Deacon ready for desert challenge
British motorcycle rally specialist John Deacon will begin his attempt to win the gruelling Paris-Dakar Rally in the early hours of New Year's Day knowing he has to beat more than just his competitors.
Deacon knows that being the first motorcycle rider to cross the line in the Senegal capital on January 21 is only part of the toughest bike race on the planet.
The 38-year-old is one of the country's top off-road racers but his highest previous finish was sixth in 1999.
"There are some great riders but the toughest opponent you face is the desert," said Deacon, who runs his own motorcycle shop in Plymouth.
Having started his Dakar adventures back in 1997 Deacon has graduated from a privateer racer when he had to hire his bike from Austrian company KTM to a fully-supported member of the factory BMW team.
Deacon's rally begins in the early hours with a 4am exit from the Champ de Mars, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, for the relatively easy opening stages to Narbonne.
Following the Paris start the 133 bikes, 113 cars, 30 race trucks and 82 support vehicles will travel through France before transferring by ferry to Spain, from where the race will continue on through Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal.
