Geoff Perry

Short Film (Full Length) – 1971

This early short film from Roger Donaldson and Alan Smythe explores speed — a trait the Aussie-born Donaldson inherited from his car-mad dad, and a topic he would return to with hit movie The World's Fastest Indian. This film follows four-time Kiwi champion Geoff Perry, as the young motorcycle racer competes at the 1972 Daytona 200 in Florida. There are agonising setbacks after Perry finds himself leading the race. The documentary is narrated by Ian Mune, Perry himself, his wife Janet, and mechanic and friend John Allnatt. Perry died in July 1973, when his flight crashed in Tahiti.

For guys like me coming up through the ranks, Geoff was our Jarno Saarinen, he was in another stratosphere. He was smooth, he was fast; his results in Southeast Asia, Australia and America showed he was a superstar in the making. He was friendly and always had time to say hi. My mechanic John Allnatt was working with Geoff at the time. He was meant to be on the same flight but they couldn’t get him a seat. Geoff was the guy, he was better than special.
– Fellow motorcycle racer Stu Avant remembers Geoff Perry, Australia Motorcycle website, 25 September, 2016