RC talks about racing the NASCAR Camping World Series East, including his transition from dirt bikes to stock cars and other ‘insider’ stuff on the GOAT!

CORONA, Calif., (August 28, 2008) – The recent Mansfield (Ohio) 150 NASCAR Camping World Series East event – a feeder system to NASCAR’s Truck and Sprint Cup series – shaped up like any of a number of regional round-de-round races happening across the United States on a warm Saturday evening.

Catching they eye of even the most die-hard racing fans at Mansfield was the slick-looking No. 4 Monster Energy-emblazoned car driven by Ricky Carmichael. Close to ‘just another name’ in this league, the younger fans at the Camping World Series East event point out to their dads – and grandpas – that RC is one of the greatest action sports stars of all time.

Not one to rest on his MX laurels, Monster Energy’s RC has embarked on a new competitive venture with the Ken Schrader Racing team. And the Carmichael spirit was as evident at Mansfield - as it was at places like the Pontiac, Mich., Silverdome in 2002 - where RC once charged from dead last to a challenge for the lead.

Only at Mansfield he had to do it twice.

“I missed the driver intros so they sent me to the back for the start,” said Carmichael, taking full blame for the miscommunication. “They (NASCAR officials) had a revised schedule and I missed it.”

So instead of starting in the 13^th position in his #4 Monster Energy Chevrolet, RC was relegated to the back row. A place he’d end up finding a couple times during the 150-lap race after spinning out again midway through the race on lap 75, then charging back again – as he’d done so many times on a dirt bike – to put the Monster Energy car back into the top ten (which in NASCAR teams is like the top five in MX).

The effort was RC’s sixth top ten finish of the season and put his Ken Schrader Racing team into seventh place in the overall Camping World East points chase with three races remaining in this, RC’s first full season of stock car racing.

Between testing, travel and appearances – and some occasional hot laps on his MX track with buddies – Monster Energy caught up with RC to get his feelings on this entirely new sport he’s beginning to get wired.

Monster Energy: RC, what’s been the biggest adjustment you’ve had to make crossing over from motocross to auto racing?

Ricky Carmichael: “Well, there are so many little things that add up to one big one. The biggest one that always come to mind is the level of competitiveness and the parity that the sport has. There’s always ten guys that have a chance at winning.”

ME: Talk a bit about some of the MX/NASCAR promotions you’ve pulled off and how those have done setting the hook on some MX fans and reeling them into the world of NASCAR.

RC: “I think just the amount of time that I spent in MX alone has a lot to do with the fans following me through my transition, along with the ESPN X Games. Just still being involved in MX all helps.”

ME: What have you found to be the similarities between MX and NASCAR? (ex., concentration, nerve and, at times, patience)?

RC: “The biggest thing that is the same for me about both sports is just the will of wanting to win and racing in itself. Patience is big and also not going over the limit.”

ME: List a few things that you really miss about the motocross scene, along with some things you’ve come to enjoy with auto racing.

RC: “The things that I really miss is the thousands of fans at an SX or MX race cheering for you and you being able to hear them and just feeding off of that. That is the greatest feeling. And also just going out there and laying on the line and winning. I really miss working with the team also because we had so much fun together.

The thing that I have come to enjoy about auto racing is just learning something new all the time. It so fun to learn again and have a challenge, not that racing MX wasn't. The competitors are also a lot more relaxed as well, not so uptight and stand offish. The reason being is because the driver can only do so much as to where moto the rider has much more of an effect on the end result.”

ME: Interesting. Is motocross pretty well accepted in the sport of NASCAR? Other drivers like Dude, I started out on a YZ80 type thing? Any good stories there?

RC: “Most of the other drivers love moto for sure. It’s well-accepted and I often get asked questions about races and other racers.”

ME: Do you ever get into situation on the track, like setting up a guy to pass, where you tap on your motocross expertise or are the two totally different?

RC: “Setting up a guy in a car to pass him is very similar to passing someone in moto but, its much harder to make it stick and takes so much longer because in car racing your speeds are so close.”

ME: Which tracks have been your favorites and why?

RC: “My favorite tack so far has been Louden (N.H.). It’s a track that the Cup guys race at and it very flat with virtually no banking. The flatter tracks I really enjoy because it seems that it is more important about car set up where as track with a lot of banking seems to be a bit easier and there are more guys that go faster.”

ME: What’s the best piece of advice another driver has given you?

RC: “Probably to just not stress about not running good if your car is not good, because coming from moto you think that you can over come a bad handling bike where as in cars its just not going to happen.”

ME: Along the same lines, do other driver hit you up for MX tips - especially for their kids?

RC: “Very rarely do other drivers hit me up for advise on riding tips. Not to many of them are ready to take it to that next level I don't think. They just do it for fun. And, a lot of the guys I'm racing don't have children, so I don't really get that question much.”

ME: Right on. Finally, the MX Des Nations will have a decided Monster flavor with Stewart, Villopoto and Ferry representing. Assuming the Americans will be favored headed into the UK event, have you kept yourself up to speed on what countries should challenge the States?

RC: “Unfortunately, I haven't kept up with the other countries riders, although I'm confident In saying that there is not another team in sight of USA when it comes to raw speed.”

ME: Thanks for taking the time to get the Monster Army caught up on how things are going, RC. You’ve still got a TON of fans in the action sports community, always will. And Monster Energy’s very proud to continue its association with you and your new venture into NASCAR.

RC: “Thanks a lot. Keep an eye on the No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet and keep drinking Monster!

Coppins is in Langrish tuning up for the next round of the MXGP series, qualifies fastest and ends up taking 1st place in all three motos!



  



CORONA, Calif., (August 29, 2008) – Monster Energy-backed MXGP racer Josh Coppins (Yamaha) swept top honors in the recent Ken Hall Trophy race in Langrish, UK, qualifying in the top spot and going 1-1-1 in the three moto contest to capture the overall title.



In the UK tuning up for this coming weekend’s return to action for the MXGP tour (Dublin), the New Zealand-born Coppins was able top his MXGP adversary, Jon Barragan, early to establish the momentum he’d need when the gate dropped on the first moto.



“We had some rain in the morning which kept the track in optimum condition,” said Coppins. “I was worried after all the rain they had been having but it turned out to be just perfect. The track had good grip, no dust and really tacky which was good for training. I was pleased with my riding and had a lot of fun today. This has been the ideal preparation for the GP next weekend in Ireland. I’m looking forward to that event.”



Starting on grass, Coppins made short work of the field by pulling out quick and leading all three motos soon after the first turn. And though his battle with Barragan in moto two was close, Coppins would dominate the other two races to take the Ken Hall Trophy.



Next up is round 13 of the 15 round MXGP tour in Dublin, Ireland, at the Fairyhouse race course (Aug. 30-31).



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, MotoGP, 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, Monster’s fruit juice hybrid dubbed “M-80,” the party-friendly MIXXD and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream drink line supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Josh Coppins digs ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

Thacker and Burandt put the “Whoa!” factor into the movie’s motorsport stunts with some insane snowmobile footage shot in Sweden - as Thacker explains





  

CORONA, Calif., (August 29, 2008) – Tonight’s the big premier for Vin Diesel’s new action thriller “Babylon A.D.” And keeping its finger on the pulse of the action sports community, movie producers looked to two Monster Energy superstars to put some real life action onto the big screen – extreme snowmobilers Paul Thacker and Chris Burandt.

 

Filmed last year (April, 2007) in northern Sweden, Thacker and Burandt – accompanied by Diesel and his stunt double – chased some big hits, all of which were documented by cameras that cost more than your car. “Epic” was the word thrown around a lot at the time, both by Monster Energy/Slednecks teammates Thacker and Burandt AND Diesel, who we’re told snuck in a few rides of his own.

 

Monsterarmy.com tracked down Thacker (“Thax”) up in AK for a few syllables on the upcoming flick, his feelings about riding on the big screen and some stuff on Vin Diesel we didn’t know.

 

Monster Army: Thax, is it light out until like 3 a.m. up there in AnchoRAGE?

 

Paul Thacker: “Ha! Not anymore. Its getting dark around 11 p.m. We lose about 25 minutes of daylight a day. Days are getting shorter for sure!”

 

MA: Vin D flying you and Burandt to red carpet the premier of this new flick tomorrow, or are you stuck at the Cine-Plex 12, drinking beers, er, Monsters in the parking lot with your buddies before the 9 p.m. showing?

 

PT: “Damn man I wish! We talked to the producer and it didn’t sound like they were doing anything crazy so its looking like I will be at the Cine-Plex for this one. Hopefully this will blow up so we get the red carpet for the next one!”

 

MA: No doubt. Now WE KNOW you got a copy of “Babylon A.D.” already. And you’re feeling righteous in that you refrained from copying all of us on it. How cool do your sled stunts look on screen?

 

PT: (Laughter) “I have seen some of the footage but I haven’t seen the movie. I haven’t seen the finished product yet but everyone seems really stoked on it. I guess the director even took our segment to the Cannes Film Festival to showcase. Pretty stoked to see the finished product.”

 

MA: Compared to pursuing 300 feet at Canterbury (Minn.) in a blizzard and wadding up good twice trying, were the stunts you shot in Sweden for this flick relatively tame?

 

PT: “Actually we had to do some pretty gnarly stuff. Chris Burandt and I did everything from back flips to cliff drops. I even got set on fire! Haha. Crazy stuff but a total blast!”

 

MA: Vin’s the man. Everybody remembers the line “500 fights.” Did you and Burandt try to wrestle him into a snow bank or anything, pull his goggles down over his face and throw a couple jabs at him? Is he like one of us or is he all Hollywood?

 

PT: “We managed to refrain from the wrestling but it was definitely cool meeting him. He was so stoked and had so much respect for what we did. He could even recite our dialogue from SN9 (Slednecks Nine video). Pretty flattering that a guy of his stature was so excited to be working with us. He really is a normal guy. (I) Have mad respect for a guy that basically came from nothing and has made himself into a action film icon. He is definitely just one of the boys. All he wanted to do was ride and jump sleds. For real! The production crew was constantly looking for him and Chris and I had him up in the hills giving him jump lessons! He did super good. Was hucking that sled by the end of the day. We were really the only ones impressed, though. But the production guys were freaking out!”

 

MA: Dude, great story. We’re sure all the Monster Army members are going to put “Babylon A.D.” on top of their “Must see” lists. So what’s up for you next on a sled?

 

PT: “I actually have some demo's coming up. Hucking back flips to woodchips is always an adventure. Starting early season X Games training and looking at venues for a big jump. Just living the dream my man...just living the dream!”

 

Right on, Thax! The Monster Army will be sure to stay through the credits to catch you and Burandt’s name under “Stuntmen.” That’s so rad. For more information on “Babylon A.D.,” including the latest trailer, link to: http://www.babylonadmovie.com/

 

Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, MotoGP, 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, Monster’s fruit juice hybrid dubbed “M-80,” the party-friendly MIXXD and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream drink line supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Paul Thacker and Chris Burandt dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterarmy.com.

Block had a 19-second lead over Subaru teammate Pastrana when he left the road at high speed and hit a tree – ending his championship hopes

$50k Large on the line for Monster/Kawasaki’s James Stewart and Monster/Pro Circuit/Kawi’s Ryan Villopoto at final Triple Crown of MX stop at Steel City (Pa.)

  

CORONA, Calif., (August 27, 2008) – American motocross’ premier cash bonus racing competition – the $100,000 Monster Energy/Kawasaki Triple Crown of Motocross – concludes this Saturday with the third and final round playing out at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa., the last round of the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championship.

 

And this year it looks as if officials at Monster Energy are going to have to break out the BIG checkbook as two of Monster Energy’s own, Kawasaki’s James Stewart and Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, are both in position to sweep the three round series that began at Mt. Morris, Pa.’s High Point Raceway, moved to RedBud (Buchanan, Mich.) and finishes up this Saturday at Steel City.

 

“This is the first time in the history of the Monster Energy Triple Crown of Motocross that riders from each class have been in position to win the $25,000 bonus,” said Monster Energy’s Director of Marketing, John Lee . “So we’re pleased that, if we do have to write some checks, the bonus money’s staying in the Monster Energy family with James and Ryan. But it the same breath we’re also pleased we could  help out a number of privateers at each of the three Triple Crown rounds.

 

“Good luck to everyone this weekend. Have a fast and safe race," he added.

 

Both Stewart and Villopoto arrived at the head of their classes with 1-1 performances at High Point (June 15th), then followed that up a couple weeks later with two equally dominating performances at RedBud (July 6th), both going 1-1 there as well. Should Stewart win he would join Ricky Carmichael – who won the Monster Energy Triple Crown of Motocross in 2005 (its first year) and again in 2006 – as the only MX class winners. Should Villopoto prevail, he’d be the first-ever MX Lites class racer to take the Triple Crown.

 

“Even though both championships are already decided, the Monster Triple Crown adds another layer of excitement to what should be a great weekend of racing at Steel City,” said Carmichael. “It’s cool of Monster to put that event on for the fourth year now, both for the racers and the fans.”

 

Added Villopoto, “I wanted to get the overall and start that over again and get the last two. Especially Steel City, so I can get that [Monster] Triple Crown money. It’s never been done before in the Lites class…I want that Triple Crown.”

 

Privateers benefitting from the $2,000 per class/per race via the $100,000 Monster Energy/Kawasaki Triple Crown of Motocross include: Michael Willard and Sean Hamblin from Mt. Morris, along with Jeff Alessi and Kyle Cunningham at RedBud.

 

Also getting in on the action will be one lucky fan who’ll ride away from Steel City  on a brand new Kawasaki/Pro Circuit KLX 110 mini cycle. Valued at $3,000, the custom mini cycle is made too look like a scaled-down version of the Kawasaki pro bikes Stewart and Villopoto race.

 

Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, MotoGP, 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, Monster’s fruit juice hybrid dubbed “M-80,” the party-friendly MIXXD and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream drink line supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. The guys racing for the Monster Energy/Kawasaki Triple Crown of Motocross money at the Outdoor Nationals dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

Monster Energy mountain bikers rule Canada as Sam Hill wins the Crankworx festival and Jamie Goldman takes the Bearclaw Invitational



 



CORONA, Calif., (August 27, 2008) –  Monster Energy’s Sam Hill (Monster Energy/Iron Horse) and Jamie Goldman (Santa Cruz) were both on top of their games in mountain bike competitions here in Canada this past week with Hill winning the Kokanee Crankworx Festival’s (sponsored by Monster Energy) Canadian Open Downhill at Whistler Mt. and Goldman taking top honors at the Bearclaw Invitational at nearby Mt. Washington (British Columbia).







Beginning with Hill, the reigning UCI World Cup men’s elite downhill champion and current UCI World Cup downhill point leader kept his summer momentum going at North America’s premier mt. bike festival, winning Crankworx’ second annual Canadian Open Downhill.



"It took a while to get comfortable with the course," said Hill, who finished 2nd in last year’s race. "I tried not to stall in corners and hang it out where I could to get the win."



Just down from Whistler at Mt. Washington the Bearclaw Invitational was going off, a grass roots freestyle mountian bike event featuring a number of the world’s top riders. And though plagued by rain for a while, contest organizers managed to pull things off and in the end it was Monster’s Goldman who prevailed pulling, according to a local observer, “a flip off the first step up, a foot plan over the hitching post, a 360 off the second hip transfer a no-footed can off the super hair log, an Indian air over the large double and capped off his run with an X-up onto the Red Bull box and no-footed can off.”



“We had a blast up at the Bearclaw,” said Goldman. “Pretty stoked I was able to win.”



Next up for Monster Energy’s Hill, Steve Peat, Brendan Fairclough and Sabrina Jonnier is round six of the 2008 UCI World Cup in Canberra, Austria. As for Goldman, stay tuned to Monster Energy for updates.



Team Monster Energy Iron Horse is also sponsored by: Mad Catz, Game Shark, Air Drives, RockShox, SRAM, Avid, FUNN, Maxxis, DT Swiss, FSA, Crank Brothers, WTB, e.thirteen, DW Link, Troy Lee Designs, Minoura, Maxima, Obtainium Performance Products, Five-Ten, Freestyle Watches, THE, Alligator, Yamaha of Troy, KMC and Kicker.



For more information on the Monster Energy/Iron Horse downhill mountain bike racing program, link to: www.madcatzracing.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MX, MotoGP, 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, Monster’s fruit juice hybrid dubbed “M-80,” the party-friendly MIXXD and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream drink line supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Sam Hill, Jamie Goldman, Steve Peat, Brendan Fairclough and Sabrina Jonnier dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

A lot has happened since the last update and it is time to dispel a few rumors ….



Rumor Control:



Louie is a Finalist on the ABC-TV show “Dancing With the Stars”



Yes, this is TRUE.  When he was first asked to interview for the show Louie had no idea what the show was even about.  After Googling the show he said “No Way!”  After some coaxing he went to Los Angeles for the interview and had a fantastic showing (at least according to “Louie’s People.”)  He was one of the final choices until Misty May won the gold medal for Beach Volleyball.  The agents involved told me that he definitely will be considered for a future “Dancing With the Stars” show or anything else that may arise.



Louie Travels to New Zealand with Lil Jon



Yes, this is also TRUE.  I am not sure of the details on why Louie went to New Zealand with the musician but Louie chummed around the Kiwi country with his BME Click pal Dingo for several days.  He traveled with the entourage and experienced what actually goes on with life behind the seen with some really crazy people.



Louie Will Try to Win His Third Australian Open



This is NOT true.  Louie is currently in Argentina with the Nike Team and is enjoying the South American winter with some of the best riders in the U.S. 



Check this out!



- Check this YouTube video out- turn up the volume because the music is great.  It was created by Echo Entertainment and was played when Louie spoke to many of the USSA corporate sponsors last month.  Here is the link: 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bst2UQJhwg



- There are several new videos of Louie’s epic season on YouTube but one video that stood out was his winning run at the Jeep King of the Mountain.  Here is the YouTube link for that run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX6TROZNrGo



- Louie debuts in his first music video.  Lil Jon’s newest recording is called “Dat Baby Don’t Look Like Me” and has several shots of Louie, Danny Kass and The Dingo.  If you can’t wait for it on MTV then check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-Oc3Aq_3As



- Look for Omatic’s new board “The Celebrity” by Louie Vito.  It will be out in your favorite snowboard shop soon.



Look for the next Update to come whenever I get the time to write one…

Monster’s Pierre Luc “PLG” Gagnon, Greg Lutzka, Mike Spinner and Jamie Bestwick all podium @ Portland’s (Ore.) Wendy’s Invitational

  

CORONA, Calif., (August 26, 2008) – Monster Energy’s skaters and BMXers were back in action this past weekend on the AST Dew Tour, competing at the Wendy’s Invitational in Portland, Ore. In all, Monster athletes represented on four of the possible five podium events.



On skateboards Monster Energy’s Pierre Luc “PLG” Gagnon kept up his torrid pace that’s seen him win the summer’s biggest vert contests, including the Maloof’s Money Cup and X Games 14. In fact, about the only thing PLG hasn’t won this summer has been a Dew Tour stop. And though that looked as if it’d change after his final run in Portland – especially after he was one of the first skaters to actually complete an entire run – a questionable score would give the overall win to Bob Burnquist with PLG taking 2nd (91.24 to 89.75).







In his top run PLG landed an impressive Indy grab seven, along with back-to-back 5s and a whole slew of flipped lip tricks both straight on and switch.



Also gleaming the cube on vert for Monster Energy was skater Alex Perelson. The youngest top vert skater on the tour qualified in 3rd place for the finals – his highest-scoring qualifying round yet (81.5). And in the finals Perelson looked to have a possible podium finish in the bag when he sketched on his final trick and wound up 8th overall. “I’ve practiced longer and harder than I ever had, pulled everything in practice – but couldn’t in the finals. Frustrated,” he said.



Another Monster Energy skater on the podium was Greg Lutzka. The street wizard pulled a 3rd out of Portland, but looked to be more stoked with a new trick he learned – courtesy of fellow skater Fabrizo Santos. “This would have been the third year in a row that I’d have won Portland, so I’m kind of bummed I couldn’t make that happen,” said Lutzka. “But at the same time I learned a new trick, and I’m pumped to be on the podium.” Note: Lutzka picked up on a highly technical one-foot Nollie 5/0 rail grind during the Jam Session and gave props to Santos (who’s trick it was) during the contest.

On the BMX bikes Monster Energy’s Mike Spinner nailed his quad spin on both runs, as well as his 1080. His first run score put him in the top position until the very last rider – rival Dan Dhers – threw down with a perfect run and topped Spinner (93.83-92.67).

James Stewart (Monster Energy/Kawasaki) stays perfect through the penultimate round with a 1-1 finish, Ryan Villopoto (Monster/PC/Kawi) goes 1-1 as well

CORONA, Calif., (August 25, 2008) – Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s James Stewart (MX class) and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto (MX Lites class) were again atop their respective AMA Toyota Motocross Championship podiums, this past weekend sweeping 1st place at the season’s penultimate round – the Motocross 338 MX National in Southwick, Mass.

 

  Also noteworthy in that Stewart and Villopoto have both already wrapped up titles was the fact Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Brett Metcalfe wrapped up the third and final Lites class podium spot with a 3rd place finish at Southwick!

Monster Energy’s Donny Robinson Medals In Beijing!

World class BMXer overcomes a final heat race crash to qualify for the main and pulls off a stunning pass to put himself into medal contention – finishes w/ bronze!

CORONA, Calif., (August 22, 2008) – Monster Energy BMX racer Donny Robinson is at the top of the BMX world right now, enjoying a bronze medal from the Beijing Games from the first-ever BMX Supercross event held in the history of the Olympics.

“This is definitely the biggest day in the history of BMX, such an excellent thing for our sport,” said Robinson. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Robinson, who had two 2^nd place finishes in his qualifiers wadded up pretty bad in the third qualifier, but still carried enough points into the main to grab the 8^th and final gate spot. From there the stocky and powerful Napa, Calif., native put the hammer down in the main, pulling a good – not great – start and running close to American teammate Mike Day.

Midway through the moto, on the second giant Talladega-like banked asphalt turn, Robinson decided to make his move - diving down low into the entrance of the turn and riding up into the apex. His decision put him into a perfect spot as the line just above him would involve an accident between South Africa’s Sifiso Nhlapo and Australia’s Jared Graves that took both riders out of the race.

Robinson got into the pedals hard through the turn and was able to pull out in front of Columbia’s Andres Jiminez and the Netherlands’ Rob van den Wildenberg and into 3^rd place, though the momentum wouldn’t allow him to catch Day or the eventual race winner Maris Strombergs (Latvia).

The end result had Robinson about three tenths of a second back of Day (36.972 to 36.606).

Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it BMX, MX, SX road racing, supermoto, off-road, FMX, skate, MTB, wake, off-road, surf, snow, rally – 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. Donny Robinson’s diggin’ ‘em in Beijing – so will you (although probably not in Beijing). On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

Three-time X Games gold medalist Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) recently embarked on one of the most adventurous trips of his life to the Middle East. Holland, along with two-time Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass (Hamburg, NJ) and two-time X Games gold medalist Grete Eliassen (Norway) spent 10 days in Qatar and Afghanistan with U.S. Troops. Upon his return home, Holland wrote the following account of his trip, the people he met and how it all affected his life.



I’ve never been exposed to military life, and I’ve certainly never been in a combat zone - until last week.



I spent a good part of my summer vacation in Afghanistan. Danny Kass, Grete Elliassen, and I spent 10 days in the Middle East, visiting our troops on an "X Games themed meet and greet." Our mission was simple: boost morale. If you’ve ever hung out with Danny, Grete, or I you’d know not only did we accomplish our mission, we went above and beyond the call of duty. It was a small sacrifice compared to what the servicemen and women of the Armed Forces are doing for our great nation.



I went over to Afghanistan with an open mind, to see first hand what was going on and how the troops were doing. I came back humbled and with a true understanding of sacrifice. I mean, I know how trying “the road” can be, but giving yourself for 15 months of your life, away from family and friends is one hell of a sacrifice and a test of a true patriot in my book.



Our Middle East tour started in Qatar, a small but very wealthy country on the Persian Gulf just off of Saudi Arabia.



Qatar is the hottest place I’ve ever been to - including the sauna at your local health club. The temperatures ranged from 120 degrees during the mid-day heat, and would drop to around 90 degrees at night. Needless to say, we spent the majority of our time indoors soaking up every ounce of air conditioning we could before bolting to an air-conditioned car, and off to the next air-conditioned building.



Other than the heat being almost unbearable, the troops were amazing. The base in Qatar isn’t only a fully-functioning military base, it’s also a rest and relaxation base for solders to get out of the combat zones in Iraq or Afghanistan for four days every six months. This was their R&R time. The feeling in Qatar was pretty lighthearted. The solders were allowed three beers a day, which loosened them up enough for Danny to olli four of them laying down - including Col. Cotter - on his skateboard.



From Qatar we boarded a C130 military plane flight into Afghanistan. Once we arrived in Afghani air space the plane blacked out completely into the night sky. A young soldier with a thick Kentucky accent leaned over and said, “We're going to drop in fast, they have a tendency to try and shoot these things down.” That’s when the realization that I was in a war zone fully hit me.



He was right, too, the C130 plane dropped like a rock out of the night sky from about 20-30 thousand feet up to the runway below. A “combat landing” is one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced. My face was glued to the window praying I didn’t see a rocket fire out of one of the many clusters of lights seen below. Thankfully nothing “exciting” as another soldier put it happened.

 

Once we were “safely” in Afghanistan, Grete fell ill with salmonella poisoning. She was hospitalized and our tour was put into a holding pattern. Not only did Danny and I visit Grete in the Afghanistan hospitals, but we ventured around and met most of the doctors, nurses, staff, and of course the injured and sick. Carmen, our guide, practically lived at the bedside of Grete - what a guide! 



My experiences with hospitals are that they always have an eerie feeling to them - this one was no exception. My heart sank as we toured room after room.  Every patient had a different story to tell of why they were there. A group of local men were all smiles as they went through routine check ups so they were able to get a job on base. There was an American soldier awaiting hand surgery after his armored vehicle was rolled during a roadside attack.



The most disturbing to me were, by far, the small children I saw. One little girl lost her leg from an old Russian land mine, and in the very next room a little boy laid out dressed in bandages healing from burns he got in an explosion. 



Experiences like these reassure my thoughts and wishes to have peace on earth.



Danny and I entertained ourselves by exploring the base. While checking it out we met a group of armored truck guys who called themselves “The Reapers”. These guys were cool as hell and had story after story to tell Danny and I about their life in the military and their tour in Afghanistan.



While hanging with The Reapers I felt safe they were the bad asses on the front lines. They gave Danny and I a full tour of their armored vehicle, including sitting in the gunner’s chair. Spinning around in that chair armed with a 50 cal and a grenade launcher was quite a feeling.



Grete wasn’t getting any better after a couple of days so Danny and I left her and our tour guide Carmen behind as we ventured to a FOB (Forward Operating Base) named Solerno - better know as Rocket City.







While in Rocket City, the Air Calvary gave us a tour of the Heli pad holding Blackhawks, Apaches, and a smaller surveillance chopper. We took shooting lessons from a sniper and visited an artillery group of guys who are responsible for shooting back at the Taliban after Rocket City is attacked by, well, rockets. Danny and I were reminded that we were at a FOB nicknamed Rocket City at about 2 am by our guide McKnight. I was abruptly awoken by McKnight’s deep voice saying, “come on, get your sh*# on, get your sh*# on, we got to get to the hard building.” I looked over at Danny while he was throwing his bulletproof vest and helmet on and started to do the same.



We all grabbed our blanket and pillow and ran across the street to the hard building, aka a bunker. It was thought that we may be getting attacked by rockets that night so we all spent the night tossing and turning on the concrete floor wearing bulletproof vests and Kevlar helmets. Let me tell you that was one hell of a night. Let’s just say I wasn’t missing my flight out of Rocket City.



After our Rocket City adventures Danny, aka Afghan Dan, and I met back up with Grete and Carmen, did one last signing in Afghanistan and started our trip back home.



Although our trip was short and sweet, I think I got a pretty basic taste of military life in a war torn country. The highs of hanging out with the gung-ho soldiers and their weapons, to the lows of visiting a four year old girl who lost a leg from a land mine are just two extreme emotions I felt in just one week.



Again my hat goes off to the servicemen and women who sacrifice so much to protect this great country we all love.

.

Three-time X Games gold medalist Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) recently embarked on one of the most adventurous trips of his life to the Middle East. Holland, along with two-time Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass (Hamburg, NJ) and two-time X Games gold medalist Grete Eliassen (Norway) spent 10 days in Qatar and Afghanistan with U.S. Troops. Upon his return home, Holland wrote the following account of his trip, the people he met and how it all affected his life.



I’ve never been exposed to military life, and I’ve certainly never been in a combat zone - until last week.




I spent a good part of my summer vacation in Afghanistan. Danny Kass, Grete Elliassen, and I spent 10 days in the Middle East, visiting our troops on an "X Games themed meet and greet." Our mission was simple: boost morale. If you’ve ever hung out with Danny, Grete, or I you’d know not only did we accomplish our mission, we went above and beyond the call of duty. It was a small sacrifice compared to what the servicemen and women of the Armed Forces are doing for our great nation.



I went over to Afghanistan with an open mind, to see first hand what was going on and how the troops were doing. I came back humbled and with a true understanding of sacrifice. I mean, I know how trying “the road” can be, but giving yourself for 15 months of your life, away from family and friends is one hell of a sacrifice and a test of a true patriot in my book.



Our Middle East tour started in Qatar, a small but very wealthy country on the Persian Gulf just off of Saudi Arabia.



Qatar is the hottest place I’ve ever been to - including the sauna at your local health club. The temperatures ranged from 120 degrees during the mid-day heat, and would drop to around 90 degrees at night. Needless to say, we spent the majority of our time indoors soaking up every ounce of air conditioning we could before bolting to an air-conditioned car, and off to the next air-conditioned building.



Other than the heat being almost unbearable, the troops were amazing. The base in Qatar isn’t only a fully-functioning military base, it’s also a rest and relaxation base for solders to get out of the combat zones in Iraq or Afghanistan for four days every six months. This was their R&R time. The feeling in Qatar was pretty lighthearted. The solders were allowed three beers a day, which loosened them up enough for Danny to olli four of them laying down - including Col. Cotter - on his skateboard.



From Qatar we boarded a C130 military plane flight into Afghanistan. Once we arrived in Afghani air space the plane blacked out completely into the night sky. A young soldier with a thick Kentucky accent leaned over and said, “We're going to drop in fast, they have a tendency to try and shoot these things down.” That’s when the realization that I was in a war zone fully hit me.



He was right, too, the C130 plane dropped like a rock out of the night sky from about 20-30 thousand feet up to the runway below. A “combat landing” is one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced. My face was glued to the window praying I didn’t see a rocket fire out of one of the many clusters of lights seen below. Thankfully nothing “exciting” as another soldier put it happened.

 

Once we were “safely” in Afghanistan, Grete fell ill with salmonella poisoning. She was hospitalized and our tour was put into a holding pattern. Not only did Danny and I visit Grete in the Afghanistan hospitals, but we ventured around and met most of the doctors, nurses, staff, and of course the injured and sick. Carmen, our guide, practically lived at the bedside of Grete - what a guide! 



My experiences with hospitals are that they always have an eerie feeling to them - this one was no exception. My heart sank as we toured room after room.  Every patient had a different story to tell of why they were there. A group of local men were all smiles as they went through routine check ups so they were able to get a job on base. There was an American soldier awaiting hand surgery after his armored vehicle was rolled during a roadside attack.



The most disturbing to me were, by far, the small children I saw. One little girl lost her leg from an old Russian land mine, and in the very next room a little boy laid out dressed in bandages healing from burns he got in an explosion. 



Experiences like these reassure my thoughts and wishes to have peace on earth.



Danny and I entertained ourselves by exploring the base. While checking it out we met a group of armored truck guys who called themselves “The Reapers”. These guys were cool as hell and had story after story to tell Danny and I about their life in the military and their tour in Afghanistan.



While hanging with The Reapers I felt safe they were the bad asses on the front lines. They gave Danny and I a full tour of their armored vehicle, including sitting in the gunner’s chair. Spinning around in that chair armed with a 50 cal and a grenade launcher was quite a feeling.



Grete wasn’t getting any better after a couple of days so Danny and I left her and our tour guide Carmen behind as we ventured to a FOB (Forward Operating Base) named Solerno - better know as Rocket City.







While in Rocket City, the Air Calvary gave us a tour of the Heli pad holding Blackhawks, Apaches, and a smaller surveillance chopper. We took shooting lessons from a sniper and visited an artillery group of guys who are responsible for shooting back at the Taliban after Rocket City is attacked by, well, rockets. Danny and I were reminded that we were at a FOB nicknamed Rocket City at about 2 am by our guide McKnight. I was abruptly awoken by McKnight’s deep voice saying, “come on, get your sh*# on, get your sh*# on, we got to get to the hard building.” I looked over at Danny while he was throwing his bulletproof vest and helmet on and started to do the same.



We all grabbed our blanket and pillow and ran across the street to the hard building, aka a bunker. It was thought that we may be getting attacked by rockets that night so we all spent the night tossing and turning on the concrete floor wearing bulletproof vests and Kevlar helmets. Let me tell you that was one hell of a night. Let’s just say I wasn’t missing my flight out of Rocket City.



After our Rocket City adventures Danny, aka Afghan Dan, and I met back up with Grete and Carmen, did one last signing in Afghanistan and started our trip back home.



Although our trip was short and sweet, I think I got a pretty basic taste of military life in a war torn country. The highs of hanging out with the gung-ho soldiers and their weapons, to the lows of visiting a four year old girl who lost a leg from a land mine are just two extreme emotions I felt in just one week.



Again my hat goes off to the servicemen and women who sacrifice so much to protect this great country we all love.

.

By Eric Johnson

Inexplicably, Americans have always been held spellbound by daredevils…high wire walkers, men going over Niagara Falls in barrels, and Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel jumping portly motorcycles over double-decker busses, shark tanks and AMC Pacers.  Then there is Brandon and Preston Landers and their Monster Energy-backed Ball of Steel stunt show. Just back from Donington Park, England and performing their high jinks magic before the masses at the fabled three-day, early summer hard rock music festival known as The Download Festival, the two brothers — along with fellow team members Daniel Gonzales, Beau Gonzales and Malachi Walker — are about to “barnstorm” America as part of the 2008 Vans Warped Tour. Their role in this rock and roll circus? Whipping motorcycles around inside a 14-foot in diameter, 5,500-pound ball of steel. Makes your head want to spin, huh?

 Johnny, being the father of the Landers brothers as well as the mastermind behind the “Ball of Steel” operation, can you tell us how it all came to life?

 We call it the Ball Stunt show and that stands for Ball of Steel Stunts. It all started off with racing. I had all my kids roadracing when they were five years old.  One year we went to Daytona to race and while we there, we saw a motorcycle steel globe. A Mexican family was riding motorcycles in it and it was a real funky little show, but the boys were really mesmerized by the thing. They were well on their way to being professional roadracers — just like their older brother [Ryan] — but saw this ball and it really turned them on; they wanted to watch every show there was. It was funny and right from there they started bugging me immediately about building one of these things. So I knew some people at Daytona for years that hired acts like that so I said to them, “Hey, how would you like to have two real little guys in a ball with a good show?” They said, “Are you talking about your boys? If so, yeah, we’ll take them instantly.”

 So then what did you do?

 I got back and I started working on a steel ball without them knowing it. I actually built it as a joke. I was going to put it in the backyard and watch everybody crash, but that’s how it got started. Once they saw it, they actually just lived in the thing everyday after school. They just wanted to ride in the ball. So their first paid show was exactly one year later at Daytona Bike Week.

Just how did you go about building a steel ball for your two boys to ride motorcycles in?

 I built it really differently. You know, we’re not circus people. Circus balls are different. They are smaller and they are not fabricated professionally. I built a 14-footer. The way it’s made, it’s still the only one like it in the world. Nobody has made one like it yet. It comes in four pieces: two bottom halves and two top halves and you put them together. So once they got going, they were the youngest ones in the Guinness Book of World Records to ever ride in a ball of steel and we hold a speed record in a 14-foot globe at 51 miles per hour. Like I said before, we’re not circus people, we’re motorcycle people, so we treated all of this with motorcycles and not a circus act. We were into extreme sports and that’s what we did, and as the show grew and went along, we just kept adding things.

 How old were your boys when this show got off the ground?

Preston was nine and Brandon was 10. When we went to Daytona for the first time, they could rip in the ball even then. They were just wide open and it was an amazing thing.

 I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume riding two motorcycles together in a steel ball at 50 miles per hour took a little bit of practice…

 They both were very proficient by themselves but the time came when it was time to put them in together. I got in the ball with them and showed them how to time each other, you know? It took quite a while because you have to get everything: nausea, the G forces, learning how to vert, learning how to stop — there are just so many factors that are involved in going round and round. I started with Preston on my right and Brandon on my left and it’s still that way today. I had to teach them how to count it all off, “One! Two! Three!”

 And then you guys started touring…

Yes. That’s where you see what you see today. We choreographed the stuff and put the show together and it just kept growing and growing with pyrotechnics and fog machines and then we added freestyle. It’s grown so much over the years. I never thought it would get to the point that it has.

 How did you meet Monster Energy? The Ball of Steel show was one of the very first properties Monster Energy decided to sponsor…

We had done the Warped Tour in 1999 and they wanted us to come back. A person from the Warped Tour said this guy named Kurt Baush from Monster wanted to talk to us about sponsoring us for the Warped Tour and then I met Robert Scott from Monster. So they talked to us and said, “Hey, we want you guys to represent us through the Warped Tour and we’re going to pay you $500 a month.” So I talked to the boys about it and I said, “This could be good for you guys. I know it’s not a whole lot now, but it could be great.” Five hundred dollars to them was like, “We’re hitting the big time!” I mean, they were still little boys at the time. So the Monster people were just so supportive of us and then the kids at the Warped Tour just went crazy over the drink. We’d be busting the show off and rocking the house and I would just run out there and pour Monster down them kid’s necks. I’d just pour it over the fence. They loved it! We all had a ball with it. When we first met Monster, it was all so new that I thought it was going to be a three-month situation and then they’d drop us and that would be it, but that wasn’t the case. Monster became a phenomenon and we were just lucky enough to be with them at the start.

 Less than two weeks ago, your boys and the Ball of Steel tour went to England for the Download festival. How did that go?

 They said The Download was book wild! They said it was crazy! It was the biggest single show in our history. Sunday there were upwards of 20,000 people around the fence. It was culture shock to them, but they loved it. Preston said it was just completely wild. They had a hell of a time, bro. They just had a big time.

 Monster Energy had to be happy…

They really were. Monster is our family. We owe everything to them. All the growth, all the things they’ve done for us, all the things they’ve bought those boys has just been unreal, but we’ve also showed our loyalty to them. You have to have loyalty. If you don’t have loyalty, you’re not much of a man. In all honesty, Monster has been so good to us… Joe Parsons, Mark Hall, and Sam Pontrelli… When a company like that calls you family, it really makes you feel good.

•    Monster/Kawasaki’s West scores a career-best 5th at Czech MotoGP

•    Monster/CAS/Honda’s Mackenzie extends British MX Championship lead

•    Monster/Yamaha’s Coppins podiums in Belgian MX Championships



CORONA, Calif., (August 20, 2008) – The world’s premier road racing tour reconvened this past weekend in the Czech Republic and Monster Energy-backed racers were at the forefront, headlining this week’s Monster Energy International Motorsports update.



MotoGP



Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Anthony West recorded a career-best MotoGP finish at the Czech Republic GP, bringing his Ninja ZX-RR home in 5th place overall. West, who qualified in the sixth position (in the rain) prior to last weekend’s main event, started strong by pulling into 4th place at the first corner.



Doing his best to hold off the rest of the field, the Aussie eased into 6th place and eyed the front of the pack – moving up a spot when Casey Stoner crashed, then overtaking Monster Energy/Kawasaki teammate John Hopkins midway through the race. West was in a position to place 4th, but was caught in the closing moment of the race by Shinya Nakano and settled on 5th o/a.



“To finish 5th is a really great feeling an it just shows exactly what the Monster Energy/Kawasaki team is capable of achieving,” said West. “I got a good start to the race, but I dropped down to 6th after a few laps and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to fight back, especially after not having much dry time on the bike here. However, my confidence grew as we went on and I was able to catch up with John (Hopkins) and pass him for 4th at the halfway point. The grip levels dropped off towards the end, so there was nothing I could do about Shinya other than to continue lapping consistently to the flag. I felt so much more comfortable on the bike than I have done previously and felt I had an advantage over some of the other riders. I had to ride really hard today, in fact I didn’t even look at my pit board until halfway through, so there’s still more work to be done as we had to push a lot to get out of the turns fast enough. Thankfully it paid off and 5th place is my best result yet in MotoGP, so I’m really happy.”



For Hopkins, who was returning to action after missing time with an upper leg injury, the return was bittersweet as he looked to have the speed early to place well within the top five – but had to tone it back a bit due to traction problems.



“It’s obviously disappointing to finish the race in 11th place, especially after feeling so confident and strong early on,” he said. “We took a gamble with our tire choice today and used a rear tire that nobody else had in their selection. I got a great start to the race and I sat behind the Suzuki riders while they battled things out for third. Unfortunately the tire began to drop off and at the end of the race the left side just didn’t have any grip. Usually I can ride around a problem like this, but with the knee injury I’m carrying, I couldn’t prop the bike up to compensate for this lack of traction. The positive thing is that we were strong while the tire was working well, and we achieved a front row start, so we have a goal to aim for in testing over the next few days. During the next two days of testing I’m looking forward to catching up on a lot of the riding I’ve missed through injury, improving the bike further and finding a solution to the problem we had today. I’d also like to congratulate Anthony; it’s great to see him riding like that again and he really deserved the result he achieved.”



The MotoGP tour takes a week off before returning to action in San Marino (Misano) for Round 13, August 31st.



British MX Championships



Monster Energy-backed Billy Mackenzie (CAS Honda) gutted out a 5th place finish overall at Brampton (UK), round seven of he 2008 British MX1 Championship. Mackenzie, who was inured at the recent Czech Republic MXGP (Loket), pulled a good start in the first moto and was at a podium pace (in 3rd place) before some arm pump relegated him to 6th.



In the second moto Mackenzie again got a good start and moved his Honda CRF450R into 4th place early, then moved up to take the lead over from Ray Rowson. But still suffering the lingering affects of a back injury, Mackenzie had to back it down a bit and came home in 6th – good enough for 5th overall. This would be the first time Mackenzie wouldn’t win the British MX1 Championship race he entered, but still holds a commanding 22-point lead over James Noble in the championship standings – the final round being in five weeks at Hawkstone Park.



“I was determined to ride this weekend as I didn’t want to see all the hard work we’ve done so far this season slip away by not competing,” said Mackenzie. “I’m pretty battered and bruised; just getting on the bike was painful, but we had a job to do today and we managed to achieve what we aimed for. I am gutted that we’ve ended a perfect season where we’ve won every British race we’ve started, but that’s racing I guess. I suffered with arm pump throughout the day because I’ve just had to rest all week, and we did the best we could with what we had. I was in a lot of pain, as every little bump and jar made my legs go numb, but we’ve maintained a healthy points lead in the championship, which is the main thing. I now have to try and recover ready for the next Grand Prix in Ireland, but I’m under no illusion that it’s going to be an easy task. I need time on the bike but my body needs rest, so we’ll just have to see what happens and have as much treatment as I can to put us in the best possible stead for the next race.”



Belgian MX Championships



Monster Energy/Yamaha’s Josh Coppins was busy last weekend racing all around the Belgian countryside, scoring two podium finishes at the Baleri and Orp le Grand circuits during an off week for the MXGP championships.



Coppins opened in the sand of the Keiheuval in Baleri and battled a field of world class racers to a 3rd place overall finish in the three moto format (7-3-4). Then, just two days later, he booted up and ran the Orp le Grand circuit, a course similar to that of the fabled Namur circuit that sits 50 km south of where Coppins lined up to race.



And, in a great battle with MX1 rival Jon Barragan, Coppins put up very respectable 3-2-2 results which were good enough for 2nd overall.



“I missed Keiheuval last year so it was good for me to be back racing it this year – especially as it is somewhat of a ‘home away from home’ race for me,” said the New Zealander. “And for Baleri, this was my first time here so it took some getting used to. It’s a special track, similar to Namur, so you really have to be on your game. I was a little disappointed about the second moto, but I was able to rebound from my crash and still finish 2nd.”



Next up for Coppins and Mackenzie is the Dublin, Ireland, round of the MXGP – round 13 of 15 – scheduled for August 31.



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MotoGP, MXGP, 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 really starting to dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

 In one of the year’s best motorcycle race stories, newly crowned AMA Hare & Hound champion Destry Abbott’s day read like a Hollywood movie script

   

CORONA, Calif., (August 19, 2008) – Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Destry Abbott should have been on top of the world, champagne corks and flash bulbs popping as he accepted his AMA Hare & Hound Series No. 1 plate this past weekend in Nevada.



But instead he was part of a very somber moment in the sport as fallen Monster Energy/Kawasaki rider, Josh Morros, was in the process of being transported – via helicopter – to the local hospital after a horrific crash in a high speed section of the course.



Moments after the crash Abbott, who was running in 4th place in the race, was flagged down by an alert track worker and led to the scene where Morros laid motionless. The rest of the story is best told by Abbott, a story that show us all what it means to be a champion.



“My goal going into this race was to just ride smart, and stay safe, before I leave to Greece (for the International Six Days Enduro). I had the championship on the line, and I knew I could wrap it up early before the last round. I was really hoping I could do this and not have to worry about it while I was in Greece (I just needed a top 5). I walked the start a lot (since we couldn’t ride it) and felt confident with my spot. When the banner fell I had a great jump and thought I had it, but David Kamo beat me to my line and I had to back off. As soon as I did this, I had guys blowing by me. By the time I got to the first corner I was in 6th, but made a couple quick passes and got into 4th. The first loop was almost 100 miles with some alternate gas stops. I felt really good, and it definitely didn’t feel like I had a championship on the line.



The biggest problem was the course was really fast and rocky (and the dust was really bad). I knew it was going to be hard to pass, so I decided to stay out of the dust and just ride my own race. About 40-miles in, we had our first pit-stop. I was still in fourth with Russ leading, David Kamo second, and Josh in third. The first part was pretty much all jeep roads, and it reminded me of racing the Best in the Desert races. The next section we raced through had a lot of sand-washes that seemed to have a lot of hidden rocks. I had a few close calls, and just wasn’t feeling real confident with the terrain. We stopped and pitted again (around 85-miles) and Russ was still leading, but Josh was only 15-seconds back and then it was Kamo. Now it was 20 or so miles back, to the main pits, before the last loop. With about 5-miles left in this loop I saw a lady on a quad waving her hands frantically, and then I saw Josh laying on the ground. This area was really fast, on some fire roads, and it had some big j-outs. He must’ve hit it in the dust, or just didn’t see it, and went flying over the bars.



The lady told me Kamo had stopped and then went on to the pits to let them know. I tried talking to him, but knew he was in bad shape! He didn’t look good and I‘ve never seen anyone this bad and was worried! I saw the highway was to the right of us (½ mile away) and told her I was going to ride to the highway to see if I could get some help. As I was trying to get there, as fast as I could, I hit a rock and barely saved a big crash.



When I got there, there were no cars coming and I was trying to figure out if I should pin it down the road to the last pit. Then I saw a car coming, and it seemed like it was taking forever. As the car got closer I was waving it to stop, but as soon as they got close they pinned it past me (they were afraid to stop and I was pissed). A couple minutes later another car came and they stopped. I told them to call 911 and make sure they send an airvac. They did, so I took off back to Josh. I got back, and put my bike down, and just tried to clean up Josh’s face and see how he was doing. I didn’t want to move him and felt so helpless. Finally TJ was coming (he was about 7-minutes behind me) and I waved him down to make sure they told him he needs an airvac right now! I went back and sat there for a little bit, but he was still out and not sounding good. The lady that stayed with him was awesome, and I can’t say enough about her helping out. After a few minutes, I said I’m just going to go to the pits and get help. As the course turned, I just kept going straight and then I saw a truck coming. I stopped it and realized they were the EMT’s. I told them he was just on the other side of the road, and to call an airvac asap.



I ended up heading back to the course and following it into the pits. At this point I didn’t even want to race, but I knew what was on the line. I got to the pits, and shut my motor off, and they told me everything was taken care of. So I took off for the last 30-miles, but I just couldn’t ride and basically rode about 70%. All I could think about was Josh and this race getting over. The last loop actually had some fun sections, but it was hard to enjoy. Finally I saw the finish and was happy it was over. When I got there, we didn’t do any type of celebration, because we decided now wasn’t the time. I just rode back to the pits and that was about it.”

Overall Summary:



“It really feels great to get my fifth national championship, but it was a scary day. I really thought it was awesome the club put on such a long race (130-miles), but I wasn’t a big fan of most of the race. It was really fast and had a lot of scary stuff. If they ran us up in the hills more it would’ve been a lot better, but I’m sure they only have a certain amount of room they can use.”



Next up for Abbott is the Sept. 1st running of the 83rd annual International Six Days Enduro in Serres, Greece.



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.

Hibbert, the world’s top snowmobile racer, continues to turn heads on his dirt bike, this past weekend finishing 12th @ Millville

 

CARLSBAD, Calif., (August, 2008) – Monster Energy’s Tucker Hibbert, currently world’s top snowmobile racer (two-time defending Winter X Games Snocross champion), put up his best finish ever at an AMA Outdoor National motocross, racing to a 12th place overall finish in the 40-man Motocross Lites class this past weekend at his home track of Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minn.

 

Round ten of the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross championship saw the privateer Hibbert rebound from a 19th place finish (18-19) at the previous round in Washougal, Wash. His 12th place finish, highlighted by two top 15 motos (15-12), was Hibbert’s best American outdoor finish ever in his pro motocross career.

 

“This weekend was truly a breakthrough race for me,” said Hibbert, who hails from nearby Thief River Falls, Minn. “I couldn’t be more pumped with my results. I finally feel like I am riding up to my potential. Every¬thing fell into place this weekend with Arctic Cat stepping up as my title spon¬sor, great track conditions and awesome fans. Everywhere on the track I could hear people cheering me on. It was so encouraging to have their support and I can’t wait for the next two races.

 

“I know I can finish the season strong. With my success in Millville, I’m confident I will have my first top-ten finish this sum¬mer.”

 

Next up for Monster Energy's Hibbert is the Outdoor Nationals’ lone sand race, Motocross 338 in Southwick, Mass. (August 24th).

Villopoto goes 1-2 for 2nd @ Millville, clinches the MX Lites crown with two races remaining; teammate Brett Metcalfe also makes the podium with 3rd place finish

CARLSBAD, Calif., (August 18, 2008) – Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto has wrapped up his third straight AMA Motocross Lites championship, this past weekend racing to a 2nd place overall finish (1-2) at Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minn., winning the overall Lites class title with two races remaining on the 2008 Toyota AMA Motocross Championship schedule.

James Stewart (Monster Energy/Kawasaki) stays perfect on the season with 1-1 in Minn., Villopoto (Monster/PC/Kawi) settles for 2nd  after winning first moto



    

CORONA, Calif., (August 18, 2008) – Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s James Stewart (MX class) and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto (MX Lites class) are the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championship overall champions following this past weekend’s action at round ten of the series at Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minn.

  

Beginning with Stewart, the world’s fastest motocross racer kept his perfect record intact this summer (10-0 overall, 20-0 motos) with a convincing 1-1 performance at Spring Creek. Stewart, who was lapped in a moto last year at Millville (by Monster Energy’s Ricky Carmichael), was stoked with his first-ever premier class outdoor championship.

“This was good, to get this one out of the way – it was a long time coming,” he said. “To sweep both motos and win was awesome. This has been my toughest season. All the struggles before and everything I went through to get back (from a knee injury) – it really makes this special for me.”



For Villopoto, though the overall championship didn’t come with a Spring Creek moto sweep, the fact that he was able to clinch with two races remaining (Southwick & Steel City) on the series schedule was a testament to how well he and his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team ran in the weeks leading up to this past weekend.



“Pleased I could bring another title back to Pro Circuit and Kawasaki,” said Villopoto. “This team does an amazing job working together and it shows with all the No. 1 plates we have on our rig. And thanks to Monster Energy for being part of the program again this year. With our combined titles I feel we’re the strongest team in motocross, and look forward to trying to prove that to the rest of the world at the Moto Des Nations.”



Villopoto’s only sketch came early in the second moto while leading the race. On a downhill section he hit what he believed to be a wet spot on the track, wadded up and gave up the lead to eventual winner Ryan Dungey. Villopoto was able to remount and give chase, fighting back valiantly for 2nd in the second moto, giving him 2nd place overall on the day.



Also making the podium was Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Brett Metcalfe, who put in an excellent performance for 3rd overall (4-3). Metcalfe’s got a solid hold on 3rd overall in the MX Lites class point standings with two races remaining, leading Jake Weimer (4th o/a) 305-259. And Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Tim “Red Dog” Ferry was able to make the podium in the first moto (3rd), but only could manage a 12th in the second moto and wound up 5th overall. Ferry is in 2nd place in the overall MX class standings, six points out front of Andrew Short (334-328).



Finally, putting up a career-best outdoor finish was Monster Energy-backed crossover athlete Tucker Hibbert. The Thief River Falls (Minn.) native killed it on his home track, scoring a 12th overall (15-12). Hibbert’s previous best finish at an Outdoor National was 16th.



This weekend Stewart, Ferry, Josh Hill, Villopoto, Metcalfe and Hibbert will hit the sands of Southwick (Mass.) for the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championships’ lone sand race (Aug. 24).



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. Stewart, Ferry, Hill, Villopoto, Metcalfe, Lawrence & Hibbert dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

Dietrich and teammate Damon Huffman battle from start to finish & go 1-2 at the popular indoor/off road motorcycle contest at Guthrie’s Lazy E Arena

   

Photos courtesy of: Kristen Cheatwood

CORONA, Calif., (August 18, 2008) – Monster Energy – the offical energy drink of AMA/Maxxis EndurCross – had two of its own, Monster Energy/Kawasaki teammates Ricky Dietrich and Damon Huffman, stage motorcycle racing’s equivalent of a classic boxing heavyweight title fight as the racers went toe-to-toe at Guthrie’s (Okla.) Lazy E Arena this past weekend in round two main event of the 2008 AMA/Maxxis EnduroCross Series.

 Dietrich seemed to have the Olympia, Wash., round all sewn up, but a flat tire, stalled bike (twice) and late last lap pass by Kurt Caselli ends the streak

   

CORONA, Calif., (August 15, 2008) – Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Ricky Dietrich was about to write himself into the record books with what would have been his 4th straight win on the World Off Road Championship Series (WORCS), but some bad luck would get in the overall pro class points leader’s way and he’d have to settle for 4th on the day in Olympia, Wash. Teammate Damon Huffman would place 7th on the day.

“So many things can happen, it’s really tough to win back-to-back races, let alone four straight,” said Dietrich. “Congrats to Kurt (Caselli). He rode real well and deserved the win.”

For a portion of the race Dietrich, who leads Bobby Bonds 165-157 in the overall title chase, was dominant. He captured the lead before after the first hour and everything was going good until it was reported that he had been running on a flat front tire for more than an hour. Tapping his energy considerably in the slick conditions (as well as shredding his tire), Dietrich was caught by Caselli when he (Dietrich) stalled his bike in the rock section. Another stall would keep him off the podium, but despite all the bad luck he still secured some valuable points with the 4th place finish. Note: Huffman is in 5th place overall in the pro class standings with 93 points.

Dietrich’s Monster Energy/Kawasaki teammates Destry Abbott and Josh Morros finished 15th and 22nd, respectively.



Monster Energy/Kawasaki athletes return to WORCS action Aug. 29-31 for round eight of the series in Monticello, 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. Ricky Dietrich, Damon Huffman, Destry Abbott and Josh Morros dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

·        Monster/Yamaha’s  Philippaerts Wins Czech MX1 GP - still 1st o/a

·        Monster/ Yamaha’s Coppins Czech top ten, 3rd overall in MX1 points

·        Monster/Hydrex/Honda’s Ellison podiums @ BSB in Knockhill, Scottland

 CORONA, Calif., (August 13, 2008) – A big week for Monster Energy motocrossers in Europe this past weekend as Monster Energy/Yamaha’s David Philippaerts extended his overall MX1 class points lead this past weekend at the Czechoslovakian Loket Circuit MXGP, winning the overall and extending his lead in the MX1 class to seven points over Steve Ramon (405-398) with three rounds remaining.

Philippaerts’ Monster Energy-backed teammate, Josh Coppins, would hold onto 3rd place overall in the MX1 class standings with a descent top ten finish (9th), going 7-10 on the weekend.

In the opening moto Philippaerts tangled early with Tanel Leok, hit the ground and ended up re-firing his YZ450F with some 20 bikes in front of him. Seemingly unfazed, Philippaerts got on his horse and caught back up to the leaders in what many close to the team felt was the Italian’s best moto of the year – including Philippaerts himself.

 “I pushed really hard in that first moto after a stupid crash and passed many riders,” he said. I found some good lines and just went for it. The track was very difficult but the team had worked hard in the last week to give me a bike that was perfect and I felt really happy being able to push.”

 In the second moto Philippaerts would have none of that falling down stuff he dealt with in the first moto, grabbing the lead early and holding off Sebastien Pourcel for the moto win – giving him the overall on the day. “In the second moto I took one or two risks but then was able to make good lap-times when I was in the lead and had a great race. For me Loket is a very real and natural motocross track and has similarities to some places in Italy. We have three races left now and I will try hard each time to get the best position I can. We will then see if the championship is ours or not!”

 Coppins just figured he was lucky to come away from Loket in one piece after a couple incidents in both motos.

 “If I am honest then I am happy to get out of here uninjured because it was a big crash for me in the second race and I was lucky not to get hurt,” said Coppins. “I don't seem to get on too well with Loket! Overall it was a disappointing day and nothing went right. I felt like I was riding pretty good but I was struggling with my vision in the first race after a stone whacked my goggles and broke the strap clean off. It was a freak thing. Thankfully it did not happen again in the second race but I was suffering from the first; my eyes were watering and it was very difficult to go fast. I could not race how I wanted because I couldn't glimpse the bumps clearly and things were all blurry; it was even quite dangerous sometimes. I hit a false neutral over the jump in the second race. I went over the bars and it more or less ended the moto. I ripped my pants, broke the buckle and my kidney belt was away somewhere. I feel pretty sore now and have some cuts and bruises. We still have some races left in this championship and the next challenge is to keep positive over this break until the next Grand Prix."

 The break Coppins alluded to is the three weeks between this past weekend’s Czech GP and the next round on August 31st in Dublin, Ireland.

British Superbike Championship

 Monster Energy’s James Ellison (Hydrex/Bike Animal/Honda) pulled another podium finish out of the British Superbike Championship, this past weekend racing to a 3rd place overall at the Knockhill (Scotland) round of the series.

 Running a 1000cc Honda Fireblade, Ellison topped Michael Rutter late in the race to take a podium 3rd place into the paddock for the intermission. Heavy skies ensued and the barely got the second moto off, then had it stopped early due to a crash by point leader (Shane Byrne). At that point Ellison was in 5th place – and that’s where he’d remain, going 3-5 for 3rd overall.

 “I'm well happy with the first race but again we maybe could have done better, but we had the pace and we showed that,” said Ellison. “I did the third fastest lap so we finished where we finished but I feel we could have done a bit more but I tried my hardest and that was all I could do. We ran with an intermediate front and a slick rear which was the right decision but it was a bit difficult off the line with it being wet but once we got into the race we were chipping away. I could see the riders in front getting closer every lap so if we had more laps I could have maybe got higher up. The team has done a mega job this weekend especially with me crashing on Friday, they turned the bike around and I enjoyed riding it and I'm happy to come away in one piece with more points and a trophy.”

 Ellison in currently 6th in the BSB, with Monster Energy-backed Cal Crutchlow (2nd) and Leon Haslam (4th) also contesting the UK’s premier road racing series.

 

 Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MotoGP, MXGP, 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 really starting to dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

Klatt steps it up from his 3rd place finish last week to go 3-3 for 2nd place o/a in the MX1class in Ottawa; Monster-backed MX2 racer Maier also podiums

CORONA, Calif., (August 13, 2008) – Monster Energy/Cernic’s/Kawasaki’s Dusty Klatt  put his KX450F on the podium twice this past weekend at the Ottawa (Sand Del Lee) race of the Monster  Energy CMRC Canadian MX Nationals – the penultimate round of the 2008 competition season - placing 2nd overall with a 3-3 MX1 class finishes.

In the opening moto Klatt came out of the start in 2nd place and grabbed the lead from Tyler Madaglia by the end of the first lap. The two would battle hard, eventually taking each other out in a turn – which allowed Colton Facciotti to take the lead. Klatt would remount and end up 3rd in the moto.



“I was battling Tyler for most of the early part of the moto until he went down and I flew into his pipe,” said Klatt. “I was so close to him I had no choice. After we picked ourselves up I was in 3rd, hunting Tyler again. I was on him the whole moto.”



In the second moto Klatt battled snocross star Blair Morgan for the holeshot, coming out in 2nd place and battling Morgan for the lead. That quickly turned into battling for 2nd as rival Facciotti found a hole and got past both Klatt and Morgan. Klatt would win the battle for 2nd over Morgan, but would eventually get caught late by Canadian sand specialist Kyle Keast. Klatt would hang with Keast, setting in the end for a well-deserved  3rd in the second moto and going 3-3 for 2nd overall on the day.

“I was happy with my start in the second moto and just rode my own race,” he said. “Then near the end Kyle was pressuring me. I just stayed focused to do my best, continued to battle with him all the way to the checkered flag.”



Klatt’s Monster Energy/Cernic’s/Kawasaki teammate Jeff Gibson placed 12th on the day with a 9-14 two moto MX1 class finish. Overall Klatt is in 2nd place in the MX1 class standings, 38 points back of Facciotti. Gibson is in 8th place overall in the MX1 class standings.



In MX2 class action Monster Energy’s Teddy Maier (Thor/Leading Edge/Kawasaki) was able to make the podium with a solid 3-4 two moto finish in the sand at Sand Del Lee. With the effort Maier moved all the way up from 5th in the MX2 class standings to 3rd overall with one race remaining.



Next up for the Monster Energy/Cernic’s/Kawasaki team is the finals of the 2008 Monster Energy Canadian MX Nationals, August 17th, at Walton, Ontario.



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 CMRC Canadian MX Nationals will be diggin’ ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com

Burkhart (Supermoto class)/Currie (Supermoto Lites) lead the o/a AMA Supermoto Championship after round two at Doug Henry’s New England Supermoto

  

CORONA, Calif., (August 12, 2008) – Monster Energy supermoto stars Brandon Currie and Mark Burkhart - both running the Graves/Yamaha YZs – scored 1st and 2nd place finishes, respectively, in the AMA Supermoto Lites and AMA Supermoto class races this past weekend at Doug Henry’s New England Supermoto held at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford, Conn.



  

With the results both 2007 defending class champions held onto overall leads in their classes following the second of seven rounds that make up the 2008 XTRM/AMA Supermoto Championship. Currie is a perfect two-for-two with 50 points and leads 2nd place Matt Burton 50-44 early in the Lites championship chase. Burkhart, who won the premier Supermoto class at the opening round in Monroe, Wash., on July 5th, holds a two point lead (47-45) over Troy Herfoss.

At Stafford Currie and Burton got into an exciting battle early with Burton taking the early lead. Currie quickly mounted an attack and was on Burton’s rear fender through lap three, taking the lead on lap four and holding off the hard-charging Burton by a close 1.5 seconds.

“That was a good race for the fans,” said Currie. “Matt rode well and this ought to set the stage for some more great Lites class battles throughout the season.” Monster Energy’s Currie explained that, on paper, the Lites championship chase didn’t look quite as competitive as it has when Currie battled David Pingree and Cassidy Anderson for the title in past years. However, with racers like Burton, Danny Casey and John Lewis stepping up their games – and gaining experience throughout the season – the Lites title defense won’t be an easy one for Currie.

In the premier Supermoto class Monster Energy’s Burkhart didn’t pull the start he would have liked and played catch up to eventual winner Herfoss for the entire race, eventually clocking in at just under eight seconds back of the Australian for 2nd place overall, ahead of two former Monster Energy racers Chris Fillmore and Robbie Horton.

“We ran well with Troy in our heat race (2nd to Herfoss by .442 second in heat #1) and feel we could have as well in the final, but we didn’t get out of the start like we’d have hoped and Troy ran well out front of the pack and built a big lead early,” said Burkhart. “The Graves/Yamaha team had my YZ dialed in well, but unfortunately we weren’t able to make up the time in order to catch the lead. Still, we’ve got the points lead and will look to build on that at the next race in Wisconsin.”

Next up for Monster Energy’s Currie and Burkhart on the XTRM/AMA Supermoto Championship tour is the Aug. 24th running of the Shawano (Wis.) Supermoto at USA International Raceway.

 

Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it supermoto, MotoGP, MX, road racing, 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. Mark Burkhart and Brandon Currie are diggin’ ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

Monster Energy’s Danny Harf’s voted No. 2 best overall wakeboarder with Monster’s Shane Bonifay & Shawn Watson also voted in the top ten

   

CORONA, Calif., (August 11, 2008) – Monster Energy wakeskaters and wakeboarders cleaned house in the recent Wakeboarding Magazine readers poll with Aaron Reed coming in at No. 1 in the wakeskate voting and Danny Harf capturing No. 2 in the wakeboarding poll.

   



“Wakeboarding Magazine’s readers poll is as good as it gets,” said Aaron Grace, team manager for Monster Energy’s wakeboard/skate crew. “Props from the readers as to who they feel is the best in their sport is as big to our guys as winning on the water. We’re all pumped with the awards.”



In addition to Harf, Monster Energy’s Shane Bonifay (7th) and Shawn Watson (9th) also made the top ten in the reader’s poll.





On the Air Nautique WWA Wakeboard National Championship tour held this weekend in Kenosha, Wis., Monster Energy’s Jimmy LaRiche won his second consecutive Junior Men’s National Championship. LaRiche, who hails from the Florida wakeboarding hotbed of Boca Raton, actually came close to scoring a perfect run in the finals, but the winds picked up – as did the chop – and LaRiche crashed early in the finals. But even then his score of 89.50 was good enough to take 1st place, cementing his second consecutive championship.



And if that wasn’t enough, LaRiche also scored the PCM Amateur Best Trick award (a $5,000 bonus) for landing the most impressive trick of the contest – a Cab 9 off the double-up.



“My weekend couldn’t have gone any better,” said LaRiche. “Thanks again to Monster for backing me this year. Glad I could deliver another championship.”



Note: Monster Energy’s Melissa Maquardt finished 5th overall in the Pro Women’s division.



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. Aaron Reed, Danny Harf, Shane Bonifay, Shawn Watson, Jimmy LaRiche and Melissa Marquardt dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.



 

Airing Tuesday, August 8th, at 9:00 pm Eastern Time (6:00 pm Pacific Time) and telecast three additional times, Lauri Heiskari and Iikka Backstrom will appear on The Daily Habit.



On toady’s show we have Finland’s finest, snowboarders and DC team riders Iikka Backstrom and Lauri Heiskari. Plus, Jordan Morris gets emotional with the cast of



“Hellboy II: The Golden Army.” Also, Jeff Sloniker challenges John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell to a battle of the Step Brothers.



Lauri Heiskari’s sponsors include: DC, Oakley, Vestal, Active Ride Shop, and Bear Mountain. Iikka Backstrom’s sponsors include: DC, Monster, Nixon, Electric and Active.



Lauri Heiskari and Iikka Backstrom





"The Daily Habit" is FUEL TV’s first original daily series, telecast weeknights at 9:00pm ET (6:00pm PT) while re-airing later in the evening at 12:00am ET (9:00pm PT), and the following weekday at 2:30pm ET (11:30am PT) and 5:30pm ET (2:30 pm PT). “The Daily Habit” encompasses the world of the action sports enthusiast, mixing the best in pop culture with today’s top action sports personalities, cutting-edge music, product reviews, and comedy.





About FUEL TV



FUEL TV is the action sports lifestyle network for skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX, freestyle-motocross, and wakeboarding. A unit of Fox Cable Networks, FUEL TV was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in 25-million U.S. homes. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.fuel.tv .

Monster’s Larsen shares the AMA’s Horizon Award as the event’s MVP; Wilson, Baggett, Sanayei, Covington & Cianciarulo also win titles



CORONA, Calif., (August 4, 2008) – The 2008 Ski Nautiques AMA Amateur MX National Championships wrapped up this weekend at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., and, as you’d expect, Monster Energy’s army of motocrossers brought home a TON of hardware, including six AMA National No. 1 plates!



The most outstanding performance for Monster Energy came from North Carolina’s PJ Larsen. Larsen went 2nd/1st in the MX Lites A Pro Sport and MX A Pro Sport classes, tying him with Darryn Durham for the AMA’s Horizon Award, which goes to the top competitor – or in this case competitors – at Loretta’s.



“Pumped to have my name on the Horizon Award,” said Larsen. “There’s been so many great racers over the years that have won it. I’m definitely honored to have been selected.”



In six motos in the excruciating mid-Tennessee head (well above 100-degrees in heat index), Larsen stepped up and handled the pressure, finishing lower than 2nd place only one time – 3rd in moto two of the MX Lites A Pro Sport. With two wins in the Motocross A Sport class (1-1-2), Larsen took home the title. His solid 1-3-2 performance in the Motocross Lites A Pro Sport class would give him a close 2nd overall to Durham.



Not to be overshadowed is Monster Energy’s Thomas Covington. The young California ripper won the 85cc 9-11 Stock class and finished in 2nd place – to Monster Energy’s Adam Cianciarulo – in the 85cc 9-11 Modified class. Also on the mini bikes Monster Energy’s Darian Sanayei won the overall 10-11 65cc Stock class. On the big bikes Monster Energy’s Dean Wilson stepped his game up as well and went 1st/2nd in the MX B Modified and MX Lites B Stock classes, respectively. And Monster Energy-backed Blake Baggett won the 14-16 Schoolboy class.



Other Monster Energy-backed racers making the podium at Loretta’s include:



•    Malcolm Stewart (James’ brother), 2nd MX B Stock

•    Tyler Sjoberg, 3rd MX B Stock

•    Sara Price, 2nd, 12-plus Women’s

•    Jacob Hayes, 2nd 12-15 Supermini, 3rd 14-16 Supermini

•    Michael Hall, 3rd, MX Lites A



For more information on Loretta’s, including all the results, hit up www.mxsports.com



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. Cianciarulo, Wilson, Sjoberg, Larsen, Stewart, Hayes, Baggett, Sanayei, Hall, Covington and Price dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

Monster Energy’s elite downhill mt. bike racers all over the World Cup podium as Steve Peat joins Hill on men’s and Sabrina Jonnier places 2nd in women’s division



CORONA, Calif., (August 4, 2008) – As the 2008 UCI World Cup continued to roll through Canada, Monster Energy’s Sam Hill (Iron Horse) was able to rebound from a less-than-stellar outing at Mounte Sainte-Anne (Quebec) the previous weekend to win the Bromont World Cup downhill at the ski area located just outside Montreal.



With the win Hill, the defending UCI World Cup downhill champion, took back the overall leader’s jersey he’s lost to rival Greg Minnaar at Sainte-Anne. Hill scored the maximum 250 points at Bromont, winning the qualifier semi as well as the main event (Minnaar scored 187 points). Hill now leads Minnaar 1020 to 974 with two rounds remaining. Note: This is the first time that Bromont has been on the UCI World Cup downhill schedule since 1999.



“My run was pretty good. I carried really good speed at the top and I didn't use too much energy and was happy I got through the top bits OK,” said Hill of his 2.7 margin of victory on the short, technical track. “I tried to keep it pretty safe through all the sloppy technical stuff because I just wanted to stay upright all the way to the bottom. I have no idea how I put on more than two seconds at the bottom. If anywhere I thought I'd be faster up top, so that was pretty surprising.”



Joining Hill on the podium in 3rd place was Monster Energy’s Steve Peat. The Brit, who’s 4th overall in the points, was roughly four seconds back of Hill and a little over a second behind 2nd place Minnaar.



Said Peat: “I'm pissed off! I got a little bit nervous. I was so confident after the qualifier. I got fastest split over a second and a half and was pretty confident after the qualifier. With the fastest split over a second and a half  I was confident I could go faster, but I think I set off too quick and just stalled in the first woods, then tried too hard and stalled again further down. Bit annoyed with that. I rode the bottom half good and solid, better than I did in the qualifier. Stoked to be 3rd but could have done better.”



And putting up his best finish of the year for Monster Energy/Iron Horse was Brendan Fairclough. The UK native qualified in 13th place and, according to team manager Sean Heimdal, was the first of the top riders to look “extremely fast through the technical steep middle section.” Fairclough’s time was more than two seconds quicker that the previous leader.



“I can't really complain,” said Fairclough. “It was a bit wet and humid out there and I had to be careful in a few spots. Pretty happy with 6th, though. It's about time I pulled something together. I always feel really good in practice but nothing happens in the finals. Today was a good start. I was lucky with some of the other riders having falls and punctures, but you have to make your own luck - that's downhill. Last week I rode too conservatively. I'm glad that I put it on the edge a little bit more, back to my old self! It's a bit of a confidence booster. I have two weeks at Whistler now and that's awesome!"



In the women’s elite division Monster Energy’s Sabrina Jonnier (Maxxis) placed 2nd, but lost a bit more ground on the leader. “I was happy with my run and there’s still a lot of racing left to decide the championship,” said Jonnier, the defending women’s downhill champion.



With two rounds remaining on the UCI World Cup downhill tour, one is in Hill’s home nation of Australia, the other is on a track Hill has dominated recently 0 Schladming, Austria. “It’s looking real good for Sam now,” said Heimdal.



Team Monster Energy Iron Horse is also sponsored by: Mad Catz, Game Shark, Air Drives, RockShox, SRAM, Avid, FUNN, Maxxis, DT Swiss, FSA, Crank Brothers, WTB, e.thirteen, DW Link, Troy Lee Designs, Minoura, Maxima, Obtainium Performance Products, Five-Ten, Freestyle Watches, THE, Alligator, Yamaha of Troy, KMC and Kicker.



For more information on the Monster Energy/Iron Horse downhill mountain bike racing program, link to: www.madcatzracing.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it MTB, off road, MX, supermoto, FMX, skate, 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. Sam Hill, Steve Peat, Brendan Fairclough and Sabrina Jonnier dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

Monster’s Adam Cianciarulo, Max Anstie, Tyler Sjoberg, Dean Wilson, Sara Price, Malcolm Stewart, Thomas Covington and PJ Larsen are all flying



CORONA, Calif., (July 31, 2008) – The 2008 Ski Nautiques AMA Amateur MX National Championships are in full swing at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., and, as you’d expect, Monster Energy’s army of motocrossers are in the hunt for several of the many titles on the line at the nation’s premier amateur motocross race.



Leading the charge thus far for Monster Energy is North Carolina’s PJ Larsen. Racing the MX Lites A Pro Sport and MX A Pro Sport classes (which pretty much means PJ’s next move is to turn pro), Larsen is three-for-three so far (two MX class wins, one Lites class win). Also scoring wins for Monster Energy in their respective classes in the first days of racing at Loretta’s were:



•    Dean Wilson, 1st (MX B Modified)

•    Adam Cianciarulo, 1st (85cc 9-11 Modified)

•    Malcolm Stewart, 1st (MX B Stock)*

•    Sara Price, 1st (Women’s)

•    Thomas Covington, 1st (85cc 9-11 Stock)

•    Max Anstie, 1st (Super Mini 12-15)



*That’s Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s James Stewart’s little brother!



With the competition at a premium, just to qualify for the week-long event is pretty big. Make the podium and you’re considered one of the best-of-the-best. Monster Energy-backed racers have put up numerous podium finishes in addition to winning. They include:



•    Tyler Sjoberg, 3rd (MX B Stock)

•    Dean Wilson, 2nd (MX B Lites Stock)

•    Thomas Covington, 2nd (85cc 9-11 Modified)

•    Sara Price, 2nd, (Women’s)

•    Max Anstie, 2nd (Super Mini 12-15)

•    Max Anstie, 2nd (Super Mini 2 14-16)



Race action at Loretta’s will continue on through the weekend. Check back with here at www.monsterenergy.com for more updates on all the up-and-coming Monster Energy amateur motocross racers! And for more information on Loretta’s, including results, hit up www.mxsports.com



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. Cianciarulo, Wilson, Sjoberg, Larsen, Stewart, Anstie, Hall, Covington and Price dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

 

Loza lands the way-bananas “Electric Death” body flip and rides off into the sunset, no, wait, CRASHES into a barrier & takes out some paramedics!

   

CORONA, Calif., (August 1, 2008) – Monster Energy’s Kyle Loza is the first Monster Energy athlete to strike gold at X Games 14, doing so in the FMX Best Trick contest by landing his completely insane trick dubbed “Electric Death” last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.



Loza, who first unveiled the trick at the inaugural ESPN Moto-X World Championships back in April – but failed to land it cleanly – pulled it again last night and rode away (sort of). In the tight confines next to the skateboard MegaRamp, Loza landed, then shot off to the side and cleared out foam safety barrier, along with a couple paramedics seeking safety behind it, and eventually coming to a stop in a corridor next to some other frightened townspeople. Fortunately no one was injured and Loza managed to stay on his feet the entire time.



“Yeah, that landing was pretty crazy,” he said. “Glad the judges felt I’d pulled the trick clean and awarded me the score that’d get me the gold. Thanks again to Monster for everything. I’m stoked I could deliver the first of what should be a bunch of gold medals at X coming from all the great Monster athletes.”



Loza, the defending gold medalist in FMX Best Trick, won as a rookie last year – first time that’s ever happened at X – with his hovering 360 body varial spin above a bike (which is 40-feet off the ground) dubbed the “Volt.”



For more information on this week’s X Games 14 – including all the results - link to www.expn.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it skate, SuperMoto, MX, road racing, off-road, MTB, rally, 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. Kyle Loza and all the Monster guys are diggin’ ‘em at the X Games this week – big time. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.

Monster Energy athletes mine medals in every discipline including: skate (PLG, Brown & Lutzka), dirt bikes (Carmichael, Loza, McGrath & Currie), BMX (Bestwick & Mirra) & rally cars (Mirra & Block)

   

CORONA, Calif., (August 4, 2008) – Monster Energy athletes wrapped up the 14th installment of action sports’ premier event of the year, Los Angeles’ ESPN Summer X Games, bringing home a total of 11 medals, four of which were gold.



Kings of the Halfpipe



Monster Energy’s Pierre Luc “PLG” Gagnon and Jamie Bestwick had the halfpipe event covered with PLG taking gold in the Skate Vert contest and Bestwick adding gold in BMX Vert.



Beginning with Bestwick, the Brit was spectacular in not only the technical department, but also in amplitude/loftiness and style. Smooth beyond the competition, you’d be hard-pressed to match Bestwick’s top moments in the finals’ jam session on a PlayStation. Defending his gold medal at all costs – including coming back from a prelims slam that had him gathering his faculties on the ramp for some time – Bestwick backed what everyone knows: He’s the best BMX vert rider in the world.



“This was the first time I was able to back up my gold,” said Bestwick, who’s won the X Games’ BMX Vert contest six times. “Thanks to Monster Energy and the fans that came out. Vert truly is the foundation of the X Games.” Tricks abounded for Bestwick in the final jam, including opposite downside whips, no-handed 540s, an alley-oop barspin to turndown and a first-of-its-kind alley-oop turndown flair.



PLG’s run in the same ramp on his skateboard was equally as consistent and masterful. Overcoming a sketchy opening night on the Big Air ramp, PLG dug deep and laid the urethane to the wood against the world’s top vert skaters, including Shaun White and Bob Burnquist. PLG’s runs in the finals were a methodical display of technical excellence, putting together back-to-back A-list tricks to replicate his recent $75,000 Maloof’s Money Cup finals win.



“Things definitely came together nicely in the finals,” said PLG, who won his third X Games gold medal in Skate Vert. “I felt very focused and that allowed me to land some tricks no one else was doing. The competition level at X is insane, so to win here is big. Thanks again to everyone at Monster for coming out this week.”



Consistently stomping 540s and 720s in the jam session, PLG then stepped into the footwork that he’s noted for and made a nollie backside heelflip indy followed on the next hit by a nollie Cab heelflip. The jam session finals seems to suit PLG just fine as he’s won gold in both the Dubai and Mexico X Games Skate Vert finals using this same format.



Added ESPN announcer/skate legend Chris Miller: “He’s (PLG) upping the ante on every run!”



Also medaling in skateboarding were Jake Brown (bronze), who made his triumphant return to the Big Air ramp – site of his infamous 40-foot bomb drop to heels in ’07 - and Greg Lutzka, who overcame a couple injuries to place a solid 3rd in Skate Street.



Moto Men



Monster Energy and dirt bikes go together like water and swimmers. Seems you can’t spot one without the other. So it came as no surprise to the moto community that Monster Energy athletes scored four medals in this discipline, including gold from Ricky Carmichael (Step Up) and Kyle Loza (Moto Best Trick), a silver in Moto-X Racing from veteran Jeremy “Showtime” McGrath and a bronze medal in SuperMoto from Brandon Currie.



“Man, I had a blast this week,” said Carmichael. “The whole X Games scene is just incredible to be part of. And I’m pumped I was able to get the gold this year in Step Up. Thanks to Makita/Suzuki and Monster for providing a ton of support. Hopefully we’ll be able to run it back next year.”



Carmichael won the gold he was denied last year when he made it over the bar clean, but smashed his face on the handlebars and didn’t quite ride away far enough (at least according to the X Games judges). So this weekend’s gold was a bit of poetic justice for the motocross great.



In the Best Trick competition, Loza’s “Electric Doom” (renamed from Electric Death) was the show-stopper. Last year as a rookie Loza debuted the “Volt,” a hovering 360 body varial spin above a bike already some 40 feet off the ground. Instant stardom for Loza who responded by returning the drawing board (or in his case ‘foam pit’) and went right back to work on another mind-blowing masterpiece, which he landed this weekend and rode away from a bit farther than Carmichael’s Step Up last year (albeit taking out a safety wall and some paramedics in the process).



Monster Energy’s McGrath, one of SoCal’s favorite sons, had to make the Moto-X Racing finals via the last chance qualifier (which he won), then proceeded to put on a clinic for the riders most of which are old enough to be McGrath’s, well, a VERY younger brothers! Cheers to McGrath on a epic showing.



Finally, Currie (Monster/Graves/Yamaha) overcame a gnarly Supermoto qualifier crash with rival Cassidy Anderson on the start stretch and had to make the main (like McGrath) through the LCQ. Currie made the most of Monster Energy-backed teammate Mark Burkhart’s (No. 1 qualifier) misfortune in the main event (two crashes, DNF) and carried the M-claw torch in Supermoto to a bronze medal.



Dave “Mr. Two Medals” Mirra



Having already won more X Games gold medals than the Russians did in the Olympics throughout the 1970s, Mirra looked like he was going to add his first in BMX Big Air. Throwing a first-ever no-handed “Helicopter Flip” over the 50-foot gap, Mirra sent the folks at the Staples Center into a frenzy. Chad Kagy then followed with an equally impressive run and it was pure bedlam. The coin flip call for the judges goes to Kagy’s favor and Mirra scores the silver. “I’m psyched on silver. I thought that they judged the jump a little low, though,” said Mirra.



Oh well, that was soon forgot as Mirra got behind the wheel of his Vermont SportsCar-tuned Subaru Impreza WRX STI and overcame a couple wrecks to capture a bronze medal.



“You know, I can’t believe it – amazing,” said Mirra to ESPN announcer Erin Bates after his qualifying run. Mirra broke the steering on his Subaru when he contacted the wall near the beginning of the second lap (which he was leading) and had to literally stop/go/stop/back up (repeat 20 times) around the course to finish.



In the semis Mirra got his car fixed and was running well when he over-shot the big over/under jump, lost control and crashed in the some barriers protecting the stands. Game over, but Mirra was grinning from ear-to-ear afterwards.



Also showing well for Monster in Rally was Ken Block. Last year’s silver medalist in the inaugural Rally event, Block nollied the over/under jump in his quarterfinal qualifier and tore up his radiator. With only a few minutes before the semis vs. Subaru teammate Travis Pastrana, the team didn’t have enough time to fix it. So he lined up ready to go and the motor, without proper cooling, seized up. End result: Bronze for Block AND Mirra.



Additional noteworthy performances from Monster Energy athletes at X Games 14 include: Ryan Guettler (4th, BMX SuperPark), PLG (6th Big Air), Jason Lawrence (9th Moto-X Racing), Josh Hill (10th Moto-X Racing).



For more information on this week’s X Games 14 – including all the results - link to www.expn.com



Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it skate, SuperMoto, MX, road racing, off-road, MTB, rally, 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. They dug ‘em at the X Games last week – big time. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.