Even though it’s dated April 30, we just got this press release about Brian Deegan making his truck racing debut in Pomona a couple of weeks ago. Interesting to see him go that route when so many other riders are going the rally car racing direction.

Deegan has been thinking about this awhile and he mentioned it in an interview I did with him last year.

Anyway, read on to get the full story in the press release.

FREESTYLE MOTO ICON BRIAN DEEGAN RUNS FIRST OFF ROAD PRO RACE AS PART OF ROCKSTAR MAKITA TEAM LEDUC CHAMPIONSHIP OFF ROAD RACING (CORR) OPENING ROUND – LOS ANGELES COUNTY FAIRPLEX, APRIL 26TH AND 27TH

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 30, 2008) – Freestyle moto superstar Brian Deegan, ran an impressive debut race this weekend, April 25-27, at the Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) season opener, at the Los Angeles County Fairplex in Pomona, CA.

Debuting as a fully supported member of the Rockstar Makita Team LeDuc, Deegan’s first professional off road Pro Lite truck race was more than impressive culminating with a seventh place run right to the white flag. On the heated last lap, Deegan spun out courtesy of a hit from another driver but quickly regained control to finish the race 14th out of a field of 28.

Deegan had this to say, “I was running pretty good and this dude just clipped my rear end and spun us both out. It was kind of a weak move, but whatever. I’m here and I’m racing. What can I do?”

Deegan went on to say, “I had a blast, I can tell I had fun when I get emotional about something. That’s when I’m into it. I was ticked because I had top 10 like I wanted to do. The goal was top 10. I see this group and there’s like the top 10, the top five area and the winners. I’ll slowly make my way up.”

Team patriarch, Curt LeDuc, gave Deegan high marks for his debut.
“He did good,” LeDuc said. “He didn’t do anything silly and didn’t tear up the car. He got along with the team and got high marks from everybody, the sponsors included. I think he likes it.”

ROUNDS 1 & 2 RACE RECAP:

ROUND 1 – Saturday, April 26th – Deegan started the Round 1 Main, his first pro race ever in the Pro-Lite class of the 2008 CORR series in last place due to a non-functioning transponder. Just into the first lap, the 300hp Rockstar Makita Ford suffered a flat tire, which forced Deegan to pit. Quickly re-entering the track, Deegan battled through the field of 26 to ultimately finish his very first pro race 16th.

ROUND 2 – Sunday, April 27th – This time starting nearer to mid-pack, 16th out of 28 trucks, Deegan moved up 2 spots within the first lap. At the mid-race yellow caution lap, Deegan sat in 11th place and just 2 laps after the caution lap, Deegan had moved into 10th. A series of crashes and several truck flips mid-course, opened the door for Deegan to break into the top 10. Running in 7th at the white flag, Deegan was bumped from behind by another driver just going into the first turn, causing both to spin-out. Regaining control in remarkable time, Deegan was still able to take a 14th place – a finish that puts him ahead of exactly half the field – an impressive finish for a rookie debut weekend!

RACE STATS:

ROUND 1
PRO-LITE Main (13 laps) Finish: 16th Best lap time:57.966

ROUND 2
PRO-LITE Qualifier (5 laps) Finish: 16th Best lap time:57.889
PRO-LITE Main (15 laps) Finish: 14th Best lap time:56.743

SEASON TO DATE FINISHES: 1-16th; 1-14th
OVERALL STANDING: 15th
SEASON TO DATE POINTS: 140

TELEVISION COVERAGE

Aired LIVE in HD on SPEED, Saturday, April 26th,
– 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM PST / 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM EST.
NBC coverage airs Sunday, May 25th
– 10:30 AM – 12 noon PST / 1:30 PM – 3”00 PM EST

NEXT RACE

May 17th and May 18th
Las Vegas International Off Road Raceway
Primm, Nevada