Karel Pavich

Motorcycle Road-Racer

Lester is a qualified motorcycle mechanic and has been involved in the motorcycle industry for many years. He raced speedway as a teenager and tried road racing. These days he is much happier on the other side of the pit wall, where the technical requirements of racing are constantly challenging him.

Karel was born in Hamilton, New Zealand and even at school was a great achiever, showing her competitive spirit in athletics, netball and soccer.

Karel fell in love with her first motorcycle at the age of 15 and developed a passion for 'Two Wheeling' that has led her into a lifestyle completely dominated by motorcycles.

In 1988, Karel made the decision to begin road racing. She set about establishing her team called Cloud 9 Racing, and everything else took second place as she launched herself onto the New Zealand racetracks. She became something of a novelty in her first year, towing her racing motorcycle all over New Zealand on a trailer designed to attach onto her 900cc Yamaha Road Bike.

Her determination showed as she successfully completed her first season in the 250cc production class with good results. In her second season, Karel secured a sponsored ride with Honda in a CBR600 and teamed up with mechanic (and future husband) Lester Ferdinand. This proved to be a great partnership as Karel finished 6th in the NZ 600cc Championship.

Being one of only a few women competitors in a male dominated sport has never been easy for Karel, but she has shown an ability and a flair that has added interest to motorcycle road racing. In 1990 she was nominated for the NZ Motorsport Woman of the Year.

In 1991 Karel spent several months in Seattle, USA to further her race career. She teamed up with fellow lady racer Ann Martin to compete in 6 Hour Endurance Events. They came 1st place in 600 cc Class WMRRA 6 Hour and 4th place in the WERA 6 Hour. Once again they were the only ladies team in these events.

Returning from USA, Karel secured a sponsored ride with Suzuki and finished 5th in the 1992 NZ 250cc Championship, after missing the first championship round. Her highest Championship race result was a 2nd place and she had her first wins during the winter club racing. In 1992 she again raced the Suzuki with top 5 results.

In 1993 Karel rode a Yamaha TZ 250GP bike in Formula 2 class, relinquishing the sponsored production bikes to pursue her own personal goals on the track. Together with Lester's tuning and race knowledge they competed successfully in a class of racing that required more precision and expertise with the GrandPrix racing motorcycle.

In 1995 Karel retired from racing in NZ and moved to Australia, concentrating on her business and traveling activities. She resumed racing in 2001 whilst living in Sydney, competing successfully at Eastern Creek and Phillip Island racetrack. She had her first wins at Phillip Island, a track that Karel and many fellow racers say is one of the most exciting and challenging racetracks in the world.

When Karel moved back to NZ in late 2004, she competed in the NZ national championship 250GP class, finishing 4th in the championship in her first season back on NZ racetracks for over 10 yrs.

In the 2006 Championship Karel achieved her goal of winning the 250GP NZ National Title. In doing so, she set a new lap record at Levels Raceway and has become the first woman in NZ to win a solo NZ Roadracing Championship.

Karel continues to pursue her potential on the racetrack.