Don’t know who Ben Deakin is? Where have you been? Don’t know what the Jackal is? That’s OK, you get a pass, we didn’t either.
So who is Ben Deakin? Better known by his scene moniker ‘The Deakinator’, Ben is an ex-Royal Marine Commando, mountain biking coach, Youtube star, and all-round good guy, with his own catchphrase – “OiOi!”
“Ex-Royal Marine Commando, mountain biking coach, YouTube star, and all-round good guy”
Why are we writing about him? Well, recently Ben did a couple of day’s shooting with campervan and hot rod company Jack’s Shack. He had a little spin in their 500+bhp 1950s hotrod and might have blown it up a bit – but we’ll get to that.
In short, we’re writing all about Ben and his day out in the Forest of Dean because riding bikes is great. Camping is great. Campervans are great and, we’ve just discovered that big powerful 1950s hotrods are pretty great too.
Ben started riding as a teenager when mountain biking was a more simple sport, with one type of bike and one discipline, not the plethora of subcategories that beset new riders today: cross-country, trail, enduro, downhill, park etc etc etc. It was just “a bunch of mates messing around on our bikes” and nothing more.
Fast forward a couple of years though, and he was hooked. Friends had gone on to other teenage boy hobbies of the time, namely loud, slow, and badly modified Vauxhall Novas but Ben had found his niche and began competing as an amateur in a local race series.
“Ben found himself in Afghanistan on patrol when… he sustained a bullet wound”
Fast forward again and Ben found himself in Afghanistan on patrol when, coming under fire, he sustained a bullet wound, which hastened the end of his military career – as it might. Upon leaving the military, having made a full recovery, Ben needed a new focus, so redoubled his mountain biking efforts – adding the now-obligatory GoPro to his kit list.
Ben’s not exactly your average Sunday rider, spending his days knocking around with the likes of Brendan Fairclough, one of the world’s most successful riders. He rides the biggest lines the UK has to offer, clearing 40ft+ gaps on his DMR Bikes mountain bikes.
