Carl Cox: on the ones and two wheels…

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From raving to his music, to racing in part of his team in the British Superbike paddock, I still have to pinch myself when donning the Carl Cox Motorsport clothing at the weekend – they don’t come much bigger than Carl Cox.

The global megastar DJ has been the title sponsor of P&H Motorcycles’ Ducati Cup team for several years now, and I’ve been hugely lucky to be part of this incredible setup.

Carl is also one of the nicest blokes you’ll ever meet. A far cry from celebrity über-egos, his genuine love for motorcycling and racing is palpable with every opportunity to chat. We caught up with him at a rare visit to the UK, where he was finalising plans for the 2015 season at P&H.

“Music wise, everything’s going really well. I’ve been involved in the music for nearly 36 years. The phone’s still ringing and I’m still DJ’ing here, there and everywhere. It’s amazing, as I never thought that what I love to do would take me as far as it has, but is has and way beyond. I’m very happy to be in a position to now choose what parties and festivals I want to do on a worldwide basis.

“All this has now enabled me to get into motorsport. I’ve always been into racing in one way or another, and I’ve always been into my motorcycles in one way or another – going back to as far as I can remember, from about ten years old. As far as racing these motorcycles, I’ve never had any desire to do it! I think I’ll leave that to the professionals but I love watching the racing.

“It’s a very gladiatorial sport, seeing just how far you can go with these machines. I like the idea that, even if you’re not really into motorsports, anyone can see there’s such a great energy involved. Not just in MotoGP, but also the lower classes, which enables me to get involved on a certain level. So I can be a part of that motorsport.”

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Carl and P&H Motorcycles have a longstanding friendship, with Carl buying numerous bikes from the Crawley-based dealer and actually taking his CBT from the training school centered there.

“Me being here with the P&H Motorcycles/Carl Cox Motorsport Ducatis is a result of progression over the last four years. Outside of that, I’m looking to get behind two Kiwi riders in a sidecar team, and basically sponsor them wholeheartedly. They’re really big in their national series, and always come first or second, but haven’t done anything on an international level. They’re now competing in the F2 world championship and we’re looking at getting them into the Manx TT next year.

“For me to be just on the outside and looking in, I think it’s nice that people know I’m supporting these riders and teams, and the sport itself, as much as I can.

“I’ve come in with a sense of support. I was seen as an underdog but eventually, once people got behind me and supported me, I got to the top in the end. For myself, it’s all about seeing really good talent and giving them that extra little bit of support just to get them pass that threshold. I have a real affinity with that.

“I could have gone in and be like, ‘hey Valentino Rossi, how much do you want? €5.4 million for a little sticker on the side of a helmet?’ I have no interest in that, because riders like that are already established. I’ve had a few riders come to me and ask for support, but I want to see new talent being nurtured, all the way through to get to the top of their game. That’s where they need that help.”

Coxy has quite a collection of bikes. What started off with a Fizzy as a teenager, and a hiatus involving those four-wheeled things, ended in a Desmosedici purchase a few years ago. Anything else in the pipeline?

“I get quite a few offers to buy bikes. Some of the original RG500s are going for big money, along with some other two-strokes. My biggest problem is that any bike I choose to own, I like to ride, so if I did buy one of these bikes, it’d just be sat on the mantelpiece. I couldn’t justify it. But if I can pick up a very nice 999R or an 888, I’m kinda into these things at the moment. They’re realistic as well, as I’m not paying £200,000 for a classic bike!“

Fingers crossed, we’ll be going racing with Coxy again in 2015…

Buckingham Palace and Intercontinental Westminster Hotel, London HRH Princess Ann Riders for Health 2nd July 2014

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