On November 14th, 2009 the newest member of the AFMXA, Jeff “OX” Kargola was in a serious accident while pre-running for the Baja 1000 in San Felipe, Mexico. Ox crashed, smashed his belly (probably with the bars digging in) and drove his head into the ground. He says he “saw a bush shadow that may have been hiding a rock”. His front tire missed it, but his back tire hit it sending him into his crash at probably 50mph. He isn’t too sure, but he knows he was riding down the highway after the crash through military check points without stopping. OX saved himself. Riding alone, he got up and rode to the highway and towards San Felipe, a 45 mile ride. Eventually he got dizzy and was going to crash on the pavement and stopped in the middle of the highway. Some locals stopped and put him in their car and one of them rode his bike to SF.

At 11:22am the AFMXA received word that Jeff was in a clinic with a laundry list of injuries and we went to work! Medjet assist was called immediately as Dr. Gus Gialamas stayed in constant contact with the Doctors at the clinic in Mexico. By 2:45pm Medjet was in the air and Jeff was on his way home to be admitted to Scripps Mercy in San Diego for proper treatment. He landed in San Diego at 5:03pm and was in surgery by 7:53pm to stop internal bleeding.

Because OX is a member of the AFMXA he knew he could contact us and we were able to assist him in a life-threatening situation. The AFMXA will continue to support him and look forward to his full recovery!

Although his medjet flight was covered by his membership (had he not had it this would have cost him between $40-60k) his hospital stay and surgeries are not. We are currently taking any donations on AFMXA.org to help support our friend and team member.

-AFMXA

Day 2 in Primm – Deegan gets 2nd place for the day, but ends up winning the Unlimited Lites Championship later in the day after the other guy was disqualified.

Download (QuickTime 24.3MB)

Day 1 in Primm – Deegan wins the race and is a step closer to the Championship…

Congrats to Brian Deegan! Deegan won the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Unlimited Lites Championship yesterday in Primm, Nevada.

In his first full year racing trucks, and his first year as team owner of the Metal Mulisha/Rockstar/Lucas Oil/etnies Unlimited Lites team, Deegan defied all expectations, including his own, to pull off the unthinkable and beat the best of the best in off road racing for the Unlimited Lites Championship!

Coming into the final 2 races, Deegan trailed Chris Brandt by 9 points. Deegan won the race on Saturday and cut the deficit to 6 points. Deegan would have to win Sunday’s race and Brandt would have to finish 4th or worse. Unfortunately Deegan finished in 2nd while Brant was behind him in 3rd…which meant Brant won the championship points race.

But wait, it’s not over yet! After big races they usually pull the top trucks to the side for a tech inspection to make sure the top trucks are built to spec within the rule book. Upon closer inspection they found that Chris Brandt’s truck was too wide, so he was DQ’d from the race, giving Deegan enough points for the Championship win!

“I would’ve liked to win the championship by battling it out on the track. I came to race a professional series that followed the rules they put in place and I think the officials and Lucas Oil made a statement this weekend. In the end I’m stoked to win the championship. For me this win wasn’t about this moment, it was about every race this year; the team, friends, family and everyone who helped me win the championship. In the end, it feels good win the championship!” -Brian Deegan

We teamed up with Racer X (@racerxonline) to give away Twitch’s X-Mas list! Enter now for a chance to Win Twitch’s Metal Mulisha Signature Series and a Racer X Digital Subscription.

Places to enter:
metalmulisha.com
Metal Mulisha Facebook
Racer X Facebook

Prize:
1 Year Racer X Digital Subscription
1 pair of Metal Mulisha Twitch II Denim
1 Metal Mulisha Twitch II Jacket
1 Metal Mulisha Twitch II New Era Hat
1 Metal Mulisha Tee Shirt of your choice

Download (QuickTime 33.3MB)

Mind of the Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story – LA Premiere, Sunday, November 15 at 7pm, UCLA’s James Bridges Theater. Tickets available NOW!

The final round of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series is this weekend in Primm, NV. Brian Deegan is racing in the Unlimited Lites class and sits in 2nd place overall, only 9 points behind 1st place for the Championship! It all comes down to this weekend, 2 days and 2 races to go, and we’ll see if Deegan can pull off his first off road championship. Cruise out and support the General!

The Deegan Replica Team shirt is now available in the Metal Mulisha Online Store!

Check the cheesy “news special” circa 2000 on the Metal Mulisha’s underground MMA training grounds in Deegan’s old barn…classic!

The first ever AFMXA Amateur Freestyle Motocross contest went down at Pala Raceway over the weekend and it was a huge success! Amateur FMX riders traveling from all around the United States, with some coming for as far as Canada and even Japan, made it to Southern California, the Mecca of the FMX industry, for their chance to shine on a big stage. The big stage being a FMX course built with the safety of up-and-coming riders in mind, and the once rare opportunity to show their skills to a judging panel of FMX legends.

The judges were Ronnie Faisst, Blake “Bilko” Williams, Nate Adams, Ronnie Renner, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, and Mike Metzger. You couldn’t even begin to count the X Games medals collectively hanging from these guys’ walls! With that star-studded panel judging your ever jump and trick, it’s safe to say the pressure was on for these amateurs, who for most it was their first time competing in a contest.

The best of 2 run qualifying round narrowed down the 18 riders to the top 9 for a 1 run final. Top qualifier Rob Sakai of Japan rode his momentum into the finals where he tied for 1st place with Jimmy Hill out of Bakersfield, CA. Rob and Jimmy both agreed that they don’t like ties and the only way to settle it was with an old school run-off! Jimmy won the coin flip and decided to go first. Unfortunately for Jimmy, a dead sailor really cost him in the judges scoring. Rob followed up with a near flawless run that made it obvious that he was the winner.

Congratulations to Rob Sakai on the win, Jimmy Hill in 2nd and Bryce Hudson 3rd!

After the amateurs tore up the course it was on to the Pro-Am division. The Pro-Ams are the guys that have ridden in paid demos, have some sponsors, and some can backflip, but they’re still new or little known in the sport and haven’t competed in any pro level contests. It’s a fine line between Pro-Ams and the real Pros, but you can bet some of these guys will be competing in the big leagues real soon.

Lance Coury came out on top of the Pro-Ams. With a bag full of big tricks, and some solid backflip tricks to boot, Coury rode smooth and consistent, all things the judges love to see. Very close behind Coury in 2nd palce was Destin Cantrel, who has some of the best tricks in the game but is not backflipping. To pull off second place without the backflip in a field of guys with the backflip says a lot for the quality and extension of Cantrel’s upright tricks. Rounding out the podium in 3rd was Keith Sayers of Butte, Montana.

Here are the full results:

Amateur Final Results:
1. Rob Sakai
2. Jimmy Hill
3. Bryce Hudson
4. Kyle Demelo
5. Andy Bakken
6. Edgar Corona
7. Rob Haslam
8. Matt Halmark
9. Nick Gore

Pro-Am Final Results:
1. Lance Coury
2. Destin Cantrell
3. Keith Sayers
4. Nick Dunne
5. Wes Agee
6. Greg Schaffe
7. Jesse Jolson
8. Luke Dolin
9. Garrett Ahlf
10. Steve Haughelstine

Check out the full photo gallery from the Amateur Contest and the AFMXA Awards right here!

The First AFMXA Amateur FMX Contest is going off tomorrow at Pala Raceway! Here’s the rundown of everything you need to know. Also, check out the preview that ESPN put together of Amateur Athletes attending the contest.

1st Annual AFMXA Amateur Competition and Awards Show presented by Fuel TV celebrate the past, present and future of FMX at Pala Raceway and Casino this Saturday, November 7.

What: The American Freestyle Motocross Association (”AFMXA”), a governing collective of Freestyle Motocross riders and action sports industry leaders, is hosting an action-packed series of events this Saturday, Nov. 7th, in Pala, CA.

1. The 1st annual AFMXA Amateur Competition kicks things off at 8:00am and will be filled with great young potential from around the world. Riders from Japan, Mexico, Canada, Hungary and across the U.S. are registered to compete. In order to qualify, riders have to be at least 14 years old and submit video entries to www.afmxa.com. The top 10 rider videos chosen for best execution, style and innovation were invited to compete in the event. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place titles will be decided by a judging panel that includes Brian Deegan, Ronnie Faisst, Jeremy Stenberg, Mike Mason and Nate Adams.

2. A professional FMX demo will take place after the Amateur competition, showcasing the talents of the athletes on the judging panel and fellow riders, including Taka Higashino, Todd Potter and more.

3. The AFMXA Awards Show will take place in the evening, recognizing top athletes and companies for their accomplishments, commitment to and influence on the sport. Hosted by Metal Mulisha team rider and X Games Gold medalist, Todd Potter, and FUEL TV’s Pat Parnell from “The Daily Habit,” the AFMXA Awards will bring some of the biggest names in action sports together in one room to celebrate freestyle motocross and its talent. With a variety of categories, including Best Spread in a Magazine and Biggest Slam, this year’s most dedicated rider will be recognized with the Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year award, in memory of fellow FMX gold medalist, Jeremy Lusk.

***Open to the public and tickets are still available. Visit www.afmxa.com to learn more.***

Who: Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, Mike Mason, Beau Bamberg, Takayuki Higashino, Blake Williams, Jackson Strong, Lance Coury, Levi Sherwood, Robbie Maddison, Travis Pastrana, Brian Deegan, Ronnie Faisst, Mike Metzger, Nate Adams, Drew Brown, Toby Bost, Leah Steiger, industry insiders and more!

Where and When:
AFMXA Amateur Competition
November 7th, 2009
8:00am – 2:00pm

Pala Raceway
12799 Highway 76
Pala, CA 92059

AFMXA Awards Ceremony
November 7th, 2009
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Pala Casino
11154 Highway 76
Pala, CA 92059

AFMXA Awards Nominees

Best Part in a Video
Jeremy Lusk, On the Pipe 5
Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, Hood Rich
Mike Mason, On the Pipe 5

Biggest Slam
Beau Bamberg
Cameron Sinclair
Takayuki Higoshino

Best Spread In a Magazine
Blake Williams
Jeremy Lusk
Todd Potter

New Blood
Jackson Strong
Lance Coury
Levi Sherwood

Mucho Cohones
Cameron Sinclair
Robbie Maddison
Travis Pastrana

Unsung Hero
Dane Heron
Dr. Gus Gialamas
Lizz Leach

Legends Award
Brian Deegan
Mike Metzger
Travis Pastrana

Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year
Blake Williams
Jeremy Stenberg
Nate Adams