To millions of fans around the world, Carl Cox is the larger than life superstar DJ who was one of the founding fathers of the British rave scene. Now in his 60s, he’s still in his element playing to tens of thousands of ravers for hours on end. In the music scene he’s a living legend, but at the TT he’s as likely to be seen sitting in a hedge as he is a VIP suite.
Cox has always been into bikes, starting like so many of us on a Yamaha FS-1E moped and going through a succession of Yamaha strokers in his early career, with now iconic rides like the DT175 and a RD350LC helping fuel his passion for two-wheels. Today he’s got a collection of around 80 machines in his diverse collection of bikes, ranging from classics to cutting edge
He’s a massive racing fan and a major sponsor under the Carl Cox Motorsport banner. He’s most famously known for his association with Michael Dunlop, although he’s also making a big difference to a number of grassroots riders around the world.
Carl Cox Motorsport started out when the DJ visited New Zealand in 2013. A friend introduced him to a sidecar racing team and his support took them to the TT, where they would impress on their debut. The sponsorships would increase over the year, remaining in sidecars and expanding to solos and drag racing, where he himself competes.
Much of the focus has been helping grassroots and ‘mid-pack’ racers, and he told us that he gets great satisfaction from helping riders progress. He spends most of his time Down Under these days and sponsors a few Australian riders, as well as New Zealand and British teams. In addition to the TT, he has sponsorships in British Superbikes and WorldSBK, supporting Australian-based New Zealander Avalon Lewis in the women’s WorldWCR series.
He says there’s a real synergy between DJ-ing at the highest level and racing at the TT, as he explains: “I'm kind of still left breathless when I finish my set and there’s 10,000 people shouting your name. You carry that adrenaline with you and, of course, when these guys come off the bike they also have the same adrenaline.
“You can’t breathe, and you’re sweating away, and someone asks you what it feels like and you go ‘whoa’ because I've been there for three or four hours, sometimes more, and I'm not even thinking about taking a drink. I just want to choose the next record and concentrate on what you have to do to keep the dancefloor going and everything that goes with it. It’s the same as they do with their racing. They can't take their eye off the ball in any way. They can’t go down Bray Hill and then go through Quarterbridge and think ‘oh did I leave the oven on’. You have to anticipate all your next turns and what you're gonna do next, so from my point of view the level of the expectation and of the passion is very similar.”
Watch our full video with Carl to learn more about his passion for bikes and the team’s objectives.
Carl is also at these races as an ambassador for Mannin Cancers Support Group (‘Mannin Cancers’) - the Official Charity Partner of the Isle of Man TT Races for 2025 to 2026. “I am honoured and very proud to have been asked to be an ambassador,” he added. “It’s a cause very close to my heart, and having lost family and friends over the years to cancer, I am looking forward to supporting the wonderful volunteers at Mannin Cancers in raising much-needed funds to support the battle against cancer in the Isle of Man.”
Photo: Isle of Man TT Races
