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

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

road racer 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 incorporation i ...

) 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, A ...

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/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...

, 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 United ...

and

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

. 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 motorcy ...

, 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

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled 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. Whangan ...

, who first raced at the

1930 Isle of Man TT The 1930 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was dominated by the Rudge marque. Despite problems in practice for Rudge and the new George Hicks designed four-valve over-head valve motor-cycles the 1930 Junior TT was a closely contested race. At the end of ...

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 c ...

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 Blue Riband event of the festi ...

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 Wanganui", 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 ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

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. In

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

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

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 i ...

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 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

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 Ma ...

, 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

where he ran a thriving motorcycle and car business. 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 recipient ...

, 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 ren ...

, 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