John Hall sadly passed away on Tuesday this week. Image: TRANSMOTO.

The off-road motorcycling community is mourning the loss of John Hall, who died on Tuesday night after a long battle with cancer.

Widely regarded as the doyen of the Australian off-road racing scene, John Hall was the founding father of the Australian 4-Day Enduro way back in 1978, the driving force behind Australia’s ISDE representative team for many years, the man in charge of the first ISDE ever held in Australia (in Hall’s home town of Cessnock in 1992), and Australia’s importer of TM motorcycles since 1993.

Hall also played a key role in the 1998 ISDE, held in Traralgon, Victoria, and has created countless opportunities for Australian off-road riders over the past 40 years.

This quietly spoken yet dogmatic man was instrumental in fostering the growth of Australian enduro and the support its riders receive from governing bodies and, fittingly, he was the inaugural recipient of the ADB Awards’ Geoff Eldridge Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

John Hall is held in the highest esteem in enduro circles around the world, and will be sadly missed. His funeral will be held this Saturday at 11am at St Johns Church, Cessnock.