Kelly Moran [1] has died he was 49. Moran was a professional speedway rider who rode for a number of British clubs and also represented USA. (September 21, 1960 — April 4, 2010)
Moran was known as "Jelly Man" and "the Wizard of Balance" for the way he would hang off his machine when cornering. He arrived in England to race for Hull in 1978 as a teenager, but his season was curtailed when he crashed heavily at Hackney and suffered multiple injuries. However, the following year he qualified for his first World Championship and finished in fourth place – losing a four rider run-off.
A dispute over terms saw Kelly make a late start to his British season with Birmingham. But he was on the move again in 1981 when he joined the Eastbourne Eagles where he became a spectacular crowd pleaser. In 1982 he qualified for his second world championship in America and finished fourth again.
However, despite experiencing his best ever season he decided to remain in California for the next three years. During this period he won back-to-back US National Championships and qualified for his third – and final – world championship in 1984 finishing with 11 points and another fourth place.
In 1986 Kelly joined his younger brother Shawn at the Sheffield Tigers where he had three successful years and helped himself to 1012.5 points at an average of 8.88. He represented his country on several occasions and it was his partnership with Shawn that helped United States team to the 1982 and 1990 World Team Cup title.
Following Sheffield's closure Kelly moved to Belle Vue with his brother, where he remained until a dip in form saw him move from Belle Vue to Swindon early in 1992. A broken collar bone interrupted his spell at Swindon, but he struggled for form in a team that was rooted at the foot of the league. He retired from speedway at the end of the season, but he made a brief comeback in 2003 racing in North America. However, his comeback lasted just the one season.
Kelly Moran died in Huntington Beach, California on April 4, 2010 from complications of emphysema.[2]
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