For the better part of fifty-plus years, off-road racing has held an indelible mark upon the world of motorsports here in North America. Pioneers like Ed Pearlman, Sal Fish, Rod Hall, and others were instrumental in carving out a new niche for the wild and adrenaline-fueled to have their fun while also paving the way for modern-day superstars like BJ Baldwin, Bryce Menzies, and Rob MacCachren.

Ragland’s Chevy Trophy Truck from the 1990s.

One of those icons, “Lightning” Larry Ragland, recently sat down as part of a collaboration between BFGoodrich and Race-DeZert dubbed “Legends and Heroes,” celebrating the life and times of such early racers (who also ran on BFGs during their career). Ragland, who got his start in motorcycle competitions, was all but an unknown by the time he hopped inside a buggy and went on to make history.

“I think you look back and you think, ‘Well, it was a big deal,’ but at the time, it doesn’t really register, I don’t think,” says Ragland. “I raced because I wanted to do it, not because I wanted to see my name up there somewhere. I just wanted to go racing.”

Starting in the early 1980s in a Funco buggy, Ragland’s natural talent and foresight played a substantial part in his desert racing success. He was one of the first to install a Porsche flat-six engine inside a buggy, which naturally gave him a leading edge over rivals who ran in the standard VW four-cylinder motors.

Ragland’s evolution as a racer kept progressing, as he racked up championship wins at the Mint 400, Baja 500, Parker 400, and several other events. It wasn’t long before the man felt the urge to move onto the big leagues–Trophy Trucks–and kept right on winning, netting him five Baja 1000 championships in the 1990s (1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1999).

And for much of his 27-year racing career, it was on a set of BFGoodrich tires that Ragland was able to be one of the best. “I think on most of the Baja 1000s, I don’t even remember having a flat,” he recalls.

Though he retired from racing in 2008, Ragland proves in the video above that he still has “the touch” as he pilots a suped-up fiberglass rig around a patch of desert in his home state of Arizona. Needless to say, the BFGs help keep everything under control, but it’s easy to see how the man earned his nickname–”Lightning.”