Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1162518
IN THE WIND P50 Kiwi Racing Legend Passes R od Coleman, a giant of Kiwi motor- cycling, passed away in his Whan- ganui home on August 6, aged 93. His father Percy was 12-time NZ Champion and a successful businessman, and the first New Zealander to race at the famed Los Angeles Ascot Speedway when he finished sixth on an Indian in the 1919 National 200-miler. After he began racing in 1944, aged 18, Rod's father provided funding so he could race in the 1949 Isle of Man TT. But he crashed in practice and broke his jaw, so his TT race debut got delayed until 1951 when, as part of the official NZ team, he fin- ished eighth in the Junior TT on an AJS 7R. This impressive debut duly led to his joining the AJS factory team A percep- tive rider, Coleman carried out the gruel- ing testing of all AJS works bikes at MIRA and Silverstone, and he twice finished fourth in the Senior TT in 1952-'53, wind- ing up fourth in the 1952 500cc World title hunt. Coleman's finest moment came in 1954 when he became the first Kiwi to win a TT with victory in the Junior race on the works pannier-tank three-valve AJS 7R3A, going on to finish third in the 350cc World Championship with second place in Assen and third in Germany. He also scored the AJS E95 Porcupine's only victory by winning the 1954 500cc Swedish TT at Hedemora, in what would be its final race in factory guise. For soon after, AJS retired from racing, and Rod Coleman decided to do the same, despite the offer of a then-massive $6000 signing-on fee by Moto Guzzi to race the all-con- quering 350cc single and forthcoming 500cc V8 the following season. Back home in NZ, Rod teamed up with his broth- er Bob to run the family's Whanganui-based car and motorcycle firm which duly became Suzuki's NZ importer. Through a mixture of astuteness, drive and hard work, the Colemans built Suzuki into consistently the best-selling brand in NZ over the past 40 years, and Rod supported both road and MX teams to promote the make. Many NZ riders to have achieved global prominence over the past five de- cades were sponsored by Coleman Suzuki. Also in the early 70s, the Colemans financed the produc- tion of a series of 20 Suzuki TR500 replicas built by NZ-based engineer Steve Roberts which ended up faster than the factory originals, on one of which NZ's Keith Turner finished second in the 1971 500cc World Championship behind the inevitable Agostini/MV duo. Coleman Suzuki also funded Roberts' creation of the GS1000-powered Mono- coque, which Dave Hiscock took to third place in the 1982 TT F1 World Championship, as well as the later "Plastic Fantastic" Kevlar composite-framed versions. In the 2001 New Year Honors, Coleman was appointed a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to motorcycling. Alan Cathcart One of New Zealand's motorcycle legends, Rod Coleman, passed away at the age of 93.