Rodger "Roj" Vincent Freeth, Ph.D., (24 December 1953 – 18 September 1993) was a New Zealand motor sport competitor.
Career
He held a Ph.D. in Physics and had a distinguished academic and motorsport career. His first love was motorcycles and whilst he was still at university he built a radical Yamaha TZ750A with an
aerofoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine.
...
. As a result, the controlling body (
New Zealand Auto-Cycle Union
Motorcycling New Zealand, formerly The New Zealand Auto-Cycle Union, is the governing body for motorcycle sport in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Auto-Cycle Union commenced operation in 1916 through the union of separate North and South Island
...
) banned the use of aerodynamic aids in motorcycle racing. He won the Arai 500 endurance race at
Mount Panorama Circuit,
Bathurst, Australia in 1982 and 1985, as well as NZ titles on NZ-built McIntosh Suzukis.
Awards and recognition
He later became one of New Zealand's best known rally co-drivers, first with Neil Allport and then with
Peter "Possum" Bourne. As a driver he also won TraNZam titles in his V8
Starlet
Starlet may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Starlet'' (film), a 2012 independent dramatic film directed by Sean Baker
* ''The Starlet'', reality TV show
* The Starlets, a girl group
Transport
* Toyota Starlet, a car produced between 1973 and 1 ...
.
Freeth died in 1993 as a result of injuries received in an accident on the first day of the World Championship event
Rally Australia
Rally Australia is an automobile rally event which was held in Coffs Harbour as the final leg of the World Rally Championship (WRC) until 2018.
First run in 1988, the rally was held in and around Perth, Western Australia until 2006. It was par ...
co-driving for Possum Bourne.
World Rally Championship results
Other International Rally results
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeth, Rodger
New Zealand motorsport people
World Rally Championship co-drivers
New Zealand rally co-drivers
1953 births
1993 deaths
Sport deaths in Australia
Accidental deaths in Western Australia