Cawte IN THE ACT

RED Cawte does have a first name, “but only my mother knows it”, he says. He hails from Queensland, but his fame has spread across the country on the back of his giant-killing Redax Laverda race bikes.

Red has had a love affair with the feisty Italian marque that spans more than 40 years but the lifetime liaison was consummated almost by accident. In a past life, Red did an apprenticeship in fitting and turning, which took him to New Zealand where his introduction to a Laverda took place. “I worked in NZ for a year and it was a Laverda 750 SF2,” explains Red. “I tuned it for the owner