she had to gallop up 16 places by the time we passed her on the first lap … I came 4th in the end , and we got 5th in the sprint race … Yeah , I have a real passion for Bathurst , I just loved going over the top of the mountain and down through those curves , nothing like it .” For the best part of that year Ken competed throughout Australia with good results , but unfortunately he had to sit out the Castrol 6 Hour he ’ d been planning to ride with his mate Iain , due to the injuries he sustained at Lakeside . In all , those injuries saw him lose three months of racing , and Bathurst remains his best national level results in Australia . After the season Iain and Ken decided to ride in an endurance race , the 2-hour at Calder Park in Melbourne . They loaded up two Kawasaki Z1000Js , all the race spares , tyres , fuel , and tools onto the deck of the trusty XC Falcon ute , chucked clothes and leathers in the cab , squeezed in Denise and themselves , and drove south 1800 kilometres , non-stop to Melbourne . Calder Park was to be his last race in Australia , and Ken felt that one season of racing in Australia was enough .
ISLE OF MAN ON THE HORIZON The decision had been made to go and live in the UK for a while and use it as a base to attack the Isle of Man , but first they headed away for a month-long holiday in Japan . It was January 1984 . Ken describes it as ‘ not well thought out ’ - they left in 32-degree heat and arrived in Tokyo at Narita Airport in minus 9 . A guided trip through the Suzuki factory and facility was greatly welcomed , although Ken ’ s old Lloyd May Motorcycles jacket , with Honda proudly displayed on the back , had to be reversed to avoid offence and loss of face . Ken said they loved Japan , but his dream still beckoned , hard . They both arrived in the UK where they linked up with Andrew Whiddup , a mate of Ken ’ s , who had done the same technical course in Petone for their apprenticeships , years before . Ken joined Bill Smith Motors in Chester and set about getting the necessaries to participate in the Isle of Man TT race of 1984 . Two bikes were considered , a Honda CBX750 ( with hydraulic valves ) and a VF750 . The VF went to London with Denise and Ken where they bought a VW LT37 van and transformed it into a mobile workshop and transporter . In London two friends helped them get all the necessary paperwork and Ken ’ s FIM racing licence , Sandra Perry from MNZ and Chris Costello , a man whose calm advice would help Ken enormously in the lead up and eventual racing . ACU , The Autocycle Union , provided £ 300 and with everything in hand they arrived in the Isle of Man a few days early . The plan was to drive the roads and get to know them . Ken couldn ’ t possibly learn 37.7 miles of intricate foot-by-foot track condition as he would on a race circuit , and , worse , he could only drive on one side of the road , but they set out to try to learn the track as best they could - its foibles , dangers and landmarks , he tried to file it all away so it would unspool in his head , while fighting to maintain an average speed of 100 miles per hour . As Bill Smith instilled in him , the course demanded three things , Respect , respect and respect . It is the most dangerous race circuit in
68 KIWI RIDER