Freestyle motocross racer Jeff "Ox" Kargola of San Clemente died Friday after he crashed his dirt bike while in Mexico for an eight-day motocross competition that challenges 30 riders with traversing about 1,400 miles, according to a news release.
Kargola, 27, suffered internal bleeding and a head injury and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in San Felipe. He died at the hospital surrounded by his best friends.
"Words can't express the emotions I am feeling," said Cameron Steele, founder of the 2011 Desert Assassins' Rip to the Tip competition, in a statement. "I love Jeff like a son and he was riding with all of his best friends he grew up with in San Clemente."
Kargola's close friends have decided to return to the United States to help with funeral arrangements, said Jeffrey Campbell, owner of a racing team that Kargola rode for in the 2011 SCORE San Felipe 250. Kargola and teammate Colton Udall, also of San Clemente, won the overall motorcycle victory for the second year in a row at the March competition.
"Our group has decided that it's best for Cameron and Ox's closest friends to return to the states for a few days and join up with us hopefully later down the trail," Campbell said in a YouTube video posted on riptothetip.com.
Kargola died on the second day of Rip to the Tip, which is to end in Cabo San Lucas.
Kargola began riding at 12 and turned pro at 16, according to his Metal Mulisha biography. Kargola rode for the Orange County brand's moto team. In 2005, he won silver for the Best Trick competition at the Winter X Games.
"If anyone's a pro, he's a pro," said Jim Shubin, vice president of sales and marketing for Metal Mulisha's sister brand, True Love & False Idols. "He rode more than 10,000 miles a year in Mexico."
Jeremy Lusk of San Diego, also a Metal Mulisha rider, died in 2009 after a crash at a Costa Rica competition.
Kargola's personal quote on his Metal Mulisha biography: "Your life is what you make it!"
O.C. motocross rider Jeff ‘Ox' Kargola dies
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NightBiker07
- Posts: 1942
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Sucks, but there are far worse ways to die. Going out doing what you love sure as hell beats getting killed on a sunday drive to the grocery store....
2000 CR250, pipe, filter, Vforce
1980 XL80s
1969 Broncco TX-6
Natural selection favors Smart people, so nature selects morons to be slow and dumb for tigers and stuff too eat. But in our modern world there just aren't enough tigers.
1980 XL80s
1969 Broncco TX-6
Natural selection favors Smart people, so nature selects morons to be slow and dumb for tigers and stuff too eat. But in our modern world there just aren't enough tigers.
