Mud in Your Eye

O’Neal racewear is stepping outside the box a little with its sponsorship program this year. After hanging its marketing hat on Tim Ferry in the professional motocross and Supercross series for the past couple years, the 40-year-old company scrambled its lineup and is expanding with Grant Langston and Ricky Dietrich as headliners.

Langston is one of the hot-ticket items in MX/SX as the South African makes a return to racing following two years of battling eye cancer. The last time Langston raced it was with factory Yamaha, now he’s on the J-Law Racing program and looking to test the waters to see where he stands. GL is a 125cc World MX champion, 125cc AMA National MX champion, AMA Motocross National champion, and two-time 125cc AMA Supercross champion, US Open champion and Motocross des Nations 125cc champion, making him one of the most decorated riders in the sport.

O’Neal isn’t necessarily a brand you think of when considering off-road racing, but it hopes to change that image by outfitting the best of the best. Dietrich, who was an A.R.C. rider in his early pro years before switching to Moose, is arguably the fastest off-road racer in America. In the past few years he’s won WORCS and EnduroCross titles, finished top-five in National motocross and led Team USA at the International Six Days Enduro. O’Neal couldn’t have chosen a better ambassador for the non-moto market.