Brian Deegan knew it was going to be an uphill battle in 2015. Doubling the size and scope of the Rockstar Energy/Makita Power Tools team with the addition of the Pro-4 truck was ambitious. The daily grind of running a single truck team is relentless. Developing a new truck takes added patience, something fierce competitors like Deegan have to muster.
The final race weekend of the season in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series would include round seventeen and the Challenge Cup race. The weekend started on a good note when Deegan qualified the Pro-2 in the second spot and the Pro-4 in third. The speed has been there all along this season; it's been parts failures and just bad luck that have made it challenging this year.
First up on race day was the Pro-4. Deegan was anxious to unleash the Rockstar Energy/Makita Power Tools Pro-4 on the Lake Elsinore track. He soon lost rear drive in the truck and had pull off the track. The rear yoke fractured, an unforeseen mechanical failure.
The Rockstar Energy/Makita Power Tools Pro-2 would be next out on the track. At the start, Deegan jumped out into the lead. He had Bryce Menzies on his tail trying to pressure him into making a mistake. Unfortunately for Menzies, Deegan thrives on pressure. His attempts to get Deegan off his game were futile. It was Menzies who went up on two wheels, almost taking out Deegan, and then later spun into the wall. Deegan’s hometown crowd let out a big sigh, and then a cheer, as he emerged unscathed. He then began opening a gap on the rest of the field. Just when it looked like game over for the rest of the pack, Deegan lost oil pressure to the engine, taking away an almost certain win.
The final race of the weekend was the Challenge Cup. It pits the Pro-2 class against the Pro-4s in a slugfest for bragging rights and a fat paycheck. The Pro-2s get a head start and the Pro-4s have to chase them down in order to win. There were many positions being swapped as the race began; Deegan was running in the top three Pro-4s. After a caution flag came out and closed the gap to the Pro-2s, the fastest Pro-4s were running nose to tail as they began picking off the two wheel drives. Second gear went out in Deegan’s transmission but he didn’t care. He was going to finish the season on the gas. Unable to accelerate hard out of the corners, his four-wheel-drive advantage was lost without second gear. He got swallowed up as the laps went by, but he made it to the finish in twelfth place.
"We had a tough year," said Deegan, "We did learn a whole bunch about the Pro-4 this season and that was our goal. No matter how frustrating it got for us, we were always cheered on by the fans. That’s something that never gets old. When things go south, you just have to dig deeper. Everyone struggles, and when you do, it makes all the race wins and championships that much more satisfying. We are really looking forward to a fresh start in 2106 with everything we’ve learned this year in our arsenal."
