Roderick William Coleman (19 June 1926 – 6 August 2019) was a

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

road racer Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held on a closed circuit—generally, a purpose-built racing facility—or on a street circuit that uses temporarily closed public ...

from New Zealand who raced for AMC (

Associated Motorcycles Associated Motor Cycles (AMC) was a British motorcycle manufacturer founded by the Collier brothers as a parent company for the Matchless and AJS motorcycle companies. It later absorbed Francis-Barnett, James, and Norton before incorporatio ...

) riding

AJS A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd was a British automobile and motorcycle manufacturer in operation from 1909 to 1931. The company was founded by Joe Stevens in Wolverhampton, England. After the firm was sold, the name continued to be used by Matchless, ...

motorcycles both at the

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May and June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event begins on the UK Spring Bank Holiday at the e ...

, and in the Grand Prix World Championship in Europe, between

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

and

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

. He was the first official entrant from the New Zealand Auto-Cycle Union in the

1949 Isle of Man TT The 1949 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the first round of the Grand Prix World Championship that was held in the Isle of Man. At the FICM (later known as ''FIM'') meeting in London near the end of 1948, it was decided there would be a moto ...

, but crashed in practice, and in 1954 became the first New Zealander to win a TT.

Background

Coleman was the son of Percy "Cannonball" Coleman, also from

Whanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...

, who first raced at the 1930 Isle of Man TT but retired from the 1930

Junior TT The Junior TT is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival; an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1949 and 1976 this race was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Engine ...

and

Senior TT The Senior Tourist Trophy is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival, an annual event traditionally held over the last week in May and the first week in June. The Senior TT is the wiktionary:blue ribbon, blue r ...

Races. The first New Zealand competitor to enter the TT was Alan Woodman who entered the 1910 Isle of Man TT races, but lost a leg in a practice crash. The "TT Special" of 1951 describes Rod Coleman as a "motorcycle dealer from Whanganui", then aged 25 years.

Racing career

In 1951, Coleman secured a works contract with the British manufacturer,

, who produced

, and

Matchless Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc Four-stroke cy ...

machines. He rode an AJS to eighth place in the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

Junior TT, while his Norton failed to finish the Senior TT. In the

Grand Prix season, he finished 12th in the final 350 class standings. On 27 April 1952, Coleman won the prestigious, pre-season Mettet Grand Prix invitational race. At the

1952 Isle of Man TT The 1952 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the start of Bob McIntyre's association with the Isle of Man, when he came second in the Junior Clubman TT that year. Irishman Reg Armstrong won his first Senior TT event as well as coming in second in t ...

he came fourth in the Senior TT, and third in the Junior TT, riding AJS in both events. He was fourth in the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

500 class standings. For

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

there was a fourth in the Senior TT, and while leading the Junior TT, his bike broke down and failed to finish. For the

season, he was tenth in the 500 class and sixth in the 350 class. In

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

he won the Junior, the first New Zealander to win a TT. In the

1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the sixth F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season. The season consisted of nine Grand Prix races in five classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc and Sidecars 500cc. It began on 30 M ...

, Coleman came twelfth in the 500 class, and third in the 350 class. This was also the year Associated Motorcycles quit racing. He won the 500cc in Hedemora TT in 1954. Coleman met and married an English woman, Jacqueline Etherington, and they returned to Whanganui where he ran a thriving motorcycle and car business. He provided financial support for many New Zealand motorcycle racers including; three-times World Champion Hugh Anderson, Keith Turner,

Dave Dave may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film * ''Dave'' (TV series), a 2020 American comedy series * ...

and

Neville Hiscock Neville Hiscock (27 March 1951Births, Deaths, and Marriages Register for New Zealand – 13 February 1983) was a New Zealand motorcycle racer in the 1970s and 1980s. He raced competitively in New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. Neville ...

Andrew Stroud Andrew Stroud (born 31 December 1967) is a retired champion New Zealand motorcycle racer.Robert Holden and

Dennis Ireland Dennis Ireland (born 19 November 1954) is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from New Zealand. He had his best season in 1979 when he won the 500cc Belgian Grand Prix and finished the year in 14th place in the 500cc world championship. ...

, as well as American rider

Pat Hennen Pat Hennen (April 27, 1953 – April 6, 2024) was an American professional motorcycle racer. He competed in AMA dirt track and road racing competitions from 1971 to 1975 and in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1976 t ...

and Belgian rider,

Gaston Rahier Gaston Rahier (1 February 1947 – 8 February 2005) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1967 to 1983, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory racing team where he won ...

. In the

2001 New Year Honours The 2001 New Year Honours List is one of the annual New Year Honours, a part of the British honours system, where New Year's Day, 1 January, is marked in several Commonwealth countries by appointing new members of orders of chivalry and recipie ...

, Coleman was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

, for services to motorcycling. He died in Whanganui on 6 August 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Rod 1926 births 2019 deaths Sportspeople from Whanganui New Zealand motorcycle racers Isle of Man TT riders 350cc World Championship riders 500cc World Championship riders Place of birth missing Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit