Wayne Gardner was born on October 11, 1959, in Wollongong, Australia's steel-making capital, a tough, working-class city in a stunning location between beautiful beaches, and bush-covered escarpment.
From the start, Wayne was a daredevil and a likeable rogue, the kind of kid Australians call a larrikin. He was always looking for adventure, always testing himself, always looking to go one better than the rest and always on the hunt for speed. Bicycles, 'billycarts', anything that moved.
When he was 13, his passion for speed and fascination with anything mechanical led him to his first go kart, built by his father from scrap steel and an old 125cc lawn mower engine. Many adventures followed until one day, while he and friend Barry Sisson were scavenging in a junkyard, they came across a find that was to change Wayne's life, and ultimately take him to fame, fortune and a world championship. A motorcycle. At least, it had once been.
It was a rusted heap of junk – a Yamaha 80 Agricultural bike, and must have been sitting there for donkey's years. But they reckoned they could fix it up and for $5, so started Wayne's love affair with two wheels, an obsession that was to take him through a succession of motorcycles, junior mini-bike clubs and races to his first dirt-track meeting at the age of 15.
He won all six races that day and stuck with dirt-track racing for two years, developing the famous wheel-spinning, sliding, 'let-it-all-hang-out' style that was to revolutionise Grand Prix racing thanks to Wayne and American dirt-trackers like Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz. All had grown up on a dirt diet and all went on to win 500cc world titles.
At the end of 1976, Wollongong Motorcycle Club member John Zammit persuaded Wayne to try road racing. He put road tyres on his 125cc Yamaha dirt-tracker, headed to Sydney's Oran Park Raceway and finished second. After the meeting, Zammit allowed Wayne to take his TZ250 Yamaha racer out for a few laps.
He was hooked by road racing, and knew immediately what direction his life was going to take.
Wayne competed in his first Grand Prix in Holland, 1983.
By 1985 Wayne had scored a coveted factory Honda ride finishing a credible fourth in the 500cc Championship.
1986 was the year that saw Wayne finish second, the title of World 500cc Motorcycle Championship close enough to touch.
In 1987 the nation cheered when Wayne Gardner won the title of 500cc World Motorcycle Champion after some of the most spectacular racing ever seen in the series. He won seven races, with ten pole positions and eight lap records.
He was named ABC Sportsman of the Year, awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) and named the Sport Australia Sportsman of the Year for 1987.
Wayne once again finished second in the 1988 Championship, only losing first place due to machine failure.
An acknowledged highlight of Wayne’s career was his win at the inaugural Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island in 1989. This race captured the heart of the nation as the titanic battle between four of the worlds top riders resulted in a thrilling victory for one of Australia’s favourite sons.
Against almost impossible odds, Wayne repeated this victory in 1990, riding with a broken wrist bone as well as a broken fairing which had worked loose.
Gardner announced his retirement from Grand Prix racing in 1992, ending his illustrious career with a win in the 1992 British Grand Prix. His career record includes 18 Grand Prix wins and an unequaled four victories in the Suzuka 8 hour Endurance event.
In January 2003 Wayne Gardner retired from motor racing completely and is now enjoying new career challenges. Gardner’s current career roles are as a Director of his family motorcycle import and distribution business, Wayne Gardner Enterprises; he is currently working on a number of commercial and residential property developments and investments; and he owns, and runs a cattle breeding farm on the South Coast of New south Wales. Wayne also works with a group of different charity organisations, with his main focus as a Governor of the APEX Foundation of Australia.
