ROAD NEWS
GINGER MOLLOY
25 DECEMBER 1937 – 16 SEPTEMBER 2026
Ginger will, perhaps, be best remembered for finishing runner-up in the 1970 500cc World Championship, the forerunner of today ' s MotoGP World Championship. He was the first of only four New Zealand riders to achieve a runner-up position in a World Championship. But his remarkable career was about much more than that single result. Born in Huntly on Christmas Day 1937, Molloy shared his home town with another great of New Zealand motorcycle racing, four-time World Champion Hugh Anderson. From relatively humble beginnings, Molloy went on to establish himself among the world ' s elite motorcycle racers during one of the most competitive eras in Grand Prix racing. Ginger and his wife, Claire, spent eight years in Europe pursuing his racing career. Life on the Grand Prix circuit was far removed from the comforts enjoyed by today ' s professional riders. For much of that time, the Thames van served as their home during the European summer seasons, with Ginger
frequently competing in three classes and somehow fitting three bikes into the van. It was an extraordinary existence, and not without its hazards. Over those years, 24 of Ginger ' s competitors perished in racing incidents, a reminder of just how dangerous Grand Prix racing was in that era. Molloy became closely associated with the Spanish Bultaco marque and played an important part in its rise on the international racing scene. In 1966, he gave Bultaco its first world championship victory when he won the Ulster Grand Prix. His 1968 season was one he regarded as his finest. At a time when the Japanese manufacturers were producing increasingly sophisticated and much faster multi-cylinder machines, Molloy displayed his remarkable ability to compete on machinery that was often at a significant disadvantage. He finished third in the 125cc World Championship, while also taking fourth in the 350cc championship and seventh in the 250cc championship.
12 KIWI RIDER