Damon Rees (1995 – 2023)
Long time friend of Carl Cox Motorsport, Damon Rees, tragically passed away recently after a short battle with illness.
The young New Zealand racer and his recently wed wife Talia had a positive impact on everyone who met him, a testament to that as illustrated by the heartwarming tribute shown at the Snetterton round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship this weekend.
‘Damo’ first came to Carl’s attention on one of his many visits to New Zealand as a stand out talent in the series as he raced with his brother Mitch and father Tony. He was New Zealand Supersport Champion in 2017 before moving on to finish runner-up in NZSBK the following season, whilst also competing in the Australian domestic series.
Damon had ambitions to race in Europe and make a name for himself in the world’s most competitive Superbike Championship, BSB, so in March 2020 with Carl’s support he and Talia made the move to the UK, just as lockdown hit! He went on to make an impressive debut in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship where celebrated two podium finishes in his opening race weekend at Donington Park.
Most recently, Rees competed in the Quattro Group British Supersport Championship with Binch Racing, where he came close to a podium with a fourth place at Cadwell Park last year and was building momentum with top ten finishes this season
Talia Rees made this statement:
"Damo was an incredible sportsman with a natural, undeniable talent for motorcycle racing. But, he was an even better human being. Your kind words and personal memories shared over the past few days have confirmed that.
Damo was the kindest person you could ever meet. He always had time for anyone and often found himself rushing around to get ready for a race as he just spent too long talking to someone who he gave his absolute full attention to.
Damo pursued his dreams without hesitation during his entire 28 years, and especially since we moved to the UK - we can all learn a lot from him. Live hard, love hard & dream hard 🤍 Just like Damo did. We are devastated, we wanted more time with him, he deserved more time. They say only the good die young, and that couldn’t be more true when it comes to Damo. His heart was just too big for this world. Ride in Peace baby, every day I live from now, is to honour you"
Carl invited Talia and Damon out to the Isle of Man TT and was happy to have spent some time with the happy duo before tragedy struck just a few weeks later. We keep Talia, the Rees family and his many friends and fans in our thoughts.