Dean takes on world’s finest

Dean takes on world’s finest

22 October 2014

A SAINTFIELD teenager has enhanced his growing reputation in the world of quad racing.

Nineteen year-old Dean Colhoun took on and beat some of the best riders in the world at the recent Quadcross European Des Nations in Holland when riding for Team Ireland.

The Irish crews rode superbly on a track which even world champions said was the toughest they had ever seen, with waist deep holes and ruts to negotiate, as well as race distances over twice as long as they are used to.

Team Ireland equalled the best ever Irish position of seventh overall, beating countries such as Germany, France, Italy and Denmark.

Dean won his qualifying heat on Saturday by 30 seconds and then went on to claim one of the main races on Sunday by 10 seconds, beating the best in the world with ease and becoming the first Irish rider to win a race at this level of competition.

In his other heat on Sunday, he spun on lap one, stopped to pick up clean goggles and rode from dead last to eighth, setting fastest lap after fastest lap.

This was an emotional win for Dean, who dedicated his victory to his close friend, Connor Smith, who tragically died at this event in 

2013. Immediately after the race he flew to Italy to attend a memorial to Connor.

Connor’s death had a profound effect on Dean and at one stage he considered giving up the sport.

Connor’s father gave Dean a new quad which he had built for his son in America before he died, and it was on this machine Dean won on in Holland.

Dean started riding Quads when he was just three years of age and began racing competitively five years later.

Since then he has twice finished runner-up in the Irish Championships and also finished second in the British Championships.

Injuries have halted his meteoric rise to the top of his sport. He suffered a bad wrist injury and also sustained injuries including several broken ribs in a car accident.

Notwithstanding this he finished first overall in the Premier Irish Championship last year and third overall in the Premier Ulster Championship.