John Purse
John Eric Purse is a former American BMX racer, known by the nicknames “The Vigilante” and later “The Jackal.” Born September 7, 1972 in Orlando, Florida and raised in Spring, Texas, his best years were from 1990 to 2000.
Purse began racing on February 8, 1981, at Armadillo Downs in Conroe, Texas, when he was eight. He started pro life in January 1990 at age 17 after briefly facing suspension for forging his mother’s signature on pro license forms. His first pro win was at the ABA Lone Star Nationals in San Antonio on January 27, 1990, and he moved up to AA Pro after winning the ABA Supernationals in El Paso on April 1, 1990.
One of his biggest records is winning 25 AA-Pro main events in the 1998 ABA season, the most in a single ABA year. Purse was inducted into the National BMX Hall of Fame (Class of 2011). He retired from senior pro racing in 2007 but has competed in Veteran Pro events since then.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 10:19 (CET).