Blair Degerholm was one of the best emerging talents on the road racing scene at the end of the last century. Blair was destined for stardom and many international road race victories until a freak accident saw an abrupt end to his racing career. Now resident on the Isle of Man, Blair can no longer race motorbikes due to a loss of mobility in his right arm. However, still as enthusiastic as ever, we caught up with the man himself to collect his thoughts on his career and the racing scene today.

So Blair, hows life since your road racing career ended?

Quiet, very quiet, but generally good. Things have changed a lot. One of the biggest things is my career. At the time of my accident I was a bike courier so that couldnt go on [Blair now works in IT]. It took me 18 months to return to work. It took me a long time to get over the accident both mentally and physically as it was such a drastic change especially with the way my racing was going at the time, I was on top form. It was hard watching the guys winning races that I was beating 2 years prior. But I had lots of help getting through it all, especially from my girlfriend Mel who I am glad to say is now my wife. Both my sponsors at the time, Richard Turner and Des Collins were fantastic and are now great friends.

Talk us through the accident.

I cant actually remember the accident as I took a bang on the head, but thanks to a whole bunch of people we managed to get hold of a video recording of the incident. It was at Donington Park so we managed to get some footage from a static camera on the back straight. It was the last round of the British Championships and I had managed to get a free entry as I won the MRO race the week before. I was out in the 600 Supersport warm-up. After the chequered flag went out we were allowed to do a practice start out on the track on the Dunlop straight just prior to the bridge. I never used to practice my starts, Id never done them before in my life. I raced motocross for a number of years so I never had a problem with my starts. But for some reason I decided to try one that morning. I pulled up for a practice start and took off on the right hand side. At this time Steve Brogan was just in front of the bridge in the middle of the track doing the same. Steve did his on a bit of damp and ended spinning his bike up so he put on his brakes and pulled over on the right to do another start. At this time I was coming up the inside of him and had nowhere to go. It wasnt nice to watch. You go through a good few gears doing the practice start so I must have been up to 80-100mph. I went straight into the back of him, over the top and ended on the other side of the circuit. I must have landed on my shoulder as I severed all 7 of my nerves. The bike was a write-off – sorry Richard!

So it was a total freak accident?

Well I cant say it was his fault. Maybe he shouldnt have been doing what he was doing but there you go. Its a dangerous sport. I dont hold a grudge but then I wouldnt buy him a beer either!

Tell us how your racing career started?

I started racing motocross when I was about 12 years old just competing in local club races in the Wairarapa for a few years. Then when I left school I just wanted to go a bit faster I guess so I took up road racing. I bought myself a TZR250 and had a go at 250 production for a few years. Then in 1994 I bought myself a Superbike and got myself into the Maudes trophy. I entered the TT as a newcomer in 1994, that was the trip that was organised by John Shand where a bunch of 10 of us came from New Zealand. It was a real good trip. To be honest, before hand I wasnt that keen on the TT - I had seen the videos and I was a bit sceptical, it looked a bit hairy. But once I got out on the circuit that was it, Id caught the bug. In my first year I did 105mph. The fastest out of us boys was Jason Mcewan, he did 113mph on an old YZF 600 production bike, pretty good going.

Did you like that way of being introduced to the TT, coming over in such a large group?

Yeah, we came over a week before the start of the event to put 1000 miles on the bikes before practice started just to get them run in. We were doing over 100 miles a day doing lap after lap. Come practice we had a rough idea of where we were going. I was following Nathan Spargo who was one of the other team riders in the first practice session. I caught him at Glen Helen and he was sticking to the left hand side of the course! But yeah it was ok to be in such a big group, we could help each other out here and there.

But I was well hooked on the TT. I came back in 95 and decided to move to the UK for a go at the short circuits, trying to get in a few British Championships. I ended up getting an RC30 from Eric Galbraith of Honda Ireland. We had a fiddle with that and did about 113mph or 114mph so I was pretty happy with that second time out. Yep, I was hooked and just had to go back every year.

So the TT was the focus at this point of your career?

Yes, so much so I was watching Tony Ponds video all the time. Great video!

Was the TT was your first assault on the roads?

Not quite. I raced the roads in New Zealand for a few years before hand. I raced at Wanganui in 1990 and I also did Masterton Street Race in 1991 and 1992. Theyre quite different to the Isle of Man, theyre in the middle of town so theyre much slower and twisty, nothing compared to the TT and the other international races.

What was the highest point of your career?

It would have to be when I won the Southern 100 championship in 2000. 2000 was a great year in general. I won 2 short circuit championships, MRO Powerbike and the MRO Supersport 600, even though I missed 2 meetings due to riding the roads. But the Southern 100 was a great week. I had a couple of mates that spannered for me but they were taking lots of time off work and they ended up pretty skint. It was costing them money and I had nothing to pay them with. They couldnt make the Southern so I turned up by myself with 3 bikes in the back of the van, and no one to spin the spanners. It turned out a friend from New Zealand who had done some sidecar racing was over for a couple of weeks just to have a look. He helped me for the first 3 days. I then managed to grab hold of Charles Turner who runs Intersport for the final day and although he wasnt the most mechanically minded, he was still a great help. I also had Steve Ragless and Mark Parrett giving me a hand as Mark was riding the second 750 so it worked out ok.

In the Senior race on the Wednesday I remember having a bit of a lapse at the start. I was watching the lights – Im sure they never went red - they just seemed to go straight to green. Next thing you know the lights are on green and everyone is streaming past. I thought it was going to be a false start but no, everyone was away. In the end I managed to weave my way through and got up to second or third after the first lap. I really enjoyed that race. The championship race was a classic, Im not sure how many times Ian and I changed position. Luckily for me he missed a gear out of Castletown corner at the start of the last lap which helped me stay close enough to make a pass into Ballawhetstone, after that I put my head down until the flag. A fabulous feeling being in a race like that with one of the sports greats and coming out with the win. Ill never forget it.

Was the Wilson and Collins 750 Kawasaki the best bike you ever rode?

Yes, definately. At the time we got it it was still one of the quickest 750s around the TT course with Simon Beck onboard. I rode proddy Fireblades and stuff but that was when they had the 16 inch front tyres so it was tough going. The Kawasaki was definitely the best handling bike I ever ridden, if a bit unstable here and there, really nice to ride. The likes of the Southern 100 was always a test for the Kawasaki. Out the back it was always a bit scatty, I spent the whole first night of practice just trying to stable the front a bit out the back, but I soon realised there was little I could do, in the end the best way to solve it was to keep it nailed and hang on.

You rode for Des Collins for a few seasons?

He bought a ZX600 Kawasaki for Andrew Stroud in about 1995 and I managed to get a ride at the Southern on it but unfortunately I ran out of fuel in the championship race, Des never lets me forget that! I didnt realise it was longer than any of the other races. I stopped with one lap left! All my fault of course. The next year Richard Turner from Intersport bought the bike off Des, before buying another ZXR600 a year later, I rode for him right through to 2000, we did the British supersport championship in 1998 on a CBR600. It wasnt a very successful year as results go but we had a great time and met some really good contacts. Of course, I then rode the Wilson and Collins 750 Kawasaki in 1999 and 2000 which Richard helped set-up for me.

Who were your biggest rivals throughout your career? Who was your biggest scalp?

I think it would have to be Ian Lougher. He was tough to beat then and now hes just getting better. Some years in the late 90s he may not have had the same calibre of bikes as that he does now but he was always a good man to beat. Then you had Joey Dunlop. In 1999 I was second to Joey in just about all of the races at the Southern, I think that was the year before Lougher moved up to the big bikes. The likes of Farquhar had just moved up to the superbike class and learning the sport so they were never really such a threat. In the first superbike race in 1999 I thought Im going to follow Joey and stay with him. He went into Ballakeighan first with myself second. I had to get a good drive down the straight to stay with him but ended up going over the top and onto my arse! I did follow him for long periods but I probably just wasnt fit enough that year to be honest.

Who did you look up to when you were younger?

Rob Holden for sure. He was a friend of my sister and I used to watch him ride around the Cemetery circuit at Wanganui on tv when I was younger. The guy was absolutely unbelievable, incredibly quick. Then of course he came over to the Island every year. He got into a routine of coming to the UK for the summer to race then heading back to New Zealand to do the summers there. I dont think he seen a winter for years. He used to work with a mate of mine in Wellington called Chris Sayle. He was a really nice bloke and he was good fun.

I raced against him a few times. He rode allsorts of bikes. He rode a tuned 750SS Ducati twin for BMS in the NZ F2 championship, Im sure Bruce Anstey will remember that beast. He was running it on Methanol and they were putting anything between 10 & 20% Nitron Methane in it. The haze coming out of the back of the machine was something else. I followed him on the 750 Kawasaki. I could draft him but couldnt get past him. When I got to the end of the back straight I had tears coming out of my eyes. I remember him at the TT one year trying to help me out with the suspension when I was struggling with it on the RC30. He just bounced up and down on the bike and told me to just change the shock, easy as that!

To what level do you follow the sport today?

To be honest Im not a good spectator. I miss the racing, and like I said before, it can be hard watching the boys that I was racing with years ago winning all the big races. But in general I do keep an eye on the sport and keep up to date. I keep in touch with a few guys so its pretty good to see them now and again.

There have been a number of changes in road racing in the last 5 or 6 years, none more so than those at the TT. How do you think the event is moving forward?

I think its moving on well. It would be nice to see them keep the 400s. I rode a 400 in 1998 and loved it, had a smile on my face the whole way round. They are good bikes to learn on. When I raced it was very expensive to ride a competitive 750, in many circumstances too expensive. But now you can get a decent R1 or Fireblade and ride it for a whole fortnight. The bikes are so powerful even standard that it doesnt take as much money to be competitive. At the end of the day I think its keeping the momentum right and keeping it flowing thats more important than power, at some circuits.

But I think they pretty much have everything moving in the right direction.

What are the best things about being a successful road racer?

Err, tough one. Its quite nice when someone notices my name then relates it to the racing. Thats a nice feeling. Its nice to know that I must have been going pretty well for people to still remember my racing.

What was your favourite event?

I would have to say there was 2, the Ulster Grand Prix and the Southern 100. I would say the Southern because of the atmosphere and everyone has a really fun week. The racing is still very serious but there is good fun to be had around the racing. And the Ulster Grand Prix because of the circuit. The Dundrod circuit is by far my favourite road racing circuit.

What was your favourite corner or section on any circuit?

Coming down off the mountain at the TT. All the way from Brandywell down the mountain to Hillberry sort of area. The 32nd and 33rd are great corners. The 33rd was my favourite corner until Simon Beck had his accident there. You get great satisfaction and a great feeling when you get those sections right.

So what attracts you to the Isle of Man, it cant be the weather?

The weather is great! When I had my accident I knew a lot of people on the Island so it helped to have so much support behind me. That was a major contributor. I was also able to sort out a job easily enough (Blair now works in IT on the Island) and now my wife and I have settled here so were pretty happy. The tax helps too!

Do you have any plans to re-involve yourself in the sport?

I still like motor sport a lot. I had a go in a Subaru Impreza last year at a rally experience day, that was good stuff. Im also going to have a go at karting this summer which should be fun. Im currently working on an old ZXR 750 for the road by putting all the controls on the left so I should hopefully have that running by the summer, just in time for Mad Sunday!!

Finally, is there anyone you would like to thank?

Firstly I would like to thank Richard Turner from Intersport. He looked after me with competitive 600s for four or five years. In 2000 the ZX6 was a quality bike, the most fun I think Ive ever had on a bike, we got it handling like a dream. I would like to thank Des Collins for the Superbike, I just wish I could have a go on some of the stuff he has now! Theres some pretty impressive machinery in his garage now. And finally (but of course most importantly) my wife for all her support over the years.

Blair Degerholm was talking to Ben Oates and Gez Bradley.

All of us at PaddockGossip.com would like to thank Blair for taking the time to answer our questions.

When interviewing Blair, we decided pick him up from his house.  When we opened Blairs garage we were amazed to see his latest projects. Blair mentioned in the interview that he will be having a crack at some karting this year. Since the interview, Blair has successfully gained his karting race licence so we have the chance to see his race face once again. But his love for two wheels is very evident. You can see in Blairs eyes that he misses his racing and if not for such an unfortunate incident, Blair would be an international front runner today. Blair also mentioned that he is working on a J Model ZXR750. This will see him riding the bike with the accelerator, clutch and brake all on the left hand side of the handlebars – a real star of the sport.