MonsterArmy.com News

Billabong XXL Awards tonight on ESPN2 !


Make it a late night or set your TIVO and catch the '09 Billabong XXL Awards Presented by Monster Energy tonight @ 10:30PM Pacific or 1:30 AM Eastern!


Monster Energy’s Bobby Martinez Tops The World’s Best Surfers @ Billabong Pro Tahiti

Monster Energy’s Bobby Martinez Tops The World’s Best Surfers @ Billabong Pro Tahiti


American Martinez’ win at Teahupoo is the second Billabong Pro Tahiti win of his career, tops a field that includes Burrow, Slater, Fanning, Irons and the Hobgoods


CORONA, Calif., (May 20, 2009) – Monster Energy-backed surfer Bobby Martinez (Santa Barbara, Calif.) is on top of the pro surfing world after captured top honors at the recent Billabong Pro Tahiti, presented by Air Tahiti Nui, in Teahupoo. The 26-year-old Martinez bested a field of the world’s top touring pro surfers, including Taj Burrow, Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning, Andy Irons and the Hobgood brothers.

“I feel great and a bit emotional,” said Martinez in a press statement from the ASP World Tour. “I waited for the good ones (waves) out there and just got lucky. There weren’t too many waves and I was lucky enough to get a couple of good ones and not fall. Things just seemed to work out for me. I really don’t know what to say. It feels really special.”


Contesting the third of ten events on the ’09 ASP World Tour, Martinez opened with a strong heat, scoring an 8.73 out of a possible 10. The highly decorated Californian amateur surfer, who joined the World tour in ‘06, continued to pour it on in blazing to one of the year’s best finals’ run scores of the year – a 9.73 – which was certainly the highest-scored run at the Billabong Pro Tahiti. And Martinez’ 9.73 couldn’t have come at a better time either as it increased his finals score versus Burrow to 18.46 out of 20, which sealed his fourth elite tour win of his young career.

And what makes this even more interesting? Martinez pulled it off on a borrowed board after breaking a number of his own while ripping during the long waiting period leading up to the heat events.

“I actually borrowed a board from Alain Riou,” said Martinez of the local Tahitian surfer. “He rides Darren Handley shapes and the board was the same dimensions and pretty much the same shape I ride. It was great to find that as yesterday I was a bit skeptical about today in terms of the conditions and my equipment. But everything worked out perfectly.


About the best compliment an athlete can get is one that comes from another competitor, to which top European surfer and 3rd place Billabong Pro Tahiti competitor, Aritz Aranburu – who topped surf great Kelly Slater in his draw – said: “Bobby (Martinez) is one of the best out there.”

In the end Martinez was humble and very honored with the win and congratulations from his fellow surfers, saying simply: “I didn’t start surfing to make money – I started for me, and to win today…you cannot put a price on the feelings I have. I’m really going to let it sink in and enjoy it.”

Overall, after three rounds of ASP World Tour surfing action, Monster Energy’s Martinez sits in 7th place in the standings with 2,025 points – just 149 points out of the top five. The next stop on the ASP World Tour, Brazil ’s Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro, is scheduled for June 27 to July 5th.

Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it surfing, off road, SX, rally, insane distance jumping, MX, MotoGP, road racing, supermoto, FMX, skate, MTB, rock crawling, wake, mini bikes, 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, the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream drink line supercharged with our Monster Energy blend, along with the new Monster Energy “Hitman” energy shot. Bobby Martinez digs ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterarmy.com and www.monsterenergy.com