Monster Energy Weekend Wrap Up, March 12-14
Monster forms relationship with MERCEDES GP PETRONAS F1; Monster/Kawi’s Villopoto wins yet another SX main (Toronto) and Monster’s AMA Arenacross team sweep another podium
CORONA, Calif., (March 16, 2010) – In a major announcement, over the weekend Monster teamed up with MERCEDES GP PETRONAS for the 20-race 2010 Formula 1 World Championship Series.
Moreover, Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto chalked up another premier SX class win – his fifth of the year – in taking top honors at the Monster Supercross Series’ only international round held in Toronto.
Add to that a Monster sweep at AMA Arenacross and numerous titles from the season-opening amateur MX National in Lake Whitney, Texas, and it was yet another banner weekend for Monster athletes around the world of motorsports.
Monster signs MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula 1 team!
From Sports Marketing: As an integral part of Monster’s ongoing global push, Monster Energy will join MERCEDES GP PETRONAS as a Team Partner for the 2010 Formula One season starting from the first Grand Prix in Bahrain this weekend.
The glowing Monster Energy logo will feature prominently on the helmets of the team’s drivers, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, and on their silver racesuits, as the new Silver Arrows race cars compete around the globe during the 19-race Formula One season.
After winning 91 races and seven World Championships, Michael announced his retirement in 2006, before deciding to make his return to the sport with the new Mercedes-Benz works team. Nico, the son of 1982 Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg, has 70 Grand Prix starts to his name and is considered to be one of brightest young stars of the sport and tipped by many to be a future World Champion.
Nico, Michael and their MGP W01 race cars will kick off the new season on Sunday 14 March at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Look out for the two Mercedes drivers and the bright green Monster Energy logo at the sharp end of the field!
Mark Hall, President of Monster Energy, said: “At Monster Energy we don’t hold back. Following our success with sponsoring the current Formula One World Champion Jenson Button in 2009, we’re delighted to have stepped up our involvement in the sport and joined with the current Constructors’ Champions MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. The team has such an exciting driver line-ups with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher teaming up with emerging star Nico Rosberg and they will undoubtedly deliver Monster’s “Go Big” message to the hundreds of millions of fans around the world that follow every race. The team’s competitive approach and commitment to achieving success is a perfect fit for Monster Energy as we continue to expand internationally.”
And from this weekend’s F1 GP opener in Bahrain …
The 60th anniversary of the Formula 1 World Championship Series began on Sunday afternoon at the 3.914-mile, 23-turn Bahrain International Circuit when the red lights extinguished themselves thus unleashing 24 1,340-pound, 800-horsepower cars to begin the 49-lap Grand Prix of Bahrain. Heading pell-mell into the first turn with filled to the brim fuel tanks of gasoline – in-race refueling has been banned for 2010 – it was German Sebastian Vettel leading the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa out onto the blistering hot track (ambient air temperatures were in the 95-degree Fahrenheit range).MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver Nico Rosberg was fourth, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was fifth and MERCEDES PETRONAS out-of-retirement wheelman Michael Schumacher was slotted in at sixth.
While a number of small incidents plagued the early laps of the race, the leaders calmly held station up at the front and began to steadily pull away, the top five all separated by approximately seven seconds. By the 10-lap mark of the race, the primary concern of each team’s engineers was how the cars were being affected by the burning of fuel (thus reducing weight) and tire wear. To that end, the word from the pit boxes was that the first pit stops would come at lap 15. And so it was as beginning on lap 16 lead pack drivers such as Hamilton, Schumacher, Alonso, Rosberg, Vettel, Alonso and others began to dive down pit lane to take on new tires. When it all sorted itself out and everyone cycled through their pit stops, it was a free for all for the lead, Hamilton pulling the first 2:00 minute lap of the race displaying how the cars were becoming faster and faster as the fuel was combusted. At the halfway mark, Vettel continued to lead, followed by Alonso, Massa, Hamilton, Rosberg and Schumacher, all of the drivers separated by somewhat healthy gaps of asphalt.
With 15 laps to go, the race took a dramatic turn as the engine in Vettel’s car began to make off-sound noises via a broken header and the two Ferrari’s of Alonso and Massa zapped him for the lead. Ultimately, Hamilton also passed Vettel as Rosberg and Schumacher also closed in on the wounded Red Bull car.
With just two laps remaining in the race, both Rosberg and Schumacher stalked Vettel, Rosberg keen to get around his fellow German. However, it was not to be. At the finish line stripe it was Alonso with a 14.5-second lead over teammate Massa. Hamilton wound up finishing third, while Vettel hung on for fourth, just ahead of Rosberg and Schumacher.
Added the sage veteran Schumacher: “After three years away, I'm happy to say that I had fun out there today, especially at the beginning with the good start that I had. I can live very well with sixth position and it gives both me and the team a good base to make progress. I have every confidence that we will improve the car. Working with the team for our first race together was very positive and the guys did a great job so I would like to thank them for their support in my comeback race. We all know that we have some way to go but we will get there. The season is long.”
Bahrain F1 race
5th – Nico Rosberg
6th – Michael Schumacher
Monster Energy AMA Supercross, Toronto
Running up north of the boarder for the 2010 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series’ lone international round, Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto made it two wins in a row – and five total wins this year – in the premier SX class at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, closing the gap between himself and SX points leader Ryan Dungey to 17 points after ten (of 17) rounds of supercross racing action.
In the support SX Lites class main event Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Christophe Pourcel suffered his first loss of the 2010 ESX season, though he still put his KX250F up on the podium (3rd) to keep his overall ESX points lead over former Monster-backed rider Austin Stroupe at seven points (95-88). Fourth place in the Toronto ESX Lites main went to Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson.
In the SX main Villopoto got out in 2nd place behind Trey Canard, then disposed of Canard on the second lap and led the rest of the 20-lap main through the checkers.
“I really wouldn’t be in this position without all of my team and everyone involved,” said Villopoto. “The last couple weeks we’ve been on it and it’s what we need to do. (The racing is) close and it’s been tough. I need to make up ground and I got to make those passes quick. I (also) need to keep getting good starts.”
Next up for the Monster Energy Supercross Series is this weekend’s Dallas round at the new 1.3 billion dollar Cowboys Stadium.
AMA Supercross Class Results: Toronto
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
7. Nick Wey, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki
AMA Supercross Class Season Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 197
8. Nick Wey, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 113
Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Results: Toronto
1. Christophe Pourcel, Groveland, Fla., Kawasaki
4. Dean Wilson, San Jacinto, Calif., Kawasaki
Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Season Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel, Groveland, Fla., Kawasaki, 95
3. Dean Wilson, San Jacinto, Calif., Kawasaki, 71
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Dallas track map:
2010 AMA Arenacross, Reno, Nevada
Monster Energy/Babbitt’s/TiLube/Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers and Josh Demuth, running 1-2, respectively, in the 2010 AMA Arenacross Series championship chase, traded victories this past weekend at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. When the dust and smoke cleared Bowers was still up in the overall standings, but by just 19 points with three races remaining in two cities (Dayton, Ohio and Denver).
Friday in Council Bluffs was all Bowers as the rookie AX racer won his ninth main event of the season – pulling the holeshot and leading the entire 25-lap contest. Bowers was joined on the podium by his Monster-backed teammate, Chad Johnson, in 2nd.
Demuth, who placed 4th on Friday, would settle the score on Saturday night in taking top honors in an exciting multiple-lead-change AX main that featured an All-Monster podium (Johnson 2nd, Bowers 3rd).
The 2010 AMA Arenacross Series continues next weekend from the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio, for one night of racing (March 20th).
2010 AMA Arenacross, round 13 and 14, Reno, Nevada
Friday
1st – Tyler Bowers
2nd – Chad Johnson
4th – Josh Demuth
Saturday
1st – Josh Demuth
2nd – Chad Johnson
3rd – Tyler Bowers
Overall Points
1st – Tyler Bowers, 348
2nd – Josh Demuth, 329
3rd – Chad Johnson, 304
Lake Whitney, Texas, Amateur MX National
The season-opening amateur MX National – one of eight major amateur MX races of the season – took place this past week/weekend in Lake Whitney, Texas.
Monster-backed athletes, including those from Monster/Kawasaki/Team Green, scored a number of Lake Whitney championships and podium finishes. Here’s a breakdown of who did what:
Team Green Titles:
Adam Cianciarulo
85 12-13 stock
85 12-13 mod
Supermini 2
Earl May
Plus 35
Plus 40
Plus 45
Jason Anderson
450 A
450 pro Sport
Four-Stroke
Justin Summers
450 B mod
Mark Worth
Jr. Mini 9-11
Zeb Smith
Collegeboy 17-24
Jennifer Burton
Women 12+
Matt Tedder
Plus 50
Honda
Cole Thompson
Schoolboy
Lance Vincent
3rd place. 250 A
3rd place 450 8
Yamaha
Tristan Charbaneau
2nd Place 85cc 7-11 Mod
Lexi Pearson
2nd place. Women 12+
Monster European update …
Motocross/Off-Road
From Monster/Yamaha: David Philippaerts and Gautier Paulinagain sampled victory upon their works YZ450FM and YZ250FM machines, this time in the sand of Holland as the Italian and Frenchman won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively in the first meeting of the national series at Mill.
After triumphant runs in the first two rounds of the Italian Championship both riders transferred their attentions to northern Europe and the sand as they continue to dial-in their new motorcycles ahead of the FIM World Championship on April 3rd/4th. Mill represented the last pre-season outing for the team.
“I am happy with this race and especially to beat riders like De Reuver and De Dycker here,” said Philippaerts. “We made some tests in the sand to find a good set-up during the week and everything worked well, so that is very good. The sand was not too deep and pretty hard underneath but it was still bumpy and rutty. I was pushing quite a bit to win as De Dycker kept close in the first moto and De Reuver was chasing me in the second. Overall this was a good way to end the pre-season and now we will think only about Bulgaria.”
Off-Road
Monster Energy’s Eastern European offices announced today the signing of Hungarian off-road rally great Balázs Szalay to the Monster Army. Szalay, pilot of the Opel/Dakar Team and joined by navigator László Bunkoczi, will begin the 2010 off-road rally competition season this weekend in Italy.
Consistently the top Hungarian finisher in the famous Dakar Rally, Szalay was actually Hungary’s first-ever participant in the Dakar Rally - contesting the event for the first time back in 1996. Since then he’s competed all over the world, racking up class victories at such legendary off-road proving grounds as Baja, Egypt and Central and Eastern Europe. His six Dakar Rally finishes are an all-time record for Hungarian drivers.
“Speaking on behalf of the entire Opel/Dakar team, we are very pleased to align ourselves with Monster Energy,” said Szalay. “Monster’s a highly sought after brand with the youth that follow off-road rally and we’re looking forward to not only delivering the brand to them, but also our sport’s more established audience around the globe.”
Managing the Monster Energy-backed Opel/Dakar program is Ottó Németh, whose marketing background has helped deliver industry giants Panasonic and Gillette to a team that also boasts a former Miss Hungary World in its ranks – team hostess Szilvia Freire.
The Monster Energy-backed Opel/Dakar team travels to Italy this week for the Italian Baja, March 18-21.
As Seen Online …
Monster skater Greg Lutzka made the top ten at the recent Tampa Pro, w/ video:
And photos:
Monster video with FMXers Nate Adams & Bilko Williams: