Tim Gibbes. Photo / Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
By Andy McGechan
Bikesport NZ
The man behind the country’s largest and most famous annual motocross event, the New Zealand Motorcross Grand Prix at Woodville, has died.
The motorcycling community reported the passing of one of its greatest legends, Manawatū man Tim Gibbes, earlier this month.
The Woodville GP could perhaps be listed as one of Gibbes’ greatest legacies.
Gibbes – alongside his brother-in-law and fellow former GP racer Ken Cleghorn – co-founded the Woodville event in 1961, determined to bring GP-level competition to this part of the world.
It’s worth noting that the Woodville event marked its 60th anniversary in January 2021, although, sadly, the iconic two-day competition has not been run the past two seasons, thanks to the pandemic (in 2022) and then horrendous flooding in January this year.
And while modesty meant Gibbes always refused to accept the “legend” moniker, virtually all the tributes that have flowed since his passing, just two days after he celebrated his 90th birthday, lovingly describe him in this way.
Gibbes was born in Longueville, near Sydney, and settled in Manawatū after marrying married his Kiwi sweetheart Joan (Cleghorn). There they raised their family and Tim ran a successful motorcycle dealership in Palmerston North.
Joan died a month ago, on September 14, and several family friends remarked this week that Tim had now “gone to join her in Heaven”.
Tim Gibbes contributed so much to the New Zealand motorcycling community over the years and his efforts as an inspirational leader, adviser, event organiser, team manager and mentor cannot be understated.
As a young man in his early 20s, he raced motocross and enduro world championship events in Eurinspiringon to many New Zealand and Australian riders who later raced in Grand Prix competitions overseas.
When Hollywood came calling in 1962, Gibbes was on the spot in southern Germany to help out with stunt-riding duties during filming of the World War II movie classic The Great Escape.
The marathon 2-hour and 48-minute movie included only about five minutes of motorcycle action, but what great action it was. Gibbes was hired as a stand-in for several of the thrilling action scenes, including some played by a young Steve McQueen.
The film, loosely based on true events (apart from the motorcycle chase scenes, which were fictional), also starred Hollywood A-list actors Donald Pleasance, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and the recently deceased David McCallum.
Gibbes worked in England in the 1950s as a motorcycle tester and works rider on English-made Matchless, AJS, Greeves, DOT and Ariel bikes.
He stopped competing at the age of 60 and was honoured with a John Britten Innovation and Service to the Industry Award, a Motorsport NZ Distinguished Service Award and, in 2016, he was inducted into the Motorcycling New Zealand Hall of Fame.
With Joan working tirelessly alongside him, Gibbes later devoted much of his energy into working as a timekeeper and collator of results at so many major events in New Zealand, including the annual New Zealand Superbike Championships, the now-discontinued Battle of the Streets around Paeroa, the innovative multi-discipline Golden Handlebars event in 1992 and the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville.
Tim Gibbes will be greatly missed and there is no doubt that, when his Woodville Motocross Grand Prix next runs in January 2024, he will be watching over proceedings.
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