Talent Bio's - Online Event
Speakers 2022
Carl Fogarty
World Superbike Champion
Undisputed icon of motorcycle racing, a British sporting treasure and a Superbike legend. Racing fans worshipped his gutsy, aggressive style and a determination to win at all costs that produced four World Superbike titles and a total of seven world crowns.
Discussing his career highlights, unique stories and life after the track, including becoming King of the Jungle on ITV’s ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ show.
Growing up in a acing family and riding bikes from an early age, his first competitive debut did not come till he was 14 at his local motocross event. He soon wanted to follow his fathers road racing and at the age of 23 was the Formula 1 TT World Champion.
carlfogarty.com
facebook.com/carlfogartyofficial
twitter.com/carlfogary
Sam McCafferty
Transport designer from Wellington, New Zealand, currently based in Bologna, Italy working for Ducati Motor Holding.
Learn how Sam’s passion took him from Wellington, New Zealand, to major motorbike brands around the world. He talks about his design process and shares his take on the future of bike design and the rapidly changing tech.
A love for design and art, a lifelong passion for vehicles of all types and the realisation that he could combine the two as a career lead him to pursue Transport Design. After graduating from the Industrial Design program at Massey University he has worked for a number of different companies around the world, including Honda R&D Europe in Rome. He eventually joined the team at Ducati in 2017 alongside 5 other designers.
While at Ducati he has worked on a large number of projects including the 2019 Diavel, 2021 Multistrada V4, 2021 Monster and lead the design of the 2022 Streetfighter V2.
Amber Uhrle aka Chaotic Blonde
Motorcycle Enthusiast
Amber or most commonly known as Chaotic Blonde, is a motorcycle enthusiast, an ambassador for Kawasaki’s female ride program “KawiGirls” and a promoter of women’s safety gear and track training across New Zealand.
Amber will be discussing her rapid rise through the ranks, what drives her and how she became integral in leading the charge for the increased range and availability of female riders gear. With that same quality safety gear reducing the potential outcome of her nasty crash.
Having only learned to ride within the last four years, Amber has accelerated her motorcycle passion through road racing and dirt bikes, finishing second on the ladies podium in road racing for the 2020/21 season, while also chasing the NZ Cross Country series.
With an invested interest in ladies gear and safety, Amber works closely with the distributors of REV’IT!, HJC and SIDI to promote safety on the road, and on the track.
Current Bikes – 2020 Kawasaki ZX6R, 2016 X4R (Race Bike) & 2008 Kawasaki KX125
Dr Chris Hurren
Senior Research Fellow (Fibre Science and Technology), Deakin University, Australia.
Dr Chris Hurren is both a rider and a scientist. He works in research at Deakin University, Geelong, Australia and specialises in protective motorcycle clothing. Chris and his team developed the test protocol for MotoCAP (Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Program).
Chris will update us on the latest re MotoCAP and what new items have been added, how the system is being received by the public and why Kiwi riders should use MotoCAP compared to the European Standards.
His laboratory undertakes MotoCAP testing on behalf of the ACC and similar groups from Australia. MotoCAP has been running for four years and over this time it has tested over 450 jackets, pants and gloves. All of the results are free online at motocap.com.au
Chris is always looking at new science on what happens to riders and clothing when they hit the road. He believes that motorcycle clothing can be both protective and comfortable to wear. His research is about making safer clothing affordable and available for all riders. His work is aimed to give riders information so they can navigate the marketing spin and get the right gear for them.
Chris rides to work most days and has a mixture of café racer and vintage motorcycles in his stable.
motocap.com.au
deakin.edu.
Kevin Williams
Avid rider and runs Survival Skills Rider Training in the UK.
Just a few types of crash dominate all powered two-wheeler crash statistics, two of the commonest are collisions at junctions, especially in urban areas and spills on corners. Each new generation of riders seems to discover this the hard way. Kevin takes a no-blame look at the mistakes and makes positive suggestions to help riders recognise what goes wrong, in order to avoid those mistakes if possible, or to correct errors which couldn’t be avoided.
Having gained a science degree at London University, limited job opportunities led to Kevin taking a temporary job as a courier . He ended up riding for a living for 16 years and his interest in rider safety grew with the job – couriers who can’t ride don’t eat. Adding a Masters degree, then trained as a CBT instructor in 1995 and qualified to teach DAS (uk) two years later . He added a BTEC in post-test coaching and has worked in person with thousands of riders at all levels from complete beginner to expert. Kevin writes a long-running column for the Motorcycle Action Group magazine ‘The Road’ and has contributed articles to UK motorcycle magazines RiDE, Two Wheels Only, BIKE and Superbike, as well as the Daily Telegraph.
Combining extensive training experience with a science research background means Kevin is uniquely qualified to evaluate rider safety issues on a sound basis and he has worked with numerous road safety bodies both in the UK and abroad. Working with Buckinghamshire County Council and Somerset Road Safety Partnership on proactive rider safety interventions. In 2011 Kevin’s ‘Science Of Being Seen’ (SOBS) presentation was created for Kent Fire and Rescue Service as a module for the innovative ‘Biker Down’ course . The Kent team was presented with an international road safety award in 2012. SOBS went on to be presented by fire services all over the UK until 2020. Also from 2014 spending six years working on their Ride Skills days at Brands Hatch delivering an interactive session called ‘A Crash Course (in how NOT to crash)’.
Supersport 600 Motorcycle Racer
Avalon Biddle is a motorcycle road racer. She is the only female to win a New Zealand Supersport 600cc Championship racing against the country’s fastest men.
With her experience both on and off the track Avalon will be part of our Question & Answer panel, responding to your questions posted in the live chat during the event. She will also talk about her experience taking Ride Forever courses.
Avalon has raced motorcycles since she was six years old, starting out in mini motocross and beginning road racing when she turned 13. She made it to the very elite level of the sport winning two European Women’s Championships, two New Zealand Championships and taking race wins at various race tracks around the world. Avalon is currently racing the MTF Finance Kawasaki ZX6r in the New Zealand Supersport 600cc championship. Alongside this, she works full time in marketing, is on the Motorycling Canterbury committee, Motorcycling New Zealand women’s commission, and keeps extra busy with physical training and some Sky Sport TV appearances.
Sgt Peter Sowter
Serious Crash Unit & Road Policing, Wellington
Sgt Peter Sowter has spent the last 28 years with the Police Serious Crash Unit, attending and analysing fatal and serious crashes to determine the cause. As a motorcyclist himself he has developed a special interest in examining motorbike crashes to figure out the ways to stop the loss of life.
Peter is currently working at Police Headquarters developing training programs in crash investigation. This year Peter will be part of the Question & Answers Panel responding to your questions posted in teh live chat during the event.
Peter joined the Ministry of Transport (MoT) back in 1988 because they were prepared to pay him to ride a motorcycle for a living. Peter says that worked out well as he rode Yamahas and BMWs up and down the Remutaka Hill, near where he was based in Upper Hutt.
He moved to Taupo in 1992 and stayed on after the Government merged the MoT and Police in July that year.
From 1995 – 2009 he specialised in attending & investigating fatal crashes beginning in the Taupa area and then in Feb 2009 moved to Wellington where he took up the Sergeant’s postion at the Serious Crash Unit.
Jay Reeve
Radio Host, All Round Good Guy & Shiny Side Up Presenter
Harley-Davidson enthusiast and fan of all things two wheeled, a life behind bars (of the motorcycle variety) is the life for Jay Reeve.
Having ridden all over the country and most of the world’s continents, including a documentary with Discovery Channel celebrating 100 years of Harley-Davidson in Canada, Jay knows the places motorcycles can take you and the memories along with friendships they create. Having attended the Shiny Side Up Bike Fest as a guest and then as the MC, his understanding (or lack of) around the importance of motorcycle safety and his attitude toward it, took a rapid turn. This message he shares with the team that join him every afternoon on the number 1 Drive radio show with his co-host and motorcyclist Duncan Heyde. Jay is looking forward to the Online Event and the number of people this will reach and creating a positive effect.
Ray Heron
Creator, Broadcaster, Rider & Shiny Side Up Presenter
Ray Heron is a content creator and broadcaster who lives and breaths motorcycling. His mantra is “do something you love, because then it’s not work”
He started riding on the road around 15 years ago on a 1986 Honda VT250F. He soon developed a love of dirt riding, so bought a Honda CRF250R which saw countless laps of Taupo’s Digger Mcewen Motorcross Park, as well as kilometre after kilometre of trails throughout the central plateau. Over the years bikes have come and gone, but the passion remains the same.
When he’s not riding, Ray loves to share knowledge and his motorcycling passion by hosting and producing Kiwi Rider Podcast, writing about his adventures for Kiwi Rider Magazine, and sharing his digital motorcycling content on MotoNZ.com and Onthrottle.co.nz.
Ray keeps his skills sharp by signing up for at least one Ride Forever course each year, and is an associate member of IAM Roadsmart.
He currently rides a 2020 Yamaha Tenere 700 adventure bike, and is commonly found riding around Red Rocks on Wellington’s south coast, or in the Akatarawas improving his off road riding skills, as well as commuting 5 days a week from his home in Upper Hutt into the city.
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