Brian Deegan (rider)

Brian Deegan

Deegan in 2011 after winning the Pro Light class at the 2011 Off-Road racing World Championships
Nationality American
Born (1975-05-09) May 9, 1975
Omaha, Nebraska
Global Rallycross career
Debut season 2011
Current team Chip Ganassi Racing
Car no. 38
Former teams Olsbergs MSE
Starts 42
Wins 2
Podiums 18
Best finish 2nd in 2012
Finished last season 10th
Medal record
Representing  United States
Summer X Games
2011 Los Angeles RallyCross
2010 Los Angeles Rally Car Racing
2010 Los Angeles Rally Car Super Rally
2009 Los Angeles Rally Car Racing
2011 Los Angeles Moto X Step Up
2012 Los Angeles Moto X Step Up
2012 Los Angeles Rally Car Racing

Brian Deegan (born May 9, 1975[1]) is an American professional Freestyle Motocross rider and a founding member of the Metal Mulisha.[1] Deegan was the first ever to do a 360 in competition; he named the trick the "Mulisha Twist". He is the most decorated Freestyle Motocross rider in X Games history. With 10 total medals (3 Golds and 7 Bronzes), he is the only rider to compete in at least 1 event in every X Games. He became a born again Christian after a near fatal crash in 2005.[2]

Racing career

X Games 17 in Los Angeles

Deegan was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He became a pro supercross rider at age 17. In 1997 at the LA Coliseum, Brian Deegan won the 125cc main and in true rebel fashion, ghost rode his bike across the finish line. This was the beginning of what we know today as Freestyle Motocross.

In 2004, at the Winter X Games, Deegan crashed while attempting a 360 over a 100 ft snow double, breaking his femur and both wrists. He came back 6 months later to place fourth at the Summer X Games. Deegan was also the first rider ever to land a 360 (Mulisha Twist) in competition.

Switching to four wheels in 2009, Deegan ventured into short course off-road racing in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series' Unlimited Lites division, winning the championship over experienced drivers.[3]

At the 2010 X Games, Deegan competed in the Rally Car Racing event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Deegan finished second behind Tanner Foust due to a wrong turn he made during the race. Brian also competed in Rally Car Super Rally where he also finished second behind Tanner Foust.

At X Games XVII, Deegan won gold in RallyCross.

In 2011, he won the World Championship race at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway in the Traxxas TORC Series. He also competed at the Race of Champions

In 2012, he debuted the Metal Mulisha Monster truck. Todd LeDuc officially debuted it at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas in January 2012. Deegan himself drove the truck in Phoenix, Arizona at Chase Field. He was scheduled to drive the truck at the Monster Jam World Finals 13, but injured himself in driving practice. Todd LeDuc replaced him.

Deegan raced an OlsbergsMSE Ford Fiesta at the Global RallyCross Championship, resulting runner-up in 2012, fourth in 2013 and 12th in 2014. In 2015, Deegan was hired by Chip Ganassi Racing to compete in seven Global Rallycross Championship races in an M-Sport Fiesta along with former professional motocross rider Jeff Ward.[4]

Media appearances

During a 2005 taping of MTV's Viva La Bam Deegan under-rotated a back-flip and the handle bars hit hard in his midsection, almost losing his life. He lost a kidney, lacerated his spleen, and lost a significant amount of blood. He now has a long scar down his stomach, that he calls his "zipper", spanning almost his entire abdomen, as a result of the accident. At the end of the episode when it originally aired, Bam dedicated it to Brian. The accident was cut out of the show.

Also during taping of the same show, Bam Margera's uncle, Don Vito, was forced by his nephew to lay down on the ground with the intention of Deegan and two others to jump over him, for what Margera and Deegan called the "Fatboy Jump World Record". Vito was held by the feet and arms by Margera and Raab Himself in order to restrain him. The bikers jumped over Vito, with Deegan narrowly missing him by less than a foot away, which startled Vito. That bit was featured in the show.

In 2006, Deegan and Berkela films released a film entitled Disposable Hero that follows him through the struggles and rewards that accompany the freestyle motocross sport and lifestyle. Jesse James, Ronnie Faist, Jeremy Stenberg, Cameron Steele, Chris Ackerman, Nate Adams, and Seth Enslow are a few of the featured cast that talk about Deegan and his life's journeys. The film aired on Spike TV on December 5, 2007.

Deegan performed stunts in the movie Fantastic Four. He is also working on a reality show for MTV. There is no scheduled air date yet.

He has been on the cover of Transworld MX and Racer X magazines and has been featured multiple times in FHM magazine.

Deegan was in the Xbox/GameCube/PS2 videogame Freekstyle.

Other ventures

In addition to supporting riders, the Metal Mulisha have a clothing line and other related merchandise. Brian Deegan also has a toy line called Hevy Hitters distributed in retail locations such as Wal Mart. Most recently he teamed up with Illektron to create Battlez FMX, a collectible card and dice game featuring Deegan, Todd Potter and Jeremy Lusk.

He is the former owner of the FMX park, the Compound, which he later sold to Nate Adams. At the 2007 X Games Deegan stated he sometimes regrets selling it.

Career highlights

Racing record

Complete Global RallyCross Championship results

Supercar

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 GRC Points
2011 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta IRW1
 IRW2
 SEA1
 SEA2
 PIK1
3		 PIK2
8		 LA1
10		 LA2
1		 9th 54
2012 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta CHA
16		 TEX
3		 LA
3		 LOU
3		 LV
2		 LVC
2		 2nd 84
2013 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST BRA
5		 MUN1
7		 MUN2
9		 LOU
3		 BRI
3		 IRW
7		 ATL
6		 CHA
2		 LV
13		 4th 106
2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta ST BAR
3		 AUS
8		 DC
 NY
 CHA
9		 DAY
 LA1
 LA2
 SEA
3		 LV
9		 12th 140
2015 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST FTA
 DAY1
 DAY2
 MCAS
10		 DET1
4		 DET2
5		 DC
 LA1
6		 LA2
2		 BAR1
6		 BAR2
9		 LV
5		 10th 229
2016 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST PHO1
3		 PHO2
6		 DAL
7		 DAY1
2		 DAY2
5		 MCAS1
2		 MCAS2dagger DC
4		 AC
3		 SEA
7		 LA1
4		 LA2
1		 3rd 473

daggerRace cancelled.

References

  1. 1 2 "Brian Deegan." Notable Sports Figures. Ed. Dana R. Barnes. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. ISBN 9780787666286
  2. ↑ Higgins, Matt. "Some X Games Bad Boys Turn to the Bible". nytimes.com. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  3. ↑ "Brian Deegan Wins Off-Road Championship". Racer X Online. November 16, 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  4. ↑ McFadin, Daniel (March 18, 2015). "Chip Ganassi Racing enters world of Global Rallycross". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
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