Popular Kiwi motorcycle racer Shane Richardson will be remembered for his infectious smile, kindly nature and being an “absolute firebrand” on the racetrack after his shock death in the United Kingdom at age 29.
The top Kiwi motorbike racer and father-of-two who grew up in Hutt Valley and was a proud Wainuiomata product, died after a horror 11-rider crash at the Oulton Park track during a British Supersport Championship race on Tuesday (NZ time).
Officials said in a statement: “(Richardson) was initially treated trackside and then taken to the circuit medical centre before being transferred to Royal Stoke University Hospital with severe chest injuries. He died prior to arrival.”
Richardson is survived by his British partner, Hannah, and their two young children.
Fellow rider Owen Jenner, 21, also died while Tom Tunstall, 47, was transferred to hospital with “significant injuries”. Another Kiwi, Morgan McLaren-Wood, from Cambridge, walked away from the crash with minor injuries.
It was less than two years after Richardson’s friend and on-track rival, Whakatane’s Damon Rees, died at age 28 after a medical event in the UK in July 2023.
Richardson attended Wainuiomata High School, according to his Facebook page, and quickly rose through the ranks, making his senior debut at Whanganui as an 18-year-old in 2014.
He went on to battle for the national 600cc title with Rees before moving to the United Kingdom in 2019.
The British Supersport Championship race at Oulton Park was cancelled after a horror 11-bike crash.
Teenage Southlander Cormac Buchanan, who competes in the Moto3 Championship in Europe, posted an emotional tribute on social media, describing Richardson as: “… truly one of the best people I ever had the privilege of sharing the track with, not only a super talented rider but a down-to-earth person away from it.
“You never failed to put a smile on all of our faces. You were someone I could look up to and learn from, and I am so lucky to have had your guidance in my first year in Europe in the UK.
“I cherish all of the track walks with you and Damo (Rees), the hard battles we had, bumping bars and swapping paint. I’m grateful to have been able to consider you a competitor, a rival, and a friend.
“I always felt your support no matter what the situation, race, or outcome was. To Hannah, Max, and Maddie, I send you all of my love, support, and condolences.
“I will always be riding with you; thank you for everything, Shane.”
Andy McGechan, editor of the Bikesportnz.com website, said Richardson was a pleasure to be around. “A fantastic young man, a lovely personality … his smile was infectious,” McGechan said.
Richardson and Rees struck up a rivalry on the track and their families were close off the track, McGechan said. Rees’ older brother Mitch Rees is the current New Zealand superbike champion and is also currently racing in Europe.
Richardson was something of a contradiction on and off the track, McGechan said.
Wainuiomatas Shane Richardson, with his dad and granddad, two of his biggest supporters. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
“He was so quiet and modest, a smiley, friendly face around the pits but on the racetrack an absolute firebrand, fast and furious, not a risk-taker as such, but he had the skills. The contrast between on track and off track was so marked.”
Richardson and the Rees brothers were examples of top Kiwi riders who were too good for the competition in New Zealand and proved their worth in the UK against world class opposition.
The Supersport Championship is a support class to the main British superbike series, which is the gateway to the world superbike championship.
Richardson worked as a test rider for Triumph Motorcycles in Leicestershire and ran his own joinery business, Kiwicraft, which he formed in 2020.
Allan ‘Flea’ Willacy, organiser of the Cemetery Circuit event in Whanganui which Richardson had won in the past, said he would help anybody.
“It is absolutely devastating, he was a lovely, lovely guy. It is a very big loss. A gentleman, a great family. Everything. It is a massive shock,” Willacy said.
Richardson was due to return to New Zealand later this year and compete again at Whanganui, Willacy said.
© Photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
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