The PWC community – and the larger action sports and racing community as a whole – lost a familiar, steady, and compassionate presences on Saturday, Jan. 30, with the passing of Brian O’Rourke, founder and president of Team Faith.
O’Rourke’s impact stretched far beyond any single discipline. From watercross to Supercross and across the broader powersports world, he was a constant at the track — not as a headline seeker, but as someone who showed up, listened, encouraged, and quietly supported those around him.
Team Faith announced his passing in a statement shared over the weekend, noting that O’Rourke had served 31 years of ministry through the organization he founded in 1994. An outreach ministry often referred to within racing as a “race ministry,” Team Faith became known for meeting athletes and crews where they already were — in the pits, at the truck, after a long day — offering prayer, conversation, meals, and a sense of belonging.
For many racers, Brian was simply there. He was the person who checked in first. The one who noticed when someone was carrying more than just race-day stress. The one who remembered names, families, and quiet struggles.
“Every race he was always the first to come over, share a moment with us, and offer words of encouragement and strength,” wrote Sebastian Lezcano — himself a familiar name within the watercross community. “That’s something we will never forget.”
Across social media, the tone of remembrance was strikingly consistent. Racers, organizers, sponsors, and friends didn’t speak first about titles or accomplishments — they spoke about conversations, prayers, patience, and timing. About help offered before it was asked for. About feeling seen.
Brian’s work through Team Faith was rooted in a simple idea: that athletes are influencers, and that faith didn’t have to live outside the sport to matter. Team Faith teams traveled to nationally televised events across the United States and internationally, pairing chaplains with competing athletes, providing devotions, meals, Bibles, and support — all while fully participating in the sport itself.
Monster Energy Supercross, along with numerous racing organizations, issued statements expressing condolences to the Team Faith community and Brian’s family, underscoring just how widely his presence was felt.
For those who knew him, Brian’s faith was never something he imposed. It was something he carried gently, often stepping in during moments of uncertainty, grief, or exhaustion — and just as often following up the next day to make sure someone was okay.
As one longtime friend shared, when words or prayers felt impossible, Brian’s response was simple: “That’s okay. I’ll pray for you until you can.”
Brian O’Rourke leaves behind a legacy that can’t be measured in trophies, lap times, or podiums — but in people who felt supported, encouraged, and less alone because he was part of their life.
He will be deeply missed by the Team Faith community, the broader racing family, and all those whose lives he touched along the way.
