Kevin Ash
British motorcycle journalist and author (1959–2013)
title: "Kevin Ash" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["motorcycle-journalists", "british-motoring-journalists", "the-daily-telegraph-people", "motorcycle-road-incident-deaths", "road-incident-deaths-in-south-africa", "1959-births", "2013-deaths", "people-from-ilford", "people-educated-at-ipswich-school", "alumni-of-imperial-college-london", "writers-from-the-london-borough-of-redbridge", "20th-century-english-businesspeople"] description: "British motorcycle journalist and author (1959–2013)" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Ash" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary British motorcycle journalist and author (1959–2013) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox writer"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| alt | Kevin Ash is sat cross legged on the ground while drinking a beer. In front of him is a sheet contain motorcycle parts and oil. To the left of the picture is a partially dismantled motorcycle. |
| caption | Kevin Ash working on a BMW R100RS motorcycle |
| birth_name | Kevin Charles Ash |
| birth_date | 10 December 1959 |
| birth_place | Ilford, United Kingdom |
| death_date | |
| death_place | George, Western Cape, South Africa |
| death_cause | Motorcycle accident |
| occupation | Journalist, writer |
| spouse | |
| website | |
| :: |
| image = | alt = Kevin Ash is sat cross legged on the ground while drinking a beer. In front of him is a sheet contain motorcycle parts and oil. To the left of the picture is a partially dismantled motorcycle. | caption = Kevin Ash working on a BMW R100RS motorcycle | birth_name = Kevin Charles Ash | birth_date = 10 December 1959 | birth_place = Ilford, United Kingdom | death_date = | death_place = George, Western Cape, South Africa |death_cause = Motorcycle accident | occupation = Journalist, writer | spouse= | website =
Kevin Ash (10 December 1959 – 22 January 2013) was a British motorcycle journalist and author, who contributed to The Daily Telegraph and to Motor Cycle News.
Covering technical as well as topical issues, Ash was described as "one of the key figures of the British motorcycle scene", "one of the world's leading motorcycle journalists",{{citation|publisher=Bikeexif |date=November 2011|title=Interview: Kevin Ash |url=http://www.bikeexif.com/kevin-ash|access-date=24 January 2013}} and "the doyen of motorcycle correspondents."
Personal life
Ash was born in Ilford, a town in north-east London, part of Greater London administrative area. He attended Ipswich School, then studied engineering at Imperial College. with whom he had three daughters: Laurien, Kirsten and Ingrid, who were 20, 18 and 10 at the time of his death.
Career
Before becoming a journalist, Ash was a motorcycle courier. He also participated in sidecar racing. In 1991, he was a founding contributor at the magazine Fast Bikes.
He then joined Motor Cycle News (MCN) as a road tester in 1993, following a road traffic accident involving a car and a BMW K1100RS ridden by (then) MCN road editor Chris Dabbs, who suffered life-changing injuries. Ash progressed to assistant editor until leaving in 1997 to become a freelance writer.
As a freelancer, he contributed to The Daily Telegraph for 15 years as its motorcycling correspondent.
Ash authored several motorcycle-related books, including BMW Motorcycles: The Evolution of Excellence and Ducati People: Looking into the Lives of the Men and Women Behind This Legendary Marque. He also authored a guide, Going Dutch, in the late 1990s on the parallel import of right-hand drive cars to the United Kingdom from other countries in the European Union.
Death
Ash was involved in a fatal motorcycle crash near George, Western Cape in South Africa, during a press test ride at the launch of the 2013 BMW R1200GS.
Ash crashed his R1200GS motorcycle during one of BMW's six scheduled press launch trips that included a total of 60 to 70 journalists, while passing through Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve on a gravel road between Willowmore and Patensie. UK motorcycle journalist Alun Davies,{{cite news | title = British journalist dies in Cape crash | publisher = The PE Herald, 24 January 2013 | url = http://www.peherald.com/news/article/11723| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130126093117/http://www.peherald.com/news/article/11723| url-status = usurped| archive-date = 26 January 2013}} following directly behind Ash on another motorcycle, either struck or narrowly avoided striking (reports vary) the fallen Ash and his motorcycle, which straddled the route. Davies was treated at a hospital for a dislocated shoulder and other injuries and discharged several days later.
BMW engineers from Germany were brought to South Africa to investigate all the test motorcycles. investigators have neither announced a connection between a possible problem with the motorcycle and the crash nor released formal details of the accident or investigation.
Works
Notes
References
References
- Mike Schümann. (23 January 2013). "Zum Tod von Kevin Ash". [[Motorrad (magazine).
- Paul Hudson. (23 January 2013). "Telegraph motorcycling correspondent Kevin Ash dies". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
- English, Andrew. (24 January 2013). "Kevin Ash remembered". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
- (24 January 2013). "Kevin Ash: family man". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
- (23 January 2013). "Kevin Ash". Fast Bikes.
- ''[[Motor Cycle News]]'' 22 December 1993 p.9 ''Internal Masthead, Road Tester Kevin Ash.'' and pp.10–13 ''MCN First Ride: Kawasaki ZX-9R, Road Test by Kevin Ash'' Accessed and added 8 October 2014
- [http://www.mylastsong.com/advice/359/114/107/funerals/alternative-funerals/the-bikers-tale The Biker's Tale, by ''Chris Dabbs''] Retrieved 8 October 2014
- (23 January 2013). "MCN columnist Kevin Ash dies". [[Motorcycle News]].
- (23 January 2013). "Kevin Ash obituary". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
- Matthew Miles. (23 January 2013). "Rest in Peace, Kevin Ash / British journalist killed in crash at BMW R1200GS press launch". [[Cycle World]].
- Nell, Leon. (31 January 2013). "Journalist's death cans global launch". George Herald.
- Tibu, Florin. (8 March 2013). "2013 BMW R1200GS, the Incomplete Homework?". Autoevolution.
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