Victorian Craig Coxhell speaks of his professional racing career with fond recollection, as well as frustration.

Somewhat of a revelation as a junior racer, Coxhell found his feet in the sport early and credits a number of Australia’s renowned racing names on his steady rise to the front of domestic competition.

“I started on a Moriwaki 80 in Juniors, which I was pretty useless on, to be honest,” laughs Coxhell. “It was just something I really enjoyed, so I put a lot of time and effort into testing with my old man.”

He linked up with Bernie Hatton who gave him an opportunity on a 250, further fuelling the fire and his determination.

“I did well pretty early and that gave me motivation to go and race the Australian championships. I was racing against the likes of Broc Parkes and Jamie Stauffer and winning some races, and that opened eyes.”

Coxhell’s talent was recognised by Geoff Winzer, who provided a Honda Fireblade for the young charge to pilot at both Winton and Oran Park. Continued good form would open up the door to a seat with Radar’s Team Yamaha where he remained three seasons, learning plenty under the mentorship of teammate Kevin Curtain.

Source: Suzuki Australia.

Phil Tainton was next to headhunt Coxhell, recruiting him for a ride on the factory Suzuki outfit for 2003 in what would prove a career-defining move.

An early mechanical problem was quickly overcome as Coxhell began his march forward with consistent podiums. His rivals too would suffer problems, setting up a final round showdown to decide the title.

“I actually won the championship on the final race of the day. It was a good year for me, probably one of the most memorable of my whole career,” he adds.

With his profile growing, Coxhell soon attracted the attention of team owners in the British Superbike Championship ranks, and a chance phone call saw him instantly accept an opportunity with a privateer team in the premier class.

“It probably wasn’t one of the smarter moves I’d made,” he said. “It was probably the toughest championship in the world at the time, and a lot of the other guys that did really well started off in Superstock and earnt themselves a name and progressed from there, whereas I just got thrown straight in the deep end.”

He rounded out the season in 13th place on the back of some good results, and saw further opportunities presented racing on the world championship stage.

A series of guest rides with Yamaha Germany at the end of 2004 would frustratingly amount to nothing, with senior management impressed by his skills but unable to find a seat for him to fill.

He would, however, find a place in the World Superstock 1000 field for 2005, and was right in the championship hunt until the last round when a slower rider lost control of his bike, sending it across the infield and taking him out as he battled with Kenan Sofuoglu and Didier Van Keymeulen.

Coxhell looked set to contest the championship again the following year but fell agonisingly short of the age cutoff – just three weeks – which prevented him from entering. With few rides available so late in the piece, he returned to the BSB in what he described as a “disastrous” season.

Plans to return home were put in place, and, keeping in close contact with Tainton, Coxhell found himself back on the team he took his 2003 title with. He would finish runner-up in 2007 and fifth in 2008 before moving to a privateer operation for 2009 where he placed sixth.

He tasted some success in 2010 on the new BMW in Superstock trim but admitted his enthusiasm for the sport was waning.

“To be honest the last three or four years in Australia I felt like I’d lost the plot, lost my edge in some ways,” he admits. “I felt really hard done by with everything that happened in Europe, being so close to getting a career over there.

“I linked up with Geoff Winzer again for 2011 but it didn’t look like the championship was going forward so I decided to cut my losses.”

Source: BMW Motorrad.

Stepping away from racing his allowed Coxhell to focus on a grow his involvement in the family business, Shepparton Motor Bodies, along with a new company, Modern Specialised Vehicles.

“I’m managing both businesses now as dad is semi-retired. We do a lot with the mines now and I’m over in Western Australia in the Pilbara a lot because we do mobile workshops, and mobile boom gates and all sorts of stuff.

“We’re currently really busy with Rio Tinto and BHP, and we also have a really good contract with Armaguard. We produce about 40 vehicles a year for them, an ongoing contract, so things are good.”

The growth of both businesses keeps Coxhell busy, and he says he has only swung leg over a road bike once since stepping away from the sport.

“I do a lot of cycling now for fun, which fills that void,” he adds. “But for the most part I’m flat out working and travelling for different projects.”

While keeping his fingers crossed for the sport’s future, Coxhell says he has noticed and indeed been a part of the sport’s slow-down and hopes that aspiring junior racers can find the opportunities they need to succeed.

“Where I first started there were opportunities still there,” he added. “I always wanted to go and race overseas and Australia needs to be that breeding ground for the young riders.

“There used to be strong manufacturer backing for the younger guys to go overseas but that has dried up. It’s a sign of the times, and hopefully something that can start to improve and rebuild over the next few years.”