Monster Energy’s Jason Lawrence Wins First AMA Lites Class Moto Of ’08 Outdoor National Season

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MONSTER ARMY TEARS IT UP AT CORR IN PRIMM, NV

Monster Energy takes a trip down to CORR to check out all the action from the Monster Army riders, Rick Huseman, Jeremy McGrath, Rodrigo Ampudia, Johnny Greaves, and Travis Coyne.

Congratulations to both Johnny Greaves and Rick Huseman for winning first in the Pro-4 Main Event



Want to become a member of the Monster Army?
Apply at www.monsterarmy.com or www.monsterenergy.com

MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI’S HACKING FINISHES WITH SEASON-BEST THIRD IN SONOMA

Sonoma, Calif. (May 18, 2008) – Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking rode an inspired race to finish with his first podium of the season in third during the fourth round of the AMA Superbike series at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Attack Kawasaki’s Steve Rapp used his great start to also finish on the podium in the AMA Formula Xtreme race.

Kawasaki Under the Kawasaki Tent

Getting There
After consistently improving his time in qualifying and practice, Hacking had the confidence he needed to put his Kawasaki ZX-10R on the podium. Starting fifth, Hacking stayed close to the front pack and was able to pass for third on lap 12.

“We were able to try a few things at the test last week and they seem to be pointing us in the right direction,” said Hacking. “We knew we would be up here, but didn’t know how soon. I’m really happy to be able to do this for Kawasaki and the team.”

Moving in the Right Direction
After qualifying second, Rapp got a great jump off the start to lead the pack through the first lap. He remained right on the tail of the riders who had gone by and rode smart to finish with his second podium of the season in third.

“I felt good at the beginning of the race,” said Rapp. “We made a change before the race and the bike felt pretty good. I knew Chaz (Davies) would be right there. I could see him in a few corners. I just tried to stay steady.”

For the Team
Getting a good finish is the pay off of hard work by the rider and especially the team that supports the every move of the rider.

“I really wanted to get a podium for the team,” said Rapp. “They worked really hard and deserve to be up there.”

Riding Hard
Davies started on the front row and was battling hard with his teammate the majority of the race, but pulled off on the 15th lap, finishing 27th.

“The race was going pretty good,” said Chaz. “I was staying right on Steve (Rapp) and thought that I might be able to pass him. Unfortunately we had some sort of issue that gave out of the bike, but looking forward to Sunday’s race.”

Hot Days
When the race started, the temperature was a hot 95 degrees. With temperatures breaking records all week, this was considered the coolest day so far this weekend.

Celebrate
Last year, Hackings first podium was over halfway through the season. The 2008 season brought a podium finish at only the fourth round.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been up here, but I know we have a great bike that deserves to be on the podium,” said Hacking. “I know we will keep making improvements and it won’t be the last time we are up here.”


AMA Superbike Series
Infineon Raceway – Sonoma, Calif.
May 17, 2008

AMA Formula Xtreme Results
1. Jake P. Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda
2. Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda
3. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI
4. Cory West, Eureka Springs, Ark., Suzuki
5. Larry Pegram, Pataskala, Ohio, Ducati
6. Danny C. Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Suzuki
7. NICKY MOORE, RIVERBANK, CALIF., KAWASAKI
8. Garrett Carter, Royal Oak, Mich., Suzuki
9. FERNANDO AMANTINI, CARACAS, VENEZUELA, KAWASAKI
10. Brian Parriott, Calistoga, Calif., BMW

AMA Formula Xtreme Points Standings
1. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 132
2. STEVE RAPP, MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF., ATTACK KAWASAKI, 114
3. Larry Pegram, Pataskala, Ohio, Ducati, 111
4. CHAZ DAVIES, KNIGHTON, UK, ATTACK KAWASAKI, 95
5. Josh Hayes, Gulfport, Miss., Honda, 89
6. Martin Cardenas, Medellin, Colombia, Suzuki, 84
7. FERNANDO AMANTINI, CARACAS, VENEZUELA, KAWASAKI, 84
8. Danny Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Suzuki, 80
9. Aaron Gobert, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 65
10. Garrett Carter, Royal Oak, Mich., Suzuki, 65

AMA Superbike Class
1. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki
2. Matthew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki
3. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI
4. Eric Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha
5. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki
6. Neil Hodgson, Isle of Man, UK, Honda
7. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha
8. Matt Lynn, Ball Ground, Ga., Honda
9. Geoff May, Gainesville, Ga., Suzuki
10. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda

AMA Superbike Points Standings
1. Matthew Mladin, Henderson, Nev., Suzuki, 210
2. Ben Spies, Longview, Texas, Suzuki, 196
3. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha, 161
4. Neil Hodgson, Isle of Man, UK, Honda, 155
5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Suzuki, 143
6. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI, 141
7. Eric Bostrom, Malibu, Calif., Yamaha, 133
8. Matt Lynn, Ball Ground, Ga., Honda, 118
9. Miguel Duhamel, Las Vegas, Nev., Honda, 112
10. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki, 106

# # #

5 Minutes with Monster Energy/Kawasaki Rider Tim Ferry

By Eric Johnson

Tim Ferry stood alone, bottle of water in hand, watching Chad Reed and younger riders Ryan Villopoto, Austin Stroupe, Davi Millsaps, Ryan Dungey and others celebrate the end of the 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series at a massive party thrown by Monster Energy in an opulent suite inside the Palms. Everyone present was having a good time, letting their hair down in knowing the latest stadium motocross season was now simply a thing for the history books. Through the massive glass windows of the room, the view of The Strip of Las Vegas was simply beyond belief; Ferry (well, all of us) watched the sky become lighter and the sun ever so steadily begin to cast its light over the city that never sleeps, a sort of duel of illumination between billions of neon lights and the biggest and baddest representative of our solar system.



"I can't wait for the Nationals to start," answered Ferry, 33, when I asked if he was ready to begin the 17th AMA National Championship of his astonishingly long career. "I mean, I guess I have things figured out now. I get more of a rush on the bike while I'm racing now than I ever have. I'm really ready to get going."

Quite a statement from the Monster Energy rider who has experienced every single home run, strike out, and curve ball the sport of motocross could possible conjure up and chuck at someone. The wildest thing about it all is that Tim Ferry just seems to be getting better and better. Last July, he won his first AMA National since Glen Helen in 2001, and now, heading into the 2008 campaign, he is considered a title favorite by many railbirds. With the curtain-raising Glen Helen National set to run on Sunday, May 25, we hooked up with Ferry to get inside his head and see just what's up for the summer of 2008.



Tim, what are you up to today?



I'm just doing some riding and trying to get re-adjusted to my motocross bike. The bike is so much different than my supercross bike that it takes a week or two on the outdoor bike to begin feeling comfortable. It's going good though and I feel like I'm getting in my groove now.



How much have you been riding?



Well, I did all my testing on the bike so I've already put in that time, and since Vegas, I've been doing as many motos as possible. I've done at least seven or eight motos in the last week. I'll also do some sprint motos here and there. The main thing is to just be on the bike. In fact, I actually feel more prepared this year than last year. We have a big break between Vegas and Glen Helen, and like I said, I was able to get all my testing done early. Also, last year, I was trying to nail down third in the supercross series (note: which he did), so I didn't even ride my outdoor bike until the season began.



For the first time in four years, the AMA National Motocross Championship will open up at Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California. Are you good with that?



Actually, I'm okay with that for a few reasons. The main reason is that Kawasaki is right there in Southern California and I'm there all of the time. For that reason, Glen Helen is an easy first race to do. Another reason is that Glen Helen is the toughest track on the circuit and having the last race of the year there can be tough.



Do you like the Glen Helen circuit?



I don't really like it actually. It's the funnest track to ride on in practice, but by the second moto, it's so rough and dry and dusty. It's in the desert so it can get really bad. Also, later in the day there is the sun and it gets so bright that you can't see on the hills. Glen Helen is not one of my favorites.



A week later, round two of the series — The Hangtown Motocross Classic — will take place at the track in Rancho Cordova, California. What do you think of that place?



Actually, Hangtown is pretty good. They make a big effort to make the track better there by bringing in a lot of dirt. I enjoy Hangtown; it's a good track.



Of the 12 tracks on the AMA National Championship tour, which are your favorites?



I really like Budds Creek a lot. I've always enjoyed racing there. I like all the hills and have a lot of fun on the track. I also really like Red Bud. It has all the options: sand, rutted turns, whoops — everything. Budds Creek and Red Budd are two of my tracks.



Along with High Point Raceway (June 15) and Steel City (August 31), Red Bud is a round of the Monster Triple Crown of Motocross. Would you be stoked to win the Triple Crown?



Yeah, obviously, it would be great. In fact, I want to win the first round at High Point so nobody else can win it (laughs). But, yeah, it would be great to win the money and it would be great to win it because Monster Energy is a personal sponsor of mine. It would mean a lot to me to win it.



Okay, not only have we not seen much of James Stewart, but now the word on the street is that he's signed to Yamaha in one way, shape or form. With you guys being teammates, has James' absence in 2008 had an effect on you and the team?



You know, we ride on the same team and this issue comes up a lot. I hear a lot of, "How close do you and James work together?" The last time I saw James was at the Seattle Supercross. That's one of the only times I've seen him all year. All I know is that the team has my bikes ready. I have no clue what he's been doing. I can only assume I'll see him at Glen Helen and he'll come out swinging.



So you think James will be at the opening round at Glen Helen?



I would imagine he will be there. He'll be right there too. He's one of those guys that can take a lot of time off and be fast right away because he has so much talent. The bikes are super-good too; I know that as I've been testing them.



Tim, can you win the championship?



You know, I think I can. For me, I need to be consistent and be on the podium every weekend — that and to stay out of trouble. I really think four or five guys are capable of winning races this season. I think this season will be very similar to last season which came down to the very end, and it sounds like both Kevin Windham and Chad Reed will not be racing the series.



Who do you think can win races?



Davi Millsaps and Andrew Short. Mike Alessi came on strong at the end of the series last year. Ben Townley is a big question. Nobody has seen him race the big
Honda before. He's a mystery but I'm expecting him to come out and be in the top three. He takes stuff seriously.



While we were at that party in the Palms in Las Vegas, you mentioned that you've never felt better and this might be your year…



I think it definitely could be. I'm coming off a really good season. Last year I won races and motos and I have not done that in SO long. I didn't think that would ever happen again. Being on the Monster Energy/Kawasaki team rejuvenated me. I'm 33 years old and I still have stuff to prove. I mean, your goals change from when you're 19 or 20 years old. I'm very competitive. This sport has always been a challenge for me because I've always had to work at it. It's what keeps me going. To get up and work and try to have that pay off is what it's all about. When you put in the work and the results come, it means everything. I have more of a focus on why I do this now. I know what my goals are. As a kid, I raced because it was fun and bikes were cool. Now, it's much more about the challenge. I like that I've been able to change styles. I'm not an older guy that jumps straight up and down. I'm always evolving.



What's the masterplan for Glen Helen?



I'd be very pleased to come out in the top three. I'll know a lot more about where I'm at after that race. Josh Hill, Ben Townley and Broc Hepler are all unknowns in the class. If I can get on the podium, I'll score a bunch of points and be ready for the battle.

ZOO YORK'S AM GETTING PAID 2008 // JULY 18TH - 20TH

The Zoo York Institute is proud to announce that from July 18-20, 2008, the fourth annual Zoo York AM Getting Paid (AGP) contest will be held at South Parc Skatepark located on the outskirts of Montreal, Canada, in the town of Brossard. Widely recognized as one of today’s most prestigious international skateboarding competitions that caters to amateurs only, this year’s contest carries a hefty prize purse of $10,000 USD.

Established in 2004 by Zoo York, the annual AM Getting Paid contest is extremely important as it provides tomorrow’s pros with much needed support, experience and exposure within the global skateboarding community. AGP always brings out all the rippers and this year will certainly be no exception. Zoo's am team will roll deep at this year's event with Brandon Westgate, Matt Miller, Ron Deily, Anthony Shetler, Eli Reed, and Chaz Ortiz slated to compete.

Registration is now open and, with only 150 spots available, interested skaters are strongly encouraged to sign up as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this summer's AGP action. For more info and to register for this year’s event, visit: www.amgettingpaid.com.

AM Getting Paid 2008 is presented by Zoo York with additional support from Monster Energy, Fallen Footwear, Underworld Skateshop, SBC Media, and a bevy of other top industry brands.

South Parc Skatepark is located at 8100 Taschereau in Brossard, Quebec, Canada. For directions and park info, check out: www.south-parc.com.

Monster Energy’s Shawn Watson Takes 1st Place @ The Carnival – Wakeboarding’s Marquee Rail Event

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

MA rider Johnson to Debut New Chassis at Bristol; Will Attend Prestigious Medal of Honor Dinner

by Susie Arnold, Bernstein Racing

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Tommy Johnson, Jr., driver of the Monster Energy Funny Car, hails Bristol Dragway as one of his favorite tracks on the 24-event NHRA tour.

“I just love this facility,” said Johnson, “plus Bristol, before it was renovated into the premiere facility it is now, was the site of my first alcohol Funny Car win in 1987.”

Johnson, who was in the final four at Phoenix in February, acknowledges that the start of the 2008 season has been much slower than expected.

“NHRA has mandated a rule change on our Funny Car chassis that will come into effect by the July Denver event,” said Johnson. “We have tested this new-style chassis twice, most recently after the last event in St. Louis. In both tests, this chassis has performed better. Since this Hadman-built chassis is showing so much promise, we plan to run it at Bristol.

“At the St. Louis event we ran one of our best elapsed times this season,” said Johnson, “Our team has been working around the clock to make more performance strides.”

Nitro (Top Fuel and Funny Car) qualifying begins Friday, May 16 at 4:30 p.m. followed by a second session at 7 p.m. There are two qualifying sessions Saturday 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with eliminations scheduled to begin at noon Sunday.

Monster Mentions: Johnson to attend Medal of Honor dinner. Tommy Johnson will accompany wife Melanie Troxel to the prestigious Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation banquet, Thursday, May 15 at the grand ballroom of the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta as guests of one of Troxel’s car owners Roger Burgess. Brian Williams, anchor of NBC nightly news and emcee of the dinner will pay respect to 25 Medal of Honor recipients. Also receiving tributes will be former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn and Kimberly Dozier, the CBS correspondent who was so badly wounded in Iraq on Memorial Day, 2006. Dozier has written a book, Breathing the Fire.

“It is quite an honor to have an opportunity to attend this dinner,” said Johnson. “I’m looking forward to being in the company of some of our country’s real heroes.”

O’REILLY THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
TELEVISION ADVISORY

Qualifying – May 17 – ESPN2
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. ET

NHRA Race Day – May 18 – ESPN2
11-11:30 a.m. ET

Eliminations – May 18 – ESPN2
6:30 – 10 p.m. ET

Monster Energy’s MacClugage & Warner Sweep APBA Opener On Their Monster/Kawasaki Water Craft

MacClugage (1-2) and Warner (6-1) are best in Pro Am Open race at the American Power Boat Association’s National Tour opener in Parker, Ariz.

CORONA, Calif., (May 7, 2008) – Monster Energy/Kawasaki personal water craft racers Chris MacClugage and Craig Warner got off to a dynamite start recently on the American Power Boat Association’s (APBA) National Tour, both winning main events in the two-day APBA season opener in Parker, Ariz.

Both MacClugage and Warner were running the Monster Energy-branded Kawasaki Ultra 250s in the Pro Am Open class, with MacClugage striking first blood when a charging Warner broke a belt on his supercharger and lost power in the first moto. MacClugage was able to go on and win that moto, with Warner having to settle for a DNF.




But Warner would rebound in a big way in the second moto of the first day’s races, forcing the holeshot with an outside sweeping move and chopping everybody down in the second turn. From there he (Warner) pulled away from the rest of the field and lapped up to 3rd place – securing the second moto win with ease. End result: MacClugage 1st overall (1st -2nd ), Warner 6th (DNF-1st ).



The second day began with Warner opting for his back up boat, a Kawasaki STX15F. In the first moto he blasted out to a 2nd place start, but would bobble on the second lap while gunning for the lead. “On the next lap I let it all hang out and passed the 2nd and 1st place riders, then dominated the field and lapped up to 3rd place again for my second victory,” said Warner.







Warner set up much of the field in turn four at Parker. Confident with his efforts, he switched back to his Monster Energy/Kawasaki Ultra 250 and pulled the holeshot again – sweeping to the outside and splitting two riders for the lead. “I dominated the field by a half lap and lapped up to 3rd place again,” added Warner. “Chris MacClugage and I went head-to-head on very similar boats and it was a great battle for us. I came away with three moto wins and one DNF and was very happy with my performance. Thanks a lot to Monster Energy for backing us.” End result from Sunday: Warner 1st (1st -1st ), MacClugage 2nd (2nd -2nd ).



Up next for Monster Energy’s MacClugage and Warner is the June 7-8 APBA National Tour stop in Myrtle Beach , S.C.