many Czech riders of the time, the Czechsolovak authorities rarely allowed riders to compete for British league teams but they did allow club sides such as Prague to tour the United Kingdom, which allowed Mareš to race in Britain in 1967^[6] and again in 1971.^[7] By 1974 he was a recognised name in speedway circles in the United Kingdom despite not being able to ride in the British leagues.^[8]

World Final appearances

World Pairs Championship

• 1971 - Rybnik, Rybnik Municipal Stadium (with Václav Verner) - 4th - 17pts (8)