There are only a handful of people in the world who can claim to have represented their respective countries on multiple occasions at the big annual Motocross of Nations.
By virtue of the fact that New Zealand only has a total population numbering about five million and that the sport of motocross is very much a minority sport in the rugby-mad nation – in which, weirdly, rugby is not even the highest-participation sport (rugby is fourth and netball is actually No.1) – and you can see that it must be extremely difficult for a New Zealander to even be considered a world-class motocross racer, let alone be recognised for it outside of the small motocross community itself.
But ranking among those exceptional men is a now a virtually-retired racer who, in his heyday, was not only a multi-time Team New Zealand rider at the Motocross of Nations (MXoN), but a Kiwi pioneer and a true world beater … Taranaki native Darryll King.
The twice former 500cc world No.2 (on a Husqvarna in 1997 and again on a Husqvarna in 1998) and one-time 500cc world No.3 (on a Kawasaki in 1995) raced for New Zealand at the Motocross of Nations, the “Olympic Games of motocross”, a staggering nine times in total.
This incredible statistic is shaded only by Motueka’s Josh Coppins (who raced for New Zealand at the MXoN 14 times; King’s own younger brother, 1996 500cc motocross world champion Shayne King (who raced for NZ at the MXoN on 12 occasions) and Opotiki’s Cody Cooper (an 11-time NZ rep at the MXoN).
Significantly, one of Darryll King’s appearances at the MXoN even resulted in a third-place podium finish for Team New Zealand, when he teamed with Josh Coppins and Shayne King at Foxhills, in the United Kingdom, in 1998.
The three King brothers are pictured racing together in the MX1 class, this photo taken in 2010, (from left) Shayne King (No.1), Darryll King (No.10) and Damien King (No.24). Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
We recently sat down with Darryll King for a bit of a catch-up.
The now 55-year-old Darryll King won numerous New Zealand 85cc, 125cc, 250cc and 500cc motocross titles over his career – too many to list here – remarkably even starting the senior phase of his life by claiming a national crown when he won the senior New Zealand 125cc class title on debut in 1986.
He won that title ahead of visiting Australian James Deakin, Taupo’s John Penny, Palmerston North’s Leon Andrew and New Plymouth’s Mitch Rowe, a remarkable achievement considering the depth of talent.
But it was on the international front that King really hit his stride and he recalls winning “five or six” motocross GP events over his international career, which first began as a privateer in 1991 (when he managed to finish 49th overall in the 250cc class) and he then transitioned through into the professional and factory ranks shortly afterwards, culminating with his final fling in Europe in 2000, when he made a brave comeback from a neck injury to wrap up the season finishing fifth overall in the 500cc class.
“It was certainly good to have an injury-free campaign that year,” he laughed.
His last four seasons in Europe were as a team rider for the Husqvarna factory.
“I have no regrets. I’m totally happy with it all. I worked on being the world champion but, I guess, it just wasn’t meant to be,” he said.
“I won several GPs outright … in Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, France and Austria and another one too somewhere I think,” he said.
“In 1997, my (younger) brother Shayne and I finished 1-2 at the French Grand Prix and that was pretty incredible. Our main rivals at that time, besides one another of course, were American Trampas Parker and Belgium’s Joel Smets.”
Parker was the 125cc world champion in 1989 and 250cc world champion in 1991. Smets was a five-time motocross world champion (500cc class in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000 and was then MX3 world champion in 2003).
“Those years racing the GPs were the best years of my life, although we did a lot of short trips overseas too, to Tahiti, Australia, Japan,” said King.
“Fortunately, I had some good sponsors, like PCD Construction, through Wellington’s John Peters (with him also an accomplished rider on the New Zealand amateur scene). I just loved getting on planes and going racing. It was quite a life.”
Former Taranaki man Darryll King, pictured here racing his Honda CR125 in the mid-1980s. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Darryll King did finally become a motocross world champion when, at the age of 43, he was crowned FIM Veterans’ Motocross World Cup Champion in 2012, returning to compete at the same one-weekend event in 2014 and 2015 and finishing runner-up on both those later occasions.
But it was racing at the MXoN that perhaps enthralled him the most.
“The Motocross of Nations is such a big deal. New Zealand has had some great years and I believe there will be some even bigger years ahead,” said King.
“The 1988 season was a big one for me, with racing the MXoN in France against American heroes Ron Lechien, Rick Johnson and Jeff Ward. We got to know them really well and also got to hang out with them afterwards. We were able to learn some things from them.
“But the MXoN event itself is just a massive experience anyway. The people that go there, the craziness of it … it’s an insane event.
“I finished on the podium with Team New Zealand at Foxhills (in the United Kingdom) in 1998. It was a mud race and we Kiwis all rode really well that weekend. Josh Coppins, my brother Shayne and myself all did well. New Zealand was on the podium twice more too, at Namur, in Belgium, in 2001 and at Matterley Basin, in the UK, in 2006 and those were obviously all great years for New Zealand.
“There’s plenty of speed around with the new guys today too. Look at Josiah Natzke, Brodie Connolly, Maximus Purvis, Cole Davies, James Scott … there’s three or four young guys right there who could put New Zealand on the podium once again. There are a few riders back here in New Zealand too, who possibly haven’t yet gone overseas, who could give it a go,” said King.
And there’s still the likes of rising stars Levi Townley and Nico Verhoeven, who could well be in the mix in the near future. At the time of this interview, these Kiwi rising stars had not yet raced the 2024 Junior Motocross World Championships, where they were to eventually finish first and second respectively in their classes.
Tune in here again tomorrow when we will continue our conversation with Darryll King and he tells us about what it takes to make it into the big-time overseas.
© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
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