Johann, riding his beloved BMW R1200 GS, was part of the BMW GS Eco 1000 initiative. In the Eco 1000, hundreds of GS riders from across the country started from four different points in South Africa, and finally ended up at the Gariep Dam.
For Johann though, it didn’t work out that way. He had been wary of riding on gravel roads, and on the event’s first morning, gravel was on the menu. Although there were no eyewitnesses, it is suspected that the front wheel of Johann’s GS slid out in a patch of sand. Johann sustained fatal injuries in the resulting fall.
Johann will be sorely missed in the Leisure Wheels office. As a founding member of the magazine, he was instrumental in creating and shaping what has become South Africa’s premium off-road motoring and adventure magazine.
But besides being one of the best motoring journalists this country has ever seen, Johann was also a gentleman, a friend, and one of those people that would go out of his way to help people who really needed help. And he never expected anything in return.
Ride on, Johann. Ride on.
The Leisure Wheels team