Saturday’s Baja 500 was marred by tragedy when Jason Hogan, a rider on the #592X Pro Moto 50 team, passed away from heat stroke.

Contrary to initial reports and rumors that suggested he had been run over by a truck, he had fallen while going uphill at the end of the summit at RM 324. Hogan had been struggling with heat exhaustion when the accident happened.

Justin Lofton was the first truck driver to come across Hogan, followed by Adam Householder about ten minutes later. Their co-drivers got out of their vehicles to provide assistance to Hogan.

“We heard over the radio, ‘It doesn’t look good. Stop the truck.’ At that point, all of our radio transmissions went down and we knew it was something bad,” Ricky Johnson explained. He had already completed his stint in the #1L and handed driving duties to Gus Vildósola, whose navigator Nico Ambriz went to help. With the race at a standstill, other teams joined them.

Johnson informed SCORE’s bike liaison Andy Kirker, who follows each race from a helicopter, of the situation. Kirker had just finished extracting the #11X bike at RM 323 before flying to Nuevo Junction to check on Thunderstruck Motorsports’ helicopter crash (both occupants in that accident survived), then flew to the summit in about ten minutes.

Unfortunately, Hogan would succumb to his ailment. He was 54 years old.

Those at the site said a prayer before working together to bring Hogan off the mountain and to a helicopter. Johnson compared it to funeral pallbearers carrying him “like a hero”. They later received Good Samaritan time credits for their efforts.

“Jason was treated with the utmost respect and dignity at all times, and every necessary measure was taken to honor the situation before the event continued,” reads a statement from Vildósola Racing.

“Off-road racing is more than a sport; it is a family. Today, that family grieves the loss of one of our own. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”

Hogan hailed from Granby, Colorado. He previously raced the 2024 Baja 1000 as part of Brent Flambures’ #456X Pro Moto 40 team, finishing third in class. For the 500, he teamed up with Chris Hammond and Mike Gibboni on the former’s #592X Husqvarna.

“These guys came together without hesitation to help a fellow racer on his final ride home,” said Kirker. “It’s a powerful reminder that we’re more than competitors—we’re family.”

Featured image credit: Andy Kirker