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 May 9, 1975
Omaha, Nebraska
Global RallyCross Championship career
Debut season 2011
Current team Chip Ganassi Racing
Car no. 38
Wins 1
Best finish 2nd in 2012
Finished last season 4th (2013)
Brian Deegan
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Summer X Games
Gold 2011 Los Angeles RallyCross
Silver 2010 Los Angeles Rally Car Racing
Silver 2010 Los Angeles Rally Car Super Rally
Bronze 2009 Los Angeles Rally Car Racing
Bronze 2011 Los Angeles Moto X Step Up
Bronze 2012 Los Angeles Moto X Step Up
Bronze 2012 Los Angeles Rally Car Racing

Brian Deegan (born May 9, 1975 in Omaha, Nebraska[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.

Racing career

X Games 17 in Los Angeles

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.

Deegan ventured into short course off-road racing in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series' Unlimited Lites division during 2009 and the rookie won the championship over experienced drivers.[2]

At X games 16, Deegan competed in the Rally Car Racing event at the LA coliseum. Deegan advanced all the way to the finals but would finish second 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. Brian Deegan won two silver medals at X games 16.

At X Games XVII, Deegan won gold in RallyCross.

Deegan began competing in off-road racing events and won the 2011 World Championship race at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway in the Traxxas TORC Series.

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.

In 2015, Deegan was hired by Chip Ganassi Racing to compete in seven Global Rallycross Championship races.[3]

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 scared 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

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Brian Deegan." Notable Sports Figures. Ed. Dana R. Barnes. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. ISBN 9780787666286
  2. ↑ "Brian Deegan Wins Off-Road Championship". Racer X Online. November 16, 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  3. ↑ McFadin, Daniel (March 18, 2015). "Chip Ganassi Racing enters world of Global Rallycross". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 20, 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brian Deegan.