Monster Athletes Sweep All Four Disciplines with Convincing Wins

Monster Army Leaves the Competition Seeing Green with Dominant Night at Inaugural Monster Energy Cup
Monster Athletes Sweep All Four Disciplines with Convincing Wins

The Inaugural Monster Energy Cup from Las Vegas on Saturday night lived up to the expectations. The one-off spectacle from Sam Boyd Stadium, created to showcase the sport of motocross, showcased the top athletes in both racing and freestyle, with the world’s fastest riders taking center stage for the Monster Million, in addition to Best Trick presented by Dirt Shark, the Amateur All Stars, and Amateur Super Mini.

Sam Boyd Stadium was rocking all night long.

After an action-packed night that featured a total of seven main event races in both professional and amateur competition, in addition to the winner-take-all freestyle showdown, the Monster Army stood above the rest, taking the top spot in each class.

Heavy favorite Villopoto was in a class of his own on Saturday night.

Reigning AMA Supercross, AMA Motocross, and Motocross of Nations champion Ryan Villopoto led the way, capping off the most successful season of his career, and arguably all-time, with a dominant outing for the Monster Million. Villopoto rode his Monster Energy Kawasaki to stellar starts in all three 10-lap main events, and proceeded to win each segment, going away, to claim the coveted $1 million prize up for grabs to any rider capable of achieving the feat. The Monster Million is the largest purse in motocross history, and bookends a perfect 2011 season for Villopoto.

Mark Monea rebounded from his X Games heartbreak by landing the “Carry On.”

The Best Trick competition was true to the nature of the high profile Monster Energy Cup. A handful of the biggest names in freestyle converged on Las Vegas, for a chance to claim a $40,000 bounty. The parameters for the contest were simple: one trick, one run, winner take all. As a result, each rider brought his most extreme trick to the table, but in the end, it was Australian specialist Mark Monea who took home the cash. Taking a break from his day job as a motorcycle mechanic, Monea sought to land his patented “Carry On” front-flip 360, after missing out on the opportunity at X Games in July. He did just that, adding to the difficulty by landing with one hand, for which he was rewarded by the judges to take home the handsome paycheck.

Justin Hill’s Moto 2 win proved huge in the final tally of All Star scores.

The amateur showcase was broken down into a pair of divisions – All Stars and Super Mini – giving fans a rare opportunity to see the sport’s future stars go bar-to-bar on a big stage. The All Stars class featured a talented lineup of riders on the verge of turning pro. The top A- and B-class riders from the amateur world aid it all on the line over the course of two motos, ultimately amassing a four-way tie for first place when all was said and done. In the end, it was Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Justin Hill who prevailed, earning the coveted tiebreak by virtue of his dominant Moto 2 win, to give him 4-1 moto scores, and one of the biggest victories of his career.

Adam Cianciarulo made a huge statement with his Super Mini performance.

In the Super Mini division, amateur superstar Adam Cianciarulo took center stage. A class loaded full of young riders prepared to make the move to big bikes, Super Mini races regularly produce captivating competition, as the small nature of the bikes and the big air they produce lead to huge ovations from the fans. The field was no match for Cianciarulo, who rode his Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green machine to flawless wins in both motos, to cap off the perfect evening for the entire Monster Army.

About Monster Energy

Monster Energy supports the scene. Be it X Games, motocross, off-road, rally, road racing, skate, surf, mountain, on the road with Warped Tour, the DUB Show, Ozzfest … or just kickin’ it local with the bros … wherever the action’s going off you’re sure to find the M-claw logo. Monster Import, Import Light and DUB join all the types – Original Monster Energy, Lo-Carb Monster, Monster Assault, Monster’s fruit juice hybrids dubbed Monster Khaos, Monster M-80 and Monster MIXXD, the ground-breaking Java Monster and X-Presso Monster premium coffee & cream drink line supercharged with Monster Energy’s blend, 3 oz. Monster Hitman Energy and the new Monster Energy “Rehab,” combining ice tea and lemonade with Monster Energy OG. You can bet all our athletes at Summer X 17 will be diggin’ ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterarmy.com and www.monsterenergy.com