came aboard as sponsors . Ken wrote the rules and established the format , and it became very popular quite quickly . It was clear that new riders did need ‘ fathering ’ into the road racing sport , as Ken predicted , and the Hyosung GT250R ’ s were the perfect bike . Until 2015 , when the X4R Single was introduced as well . Avalon Biddle is part of that early success story , and an atmosphere of real camaraderie and support for each other further developed the wealth and worth of the sport . It was clear that Ken ’ s experience and his great heart engendered a ‘ people helping people ’ mentality . Something that thrives even stronger in the present day . Around this time the Number one DJ in Europe - but known all round the world - was a gregarious figure called Carl Cox . He ’ d spent time in New Zealand and loved the place . He
was also an afficionado of Motor Sport and his Motorsport manager lived in NZ in Tauranga . The manager let it be known to Ken that Carl was interested in his story , and that he was keen to support grassroots development of the sport , in New Zealand , for New Zealanders . At the same time Wilsport had decided to move on , and the transition into the Carl Cox Cup and Motorsport was a relatively smooth one . Ken again lights up when reporting this story , it ’ s clear his passion is undiminished one iota , and he says , “ The first questions Carl asked were , ‘ How much do you want ?’ And , ‘ What can we do ?’ It was an amazing level of interest and support !” It was decided that two series were required to help foster riders towards the long-term aim of of riders on Superbikes , or MotoGP . The Hyosung 250 continued and the Kawasaki Ninja400 was added . The first season the 400 saw 9 bikes in the field . In 2024 there were 22 entries in the 250 ’ s and 23 in the 400 ’ s . This year also marks the 9th season of the Carl Cox MotorSport Cup and the passion to deliver is undiminished from both Ken and Carl . The day after the conclusion of the interview Ken sent me the picture of the recently built and prepared bike for Billee Fuller , the very successful and talented rider , looking to do great things . It ’ s a gleaming Yamaha R7 Training bike for the new Women ’ s Circuit Racing EWorld Championship and Ken is quietly confident that he will see his protégé as one of the riders in the WSB Champs very soon . The sport of motorcycle racing in NZ would not be where it is today without the dedication , care and passion of Ken . Alongside his beloved Denise , his boys Stan and Beau , he can justifiably be proud of the success and the positive future for road racing in and outside of New Zealand . He ’ s a quiet achiever with a massive heart giving generously to the entire motorcycling community . Take a bow , Ken . You ’ ve earned the laurels , man !
* John Antram 1958 , Colin Meehan 1962 , Ian Veitch 1968 , Mike Adler 1978 , Robert Holden 1996 , Stuart Murdock 1999 , Paul Dobbs 2010 , Chris Swallow 2019 .
74 KIWI RIDER