A youthful Warren Willing looks on as Kenny Roberts checks the rear Goodyear tyre on his Yamaha 750 at Daytona
W e know Kiwis and Aussies have always been up there in world championship racing . But behind the scenes , ANZACs have been among the most talented MotoGP and WSBK mechanics , crew chiefs and team managers . They still are , but what made them rise to the top ? It started in the 1960s and 70s when strong youth employment , through a variety of government-funded apprenticeship schemes , and the emergence of affordable , reliable twostroke motorcycles from Japan coincided with Baby Boomers getting their driving licences . These were the driving forces behind a surge in motorcycle sales and following this boom in bike sales was a corresponding increase in motorcycle racing activity on both sides of the Tasman . The immediate post World War II generation , which has driven every boom in motorcycle sales since the late 1960s , took to motorcycles , along with sex , drugs and rock and roll , like no other before , or since . The Japanese two-strokes were fast and reliable off the showroom floor , but careful attention to carburetion offered improved performance . Most entry-level riders prepared their own machines and learnt plenty . Many got into racing at club level on their daily ride-to-work machines .
42 KIWI RIDER