Lost a rider and friend

I have known Jason since he was a little kid, around 10 or so. He was a little kid riding minimoto about the same time I started racing as well. He was also a part of a fast and young cohort, and he ended up moving up into racing AMA where he became 600 Superstock Champion in 2017 and eventually moving up to MotoAmerica 1000's.

He had a very distinctive style that was always cool to watch.

He started riding MTB which is how we reconnected. Hard to believe that all his antics on a motorcycle, and an MTB took him out.

From his dad:
"Jason Aguilar, our son, professional MotoAmerica road racer, 2017 Superstock 600 Champion, avid mountain biker, and friend to many, had a horrible crash Saturday morning in Laguna on his mountain bike. His friends, Alex and Anthony, acted quickly to get him airlifted to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo where he was rushed into surgery to relieve bleeding in his brain. While the surgery was successful in stopping the bleeding, he went without oxygen to his brain for too long before the surgery. As a result of the lack of oxygen, he suffered catastrophic brain damage that is irreversible. Jason is an organ donor, so the hospital is making arrangements for donation of his organs, and for recipients of those organs. Once that is complete, Jason will be taken off life support. We hope that Jason will live on in your memories and ours, and that the donation of his organs will allow his memory to live on in others."


https://www.facebook.com/1814563197/posts/10217006276308490/?app=fbl

 

This must have been the airlift on Car Wreck i heard about.

Sad.

 

Oh man. Sorry for your loss.

 

Over 30 years and half a million miles on a motorcycle commuting, racing and doing stupid on the weekends and I've had the worst crashes and injuries on the MTB. Sorry for your loss, Josh.

 

Ah man, so sad.
So sorry.

 

Josh- I have no words. As a father, I can't imagine penning the words he put to paper.

 

Aliso too? RIP rider. Condolences to his friends and family. He looks too young to be taken away from us. My heart sinks even more.

 

I keep thinking about this and Jason Aguilar and fatherhood and childhood and Strava cuppies and crashes, and I'm sad and grateful and scared and nervous.

 

Very sad

 

It never seems enough but I'll say it anyway, my sincerest condolences to all that knew him.

 

Sorry for your loss. He was way to young. No parents want to outlive their children.

 

Oh no... So Tragic.
So sorry to hear this news.

 

Well, that just sucks. Condolences to you and to his family.

 

So sorry to hear that

 

Sad and tragic

 

Very sad. His memory will live on through his family and friends. Organ donation is a great way to help many other families.

 

Ah man!
Sorry for the loss of a friend Josh.
A loss for everyone really.
I’ve never been a parent and can not even imagine what a loss like this is like.
I pray for peace for his loved ones.

 

Sad to hear such news. Condolences to you and to his family

 

Everyone above said it; such a sad loss.

 

It looks like there will be a memorial ride on Saturday.

 

Oh man so sorry to read this. Condolences to you and his family.

 

Sorry to hear of ur loss. Prayers for family. t n a is off limits but good on the memorial ride.

 

F@ck!! This sucks so bad. Just out having some fun. Dammmit.

Prayers for his family and friends, and my condolences and profound sadness for you Josh @Sidewalk

Sorry I can't do the ride tomorrow - and not sure if LCWP will be open.

 

Met up with a couple of riders to give our respects to the fallen rider.
They provided us a "96" sticker which from what I understand is the number he races at Moto America and the year he was born.


At around 8:15 the group gathered around by the table and his father thanked everyone for being there to show their kindness and support. It's hard for anyone to talk about the passing of their loved ones but especially so as a parent to talk about your own child in past tense is tragic.
He's the one wearing the white Pacific Coast jersey. Near the end when everyone was riding out, I approached him and personally gave him my condolences.


From Willow Staging Area up Willow to TnA. It was not rowdy as you would have thought with a moment of silence at the top.


RIP young Ripper.

 

The number you self select and start racing with (usually as a kid) typically stays with you for life. It kind of becomes your identity. You can Google VR46, CS27, or JL99 and find them linked to Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, and Jorge Lorenzo (all three of them have their racing numbers IN their Twitter handles).

I was always #59.