Kiwi Rider October Vol.1 2026 | Page 13

After a brief period racing in the United States, Ginger returned to New Zealand where he continued to add to his racing achievements, winning the first Castrol Six Hour and the non-World Championship Singapore Grand Prix for Kawasaki. Eventually, Ginger turned his attention to life away from the international racing circuit, establishing and operating motorcycle shops in Hamilton and, later, Huntly. He stepped away from serious racing for a number of years, but the racing bug never disappeared. When the classic road-racing movement began to develop in New Zealand, Ginger returned to the track. Despite being considerably older than most of his competitors, he proved that the speed and racing instinct that had taken him to the highest level of international motorcycle racing were still very much intact. He went on to win many more races in the classic racing scene. Away from competition, Ginger enjoyed sharing his passion for motorcycles with his family and friends. He took his daughters kart racing and,

in later years, enjoyed trail riding with his mates. For those who knew him, however, Ginger Molloy was more than the results recorded beside his name. He represented a generation of New Zealand racers who travelled halfway around the world with little more than determination, talent and an unwavering belief that they could compete with the best. His 1970 World Championship runner-up position remains one of the outstanding achievements in New Zealand motorcycle racing, but his legacy extends well beyond the statistics. He was a racer in the truest sense— competitive, adventurous and prepared to take on whatever challenge lay ahead. Ginger is survived by his wife, Claire, and three remaining daughters. New Zealand motorcycling has lost one of its great characters and one of the pioneers who showed that a rider from a small town in New Zealand could take on— and beat— the best in the world. Vale Ginger Molloy.

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