(HONOLULU, HAWAII) -- We are proud to announce that 9 year old skateboarder Heimana Reynolds from Hawaii has come out on top in his class of the (10 and under) division of the Pacific Amateur Skateboard Series  to take home 1st Place in the "Skate into Summer" street skating competition at Hickam Skate Hangar on the island of Oahu.  After extensive training and repeated practice runs prior to the event, Heimana completed 3 near perfect runs utilizing nearly all of the obstacles in the park to gain an advantage of his rival competitors and bring home his first street competition victory.  We would like to thank his sponsors and supporters for everything.... Congratulations Heimana!!!!!!   Anything is possible with hard work!

   

Pro snowboarders, skiers, skateboarders, surfers, BMX and mt. bikers, wakeboarders and industry magazine staff members ready to duel it out on Saturday, May 31st, at Prairie City (Calif.) SVRA

Photo ID: 07 Monster MX Crossover Podium @ Hangtown, left to right: Ian Price, 2nd; K.C. Deane, 1st; Chris Roach, 3rd



CORONA, Calif., (May 28, 2008) – Stars of the action sports community will descend upon Prairie City SVRA (Calif.), aka “Hangtown,” this weekend for the seventh running of the Monster Energy MX Crossover @ Hangtown, featuring the Java Monster Media Throw Down.



 The long-running event, which features athletes from the action sports fields including snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding, surfing, BMX and mt. bikes and wakeboarding, along with motocross enthusiasts from the entertainment industry is designed as a celebration of the sport of motocross, in cooperation with Hangtown’s hosting of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championships and its exclusive energy drink, Monster Energy.



 “Giving these athletes the same access to the Hangtown track that the greatest motocross racers in the world will race the following day has been quite an experience for them,” explained Ed Santin of the Dirt Diggers North M.C. which puts on the Hangtown MX National. “We’ll have a wide range of experience levels on the track at the same time and, after Sunday’s pro race, they’ll all come away from Hangtown with an even greater appreciation for the sport of motocross – something similar to what Ryan Villopoto might feel if he were able to run the Snowboard X course at Winter X.”



 Leading the charge will be the world’s most complete action sports athlete, Monster Energy’s own Shaun Palmer. The NorCal native – and arguably one of the greatest athletes our time, period – has a way of just showing up and blowing doors on the competition at the Monster Energy MX Crossover events, just like he did at Hangtown a couple years back. In the stuff of lore Palmer took the lead early in the opening moto, then pulled to the side of the track to ‘wave’ the accomplished jet skier Victor Sheldon by. Palmer then chased, caught and eventually dogged Sheldon – the two sharing a good laugh about it after the race.



 “Yeah, I get out there and see if I’ve got anything for Ping this weekend,” said Palmer of Racer X Illustrated’s David Pingree, who’ll be one of the many magazine reporters and editors competing in the Java Monster Media Throw Down. “We had a pretty good battle at Glen Helen last year. He (Pingree) ended up winning on his four-stroke (450 vs. Palmer’s 250 two-stroke). Outside that it’s always good to get together with they guys I used to snowboard with, catch up and talk dirt bikes.”



Another racer expected to be running up front will be two-time U.S. Olympic ski racer and America’s greatest downhill racer of all-time, Truckee’s (Calif.) Daron Rahlves. A big proponent of using motocross racing to keep his ski racing skills dialed during the off season, Rahlves has since moved over to the highly popular skiercross ski racing events which combines ski racing and motocross (and, quite frankly, Rollerball).



 “Always a good time getting together with all the guys at Hangtown,” said Rahlves. “We’ve got a full gate this weekend and a bunch of us are coming up early to camp and race amateurs. Definitely one of the events on my calendar that I really look forward to.”



 Two other Monster Energy-backed athletes competing at Hangtown will be three-time defending Winter X Snowboard X gold medalist, Nate Holland, who’ll be running his first-ever motocross race, and Delene Dippel, the current women’s snowmobile distance jumping record holder.



 “I can’t believe I agreed to do this,” said Holland laughing. “Up to last week I was riding a trail bike with turn signals. I guess I’m going to find out real quick here about motocross. We’ll work to make sure it’s not a crash course.”



Athletes that have won motos in the past and will challenge for the podium include skier K.C. Deane, who held off snowboarder Ian Price with a 1-2 finish to Price’s 3-1 at Hangtown last year. Overall Monster Energy Crossover Series champ from ’07, BMXer Aaron Cooke, has also won at Hangtown. Also keep an eye on Kevin Barda (X-C athlete), skiers Gunnar Newquist and Jon Dadak, snowboarder Chris Roach (3rd o/a at Hangtown last year) and BMXers Jimmy and Joey Garcia.



The seventh annual Monster Energy MX Crossover @ Hangtown athlete list:



 Athlete/Bike #                                           Sport



1.) Dwayne Taylor (#44)                                 BMX    



2.) Nate Holland (#11x)                             Snowboarder  



3.) Trace Schroeder (#941)                         Tele Skier



4.) Aaron Cooke (#90)                                    BMX



5.) Gunnar Newquist (#280)                            Skier



6.) Matt Goodwill (#176)                            Snowboarder



7.) Shawn Sterken (#609)                          Snowboarder



8.) Jon Dadak     (#234)                                  Skier



9.) Jay Grube     (#442)                                 Kayaker



10.) Sam Shallow (#11)                                  Skier



11.) Phil Tintsman (#249)                              Mt. Biker



12.) K.C. Deane (#657)                                   Skier



13.) Ryan McDonald (#441)                        Snowboarder



14.) Delene Dippel (#102)                         Snowmobiler                                                   



15.) Joey Washburn (#927)                         Snowboarder



16.) Kevin Barda (#852)                                X-C Runner



17.) Mike Tichy (#20)                                      Skier



18.) Jim Moran (#182)                                Snowboarder



19.) Daron Rahlves (#133)                                Skier



20.) Igor Reoutt (#781)                                Wakeboarder



21.) Chava Greenlee (#114)                         Surfer                                                                                 



22.) Chris Roach (#255)                               Snowboarder



23.) Monty Roach (#469)                              Snowboarder



24.) Dave Donatoni (# 05)                             Surfer                                                 



25.) Keith Hutchins (#688)                            Snowmobiler



26.) Tyler Emond (#508)                               Snowboarder



27.) Aaron “AV” Vincent (#528)                     Snowboarder



28.) Trevor Riccoli (#977)                                   Skier



29.) Buster Akrey (#52)                                  Musician



30.) Tony Sabatella (#152)                            Snowboarder



31.) Joey Garcia (#64)                                        BMX



32.) Jimmy Garcia (#30)                                     BMX



33.) Bryan Noe (#47)                                      Snowboarder



34.) Ian Price      (#82)                                   Snowboarder



35.) Shaun Palmer (#555)                              Snowboarder



36.) Matt Mirell (#164)                                      Mt. Biker



37.) Tyson Terpening (#711)                        SB/Ski Park Builder



39.) Wade Speyer (#680)                               Skateboarder



40.) Casey Kelly (#909)                                   Entertainer



 Stepping up to sponsor this year’s event along with Monster Energy are: Nordica Ski Co., Dunlop Tire, Nitro Snowboards, Spy Optic, Throttle Jockey/Graphics Lab, Skullcandy and Imperial Motion. In addition, the seventh annual Monster Energy MX Crossover @ Hangtown, featuring the Java Monster Media Throw Down will work with Pipeline to a Cure – an organization dedicated to helping kids with cystic fibrosis.



In addition to the action sports athletes that will be racing Saturday (May 30th) at Hangtown, Monster Energy is also promoting its supercharged premium coffee & cream beverage through the Java Monster Media Throw Down, featuring many of your favorite editorial staff member from the industry’s top magazines and web sites. The Monster Energy VIP rig located in the pro pits will also host and autograph session on Saturday afternoon with all the participating athletes signing special editions 2008 Monster Energy MX Crossover Series posters – free of charge!



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. All the guys racing the 2008 Monster Energy MX Crossover @ Hangtown, featuring the Java Monster Media Throw Down are diggin’ ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.



 

These are the biggest waves ever ridden....since humanity began." -- Mark Healy, Big Wave Surfer and XXL Nominee

Special Action Sports Coverage of the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy

Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 9:30pm Pacific / 12:30am Eastern on ESPN2

 Produced by Monster Energy and Paul Taublieb/Media X International, Inc., (MXi)

Directed and Written by Sam George

Malibu, CA (May 27, 2008)-- Special action sports-style coverage of the biggest and sickest big wave season in history captured in the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy will be broadcast this Thursday night,  May 29th, 2008, at 9:30 PM Pacific Time on ESPN2 (simultaneously airing 12:30 AM on the East Coast, Friday, May 30th).

With non-stop action and never before-seen-footage and interviews, this one-hour special captures the best of the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy.  Highlights include the XXL Biggest Wave Award, a match-up between San Clemente, CA native Mike Parsons and France's Vincent Lartizen, with the winner on a wave described as "the biggest wave ever ridden."   Also featured is a battle for the coveted Billabong XXL Ride of the Year which came down to Monster Energy's Shane Dorian of Kona, HI, Tahiti's Monoa Drollet, and Shane's tow-in partner and fellow Hawaiian, Ian Walsh.

In the Monster Energy Paddle In Award, a category quite possibly respected the most by watermen throughout the world, a legendary paddle session at Isla Todas Santos in Baja California was the stage for hellmen pushing beyond the known limits of what can be done without a jet ski, along with some of the most viscous wipeouts imaginable.

Other locations which produced XXL submissions for in the categories of  Monster Tube of the Year, Surfline Overall Performance Award, Billabong Girls Performance Award and Verizon Best Wipeout included Ghost Trees in Monterrey (CA), Shipsterns' Bluff (Tasmania), Portrush (Ireland), Mavericks in Half Moon Bay (CA), Cortes Bank in International Waters,  and the fearsome Teahupoo (Tahiti).  Other featured XXL nominated surfers included Mark Healy, Brad Gerlach, Tyler Fox, Garrett McNamara, Jamie Mitchell, Raimana Van Bastelaer, Jamie Sterling and Brazilian Carlos Burle whose countrywoman, Maya Gabiera, put on a heroic performance at Teahupoo after a horrendous wipeout which she describes in excruciating detail in the documentary.

In a night that event director and XXL creator Bill Sharp describes as "The Academy Awards of surfing," the global big wave community came together to celebrate the historic 2007-2008 big wave season, the best of those performances, as well as highlights of the awards show, all of which were captured in this music-driven, fast-paced program.

The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards was produced by Monster Energy and Paul Taublieb of Media X International, Inc. (MXi), directed and written by Sam George, and Executive Producers were Mark Hall and Sam Pontrelli of Monster Energy and Graham Stapleburg and Bill Sharp of Billabong.  The program was edited by Nick Philbrook and TJ Mahar of Hit Squad, LLC.

For further information about Monster Energy, please go to www.monsterenergy.com.

For further information about the XXL Big Wave Awards, please go to www.billabongxxl.com.

For further information about Billabong, please go to www.billabong-usa.com.

For further information about Paul Taublieb and MXi, please go to www.mediax.tv or contact Paul at paul@mediax.tv.

 Don’t miss this incredible one-hour special with action sports-style coverage of the biggest and sickest big wave season in history.

Tune In - Thursday Night, May 29^th, 2008

9:30 PM Pacfic/12:30 AM Eastern on ESPN2

“These are the biggest waves ever ridden…. since humanity began” -- Mark Healy, Big Wave Surfer and XXL Nominee



Special Action Sports Coverage of



The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards

Presented by Monster Energy



Tune In - Thursday Night, May 29th, 2008

9:30 PM Pacfic/12:30 AM Eastern on ESPN2



Produced by Monster Energy

And

Paul Taublieb/Media X International, Inc., (MXi)

Directed and Written by Sam George



For Immediate Release

(Malibu, CA, May 27, 2008) Special action sports-style coverage of the biggest and sickest big wave season in history, captured in the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, Presented by Monster Energy, will be broadcast this Thursday night,  May 29th, 2008, 9:30 PM Pacific Time  on ESPN2 (simultaneously airing 12:30 AM on the East Coast, Friday, May 30th).



With non-stop action and never before-seen-footage and interviews, this one-hour special captures the best of the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, Presented by Monster Energy.  Highlights include the XXL Biggest Wave Award, a match up between San Clemente, CA’s Mike Parsons and France’s Vincent Lartizen, with the winner on a wave described as the biggest wave ever ridden, as well as the battle for the coveted Billabong XXL Ride of the Year, which came down to Monster Energy’s Shane Dorian of Kona, HI, Tahiti’s Monoa Drollet, Shane’s tow-in partner and fellow Hawaiian, Ian Walsh.



And in the category which waterman everywhere perhaps respect the most, the Monster Energy Paddle In Award, a legendary paddle session at Isla Todas Santos in Baja California, was the stage for hellmen pushing beyond the known limits of what can done without a jet ski – along with some of the most viscous wipeouts.



Other locations which produced XXL submissions for in the categories of  Monster Tube of the Year, Surfline Overall Performance Award, Billabong Girls Performance Award and Verizon Best Wipeout included Ghost Trees in Monterrey, CA, Shipsterns’ Bluff, Tasmania, Portrush, Ireland, Mavericks in Half Moon Bay, CA, Cortes Bank in International Waters,  and the fearsome Teahupoo, Tahiti.  Other featured XXL nominated surfers include Mark Healy, Brad Gerlach, Tyler Fox, Garrett McNamara, Jamie Mitchell, Raimana Van Bastelaer, Jamie Sterling and Brazilian Carlos Burle whose countrywoman, Maya Gabiera, put on a heroic performance at Teahupoo after a horrendous wipeout which she describes in excruciating detail in the documentary.

 

In a night that event director and XXL creator Bill Sharp describes as “The Academy Awards of surfing” the global big wave community came together to celebrate the historic 07-08 big wave season, and the best of those performances, as well as highlights of the awards show, are captured in this music-driven, fast-paced program.



The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards was produced by Monster Energy and Paul Taublieb of Media X International, Inc. (MXi), and Directed and Written by Sam George, with Executive Producers Mark Hall and Sam Pontrelli of Monster Energy  and Billabong’s Graham Stapleburg, and Bill Sharp.  The program was edited by Nick Philbrook and TJ Mahar of Hit Squad, LLC.

Check out the video trailer:

http://www.monsterenergy.com/xxl/index.php

For further information about Monster Energy, please go to www.monsterenergy.com



For further information about the XXL Big Wave Awards, please go to www.billabongxxl.com.



For further information about Billabong please go to www.billabong-usa.com

Maier takes the overall win in the MX2 class with a 3-1, Monster-backed teammate Nick Evennou in 2nd overall with a 2-2



CORONA, Calif., (May 27, 2008) – Monster Energy-backed and Kawasaki-mounted Monster Energy CMRC Canadian MX Nationals MX2 class racers Teddy Maier and Nick Evennou finished 1-2, respectively, at the recent Canadian MX Nationals series opener in Ste. Julie, Quebec.



Maier, who competes on the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series tour, debuted with the new Monster Energy/Leading Edge/Kawasaki MX2 class team by coming from behind to podium in the first moto (3rd), then winning the second moto outright to take the overall. Teammate Evennou was equally as fast, running 2-2 for 2nd place overall – just one point behind Maier.



“The bikes are great, the team is awesome and I’m so happy with the opportunity to show what I can do,” said Evennou, who calls Budds Creek, Md., his home track.



Maier’s podium in the first moto was certainly earned as he got off to a mid-pack start and had to battle to reach 3rd. In the second moto he locked down a better start and passed Evennou – and made it stick – for the win and the o/a.



In the MX1 class Monster Energy/Cernic’s/Kawasaki’s Dusty Klatt started the day well enough in moto one, finishing 2nd overall and setting himself up for the win in moto two. Unfortunately, Klatt wrecked on the first turn of the first lap and had to battle back from dead last – finishing 13th in moto two for 5th overall on the day. Teammate Jeff Gibson’s day was a bit more consistent, but not podium-worthy for the Ohioan as he went 10-5 for 6th place overall.



In the women’s class Monster Energy/Cernic’s/Kawasaki’s “Hurricane” Heidi Cooke went up against top American racer Sarah Whitmore and came out with a well-raced 3-2 overall two moto finish for 3rd on the weekend.



The nine-round Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals returns to action this weekend at Gopher Dunes in Courtland, Ont. The remainder of the schedule is as follows:



Date                                      City/Province                                                    Venue



5/25                                       Ste. Julie, Quebec                                            Ste. Julie

6/1                                         Courtland, Ontario                                          Gopher Dunes

6/14                                       Morden, Manitoba                                         Shadow Valley Raceway

6/21                                       Regina, Saskatchewan                                   Regina Moto Valley

7/12                                       Nanaimo, British Columbia                           The Wastelands

7/20                                       Edmonton, Alberta                                         Castrol Raceway

8/2                                         Moncton, New Brunswick                            Riverglade MX Park

8/10                                       Ottawa, Ontario                                               San Del Lee

8/17                                       Walton, Ontario                                                Walton



For more information on the Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals and CMRC, link to their website at: www.cmrcracing.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, off-road, enduro, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. All the guys running the Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals will be diggin’ ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com

The free flow tour was an amazing contest. I had a lot of fun and winning was just icing on the cake of a weekend hanging out with my friends in Arizona. I just tried to stay on my board throughout the whole jam. I didn't expect to win, but I ended up just having a lucky day. I thank my parents for taking me out there, and my sister that let me stay at her house. Also thanks to my sponsors!

 

My summer plans are just to try and skate as much as I can. I'm doing some trips with Osiris shoes for filming for the Children of The Revolution video that comes out in the fall of 2008. I'm also staying with the Powell team manager for a week to go street skating and shoot some photos. In my spare time, I'm going to try and learn new tricks and better myself for the free flow tour coming up this September.

Lawrence (Yamaha of Troy) makes the overall Lites podium with a 1-5 finish at Glen Helen (San Bernardino, Calif.) AMA Toyota MX Championship



CORONA, Calif., (May 26, 2008) –  Monster Energy’s Jason Lawrence (Yamaha of Troy) – the reigning WSX Monster Energy Supercross champion - opened the 2008 Outdoor National motocross season right where he left off the supercross season, winning the first AMA Lites class moto at the Glen Helen opener of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship in San Bernardino, Calif.

 

Lawrence then brought his YZ250F home in 5th place in the second moto to take a podium 3rd place overall position to begin the 2008 outdoor season.



Putting up the opening moto’s fastest lap time (2:43.412), Lawrence led the 14-lap contest wire-to-wire in taking the victory. “That rocked,” said the fired-up Lawrence of his first moto win. “Can’t start the season out much better than that. Gives me the confidence I’ll be able to hit up all summer long!”



In the second moto Lawrence didn’t pull as good of a start, but made it up to 5th by the end of the first lap. Maintaining 5th for some time, Lawrence was passed by fellow supercross Lites champ, Trey Canard, midway through the contest and the two SX champions aligned on what would be one of the better races within-a-race at Glen Helen. Ultimately Lawrence would get the better of Canard, passing him on lap 12 of the 14-lap contest – and making it stick – to take 5th overall and preserve the podium finish.



Next up for the Monster Energy Supercross Western Lites champion is the June 1st Hangtown MX National at Prairie City SVRA (Calif.), round two of the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championship.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it Monster Energy Supercross, MX, MotoGP, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Jason Lawrence digs ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.













 

•    Monster Energy’s Leon Haslam Goes 2-2 in BSB Series

•    Monster Energy’s Cal Crutchlow in 2nd in BSB race two

CORONA, Calif., (May 27, 2008) –  Things quieted down a bit on the European two wheel dirt racing front for Monster Energy this past weekend, though the road racing bikes were wide open at Donnington for round four of the Bennetts British Superbike (BSB) Championship.



Leading the charge at Donnington Park on his Monster Energy-backed HM Plant Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade was Leon Haslam. The Derbyshire (UK) native led 18 of the 20 laps and fought BSB rival Shane Byrne at the end, only to lose the lead and the race win to Byrne late in the first of two contests. Haslam’s teammate, Cal Crutchlow, would finish a disappointing 6th.



“In the first race I had a terrible start. When I practiced them in the warm up they’re normally good, but in the race I had a bad one,” admitted Haslam. “I battled back but lost the leader as it took me a while to get past Tom Sykes.”



In the second BSB race – a make up from a previously rained out date – Haslam was on it again, challenging for the win only to lose the lead to the Sykes’ Ducati. All was not lost as Haslam was joined on the podium in the second race by Crutchlow.



“In the second race I felt confident that we had the pace,” said Haslam. “I had a much better start and led for so long, but when I was in front the high winds were having an effect on me and the times we were doing weren’t so good. The Monster Energy/HM Plant Honda team did an excellent job today and it’s a shame we didn’t get the win that I want so bad. But hopefully the next round at Snetterton will suit the CBR1000RR Fireblade a little better.”



Teammate Crutchlow agreed, adding: “It was a tough pair of races today and we struggled to keep up with the Ducatis here, but we’ve got a plan for the next race at Snetterton.”



Crutchlow is currently in 2nd place overall in the BSB Championships points with 122. Haslam is in 4th place overall with 96 points.



Also flying the Monster Energy M-claw logo was Hydrex Bike Animal/Honda’s James Ellison. With two top ten finishes (6th/8th) Ellison led the team in the wet and windy conditions. Said Ellison of his weekend: “The bike feels really, really good and I’m happy with it until the tyres start to wear – which is something we don’t fine out until we’re in the actual race. I’ll try to do some race-pace testing in the free practice sessions in the future so that we can be more prepared. It’s frustrating not to give the team a podium as they deserved one this weekend. At least I’ve only got the factory guys in front of me now, so it’s a good achievement – so close yet so far.”



Ellison is currently in 5th place overall in the BSB Championships with 88 points.



Finally, Monster Energy/Gariboldi/Yamaha’s Jose Butron looked to be back on his A-game at the European MX2 championships (3rd in the first moto), only to suffer a setback in the second moto when his previously injured shoulder gave out on the landing of a jump. Butron remains in 4th place overall in the European MX2 Championships.



Noteworthy: This weekend marks the return of FIM MXGP and MotoGP competitions. The Monster Energy-backed motocross racers are in Sugo, Japan, for round six of the MXGP tour and the Monster Energy MotoGP racer – John Hopkins and Anthony West of Monster Energy/Kawasaki – return to action for the Italian GP this weekend at Mugello, round six of the MotoGP tour.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, British Superbikes, rally, rock crawling, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Everybody in Europe’s starting to dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.





 

Lawrence (Yamaha of Troy) makes the overall Lites podium with a 1-5 finish at Glen Helen (San Bernardino, Calif.) AMA Toyota MX Championship

 

CORONA, Calif., (May 26, 2008) –  Monster Energy’s Jason Lawrence (Yamaha of Troy) – the reigning WSX Monster Energy Supercross champion - opened the 2008 Outdoor National motocross season right where he left off the supercross season, winning the first AMA Lites class moto at the Glen Helen opener of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship in San Bernardino, Calif.

 

Lawrence then brought his YZ250F home in 5th place in the second moto to take a podium 3rd place overall position to begin the 2008 outdoor season.

 

Putting up the opening moto’s fastest lap time (2:43.412), Lawrence led the 14-lap contest wire-to-wire in taking the victory. “That rocked,” said the fired-up Lawrence of his first moto win. “Can’t start the season out much better than that. Gives me the confidence I’ll be able to hit up all summer long!”

 

In the second moto Lawrence didn’t pull as good of a start, but made it up to 5th by the end of the first lap. Maintaining 5th for some time, Lawrence was passed by fellow supercross Lites champ, Trey Canard, midway through the contest and the two SX champions aligned on what would be one of the better races within-a-race at Glen Helen. Ultimately Lawrence would get the better of Canard, passing him on lap 12 of the 14-lap contest – and making it stick – to take 5th overall and preserve the podium finish.

 

Next up for the Monster Energy Supercross Western Lites champion is the June 1st Hangtown MX National at Prairie City SVRA (Calif.), round two of the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championship.

 

Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it Monster Energy Supercross, MX, MotoGP, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Jason Lawrence digs ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com .

 

North Carolina’s Stroupe podiums twice, tops teammate Villopoto and YoT’s Jason Lawrence in the all-Monster Energy podium @ Glen Helen opener

           

CORONA, Calif., (May 26, 2008) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Stroupe combined a runner-up first moto finish with another podium finish (3rd) in the in the second moto to win the overall 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championship opening round at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif., this past Sunday.



Stroupe, who finished 3rd overall in the WSX this past supercross season – which included a win at Houston – won his first-ever overall MX National event with his two podium finishes at Glen Helen. Said Stroupe at the post-event press conference: “I came (into the season) ready to go. But it's going to be tough. Ryan (Villopoto) got a really bad start in the first moto and we had to play catch up with Jason Lawrence. But other than that, me and Brett (Metcalfe) rode a strong race and had a good battle. In the second moto I made a mistake. We were running a faster pace and he (Villopoto) was pressuring me and my front wheel washed out and put me on my back. It took me a couple laps to get back but I made a clean pass on Brett later on.”



In the first moto Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto barely made it into the top ten after the first lap and worked hard to climb back into podium contention, ultimately finishing 5th in moto one with a fourth-best lap time of 2:43.740 The second moto would be a different story as the Washington native and two-time defending AMA Motocross Lites class champion got out in 3rd, then took over the lead from teammate Stroupe on lap four, clocking in with a 2:42.684 lap time – which would stand the best of the day for the Lites class and second only to Monster Energy/Kawasaki rider and AMA Motocross class winner James Stewart.



Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Brett Metcalfe would stand on the podium with Stroupe in the first moto (3rd), and finished just a click off the podium in the second moto with a 4th. Normally this might be good enough for an overall podium finish, but given the dispersed Lites class scoring at Glen Helen, Metcalfe had to settle for 5th. The final Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki Lites class racer, Branden Jesseman, finished 14th on the afternoon (9-24).



Next up for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team is round two of the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championship at Prairie City SVRA (Calif.), aka “Hangtown,” June 1st.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, SX road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, wake, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Villopoto, Jesseman, Stroupe & Metcalfe dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

 

2008 Toyota AMA MX Championship features Monster racers aboard Kawasakis and Yamahas in both the Lites and MX classes



CORONA, Calif., (May 21, 2008) - Monster Energy will certainly be well- represented this summer on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship series tour, aka the "Outdoor Nationals," beginning this weekend with the opening round at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif.



Flying the iconic M-claw flag for Monster Energy in the premier AMA Motocross class will be Monster Energy/Kawasaki's James "Bubba"

Stewart and Tim "Red Dog" Ferry. The two fast Floridians are both expected to challenge for the podium right out of the gate as both have won at Glen Helen in the past, Ferry in 2001 (MX class) and Stewart in 2002 and '04 in the Lites class.



Unfortunately absent from the Glen Helen lineup will be Monster Energy's Grant Langston (Yamaha) - the defending Motocross class overall champion. Langston, who's recovering from a concussion and shoulder injury suffered at Glen Helen during a test session earlier this month, is expected to be on the sidelines for another several weeks before his doctor clears him to begin riding again.



In Langston's place with Yamaha will be Monster Energy's Josh Hill.

Moving up to the MX class this summer, Hill scored three top ten Lites class finishes last summer during his first full season on the Outdoor National tour. With a win at the Minneapolis supercross and 5th place overall finish in the SX class Hill established himself as one of the sport's elite racers in the premier class and is looking to parlay that newfound success outdoors.



The AMA Motocross Lites class will again be stacked with talent from both the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, led by two-time defending champion Ryan Villopoto, as well as defending AMA Western Supercross Lites class champion and '07 Nationals' Lites class 4th place overall finisher, Jason Lawrence (Yamaha of Troy).



Villopoto returns as the odds-on favorite to claim his third consecutive Lites class title. The Poulsbo, Wash., native won five Nationals last year and recorded six additional podium finishes for a

544 to 525 win over then Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammate Ben Townley. Joining Villopoto in the hunt for the Lites class title from Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki will be Austin Stroupe, who scored three top ten finishes in his first three Nationals races last summer. Stroupe is coming off a solid rookie supercross performance as well, finishing 3rd overall in the WSX with a win a Houston.



The two aforementioned Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki racers will be joined by veterans Brett Metcalfe and Branden Jesseman. The Australian Metcalfe finished 7th in the MX Lites points chase last year, recording three overall podium finishes. Jesseman, the 2003 ESX champion, raced a limited Lites schedule last season. His best finish was a 14th at Unadilla.



Finally, Monster Energy is expecting a big season out of its reigning WSX champ - Lawrence. The California transplant scored Nationals podium finishes last year at Budds Creek (Md.) and Unadilla (N.Y.).

Considered more of a pure motocross racer than he is a supercross racer, look for Lawrence to improve upon his 4th place overall finish from last year during the Nationals season.



For more information on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship, link

to: www.amamotocross.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, off-road, enduro, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, surf, snow, BMX - name it - the athletes are rockin' Monster Energy more than anything these days.

Check out all the types - Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called "M-80" and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. All the Monster Energy guys running the Outdoor Nationals will be diggin' 'em - so will you. On the 'Net at www.monsterenergy.com

 

2008 Toyota AMA MX Championship features Monster racers aboard Kawasakis and Yamahas in both the Lites and MX classes



CORONA, Calif., (May 21, 2008) - Monster Energy will certainly be well- represented this summer on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship series tour, aka the "Outdoor Nationals," beginning this weekend with the opening round at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif.



Flying the iconic M-claw flag for Monster Energy in the premier AMA Motocross class will be Monster Energy/Kawasaki's James "Bubba"

Stewart and Tim "Red Dog" Ferry. The two fast Floridians are both expected to challenge for the podium right out of the gate as both have won at Glen Helen in the past, Ferry in 2001 (MX class) and Stewart in 2002 and '04 in the Lites class.



Unfortunately absent from the Glen Helen lineup will be Monster Energy's Grant Langston (Yamaha) - the defending Motocross class overall champion. Langston, who's recovering from a concussion and shoulder injury suffered at Glen Helen during a test session earlier this month, is expected to be on the sidelines for another several weeks before his doctor clears him to begin riding again.



In Langston's place with Yamaha will be Monster Energy's Josh Hill.

Moving up to the MX class this summer, Hill scored three top ten Lites class finishes last summer during his first full season on the Outdoor National tour. With a win at the Minneapolis supercross and 5th place overall finish in the SX class Hill established himself as one of the sport's elite racers in the premier class and is looking to parlay that newfound success outdoors.



The AMA Motocross Lites class will again be stacked with talent from both the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, led by two-time defending champion Ryan Villopoto, as well as defending AMA Western Supercross Lites class champion and '07 Nationals' Lites class 4th place overall finisher, Jason Lawrence (Yamaha of Troy).



Villopoto returns as the odds-on favorite to claim his third consecutive Lites class title. The Poulsbo, Wash., native won five Nationals last year and recorded six additional podium finishes for a

544 to 525 win over then Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammate Ben Townley. Joining Villopoto in the hunt for the Lites class title from Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki will be Austin Stroupe, who scored three top ten finishes in his first three Nationals races last summer. Stroupe is coming off a solid rookie supercross performance as well, finishing 3rd overall in the WSX with a win a Houston.



The two aforementioned Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki racers will be joined by veterans Brett Metcalfe and Branden Jesseman. The Australian Metcalfe finished 7th in the MX Lites points chase last year, recording three overall podium finishes. Jesseman, the 2003 ESX champion, raced a limited Lites schedule last season. His best finish was a 14th at Unadilla.



Finally, Monster Energy is expecting a big season out of its reigning WSX champ - Lawrence. The California transplant scored Nationals podium finishes last year at Budds Creek (Md.) and Unadilla (N.Y.).

Considered more of a pure motocross racer than he is a supercross racer, look for Lawrence to improve upon his 4th place overall finish from last year during the Nationals season.



For more information on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship, link

to: www.amamotocross.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, off-road, enduro, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, surf, snow, BMX - name it - the athletes are rockin' Monster Energy more than anything these days.

Check out all the types - Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called "M-80" and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. All the Monster Energy guys running the Outdoor Nationals will be diggin' 'em - so will you. On the 'Net at www.monsterenergy.com

 

The defending champion Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals team, led by Gibson and Klatt, will run the M-claw logo beginning this weekend



CORONA, Calif., (May 21, 2008) - Along with stepping up as the title sponsor of the 2008 Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals series, Monster Energy announced today that it will again sponsor Jeff Cernic's Kawasaki team, beginning this weekend with the Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals opener in Quebec.



Owner of the defending Canadian MX Nationals No. 1 plate, the Monster Energy/Cernic's/Kawasaki team will this year feature returning premier class racer Jeff Gibson, along with top Canadian racer and former Monster Canadian MX Nationals MX2 & MX1 class champion Dusty Klatt.



According to team owner Jeff Cernic, defending his No. 1 plate - which was won last summer by Paul Carpenter - is the top priority for this year's Canadian Nationals race effort. "2007 was our first year with Billy (Whitley, team manager) and I could not have been more proud of this team," said Cernic. "We had great leadership and attention to detail, won the Canadian Nationals championship and I have the No. 1 plate hanging in my office."



Cernic continued: "The Cernic's family is very excited to be back in Canada in 2008 and we hope for the same success. I feel Jeff and Dusty have a lot to prove coming off so-so supercross seasons and I think they are very pumped to get back outdoors. I really can't wait for the first round to begin this weekend. The Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals is a great series and Cernic's is proud to be part of it."



A preseason favorite to challenge for the crown, Klatt returns to the Monster Canadian MX Nationals as a two-time MX2 class western regional champ (2004 & '05), along with winning the premier MX1 class in 2006.

Klatt will contest the MX1 class this summer on a Cernic's Racing- prepared Kawasaki KX450F.



Gibson is last year's 3rd place overall finisher in the MX1 class, missing 2nd place overall - which would have given Monster/Cernic's/ Kawasaki the 1-2 sweep - by one point, 272-271, to Colton Facciotti.



In addition, Canadian Heidi Cooke will contest the Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals' women's class for the Monster/Cernic's/Kawasaki team. The five-time and defending Canadian women's MX champion is dubbed "Hurricane Heidi."



The nine-round Monster Energy Canadian Nationals kicks off  this Sunday, May 25th in Ste. Julie, Quebec. The remainder of the schedule is as follows:





Date                                                City/Province                                                Venue

5/25                                                 Ste. Julie,Quebec                                    Ste. Julie

6/1                                                   Courtland,Ontario                                    Gopher Dunes

6/14                                                 Morden,Manitoba                                    Shadow Valley Raceway

6/21                                                 Regina,Saskatchewan                           Regina Moto Valley

7/12                                                 Nanaimo, BritishColumbia                   The Wastelands

7/20                                                 Edmonton,Alberta                                   Castrol Raceway

8/2                                                   Moncton, NewBrunswick                        Riverglade MX Park

8/10                                                Ottawa,Ontario                                          San Del Lee

8/17                                                 Walton,Ontario                                        Walton





For more info on the Monster Energy/Cernic's/Kawasaki race program, link to: www.cernicsracing.com And for more information on the Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals and CMRC, link to their website at: www.cmrcracing.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, off-road, enduro, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, surf, snow, BMX - name it - the athletes are rockin' Monster Energy more than anything these days.

Check out all the types - Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called "M-80" and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. All the guys running the Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals will be diggin' 'em - so will you. On the 'Net at www.monsterenergy.com

 

Canada's premier professional competition motocross series will fly the M-claw flag at its nine championship rounds this summer

CORONA, Calif., (May 21, 2008) - Monster Energy announced today that it will return as the title sponsor for the 2008 Monster Energy Canadian Motosport Racing Club (CMRC) Canadian National Motocross Series, aka the "Canadian MX Nationals."



Operating since 1958, the Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals play host to not only the premier Canadian born & bred stars of professional motocross, but also serve as a valid proving ground for up-and-coming American and international racers, as well as a formidable competition ground for familiar names looking to regain their prominence after injury or loss of a pro team ride.



"As Monster Energy pushes further out from the United States in branding its products to new markets, partnering with the Canadian MX Nationals has been a logical move for us - a solid platform to increase Monster Energy's awareness from province to province throughout Canada," said John Lee, Director of Sports Marketing for Monster Energy. "The Canadian MX Nationals feature many names not only familiar to motocross fans here in the States, but also globally thanks in part to Monster Energy AMA Supercross.



"We're pleased to be back on board for our second season as the title sponsor of the Canadian MX Nationals and look forward to the opening round this weekend (May 24-25) at Ste-Julie in Quebec."



Numerous Canadian racers in recent years - like Jean "JSR" Sebastian Roy, Marco Dube, Blair Morgan and Dusty Klatt - have captured championships in Canada and gone on to race American motocross, supercross and arenacross. Along those lines American racers such as "Mad" Mike Jones, Josh Woods, Sean Hamblin, Randy Valade, Evan Laughridge and Kyle Chisholm have either begun (Chisholm) or gone on to extend their careers (Woods) by racing in Canada and winning championships.



In fact, the defending 2007 Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals champion, Monster Energy/Cernic's/Kawasaki's Paul Carpenter, used the Canadian MX Nationals to help return himself to top ten speed in the premier AMA Supercross class of Monster Energy Supercross - even winning this year's top SX privateer award.



"Paul (Carpenter) will be racing the AMA Outdoor Nationals this summer and we wish him the best of luck," said Mark Stallybrass, CMRC/SPI president and series promoter. "That said there's an incredible battle brewing as for who's going to step up and take Paul's spot at the overall Monster Energy CMRC Canadian MX Nationals champion. The field is stacked from top to bottom with talent this summer and we're pumped to have Monster Energy back as the title sponsor."



The nine-round Monster Energy Canadian Nationals kicks off Sunday, May 25th in Ste. Julie, Quebec. The remainder of the schedule is as follows:



Date                                                                        City/Province                                     Venue

5/25                                                                         Ste. Julie,Quebec                              Ste. Julie

6/1                                                                           Courtland,Ontario                              Gopher Dunes

6/14                                                                         Morden,Manitoba                              Shadow Valley Raceway

6/21                                                                         Regina,Saskatchewan                     Regina Moto Valley

7/12                                                                         Nanaimo, BritishColumbia              The Wastelands

7/20                                                                         Edmonton,Alberta                             Castrol Raceway

8/2                                                                            Moncton, NewBrunswick                 Riverglade MX Park

8/10                                                                          Ottawa,Ontario                                  San Del Lee

8/17                                                                         Walton,Ontario                                  Walton



For more information on the Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals and CMRC, link to their website at: www.cmrcracing.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, off-road, enduro, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, surf, snow, BMX - name it - the athletes are rockin' Monster Energy more than anything these days.

Check out all the types - Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called "M-80" and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. All the guys running the Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals will be diggin' 'em - so will you. On the 'Net at www.monsterenergy.com

 

 Monster Energy Supercross looks to carry the momentum of a highly successful SX season into the Outdoor Nationals this summer



CORONA, Calif., (May 22, 2008) -  Monster Energy is pleased to announce today that it has signed on as the exclusive energy drink of the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championships - aka the "Outdoor Nationals" - beginning this weekend at Glen Helen Raceway (San Bernardino, Calif.) and running through the conclusion of the 12-round series at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa.



"Everyone at Monster Energy is looking forward to continuing our relationship with what we feel is the pinnacle of action sports - motocross," said John Lee, Director of Sports Marketing for Monster Energy. "We were very encouraged with the feedback we've received regarding our relationship with Supercross, so we're expecting a seamless transition into the MX Nationals this summer and look forward to again being an integral part of what should prove to be another highly exciting summer of racing."



Already synonymous with victory given its relationship with defending Outdoor National champions Grant Langston (Yamaha) and Ryan Villopoto (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki), along with former champion James "Bubba" Stewart (Monster Energy/Kawasaki), Monster Energy's returns with the 4th annual Monster Energy Triple Crown of Motocross, consisting of High Point (Mt. Morris, Pa.), RedBud (Buchanan, Mich.) and Steel City (Delmont, Pa.).



Add to that three additional Nationals where Monster Energy is the title sponsor (Freestone, Texas, Budds Creek, Md., and Unadilla, N.Y.) and Monster Energy will enjoy title sponsorship at half the 12 events this summer. Fans will of course benefit at all rounds as product samples will be available at the Monster Energy rig on the manufacturer's midway, as well as promotions throughout the season with local retailers. And be sure to check out the custom new Toyota/ Monster Energy finish line structure and, of course, the ever-present Monster Energy girls on the podium!



"Monster Energy's come a long way in its involvement with the MX Nationals and we feel has earned the position as the official energy drink of motocross not only with the fans, but also with the racers,"

added Lee. "Take a step back from the MX Nationals and check out the action at your local track. There you'll see Monster Energy's grass roots involvement with the sport of motocross, something just as important as our involvement on the world's premier motocross circuit."



For more information on the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championships, link to: www.amamotocross.com and www.mxnationals.com

 



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it Monster Energy Supercross, MX, MotoGP, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, surf, snow, BMX - name it - the athletes are rockin' Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types - Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called "M-80" and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Dudes runnin' the Nationals digs 'em - so will you. On the 'Net at www.monsterenergy.com

 

2008 Toyota AMA MX Championship features Monster racers aboard Kawasakis and Yamahas in both the Lites and MX classes



CORONA, Calif., (May 21, 2008) – Monster Energy will certainly be well-represented this summer on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship series tour, aka the “Outdoor Nationals,” beginning this weekend with the opening round at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif.



Flying the iconic M-claw flag for Monster Energy in the premier AMA Motocross class will be Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s James “Bubba” Stewart and Tim “Red Dog” Ferry. The two fast Floridians are both expected to challenge for the podium right out of the gate as both have won at Glen Helen in the past, Ferry in 2001 (MX class) and Stewart in 2002 and ’04 in the Lites class.



Unfortunately absent from the Glen Helen lineup will be Monster Energy’s Grant Langston (Yamaha) – the defending Motocross class overall champion. Langston, who’s recovering from a concussion and shoulder injury suffered at Glen Helen during a test session earlier this month, is expected to be on the sidelines for another several weeks before his doctor clears him to begin riding again.



In Langston’s place with Yamaha will be Monster Energy’s Josh Hill. Moving up to the MX class this summer, Hill scored three top ten Lites class finishes last summer during his first full season on the Outdoor National tour. With a win at the Minneapolis supercross and 5th place overall finish in the SX class Hill established himself as one of the sport’s elite racers in the premier class and is looking to parlay that newfound success outdoors.



The AMA Motocross Lites class will again be stacked with talent from both the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, led by two-time defending champion Ryan Villopoto, as well as defending AMA Western Supercross Lites class champion and ’07 Nationals’ Lites class 4th place overall finisher, Jason Lawrence (Yamaha of Troy).



Villopoto returns as the odds-on favorite to claim his third consecutive Lites class title. The Poulsbo, Wash., native won five Nationals last year and recorded six additional podium finishes for a 544 to 525 win over then Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammate Ben Townley. Joining Villopoto in the hunt for the Lites class title from Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki will be Austin Stroupe, who scored three top ten finishes in his first three Nationals races last summer. Stroupe is coming off a solid rookie supercross performance as well, finishing 3rd overall in the WSX with a win a Houston.



The two aforementioned Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki racers will be joined by veterans Brett Metcalfe and Branden Jesseman. The Australian Metcalfe finished 7th in the MX Lites points chase last year, recording three overall podium finishes. Jesseman, the 2003 ESX champion, raced a limited Lites schedule last season. His best finish was a 14th at Unadilla.



Finally, Monster Energy is expecting a big season out of its reigning WSX champ – Lawrence. The California transplant scored Nationals podium finishes last year at Budds Creek (Md.) and Unadilla (N.Y.). Considered more of a pure motocross racer than he is a supercross racer, look for Lawrence to improve upon his 4th place overall finish from last year during the Nationals season.



For more information on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship, link to: www.amamotocross.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, off-road, enduro, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. All the Monster Energy guys running the Outdoor Nationals will be diggin’ ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com

 

Cows eat directional plates on AMA Hare & Hound course, but it doesn’t matter as Abbott finds his way to the checkers with teammate Morros 2nd

   

CORONA, Calif., (May 19, 2008) – Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Destry Abbott won yet another AMA Hare & Hound Series race – his third of the season – leading from wire-to-wire this past weekend at Round Six of the 2008 series – and bringing what would be his fifth national AMA off road No. 1 plate within reach.

And again pursuing Abbott with all he had was the veteran’s understudy, his 16-year-old Monster Energy/Kawasaki teammate, Josh Morros, who raced to a second place finish at the second Jericho, Utah, event.



Here’s Abbott’s account of the weekend:



Race Day:



“I really felt like I was ready for this race!,” said Abbott. “ I’ve been thinking about it, and preparing for it for more than a month. I knew if I could pull off a win here, I would be sitting really well for winning my 5th national Hare & Hound championship.

On race day I showed up really early, because I was told the club had moved the start of the race up from what it was yesterday (that was a first). I got out there, and had to work on a new line. I felt like the new line I chose would be a good one. When the banner dropped, I had a first kick start and was off. I almost came together with Jacob Argubright, since our lines came together. I was able to edge him out, and was first at the end of the bomb.



I saw Josh (Morros) was 2nd and for the first couple miles, he was pinning it to try and get by. I was able to hold him off when we hit some really dusty sections. For the first half, I rode a good pace and knew it would be hard to pass in the dust. I went down on one of the tighter sections, but was able to get up quick enough before I could see anyone. Around the 25-mile mark I looked back to see how far Josh was behind me, but I was surprised to see it was David Pearson!

I guess he made a good pass on Josh when they went across a road crossing. The first loop was really fast, and I can’t say I was having a fun time with it (48-miles). There were a few sections on this loop that had some scary washouts and some hidden rocks. I figured I would ride a nice safe pace and save my energy for the 2nd loop, which is up in the hills and a lot more technical. When I was going down pit lane I looked back to see if I could see David, but this time it was Josh. I wasn’t sure if David had a bike problem or Josh just got back around him. Later after the race, I was told that David had a huge crash; going around 90 mph. Luckily he didn’t break anything, and was able to walk away, besides knocking himself silly. He said it was one of his scariest crashes in years.



 

Going out on the second loop, I started to pick it up to see if I could put some time on the guys behind me. This loop was way better and we started to get into some slower sections. Once I was in the trees, I couldn’t tell if my pace was good enough to pull away. I know Josh and Pearson ride this stuff really well, too. The second loop was going really well for me and I was riding really smooth and not making to many mistakes. About 25-miles into this loop we started to get into some open fields again. Unfortunately, there were a lot of cows around and they had eaten most of the pie plates on the stakes. This went on for miles and I really had to pay attention and figure out if it was a danger, corner arrow, or wrong way arrow that was missing.



 

The club ended up doing a great job by using a lot of ribbon and that helped me out. I looked back a few times and didn’t see anyone, so I started to back it down for the last 20-miles. With about 10-miles to go I went across a pretty big field, and when I got to the other side I didn’t see any dust. At this point, I knew I had a decent lead. It made the last 10-miles a lot easier, and it was nice to not have to hang it out. The last mile was pretty cool, because there were a lot of spectators cheering me on. That’s was a really good feeling to know I was going to take the win!”



Overall Summary:



“It was another great day of racing for me! The last two H&H’s I won wire-to-wire and I’m starting to think I should try and do this more often. I really like the fact that I didn’t have to eat any dust. Things are starting to look really good for the overall picture that I’m working towards (another national championship).”



The next AMA Hare & Hound race for Abbott and Morros and the Monster Energy/Kawasaki off road team is Round Seven in Wendover, Nev. (Aug. 16). Until then Abbott will prepare for the next WORCS round at Prairie City SVRA, aka “Hangtown,” just outside Folsom, Calif.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it enduro, hare scrambles, MX, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Destry Abbott & Josh Morros dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.



 

•           Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Philippaerts 3rd @ Italian MX GP

•        Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Josh Coppins is 6th @ Italian MX GP

•        Monster Energy/CAS Honda’s Mackenzie’s 7th @ Italian MX GP

•        Monster Energy’s Hopkins suffers broken chain @ French MotoGP



CORONA, Calif., (May 19, 2008) –  Monster Energy’s formidable stable of international motocross racers took to the rolling hills of central northern Italy (Mantova) for the Italian MXGP and to the LeMans circuit for this year’s French MotoGP for a weekend of dirt and road racing action.



Beginning with the motocross racers, Monster Energy/Yamaha’s David Philippaerts, competing on his home course in Mantova, Italy, brought his YZ450F home in 3rd place overall – preserving his position atop the MXGP’s MX1 class overall standings. Philippaerts, who battled back from dead last place to 5th in the first moto, scored a 2nd place finish in the second race for his 3rd overall on the weekend.



“Someone went down in front of me and when I was hit from behind I went over the bike that was lying on the ground,” said Philippaerts of his first MX1 class moto incident. “It was a big crash and also disappointing because I knew it would be hard to win the GP after that. I tried as hard as I could. I was watching my lap-times and I knew they were fast and did the best lap of the race near the end and that was a good thing. In the second moto I pushed to get near to (Max) Nagl so that he would see me and maybe make a mistake but it was raining a lot and I did not want to make a mistake. I thought of the points and did not take any risks. I wanted to win here but to be on the podium is OK. The bike and the team are so good and this is a big reason why we have this lead in the championship.”



Coming home in 6th place overall at the Italian MXGP was Philippaerts’ teammate, Josh Coppins. With a  solid 4th-5th performance Coppins was pumped with his effort given the wet conditions at Mantova circuit.



“It is quite close at the front of the championship and we saw another new winner this weekend,” said Coppins. “I am the only guy from the first few in the standings who has not won yet, but it will come. I think everyone knows that I have had a hard couple of weeks and I am not riding as well as I would like, so I think we did a good job in the motos.”



Coppins continued: “I believe fourth and fifth was not too bad. I closed some points to (Steve) Ramon and pulled away from (Billy) Mackenzie. I was pleased with my starts today even if I did ride badly in the first ten minutes of both motos - I was just too slow. In the last ten minutes I am as fast as the leader but I am too stiff and not relaxed in the first moments of the races. My confidence is getting better though. I don't like this track and it is the only one of the 15 MXGP tracks that I struggle with, so that's another reason why I am pleased with the result. I am looking forward to England now, which is like a home GP for me. I like to think I have a chance to win there.”



Over on the CAS/Honda MXGP team it was again Brit Billy Mackenzie that led the charge, going 9th-4th for 7th place overall in the MX1 class. Mackenzie’s opening moto started out well enough as he moved into 3rd place on lap four past Marc DeReuver. Mackenzie seemed to have that position locked down when, with five laps remaining, he landed wrong off a jump and went down. He was able to remount and continued on in 8th place, only to be passed on the last lap by Tanel Leok.



In the second moto the rains came and Mackenzie didn’t get as good of a start as he did in the first moto, but managed to make it up to 4th place by the seventh lap. He’d settle into this spot and finish out the race in 4th. Mackenzie’s Monster Energy CAS/Honda teammate Mike Brown ran with Mackenzie for a portion of the race, but ended up 15th (19th first moto).



As it stands Mackenzie is in 5th place overall in the MX1 class with 130 points, 19 points back of Coppins for 3rd place.



Next up for the Monster Energy-backed MXGP racers is the Mallory Park (UK) race, May 31-June 1.



Also noteworthy: Monster Energy-backed Jose Butron of the Gariboldi/Yamaha team injured his shoulder and was unable to finish the fifth round of the MX2 European Championships in Portugal. Butron, who won the opening round of the series in Spain, was involved in a first turn, first moto pile up. With the DNF he slipped to 4th overall in the point standings.



MotoGP



A tough weekend at the French MotoGP – aka the Alice Grand Prix de France - for Monster Energy’s John Hopkins (Kawasaki) as a broken chain caused him to DNF.



“After practice and qualifying I really thought we could come away from Le Mans with a good result, which makes today even more frustrating,” said Hopkins. “I got a pretty good start, and was then able to make up places by passing on the brakes, but there are still a number of areas where we’re losing out, on acceleration out of the turns for example, and this makes it difficult to make a pass stick.”



Hopkins was running well – moving up through the pack and poised to make a move into the top five – when the mechanical failure took place. He was forced to lean his bike against the fence and walk back to the paddock on the famous LeMans circuit in LeSarthe.



“As for the chain, I guess that was just bad luck,” said Hopkins. “Now we need to find out why it failed, so we can avoid the same problem in the future.”



Hopkins’ Monster Energy/Kawasaki teammate Anthony West didn’t fair well in France either, struggling with reported rear tire grip problems on his Ninja ZX-RR. So overall on the weekend West would finish 14th and Hopkins would get a DNF.



Next up for the Monster Energy/Kawasaki MotoGP racers is the Grand Prix of Italy, June 1st, at the legendary Mugello circuit.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, British Superbikes, rally, rock crawling, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Everybody in Europe’s starting to dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.







 

Monster’s Josh Hayes (Erion/Honda) is 2nd in the Formula Xtreme class in an incredible race with teammate Jake Zemke - .066 diff between 1st & 2nd!



CORONA, Calif., (May 19, 2008) –  Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking put his ZX10-R on the podium twice in the premier Superbike class at Infineon Raceway’s (Sonoma, Calif.) AMA Superbike Championship doubleheader this past weekend, scoring season-best 3rd place podium finishes on both Saturday and Sunday.



With the effort Hacking moved all the way up to 5th place in the overall points chase after four (of 11) rounds. “My job’s to come out here and make Kawasaki look good,” said Hacking after the race.



Having one podium under his belt from Saturday, Hacking picked up where he left off and was dominant early in Sunday’s Superbike contest. He got by Suzuki’s Aaron Yates and Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom in the opening laps of the race, then battled with Jason DiSalvo (Yamaha) for 3rd place – a battle which Hacking would win when DiSalvo left the track on lap eight.



In the Formula Xtreme class Monster Energy-backed Josh Hayes (Erion Honda) and his teammate, Jake Zemke, battled in what proved to be one of the closest finishes of the season with Zemke taking a .066 of a second win over Hayes (2nd). His second-straight podium finish in Formula Xtreme, Hayes actually put down the fastest lap time of the contest with a blistering 1:37.277 to Zemke’s 1:37.588. The podium finish for Hayes allowed him to move into the top five overall in the Formula Xtreme point standings after a controversial DQ in the Daytona (Fla.) race – a contest which he’d won, but was found to have an altered bike part (crank shaft) and came away with zero points.



Also running well in the Formula Xtreme race was Monster Energy’s Chaz Davies (Attack/Kawasaki). Davies had the third-fastest lap time of the contest with a 1:37.947 and was running in 4th place overall and battling for 3rd with teammate Steve Rapp when a mechanical failure ended his day. Davies is currently in 4th place overall in the Formula Xtreme points chase, 16 points back of Larry Peagram for 3rd place (111-95).



In the Supersport class Hayes scored a top five finish (5th) and moved into 7th place in the overall points chase. He overcame a start that had him outside the top ten and raced into a top five position by lap nine of the 17-lap contest. Davies was 10th in the Supersport class and is currently in 6th place overall in the standings with 92 points.



Next up for the Monster Energy-backed racers on the AMA Superbike Championship tour is the May 29 to June 1 contest at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. For more information on the series, link to www.amasuperbike.com .



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it road racing, rally, rock crawling, MX, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. All the guys running the Monster Energy logo on the AMA Superbike Championship tour dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

 

Canada’s premier professional competition motocross series will fly the M-claw flag at its nine championship rounds this summer

Want Your Shot at Winning a Louie Vito Omatic Snowboard?

Go on over to RobustFlavor and check out the interview with Monster Army rider, Louie Vito. While you're there, sign up for their Newsletter and automatically be entered to win Louie's board. 

2008 FEET ON FIRE.





The much anticipated Feet on Fire went off with a bang.



With the secret location set, the date starts to filter out and the excitement building for over 3 weeks. It was time for the 2008 Feet on Fire! The day was May 12 2008 and the secret location was Clear Lake, Orlando FL.



 



The Feet on Fire  event is in it's 4th year. The organizers, Daniel Watkins and Danno the Mano say "This is with out a doubt the event of the year".

  The "Who's Who" of wakeboarding started to gather at around 12 o'clock to draw names out of the hat to determine the head to head shoot outs and put their best toe forward to take the coveted Feet on Fire crown for 2008.







The first round of action saw former Feet on Fire champions Shawn Watson and JD Webb both drawing a bye in the first round. Being the bare footers they are, they both decided to put on a demo and do a practice foot run to get their feet warm. As it turned out Watson was the victor in that one but, wasn't so lucky later in the day falling short in the 3rd round to the runner up and Tige team rider Daniel Watkins







After a climatic finish to the day with the finals going to a tie breaker with legs like jello and feet on fire it was Zane Schwank who stole the show. Taking the hand crafted trophy and the pride to be named the 2008 Feet on Fire Champion.





The day also saw the shoe ski shoot out between Zane Schwank and Anthony Monaco for the coveted Shoe King Belt Buckle. This has been a fury of words between these rivals since the 2007 Wakeboarding Magazine Wake Awards when Monaco, while presenting an award, challenged Zane to this shoe ski shoot out at Feet on Fire 2008. It was Monaco at the end of the day that reclaimed his title as the Shoe King with clean line steps, an air front flip and a wake to wake back roll. He will wear the Shoe King belt buckle proud for 12 more months.







The day of action went of with out a hitch thanks to the help from the most versatile boat in the industry, the Tige RZ2.





Thanks to Tige, Monster Energy, Chik Fil a, Buck for the ever so famous leader board and the fans who made the event what it is today.

Check in at alliance wake.com for the video footage in the up coming weeks.

 Monster Energy/Kawasaki off road racer has a pretty big weekend - scores a podium finish at round four of the WORCS tour and turns pro!

   

CORONA, Calif., (May 13, 2008) – Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Josh Morros, the 16-year-old off road sensation from Sparks, Nev., had about as big a race weekend as one could expect for a guy his age when he topped some of the world’s best racers on the World Off Road Championship Series’ (WORCS) tour stop in Hollister, Calif., making the podium (3rd) and ‘officially’ turning pro.



A bit of a departure from guys his age that ride dirt bikes, Morros entered a competition motorcycle series that features veteran motocross racers, many of which (including Bobby Bonds and Damon Huffman) had successful professional motocross/supercross careers. So while many of Morros’ buddies are on him for “not racing motocross,” Morros just shrugs it off and does what he enjoys most – racing off road.



Monster Energy caught up with Morros who was about to swap out some tires on his KXF off road bike for this weekend’s AMA Hare & Hound Series race in Utah. Stoked with his podium finish and new “pro” status on the WORCS tour, Morros offered up some solid answers to the questions we posed.



Monster Energy: Hey, man, congrats on your podium finish this weekend! At 16 years old and racing guys like your Monster Energy/Kawasaki teammate Destry Abbott, Ricky Dietrich, Bonds and Huffman – all of whom were on Kawis – that had to be pretty insane.



Josh Morros: “Yeah, I was actually leading the race for about an hour and a half before Ricky and Bobby got by me. After that it all seemed like a dream. I was shocked, really, but pumped at the same time.”



MA: We’re only five races into the WORCS season and you’d been running the Pro 2 class. Did you expect a podium to come this quick?



JM: “I’d talked to Jason (Smigel, Kawasaki off road team manager) to see if they were going to hold me back if I was running in the top five. (Note: Pro 2 class racers finishing in the top five of a WORCS main event are automatically bumped up to the pro class.) Jason said ‘Nope, we’ll just let you go.’ So I rode strong at the Washington round and by Hollister I thought it’d be a good time to get my feet wet and just went for it.”



MA: You’re being pretty modest, Jason. Word out of the WORCS was that you had the speed to make the podium last year.



JM: “My goal last year was to make the top five, but I ended up breaking my elbow at the Olympia (Wash.) round. That ended my season (plate, six pins and two screws). I hit rehab real hard and was able to start riding again this past December and the doctor gave me the green light to race in January, said my strength came back better than ever. So I won the 250A class at the opener, but then had some brake trouble in the Pro 2 class and ended up like 4th.”



MA: That was at Phoenix?



JM: “Yeah. And when I was there I started working with a trainer, James Perez, and since then my fitness and strength has gotten a lot better. But I dunno…I just didn’t really push it until Hollister. It all came together this past weekend and I really can’t put a finger on ‘why,’ it just happened.”



MA: So you’ve made a WORCS podium at 16-years-old. That’s huge. Have you set any other goals for the summer?



JM: “My first goal was to make a podium. And my main goal now is to stay consistent and in the top five for the rest of the races. I lost all my Pro 2 points when I moved up to the Pro class, so overall I think it’s realistic if I shoot for the top ten, top five overall – maybe. I’d also like to qualify for the ISDE (“Six Days”). I have a qualifier in Idaho the same weekend as Hangtown, but that’s also a big goal of mine – has been for some time.”



MA: That’s wild - a dude your age having the ISDE as a goal vs. qualifying for an AMA MX National.



JM: “I’d still like to try and qualify for Loretta’s some day, but motocross is not my scene. I’m just not cut out for it.”



MA: Monster Energy’s obviously down with the MX/SX scene. That said, how’s the vibe with Monster product at the off road events like WORCS and AMA Hare & Hound?”



JM: “All the kids are coming up and getting Monsters from the rig, so it’s definitely a big part of the off road scene.”



MA: And what types do you run?



JM: “I’d have to say it’s a tie between Khaos and Monster Original.”



MA: Right on, Josh. Hey, good luck this weekend we’ll look forward to following your results throughout the summer.



JM: “Thanks a lot. I’m pumped to be part of the Monster Army.”



Next up for Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Josh Morros is this weekend’s (May 17th) AMA Hare & Hound Series race – round six – in Jericho, Utah.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it enduro, hare scrambles, MX, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Josh Morros digs ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

 

Watson leads a strong contingent of Monster Energy-backed athletes that descend upon Orlando and take it to the world’s best rail riders

CORONA, Calif., (May 12, 2008) – Monster Energy’s Shawn Watson was crowned king of the rails this past weekend at the Carnival, the nation’s premier wakeboarding rail event held at the Projects on the outskirts of Orlando.

Watson showcased his best stuff all weekend long in taking the Carnival win – arguably the biggest rail win of his career. “To win the Carnival is huge,” said Watson. “We had a bunch of guys from Monster there competing and all had each other’s backs. The competition level was insane. I was fortunate to have won because there were ten guys that were killing it all weekend.”

In the opening round Watson got by fellow Monster Energy wakeboarder Kevin Henshaw, then topped Aaron Rathy and edged Keith Lidberg in a close match. In the finals Watson was pitted against defending Carnival champ, Parks Bonifay. Again Watson stepped up and laid down a colossal finals run that included a switch toeside 270 to back lip slide/270 off the Fox transfer box. Watson then nose pressed the entire Hyperlite A-frame, giving him the win over Bonifay.

“Watson has a solid, consistent run with a lot of variety,” added Tony Smith, on of the event’s judges.

Other Monster Energy wakeboarders competing at the Carnival included: Daniel Watkins, Shane Bonifay and Danny Harf.

This weekend (May 16-18) is the first Wakeboarding Pro Tour stop of the season, opening in Acworth, Ga. Monster Energy athletes will be out in full force, including: Watson, Harf, Bonifay, Henshaw, Jimmy LaRiche (Jr. Men) and Melissa Marquardt.

Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it wakeboards jibbing, bonking, hucking and schralping across rails, snowmobile distance jumping, enduro, hare scrambles, MX, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Everybody at the big wakeboarding events are diggin’ ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

 Yamaha-mounted Monster Energy/Andrews Racing duo sits in 2nd (Gibson) and 3rd (Weisenfels) o/a in the GNCC MX2 class



CORONA, Calif., (May 12, 2008) – Monster Energy/Andrews/Yamaha racers Josh Weisenfels and Dustin Gibson battled some atrocious conditions on their YZ250Fs this past weekend in Millfield, Ohio, and managed to put up solid 5th and 6th place scores, respectively, at round six of the 2008 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series – aka the “GNCCs.”



Veteran of many GNCC wars, Monster Energy/Andrews/Yamaha team owner Fred Andrews said simply: “This was one of the muddiest races of all time.”



Weisenfels figured ‘no problem’ as he took the early lead in the race – only to get marooned in a mud hole on the first lap. Fortunately it was close enough to the pro pits and the Monster Energy/Andrews/Yamaha camp that team mechanics were able to run over to help extract Weisenfels from the mud. But when he finally got going again he’d gone from the lead – to five minutes down.



“And Dustin had just as rough of a go of it,” said Andrews. “He got stuck as well, then ended up charging as hard as he could to get back in the top ten.”



By the last lap Weisenfels had worked his way up from five minutes back to 7th place, with Gibson in 6th. A super-human effort from Weisenfels moved him past Gibson and into the top five, while Gibson soldiered on to 6th place overall.



With the efforts Gibson and Weisenfels are in 2nd and 3rd places overall, respectively, in the GNCC’s MX2 class. Noteworthy: Monster Energy/Andrews/Yamaha teammate Dave Snyder crashed out of the race on the first lap.



Next up for the Monster Energy/Andrews/Yamaha team is the May 31-June 1 Sparta, Ky., GNCC.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it off-road, enduro, MX, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Fred Andrews and his boyz dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.



 

This Weeks guest  is 2007 Boardercross Winter X Games gold medalist; snowboarder Nate Holland drops into the Habit.

The Daily Habit is a half-hour daily show highlighting today’s most-popular action sports celebrities, musicians, comedy, and cutting-edge new products. It’s hosted by Pat Parnell, NBC television commentator for the Olympic Games and the Dew Action Sports Tour. The Daily Habit airs each night at 9:00pm ET/PT and is re-telecast the next day at 12:00am ET, 8:30am ET, and 3:00pm ET

Abbott runs ‘er hard but admits the dusty conditions got the better of him this time – looking forward to resuming the AMA Hare & Hound Series

CORONA, Calif., (May 12, 2008) – Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Destry Abbott did his best to put his Kawasaki KX450F on the overall premier class podium of the World Off Road Championship Series (WORCS), but came up just a click short when he settled for 11th place in a gentlemanly finish on the Hollister, Calif., competition circuit.



Abbott’s Monster Energy/Kawasaki teammate Josh Morros would fare a bit better as he made his first podium as a pro, finishing a strong 3rd at Hollister.



The current points leader in the AMA Hare & Hound Series and Team USA Six Days Enduro member, Abbott tells his side of the story regarding the Hollister WORCS round.



“After yesterday’s practice I felt really good about the race, but I knew the start was going to be important,” said Abbott. “There were some really fun sections, but there were also a few sections that were super dusty. The WORCS crew did a great job on trying to water most of it though. I was late getting to the start, and lost my gate pick (which was my fault). I started on the inside, and I was hoping everyone would push wide. We pretty much had a full gate of pros, which is always nice. When the gate dropped I had a pretty good jump, but didn’t fare to well coming around the first corner.



Once we got into the off-road section, I had to back off because of the dust. I was probably around 15th and sucking a lot of dust. I was trying to push it in the sections where it was watered, but I just wasn’t flowing to well. The first few laps were just miserable for me and I had a tough time trying to move forward. Finally, a half hour into it, I started to feel better and wanted to see about pushing it. I believe I was around 15th and knew it was going to be hard to make up a lot of time. I picked off a few guys here and there, but it was really hard with the dust. The lap before I pitted I tangled with a lapper and put myself on the ground. It wasn’t a high speed one, but it took a little bit before I could get the bike fired up again.



I stopped for a splash of gas, clean goggles and was back off. I saw Sean Collier was about 20 seconds ahead of me, and I wanted to see if I could get by. The next few laps, I would close the gap and then have to back off in other sections. Then I saw that he had made a pass on Jamie Lanza and started to pull away a little bit. I was really feeling good and wasn’t tired, but just couldn’t get around Jamie.



Then the white flag came out, and I got within seven seconds. I was hoping I could get close enough to him when we hit the MX track (before the finish). But before we got to the finish, I saw he went down on one of the high speed roads. I made sure he was ok and then went after Sean, but came up 20-seconds short.”

Abbott’s Overall Summary:



“It was really a tough day for me, my start wasn’t the best and I couldn’t get up to speed for a little bit. Once I felt normal my speed was good, but I really didn’t want to let it hang out and take chances. I just kept thinking about the H&H race I have in six days. That’s my main focus right now, and I could lose a lot more there then I can gain here. I feel really good about the way I’m riding, and the way the bike is working. I’m looking forward to this weekend in Utah!”



Next up for Monster Energy’s Destry Abbott is this weekend’s (May 17th) AMA Hare & Hound Series race – round six – in Jericho, Utah.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it enduro, hare scrambles, MX, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Destry Abbott digs ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.



 

 

Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Philippaerts wins Bulgarian MX GP



Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Josh Coppins is 6th @ MX GP



Monster Energy/CAS Honda’s Billy Mackenzie places 9th



Monster Energy’s Cal Crutchlow goes 3-1 @ Brands Hatch



CORONA, Calif., (May 12, 2008) –  Monster Energy racers enjoyed a couple wins and an additional podium finish this past weekend in both motocross and road racing competitions throughout Europe.



Beginning with the MXGP tour, which stopped at the Sevlievo circuit for the Grand Prix of Bulgaria, David Philippaerts (Monster Energy/Yamaha) would take the overall victory with a strong 1-2 performance on the difficult track. With the win the Italian racer extends his lead in the overall MX1 class point chase, 17 points ahead of defending MX1 class champion Steve Ramon (149-132) and 34 points ahead of Monster Energy/Yamaha teammate Josh Coppins who finished 6th overall (4-7) at Sevlievo.



Other Monster Energy-backed racers figuring in the top 15 overall at Sevlievo included Monster Energy/CAS Honda’s Billy Mackenzie who finished 9th overall in MX1 and is currently 4th overall in the points chase (100 points) and his teammate Mike Brown who finished 12th in Bulgaria and is 11th overall in points.



Racer quotes from the Bulgarian MXGP…



Philippaerts: "This is a really good result for me. I tried to win both races but (Jon) Barragan was very fast in that second moto and I had some luck when I saw him crash. I was pretty tired by that point and I could not stop (Sebastien) Pourcel taking the lead. The track was very different in the afternoon. The rain had made it very slippery and some more lines appeared. The mud went softer and got bumpier. The bike is really good and the team are working hard. I'm happy for this; a good day!"



Coppins: "I thought that things would turnaround for me this weekend but I am really disappointed with how the motos went. My starts were not good, which is unusual for me, and I was too slow at the beginning of the first moto. I wanted to do better for the second moto but David (Philippaerts) cut across me coming out of the gate. That's OK though because I would have done the same if I also had the holeshot. I was stuck in the middle of the pack and by the time I passed riders there was too big a gap to rise any further. This is not what I wanted ahead of Mantova, which is perhaps the hardest track of the year for me and I am losing my patience; it has been a hard start to this championship.”



Mackenzie: “Race one was desperate! I was frustrated that the speed I had just wasn’t quick enough to win the race. My second race was much better though.”



Brown: “I was pleased with my performance in the second race however I much prefer a more technical track personally.”



Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, May 11-12



KENT, UK - Monster Energy/HM Plant Honda’s Cal Crutchlow upped the ante on his first race podium finish (3rd) to win the second main event and take the overall at this past weekend’s Brands Hatch round of the 2008 British Superbike Championship.



Crutchlow, who had dislocated his right ankle less than a week ago, pulled a great start and led the opener for 15 laps before being caught by Shane Byrne and tom Sykes. Crutchlow’s hard-charging Monster Energy/HM Plant Honda teammate, Leon Haslam, overcame a poor start to finish 4th – right on Crutchlow’s rear fender. Not willing to let that happen again, Crutchlow then grabbed the lead in the second main event and was awarded the victory when the race was red-flagged due to a Sykes crash.



Crutchlow currently occupies 2nd place overall in the BSB points chase behind Byrne (140-96). Haslam’s in 5th with 56 points.



Up next for the Monster Energy/HM Plant Honda racers on the Bennetts British Superbike Series is the May 24-26 contest at Donnington Park.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, British Superbikes, rally, rock crawling, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Everybody in Europe’s starting to dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.



 

It's been a very busy couple of weeks so sorry for the delay. A couple of weeks ago I shot my first music video in Hollywood California. It was to promote the new song I did with Simon and Pippa Tabron benefiting the Stephen Murray family fund. Fuel came out and did a behind the scenes thing and did a few interviews so that was cool. I think it will help a lot and it will be playing on MTV and for sure on NBC. I also confirmed doing color commentary for NBC this year foe the Dew Action Sports Tour so I'm excited about that.

Last week was really cool with the Supercross being in town. I made several appearances including the Road to Recovery golf tournament which helps moto athletes who pay the ultimate price for what they do. I've played in that tournament since it started and don't plan to ever miss it. This week was back to business week. I was stoked to see two magazine articles that I was able to feature in.One was UK Ride and it featured my broken leg all stapled up a few days after the accident. It mentioned how I just resigned for life with Monster energy drink with a broken leg and how that was love. It also said thanks to Chuck and Schwinn for helping me during those first few rough days. Thanks again for that. I have an amazing new poster coming out with Monster as well sporting a Schwinn shirt and it has a lot of flavor so it'll be a pleasure signing those this year.

Last but most important I'm 100% back. For the first time in six months I really feel like a true BMXer again. I dropped the dock at my house and completed the entire yard making it through first go. I've been sweating that since I got hurt cause I knew the boys would expect me not to pull it over. I'm sessioning everyday now helping Cam White get ready for the season and getting myself ready for what ever comes my way. I'm on my way to Panama for 6 weeks to film another season of the MTV Challenge series so when I get back from that it'll be on for sure. This week I plan on doing an interview with UK Ride and with Vital BMX so it's gonna be another good one. Sorry for such a long one but I had some catching up to do.

Nothing but love TJ

 

Hill (Yamaha) stepped up in the main and scored a 4th overall to Ferry’s (Monster Energy/Kawasaki) 9th and captures the fifth and final top 5 spot



CORONA, Calif., (May 5, 2008) – A couple Monster Energy-backed supercross racers had an interesting battle going at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium this past Saturday as it came right down to the wire as to which racer – Josh Hill (Yamaha) or Tim Ferry (Monster Energy/Kawasaki) - would earn the coveted fifth and final top five Supercross class position on Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship tour.



And in the end it would be Hill that would earn that spot, making it even more interesting as he failed to qualify in his heat race, then went out and won the LCQ by 14 seconds over Ryan Clark to take the momentum he needed into the main.



“I’m pumped with the top five spot in my first year racing the Supercross class,” said Hill. “And congrats to Timmy (Ferry) on a great year. He came back strong from injury and made things real close heading into the last race.”



Having to make up four points in the main (Ferry trailed Hill 210-206 heading into Vegas), Ferry had speed to burn coming out of the second heat race where he made the podium in 3rd. In the main event Ferry pulled a real good start and came around after the first lap in 5th, while Hill was a bit more conservative off the gate and barely cracked the top ten (9th) when the first lap was complete.



As Ferry battled a bit with Nick Wey and a hard-charging Chad Reed (the eventual race winner), Hill put his head down and started picking off riders. By lap six Hill had caught Ferry, showed him a tire, then was able to get past the veteran on lap seven. Ferry kept his sights on Hill for the next lap, then a mistake on lap nine would allow three riders – Davi Millsaps, Charles Summey and Travis Preston – to get by, leaving Ferry in 9th and four spots behind Hill (4th).



And that's how it’d remain through the checkers as Hill would take 4th and Ferry would follow his Monster Energy/Kawasaki teammate, Preston, over the finish line jump at the checkers in 9th.



The final points read: 5th Josh Hill, 228; 6th Tim Ferry, 218.



“Congrats to Josh. He rode consistent this year, stayed healthy and deserves to be in the top five,” said Ferry.



Monster Energy’s Josh Hill and Tim Ferry will now look to focus on getting their bikes set up for the opening round of the 2008 AMA Outdoor Nationals, set for May 25th at Glen Helen (San Bernardino, Calif.).



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Josh Hill & Tim Ferry dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.



 

Villopoto takes a best-ever 2nd place finish in the Dave Coombs East/West Shootout; teammates Metcalfe & Stroupe also make all-star races’ top ten



CORONA, Calif., (May 5, 2008) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto was dominant in his heat race, pulled the holeshot in the Dave Coombs East/West Lites Shootout and led the main before eventually winding up in 2nd place overall in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, 17th and final event of the season.



Villopoto, who battled back from a wrist injury that ended up costing him the ESX Lites title, led the first 14 of 15 laps but was caught by race winner Ryan Dungey about a third of the way into the final lap. And though Villopoto would counter and show Dungey a tire on several occasions soon thereafter, a couple mistakes late in the lap would cost Villopoto the win.



“That was definitely one of the fastest supercross tracks I’ve ever ridden, great racing and Ryan (Dungey) rode really good,” said Villopoto. “I had the lead and could see he (Dungey) was catching me, but it wasn’t until we ran into the lappers that he was able to make up the most ground and capitalize on my mistakes.”



Still, the 2nd place podium finish was the first podium finish for Villopoto at the East/West Lites Shootout. And he let it be known early that it was his main event for the taking, beating Nico Izzi in 60 mph drag race to the first turn and racing the most dominant heat of the evening to score a 16-second win in the four lap contest.



Also making a statement in his heat race was Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Stroupe. The rookie Lites class racer set the stage in the first heat race with a blistering 1:09.815 best lap – only two tenths of a second behind Supercross class winner Chad Reed’s fastest time up to that point. Stroupe cruised to victory and took that momentum to the main where he overcame a first lap disaster to make the top ten – a feat in and of itself considering he was racing against a field of the fastest Lites class supercross racers on the planet. In the Lites main Stroupe recorded the third-fastest lap time in his charge back from last to the top ten, just a couple clicks behind Villopoto and Dungey.



Also getting collected in that first lap mayhem was Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Brett Metcalfe. The Aussie/American transplant would battle back from just a bit better position than Stroupe and place 7th overall in the main, giving Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki three racers in the top ten – not bad for the East/West Shootout.



On the year both Villopoto (ESX) and Stroupe (WSX) ended up on the overall Monster Energy Supercross Lites podium, Villopoto in 2nd and Stroupe in 3rd. Metcalfe (WSX) and Jesseman (ESX) would both finish 4th overall, each just five points back of the 3rd place overall podium spot. In addition, Metcalfe would make the podium three times and Jesseman two times this season.



Next up for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team is the opening round of the 2008 AMA Outdoor Nationals, Sunday, May 25th, at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif.



 Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Villopoto, Stroupe, Metcalfe & Jesseman dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.



 

Costella is the first rider ever to win the 10-inch and 12-inch classes



CORONA, Calif., (May 5, 2008) – Monster  Energy-backed Derek Costella (Monster Energy/BBR) stepped up and made mini bike racing history this past weekend in Las Vegas, sweeping the 10-inch and 12-inch (wheel) classes at the “Biggest Mini Bike Race on the Planet, the fifth annual AMA/Maxxis MiniMoto Supercross at the Orleans Hotel & Casino.



Costella made it clear that he was not going to be denied in either main event, pulling two consecutive SGR Holeshot awards and topping a field that included such mini bike greats as David Pingree, Willy Browning, Ryan Abrigio, Chris Gosselaar, Ryan Beat and the Blose brothers – Chris and Mike.



“Stoked I could put Monster on top of the box in both classes,” said Costella. “Pretty historic night for sure. Thanks to Monster for its support.”



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it mini bikes, MX, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Derek Costella digs ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

Hopper has a number of issues that keep him from running his usual top five

self on MotoGP circuit; teammate Anthony West finishes 17th overall



CORONA, Calif., (May 5, 2008) - Monster Energy-backed John Hopkins, aboard

the factory s Monster Energy branded Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR, overcame a get

together with another rider early in the race that rendered him unable to

challenge for the podium at this past weekend's Chinese Grand Prix -

likewise for his teammate Anthony West with reported traction issues (a

problem that hampered both racers).



In a press communication from Hopkins' Monster Energy/Kawasaki MotoGP team,

Hopper was on it early and made up a number of spots from his 5th row

starting position. He then came together early in the contest with Alex de

Angelis and suffered a bit of a puncture wound on his knee. Hopkins would

persist, but was unable to catch the top ten racers he had to settle on two

championship points with his 14th place finish.



Said Hopkins: "We went out in the wet warm-up session this morning with high

hopes of a good result in the rain or dry today. By the time we got to the

race, the circuit had started to dry out and we had to make a decision on

tire choice, which maybe wasn't the best. I struggled right from the start

with rear traction problems, and I pushed hard to make my way through the

field. I made a few mistakes and ran off the track in places, it was a

really tough race. I'm very disappointed as it's not the result I wanted for

my hundredth Grand Prix, but we must stay focused and try to make amends at

the next round."



Hopkins and the Monster Energy/Kawasaki Racing Team continue the MotoGP tour

on May 18th with the annual running of the French GP, dubbed the Alice Grand

Prix De France. For more information on MotoGP, link to: www.motogp.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MotoGP, ski, MX, snocross, road

racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snowboards,

BMX - name it - the athletes are rockin' Monster Energy more than anything

these days. Check out all the types - Original Monster Energy, Monster

Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid

called "M-80" and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream

supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Hopper digs 'em - so will you.

On the 'Net at www.monsterenergy.com .

Villopoto takes a best-ever 2nd place finish in the Dave Coombs East/ West

Shootout; teammates Metcalfe & Stroupe also make all-star races'

top ten



CORONA, Calif., (May 5, 2008) - Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Ryan

Villopoto was dominant in his heat race, pulled the holeshot in the Dave

Coombs East/West Lites Shootout and led the main before eventually winding

up in 2nd place overall in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World

Championship, 17th and final event of the season.



Villopoto, who battled back from a wrist injury that ended up costing him

the ESX Lites title, led the first 14 of 15 laps but was caught by race

winner Ryan Dungey about a third of the way into the final lap.

And though Villopoto would counter and show Dungey a tire on several

occasions soon thereafter, a couple mistakes late in the lap would cost

Villopoto the win.



"That was definitely one of the fastest supercross tracks I've ever ridden,

great racing and Ryan (Dungey) rode really good," said Villopoto. "I had the

lead and could see he (Dungey) was catching me, but it wasn't until we ran

into the lappers that he was able to make up the most ground and capitalize

on my mistakes."



Still, the 2nd place podium finish was the first podium finish for Villopoto

at the East/West Lites Shootout. And he let it be known early that it was

his main event for the taking, beating Nico Izzi in 60 mph drag race to the

first turn and racing the most dominant heat of the evening to score a

16-second win in the four lap contest.



Also making a statement in his heat race was Monster Energy/Pro

Circuit/Kawasaki's Austin Stroupe. The rookie Lites class racer set the

stage in the first heat race with a blistering 1:09.815 best lap - only two

tenths of a second behind Supercross class winner Chad Reed's fastest time

up to that point. Stroupe cruised to victory and took that momentum to the

main where he overcame a first lap disaster to make the top ten - a feat in

and of itself considering he was racing against a field of the fastest Lites

class supercross racers on the planet. In the Lites main Stroupe recorded

the third-fastest lap time in his charge back from last to the top ten, just

a couple clicks behind Villopoto and Dungey.



Also getting collected in that first lap mayhem was Monster Energy/Pro

Circuit/Kawasaki's Brett Metcalfe. The Aussie/American transplant would

battle back from just a bit better position than Stroupe and place 7th

overall in the main, giving Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki three

racers in the top ten - not bad for the East/West Shootout.



On the year both Villopoto (ESX) and Stroupe (WSX) ended up on the overall

Monster Energy Supercross Lites podium, Villopoto in 2nd and Stroupe in 3rd.

Metcalfe (WSX) and Jesseman (ESX) would both finish 4th overall, each just

five points back of the 3rd place overall podium spot. In addition, Metcalfe

would make the podium three times and Jesseman two times this season.



Next up for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team is the opening

round of the 2008 AMA Outdoor Nationals, Sunday, May 25th, at Glen Helen

Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, road racing, supermoto,

off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX - name it - the

athletes are rockin' Monster Energy more than anything these days.

Check out all the types - Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster

Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called "M-80" and

the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with

our Monster Energy blend. Villopoto, Stroupe, Metcalfe & Jesseman dig 'em -

so will you. On the 'Net at www.monsterenergy.com .

Costella is the first rider ever to win the 10-inch and 12-inch classes



 CORONA, Calif., (May 5, 2008) – Monster  Energy-backed Derek Costella (Monster Energy/BBR) stepped up and made mini bike racing history this past weekend in Las Vegas, sweeping the 10-inch and 12-inch (wheel) classes at the “Biggest Mini Bike Race on the Planet, the fifth annual AMA/Maxxis MiniMoto Supercross at the Orleans Hotel & Casino.



Costella made it clear that he was not going to be denied in either main event, pulling two consecutive SGR Holeshot awards and topping a field that included such mini bike greats as David Pingree, Willy Browning, Ryan Abrigio, Chris Gosselaar, Ryan Beat and the Blose brothers – Chris and Mike.



“Stoked I could put Monster on top of the box in both classes,” said Costella. “Pretty historic night for sure. Thanks to Monster for its support.”



 Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it mini bikes, MX, road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, off-road, surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Derek Costella digs ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.