The singular intent of New Zealand’s Haydn Fordyce hits you as soon as you meet him. Like so many riders from New Zealand and Australia, he cut his riding teeth before his adult teeth, riding round the paddock on his dad’s farm, which is where his story begins. As a former water ski racer, dad James recognised Haydn’s ability and built a motocross track to help him develop – and enjoy some quality time on the dirt to keep his son company, of course.
Haydn’s first contact with a road bike came when he jumped on his dad’s Hyosung 250 - and dropped it before turning a wheel. Undeterred, he found an impressive turn of speed which brought him to the attention of KTM New Zealand. Aged 13 at the time, he accepted their offer to ride for them in the 300 Supersport class. Next he took a trip across the Tasman Sea to ride a Yamaha R15 in the bLU cRU Oceana Junior Cup and finished third in the 2023 final standings.
Moving on up into the R3 bLU cRU Asia Pacific Championship is a logical and exciting next phase for Haydn, who turns 16 in April. Sitting down with Bilmola after three days of testing and free practice at Chang International he told us, “It’s fantastic to be racing in another part of the world. There’s so much going on at this track needing different techniques. Some of it is hard on the gas and hard on the brakes, and other parts flow nicely.
Many of the other riders have a lot of experience here and are pretty quick, but were getting amongst them and expect to be up near the front. “Working with the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU guys is amazing,” he went on. “The technical support for set up, rider coaching and learning how to understand the data readouts has all been fantastic!” Talking about iconic racers he looks up to, he cited Jorge Lorenzo. “I love his smooth, fast style and am always trying to ride like that. From New Zealand, Simon Crafar, of course, and also Aaron Slight are among the all-time greats.” Watch out for Yamaha R3 bLU cRU #17. Unlike the flightless bird known as his country’s emblem, Haydn Fordyce is one Kiwi who looks set to take off!
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