John Deacon (motorcyclist)
Encyclopedia
John Deacon was a Motorcycle enduro racer. He had won several Paris Dakar Rally stages. He died as a result of head injuries sustained when his BMW
bike flipped, 77 miles from the town of Palmyra
in Syria
during the seventh stage of the Masters Rally between France
and Jordan
. He was lying third in the event at the time.
He won the British Enduro four-stroke championship on ten occasions and
won nine gold medals at the ISDE
event. He first
contested the Paris-Dakar in 1997, becoming only the second British rider to
finish the three-week, 7,000-mile event across Africa on a motorcycle. Within
two years, and still funding his own participation, he claimed his country's
best finish of sixth, beaten by five riders who enjoyed substantial financial
backing.
The dangers of the sport were highlighted in the 2000 event, run in reverse
from Senegal
to Egypt
, when he was offered a ride for the BMW Gauloises
team but crashed on the fifth day, fracturing his pelvis and wrist, as well
as dislocating his shoulder.
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
bike flipped, 77 miles from the town of Palmyra
Palmyra
Palmyra was an ancient city in Syria. In the age of antiquity, it was an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 180 km southwest of the Euphrates at Deir ez-Zor. It had long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert...
in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
during the seventh stage of the Masters Rally between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. He was lying third in the event at the time.
He won the British Enduro four-stroke championship on ten occasions and
won nine gold medals at the ISDE
ISDE
ISDE may stand for:*Institute for Space and Defense Electronics, a research facility at Vanderbilt University*International Six Days Enduro, a motorcycle event*International Society of Doctors for the Environment, an environmental organization...
event. He first
contested the Paris-Dakar in 1997, becoming only the second British rider to
finish the three-week, 7,000-mile event across Africa on a motorcycle. Within
two years, and still funding his own participation, he claimed his country's
best finish of sixth, beaten by five riders who enjoyed substantial financial
backing.
The dangers of the sport were highlighted in the 2000 event, run in reverse
from Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, when he was offered a ride for the BMW Gauloises
team but crashed on the fifth day, fracturing his pelvis and wrist, as well
as dislocating his shoulder.