Professional FMX rider Jeff "Ox" Kargola died Friday morning after sustaining a head injury and internal bleeding during the second day of the Desert Assassins' 2011 Rip to the Tip desert motocross event on Mexico's Baja Peninsula, American Freestyle Motocross Association executive director Leah Steiger confirmed Friday
Kargola, 27, lived in San Clemente, Calif., and was a member of the Metal Mulisha FMX team. Rip to the Tip is an eight-day, 1,376 mile adventure ride founded by Kargola's Metal Mulisha teammate Cameron Steele. The planned course for this year's event went from Mexicali to Cabo San Lucas, according to Steiger, who notes that Kargola was surrounded by Steele and teammates Ryan Hagy and Trigger Gumm in his final moments.
Kargola was a professional-level member of the AFMXA, a trade association established by freestyle motocross riders and industry leaders to, according to their website, "organize, protect, and develop the sport of Freestyle Motocross in a collective and collaborative manner." Kargola is survived by his sister Christi.
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'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 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. Jeremy Lusk of San Diego, also a Metal Mulisha rider, died in 2009 after a crash at a Costa Rica competition.