Brown-nose a "Living Legend" right here folks

[Clivoris]

Saw a thread, correctly praising up Bruce Ansty on this very site and it triggered thoughts about the other living legends involved in road-racing Motorcycles, with a connection to our awesome whenua, New Zealand. So why not break out of our colonial and Maori humility and devote a little energy to praising some awesome Racers up. Racers who are still alive. Let's not wait till they die.
I have two daughters, 13 and 15, getting into racing. I doubt that at their age, I would have had the courage to race. They spend money on petrol instead of phone-credit, They crash, they lose, they always come back faster. My absolute heroes right now They already talk about racing at the Isle of Man. Nutters.
Hell, every racer that races the Winter Series deseves a medal in my book, but who are your living legends?

[GD66]

Jeez, you'd have to reckon Hugh Anderson'd be top of the list, wouldn't you ?

25 Grand Prix wins, four world titles, and plenty of history in NZ motocross as well.

Up till recently, still a man to beat in classic road racing.....even got round Phillip Island in not much over two minutes on a 1937 BSA Empire Star.

He's a lad....

[Clivoris]

That's exactly the type of geezer I'm thinking of. Ginger Molloy, Graeme Crosby and some cranky old bugger called "Curly" (I think) who I met at Paeroa are carved from the same stump. Bob Grover is a local VMCC member who is a Bridgestone Winter Series regular. He isn't winning anything nowdays, but he is out there rain hail or snow. I hope I have that much juice in 5 years time, let alone at his age.

[Pussy]

Russell Josiah. You never hear him blowing his own trumpet, either. And a bloody good guy to boot. His brother-in-law is in the same vein.

[Pussy]

And good on you and your daughters, Clive.

[BIG DOUG]

Tui morgan

[Edbear]

Richard Scott.

[jasonu]

Ivan Mauger

[tri boy]

Gremlin.
Always reminds me of the lil bugger in "Ice Age" defending/saving his prized oak nut.
Tenacious and full of energy.

[Clivoris]

Tui morgan

Richard Scott.

Ivan Mauger

Tell me more guys.

Gremlin.
Always reminds me of the lil bugger in "Ice Age" defending/saving his prized oak nut.
Tenacious and full of energy.

For sure. He's done huge things at the Isle of Man and helped a lot of people out along the way. One of my girls is using a pair of his donated leathers.

[pritch]

Hempleman, Boote, and our own Shaun.

[Pussy]

Trevor Discombe. Also another VERY talented rider, and a good bastard.

[jellywrestler]

T Bob Grover is a local VMCC member who is a Bridgestone Winter Series regular. He isn't winning anything nowdays, but he is out there rain hail or snow.

I don't know whether Bob has ever won anything, kind of makes him even betterer in my mind, that he's been there like you say rain hail and shine to simply line up and ride.
Oh and another legend, Margaret Grover, been along side Bob at probably every meeting he's been to too, and it is't warm and cosy down at Manfield in the winter either.

[jellywrestler]

Tui morgan

here's da man

[jellywrestler]

Alan Woodman, hands down for me, here's an article I wrote on him.
The first Kiwi to set foot on the ISLE OF MAN to race in the T.T. had a little more trouble than most stepping off it again, that was way back in 1910. South Islander; Alan Woodman had ridden the Brooklands board track event in April of that year, his bike, a 639cc V-Twin Indian, propelled him to second and third placings. One of them in the 500-1000cc Handicap race. These results generated a lot of interest amongst the English and there was much speculation about how this rider from the other side of the world would perform at the T.T.
The same machine was packed up and sent off for the ISLE OF MAN T.T. races scheduled for late May. The races in those days ran on the St Johns Course, just over 15 miles long with the only common section to nowadays runs from Ballacraine to Kirkmicheal. Despite being shorter than the current course it was still a gruelling ride. Bikes had to be pushed up the steeper sections like Creg-Willeys hill and the road surfaces were all gravel. It was that hard some teams used up to seven sets of tires to do the event! The gravel between Cronk-y-Voddy and Kirkmicheal had not been rolled and was particularly hazardous and this was destined to be Alan’s downfall.
On the 19th of May Alan punctured his front tire on some loose gravel just past Cronk-y-Voddy. He stopped, repaired it, then set off again. While descending a hill and taking a corner near Kirkmichael the tire let go again throwing Alan from the bike and into a wall. His right leg bore the brunt of the impact leaving it badly fractured and was later amputated near the hip, official practice that day was practically called off so officials could to attend to Allan and his injuries.
Alan didn’t let the missing leg stop his riding ability, He tried his best to secure an entry for the 1911 ISLE OF MAN T.T. too; fellow riders even organised a petition to support him riding, this however was rejected on safety grounds by the organisers. He went on to compete in England for a couple of years before returning to New Zealand to race.
Back here he raced for quite a number of years on the Speedway and also did long distant events throughout the South Island, then raced power boats after retiring from motorcycling.