Joey Evans has completed several marathons and ultra-marathons, hiked the fish river canyon and otter trail, finished the Roof of Africa enduro, raced in the Botswana desert 1000 and the only South African biker to complete the 2017 Dakar Rally.
Joey Evans has ridden his dirt bike throughout South Africa as well as Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Morocco, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay & Lebanon.
Despite suffering a devastating motor crash that left him paralysed and nearly crushed his dreams of competing in the Dakar rally, South African motorcyclist Joey Evans has completed the 2017 edition of the grueling race.
Evans has always wanted to compete as a Dakar Rally: “I dreamed of racing in the Dakar rally after watching it on TV and made it my goal to compete one day. I went on to race a number of races both regional and national in 2006 and 2007.” Overcoming the struggles The SA racer broke his T8 and T9 vertebrae an crushed his spinal cord that left him completely paralysed from the chest down.
Physiotherapist Sharné Bailey, who has worked with Evans since two years after his accident said his true heroism came from his persistence during rehabilitation with physiotherapists like herself and Melanie Harding from the South African Society of Physiotherapy. After a neurosurgeon fused the two vertebrae, it increased the chances of Evans walking again to only 10%.
Bailey said: “A 10% chance was all a guy like Joey needed. And once he was up on his feet, it was inevitable that he would want to get back on a bike. And that he’d start dreaming Dakar dreams again.
Biking was his life, he had that fire in him.” Just a 10% chance About five years ago Evans, with the help of his physiotherapists, starting working on getting him ready for the Dakar. Harding said: “He told me that any competitor only has a 30% chance of finishing the Dakar, so he reckoned he had maybe a 10% chance – and that was enough for him. I am so proud of him – it’s an amazing, amazing achievement.” Doctors said I had a 10% chance to walk again
His story is a must hear for true motivation against all odds and achieving your goal
It would take Joey Evans 10 years, with numerous challenges, successes and lessons learnt along the way, until on the 2nd of January 2017, Joey stood as a competitor on the start of the 13 day, 9000km Dakar Rally in Asunción, Paraguay.
Qualifying to race the Dakar Rally was an incredible achievement in itself but the unimaginable events that he endured through those 9000km across South America tested him far beyond what even he could have imagined.
The unforeseen and catastrophic event of his bike being crushed by a two ton rally car on the second last day, set the stage for an epic final chapter, you simply couldn’t make up.
Since racing the Dakar Rally, Joey Evans has written the book on his inspirational journey titled “From Para to Dakar.” Published in November 2017, it has become a National Bestseller and is available in print, eBook and audio.
