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Harley Clifford interviews on Wake World. You can click the picture above to read the full interview or click HERE.
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Off weekend for Hayden – Bronze Medal for Henry
It was an off weekend for Monster Energy/Yamaha USA/OTSFF Racing’s Iain Hayden at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, which were held on January 28-31.
Although everything went well for Hayden during practice and dialling in his 4-stroke Yamaha FX Nytro®, things went far less favourably in the qualifying heats.
In the first heat, Hayden got a terrible start that left him at the back of the pack in a field of 12 riders. Anxious to make up time as quickly as possible, he aggressively worked his way towards the front. Hayden was making nice headway but on the third lap, while passing another rider on the outside, he caught his ski on an ice edge and was pitched off his sled.
It took Hayden a while to recover from the high speed get-off and to get back into the fray, to then take it to a non-qualifying finish at the checkered. In the LCQ, Hayden suffered another miserable start and was again faced with making up ground on the rest of the competition. He was able to muscle his way into seventh place but stranded there missing a starting berth for the final by two positions.
“It was a bit of a letdown after all the work we did this weekend. Those guys in the trailer did a really good job but I wasn’t able to deliver the results,” said Hayden. “The power was there, the FX Nytro® ran great. I just couldn’t seem to recover from my bad starts and I suffered the consequences.”
While Hayden was unable to find his groove at Aspen his teammate for the weekend, Doug Henry, managed to do just that. The former American motocross champion – a paraplegic since a racing injury in 2007 – competed in the newly conceived Winter X Games Adaptive SnowCross. Henry ran a steady race on Hayden’s backup sled to finish a noteworthy third and the Bronze Medal that goes along with it.
“What a thrill to make the podium on a snowmobile at the Winter X Games. It’s something I never thought would happen but here I am. The Yamaha FX Nytro® proved itself beyond a shadow of a doubt as an awesome racing sled,” said Henry. “I’d like to thank Andre Laurin and everybody on the team for giving me the opportunity to join them for this amazing event.”
Henry, a three-time AMA National Motocross Champion, won a Gold Medal for Yamaha in SuperMoto competition at the 2005 X-Games.
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Check out the video!
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Britton “462” Wasmer
SPORT: ATV
LOCATION: Parkersburg, WV
CHECK OUT HIS PROFILE
Monster Army: Let everyone know your info to get them a good idea about yourself. 462: I have 20 championship titles under my belt and praying for many more to come.
MA: Let everyone know your info to get them a good idea about yourself. 462: I am 22 years old and am 5”9 at 165 lbs. I like long walks on the beach, haha kidding. I’m a real down to earth person, I have a positive attitude on and off the track. I am from a small town, Parkersburg, WV. I have been racing for 5 years and 2 of which I have been a pro. I race a Monster Energy Kawasaki KFX450 and am very proud of it. Among racing I enjoy other hobbies such as hunting, wrestling, and MMA. My sophomore year I was a state champion wrestler, and runner up my junior and senior year from one of the highest ranked high schools in the nation. Another hobby I enjoy in my spare time is cage fighting I love the competition that comes along with it, and the more you get to know about me you’ll realize that losing isn’t my nature. MA: How often do you get to ride? 462: I would like to ride everyday, but being a privateer it makes it tough without the factory support. I ride at least three times a week but when I am not riding I am trying to get as much training in as I can. MA: Why do you think you have such a passion for riding and racing? 462: Well… I would say I’m an adrenaline junkie, I love the rush I get when I am riding, the feeling I get is so unexplainable. Also, another plus are the girls in the Motocross industry are probably the hottest there is haha. I like how it’s a different kind of sport that not a lot of my friends are doing. I got bored with football, basketball and baseball they all require one ball …I do extreme sports ya know… The ones that require two!
MA: Describe your riding style. 462: I used to have a “if your not first , your last.” riding style, with this mind set I learned the hard way that this isn’t true. I have had a lot of injuries due to racing such as, broken collarbones, broken shoulder blade, broken leg twice, five concussions in six months and many more aches and pains. Spending time on the ground wasn’t fun, and still isn’t fun! But I eventually learned SLOW is SMOOTH and SMOOTH is FAST. MA: What type of riding style would you like to have? 462: I want a style where I’m perfectly smooth, but when needed still be able to hang it all out on the line! MA: You ever afraid of having a serious crash? 462: As a racer you really have to put that in the back of your mind although you always know there is a good probability that your going to crash. I try not to think about my past injuries, because when I do I get nervous. On the other hand, being nervous can be a good thing I always seem to pull holeshots for some reason! MA: What is your signature move to throw over a jump for the fans? 462: I’m not very flashy when I’m racing but I like to throw whips and look back at the person in second, I don’t know if its an intimidation factor or what but I’ve had it done to me and I didn’t like it to well. MA: Tell us about all of your sponsors? 462: Monster Energy – Monster is the biggest sponsor of motor sports and extreme sports. They have the sickest vibe and the best energy drinks. Monster Energy is the one I’m most proud of they really hook it up, they fully back all of their sponsored riders. But have you seen the Monster girls? Who wouldn’t want to be sponsored by them?
Motohead Clothing Co.- Motohead is great to their riders. Anytime I need something they get it for me. They ask for the rider input on clothing (like it or drop it) they’re stuff is just sikk.
Tag metals- has great deals on just about EVERYTHING from bars to grips to sprockets tag metals has it all.
SixSixOne- Helmets are the main reason why I like they but they have some of the best protective gear that money can buy.
Utopia Optics
Black’s Motorsports
Itp tires,
Wildwood Lake Raceway
Cool Custom Trucks.
My mom, step-dad, grandpa and my uncle Rick. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today. MA: Where do you travel to for races? 462: Fortunately I get to travel A LOT. Its awesome going to all the different places but I mostly stick to the East coast. MA: Ever been asked for an autograph yet? 462: Yeah, it’s a pretty awesome feeling knowing that someone looks up to you. My favorite is when a little kid knows my name and asks for my autograph I always sign them a set of goggles.
MA: How do you handle all your girl fans? 462: At times it’s a plus, but I’m taken at the moment… Sorry ladies! MA: What are your goals for the 2010 season? 462: My goals for the 2010 season is too keep pushing the envelope. All I want to do is get better and faster. I want to be ranked among the nations top pro-am riders.
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Holland 5-peats in SBD-X, Hibbert 4-peats in SnoCross, Helgason wins SBD Big Air and Olenick takes Ski Pipe High AirAcross-the-board dominance for Monster Energy athletes at ESPN’s Winter X Games 14 as our guys again reigned supreme on the world’s premier stage for action sports. M-claw emblazoned athletes locked down an impressive 14 medals – including four golds - at the four-day event held this past week/weekend in Aspen, Colo.
Leading the charge for Monster Energy were gold medalists Halldor Helgason (Snowboard Big Air) and Peter Olenick (Ski SuperPipe High Air), both first-time gold medalists at Winter X. And continuing their outright control on their respective sports were Monster Energy’s Nate Holland, who won an X Games record fifth-straight Snowboard-X (boardercross) gold medal, and snowmobiler/MXer Tucker Hibbert, who won his fourth-straight SnoCross gold.
“From Monster athlete Halldor Helgason opening the competition with his spectacular perfect scores in Friday’s Snowboard Big Air, to Aspen’s hometown favorite, Peter Olenick, closing X Games 14 with his first-ever gold medal, Monster’s presence was heavy throughout this one-of-a-kind global event,” said Monster’s Vipe Desai. “Nate Holland and Tucker Hibbert doing their thing as well … absolutely incredible how those guys have owned their respective events.
“And a big high five to everyone at Monster who dug in, dealt with the frigid temperatures in Aspen and helped pull off what I feel has been Monster’s most successful presence ever at Winter X.”
In addition to the gold medals won by Helgason, Olenick, Holland and Hibbert, ten other hard-earned pieces of hardware went home with Monster Energy athletes, including:
Silver
Athlete Sport
Torstein Horgmo Snowboard Big Air
T.J. Schiller Ski Big Air
Jossi Wells Ski SuperPipe
Justin Dorey Ski SuperPipe High Air
Joe Parsons Snowmobile Freestyle
Chris Burandt Snowmobile Knock Out
Bronze
Athlete Sport
Joe Parsons Snowmobile Knock Out
Doug Henry Snowmobile Adaptive SnoCross
Mikkel Bang Snowboard Big Air
Xavier Bertoni Ski SuperPipe
And while the medal performances were outstanding, keep in mind that just qualifying for the X Games and then having to qualify again to make the finals in Aspen is a major feat. That said, 30 positions in ski, snowboard and snowmobile finals were registered by Monster Energy athletes – more than any other energy drink. Monster athletes who didn’t come home with a medal, but did qualify for the finals in their respective events (which is huge) included:
Athlete Sport/Place
Louie Vito Snowboard SuperPipe/8th
Torstein Horgmo Snowboard Slopestyle/4th
Mikkel Bang Snowboard Slopestyle/6th
Halldor Helgason Snowboard Slopestyle/8th
Sarah Burke Ski Slopestyle/6th
Kristi Leskinen Ski Slopestyle/8th
Jossi Wells Ski Big Air/5th
Jossi Wells Ski Slopestyle/7th
Tom Wallisch Ski Slopestyle/8th
Elena Hight Snowboard SuperPipe/6th
Sarah Burke Ski SuperPipe/6th
Colby West Ski SuperPipe/7th
Peter Olenick Ski SuperPipe/8th
Xavier Bertoni Ski SuperPipe High Air/5th
Joe Parsons Snowmobile Best Trick/4th
Paul Thacker Snowmobile Best Trick/8th
Also noteworthy, ESPN closed its version of Winter X 14 “X Center” (the X Games’ nightly version of SportCenter) with the Top Ten Winter X 14 moments. Monster athletes making that list included:
#9 – Halldor Helgason’s perfect 50/50 scoring performance in Snowboard Big Air
#6 – Tucker Hibbert’s four-peat in SnoCross
#5 – T.J. Schiller and Jossi Wells’ performances in Ski Big Air
#2 – Nate Holland’s five-peat in Snowboard-X
For more on Winter X 14 and the Monster Energy athletes, link to: www.expn.com
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Schiller stomps a never-done-before 1620 in competition, nails a perfect score and takes 2nd; Monster’s Jossi Wells kills it, but only gets 4th
A couple huge performances for Monster Energy athletes highlighted the Skiing Best Trick portion of Friday’s Winter X Games 14 in Aspen, Colo., as skier T.J. Schiller, last year’s X Games gold medalist in Skiing Slopestyle, locked down the silver medal in front of the largest crowd ever on Friday at Buttermilk Mountain’s – estimated at more than 20,000.
Friday’s jam session format for Skiing Big Air was, as Freeskier Magazine put it, “Hands down the best display of comp skiing ever compiled into one session.” Not only did Schiller throw down with the first-ever 1620 in competition, but Monster Energy-backed teammate Jossi Wells – the current Dew Tour point leader in Freeski Halfpipe – threw a not only stylish and technically flawless switch double 1440, but also put his name into the ranks of a first-ever trick in competition. Unfortunately for Wells his amazing runs were a bit overshadowed by Schiller and eventual winner Bobby Brown, albeit scored a bit low (according to the fans’ response) as well – keeping Wells out of the medals.
 The perfect scores would be shared by Schiller and Brown (two 50s), with Schiller throwing was many agreed to be the best trick of the night. “The jam format is the best thing ever, we were all literally progressing together and putting down new tricks that have never done before. I mean, I did a 1620 and got second, ha ha - it was amazing,” said a pumped Schiller.
Wells also blew doors on the competition, but in the end wound up missing out on a medal by one point as he and Russ Henshaw tied for 4th behind bronze medalist Elias Ambuhl. Both Schiller and Wells wick it back up Sunday for the Skiing Slopestyle competition.
Also: In the Snowboard Slopestyle qualifiers Monster Energy’s 19-year-old Icelandic sensation, Halldor Helgason, took top honors in leading eight out of 16 riders into the finals. Making it an all-Monster qualifier round podium were Norwegians Mikkel Bang and Torstein Horgmo, 2nd and 3rd in qualifying, respectively. Helgason set the bar high for everyone, stepping up and touching down over the kicker line combo that included the progressively bigger “Deposit,” “Down Payment” and “Money” booters.
“I was just out there having fun, and the jumps are pretty sick too - I’m so stoked!,” said Helgason.
Helgason’s 93-point score featured a double cork frontside 1080 to switch backside 900. He then nearly nailed a 1260 double cork – and will no doubt show off that trick in Sunday’s Snowboard Slopestyle final. Bang, a crowd favorite, showcased a frontside 540 nosepress on the “Hitching Post” and spun an insane combo: Cab Seven into a switch backside 900 and front 1080. Horgmo’s top score would come on his second run with a bluntslide backside 270 out up top and a stacked triple line that read: switch backside 900, frontside 1080 and backside 1080.
Had the competition been held yesterday, Monster Energy athletes would have gone 1-2-3 in the medals. As it stands the three are the favorites to repeat their positions on Sunday.
For more on Winter X 14 and the Monster Energy athletes, link to: www.expn.com
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Newly-signed snowmobiler Joe Parsons scores Monster Energy’s first Winter X 14 medal! Washington’s Parsons, the 2009 Winter X Snowmobile Best Trick gold medalist, locks down the silver medal in Snowmobile Freestyle on Thurs.
The latest addition to the already dominant Monster Energy snowmobile crew, Washington’s Joe Parsons, paid instant dividends on the opening night of Winter X 14 when he blazed to a silver medal finish in the Snowmobile Freestyle event, scoring high in style and amplitude departments in the first of three events he’ll contest this week/weekend in Aspen, Colo.
“I’m pumped to be on board with Monster and was glad I could deliver a medal in the opening event,” said Parsons. “I’ve got two more events – defending my gold medal in Best Trick, then the new Knock Out event. We’re off to a good start.”
Parsons was his usual smooth and fluid self in Thursday’s opening contest for the snowmobilers in front of a sizable crowd at the base of Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain. He reached into his bag of tricks and came out with a a few mind-blowers, including his patented “Parsby” (backflip to Frisby air).
“The amplitude level was off the charts … definitely a great way to open the X Games for us,” he added. “Fans are going to be pumped with Best Trick and Knock Out.”
The four-time Winter X medalist’s next competition will be tonight’s Best Trick competition and, again, a chance to defend his 2009 gold medal.
"I'd definitely like to get at least one more gold," he says. "I put in the training time each year. I'm working non-stop, months in advance and just focusing on doing well. This year is the most I've ever put into this, and I know that it's more than others are putting in."
For more on Winter X 14 and the Monster Energy athletes, Click here
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Podium for Hayden in Lindsay
Team Monster Energy-Yamaha-OTSFF Racing’s Iain Hayden continues to lead the CSRA Pro Open Snowcross Championship, after recording a noteworthy second place finish at Round 2 of the points chase this past weekend in Lindsay, Ontario.
After racing a double-header at Eagle River, WI in the United States the week before, things were a little more relaxed for Hayden and the team as they raced back on home soil.
Hayden arrived at the Lindsay Exhibition Grounds to contest the Amsoil® Kawartha Cup with a slim three point lead in the title hunt. When all was said and done, he finished in the top-two in all three races and stretched his lead to a more comfortable 10 points.
In his first full season on the Canadian circuit since 2007, Hayden is on solid footing to add another CSRA championship title to his laurels. He basically did what he had to do and that’s to keep adding double-digit points to his lead. The Espanola, ON native took his four-stroke Yamaha FX Nytro® to a second place finish in his first qualifying heat, a win in the second heat, and runner-up in the final.
 His solid performance in the qualifiers gave Hayden a lucrative second pick on the front row for the all important final. That position, however, turned into a slot on the back row, after a too eager Hayden jumped the start.
Although he had only 12 laps to redeem himself, Hayden got on the gas after the restart and systematically began picking off rider and after rider in a caution flag marred race, to knife his way towards the front. By the end of the race, he had claimed second place but ran out of time to reel in the win.
“It was hard to make any kind of headway, because there were so many crashes out there with cautions for what seemed to be at least half the race. It was more or less follow the leader with here and there an opportunity to pass,” said Hayden. “Still, I can’t complain seeing I managed to keep my points lead intact. It was a good event with a lot of fans coming out to see the action. And the team did another great job that allowed me to get the maximum performance out of my Nytro FX®. The Hindle Exhaust system we’re running has really helped towards that end.”
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Following in the footsteps of elder brother Eiki, Halldór Helgason’s breakthrough season is a kick-start to what will soon be a long career in this game. The jibbing and jumping juggernaut crossed the Atlantic to lay claim to one of the heaviest parts of the year in Standard’s Black Winter, and his efforts not only earned him Rookie of the Year status, but also our Jibber of the Year honors as well.
Forum über-pro Eddie Wall is no stranger to the Cinderella-story season that Halldór had, and he applauded Helgason’s inaugural year. “He’s the definition of a rookie. He came out of nowhere and put us all to shame, slaying every rail in sight and shutting up all the haters by doublecorking some massive tabletops.” Halldór’s fluidity, drive, and trick selection earned him this honor, but it was the final product he put out with Standard that earned high praise from our number-one Rider of the Year John Jackson, who described Helgason’s riding as “Effortless and precise.” We’d like to be the first to introduce you to Halldór Helgason. Welcome to the big leagues, little guy.
You can view the video of Halldór Helgason by clicking HERE
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