“The General” Brian Deegan is best known for the work he’s done on two wheels. He worked his way into Supercross and when he won his first event at the L.A. Coliseum in 1997, he jumped off his bike, letting it ghost ride by the checkered flag. The crowd went bananas and Freestyle Motocross was in the public eye. Bryan went on to become the most decorated Freestyle Motocross rider in X Games history with 14 medals, landing tricks along the way like the first 360 spin. Brian recently partnered with Ford to race in multiple series on four wheels, including the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Global RallyCross Championship and X Games 17. He’s also a founding member of the Metal Mulisha, a team that branched out into a successful clothing line and video production company. Brian may very-well be the hardest working man in show business.
When I met him he was sporting a huge shiner and looked like a pirate. Turns out he had trained with Mike Tyson’s camp for the past six weeks and had just come from a boxing match in Las Vegas against fellow X-Games star, Dave Mirra. Brian had come out on top and although he may have looked worse for wear, he didn’t show it. He took us around an off-road course in a Ford Raptor sliding around corners, screaming across whoops, burying the nose into dips and catching tons of air. It’s easy to tell that Brian enjoys his job because he’s laughing the entire time. It’s like racing with the Joker. My course was clear – give in and grin like a wild man too.
My experience at the Octane Academy represents just a peek of what the contestants have in store. I only spent a day in the saddle, but the race weekends will take place over four days. I’m jealous just thinking about it. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, visit Octane Academy for more information.