Monster FMXer Adams, Kings of Vert ? PLG & Bestwick ? lead an army of Skaters, BMXers, FMXers & Rally drivers on LAXG
The yearly action sports pilgrimage to Los Angeles ? birthplace of skateboarding, BMX as well as being the sport of motocross and FMX?s epicenter ? will again have a decided Monster Energy flair as no less than 34 Monster Energy-backed superstar athletes descend upon the 18th installment of ESPN?s highly-valued Summer X Games beginning this Thursday, June 28th and running through Sunday, July 1st.
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Well in excess of a 100,000 fans will attend the four LA venues ? LA Live, Chick Hearn Arena, STAPLES Center and Nokia Theater ? for the live events with literally millions tuning in worldwide on the ESPN network and expn.com. The X Games is Monster Energy?s marquee event of the year to showcase many of its premier action sports athletes. And this in the spirit of the new Global X Games movement with Monster athletes arriving from Australia, UK, Japan, Canada, Italy, Germany, Norway and Spain to compete in LA - our most diverse team to date at X!
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Here?s a breakdown of each 2012 X Games discipline (Dirt Bikes, BMX, Skateboarding & Rally), who we?ve got going this year and who?s expected to medal, along with a recap of last year?s X Games 17 competition and Monster Energy?s medal haul.
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Dirt Bikes
2011 flashback: Nate Adams had a very impressive weekend at X Games?he was the only X competitor to earn two golds on the weekend. Coming into X-17 he was hungry for that gold?despite making the podium nearly every year, he hadn?t earned a gold medal since 2004. ?2011 spelt redemption for Adams. After taking a decisive win in Moto X Freestyle, he went on to chalk up a win in Moto X Speed & Style, combining his formidable supercross skills with his already-proven world?s best FMX skills.
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FMX/Moto-X/Enduro-X
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What?s going down: The STAPES Center will again be alive with the smell of pre-mix, crackle of two-strokes and the thunder bass of the four-strokes ? as well as, by far, the biggest air of the X Games. The brotherhood of global freestyle motocross riders ? the Knievels?, Wells? and Reckless Rex? of their time ? crack the throttles and go head-to-head for another year?s worth of bragging rights.
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Monster Energy has a jones for dirt bikes ? always has. That said the 2011 team features Monster?s largest-ever FMX/Moto-X/Enduro-X wrecking crew ? culled from as far away as Japan, Italy, Germany, Norway, Australia and Spain ? in addition to the US of A.
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FMX
Freestyle
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What?s going down: Monster Energy?s?Nate ?The Destroyer? Adams is the man to beat. Adams flat out ruled last year?s competition, as he has most global FMX events ? including X-fighters ? for the last couple years (or at least when he?s not injured). Simply put, it?s Adams? gold to lose this weekend in LA.
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Several Monster Energy-backed athletes, respectively so, would be more than happy to see that happen. Norway?s?Andre Villa is one of the last riders to beat Adams straight up, doing so at X-fighters. Add to the mix former X Games gold medalists?Blake ?Bilko? Williams(?09) and?Adam Jones (?07) and Adams could either be toppled, or the ensuing battle ? along with Japan?s?Taka Higashino (X Games Best Trick bronze, ?10) ? could make for an all-Monster X-18 Freestyle podium!
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Who we?ve got: Nate Adams, Taka Higashino, Adam Jones, Andrea Villa, Bilko Williams
Other top competitors: Levi Sherwood & Danny Torres
When to watch: Thursday, June 28th, 6:30 p.m.
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Best Whip
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What?s going down: Gone from Monster Energy?s roster for the 2012 X Games is ?11 Best Whip medalist Jarryd McNeill (bronze). Back this year are two solid contenders in challenging for the fan-voted medals, MX/SX ace?Josh Hansen and veteran FMX star?Jeremy ?Twitch? Stenberg.
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With their two unique styles ? racing vs. FMX ? you?d think Hansen and Stenberg would contrast in the whip dept. On the contrary, their finished products are quite similar ? although Stenberg, a great motocross racer in his own right, might not be able to hang with Hansen for 30 minutes plus two laps. And Hansen, with a career focused on dirt bike racing, isn?t quite Militia-worthy ? though he could likely add a back flip photo to his SX/MX trophy mantel given some time and a foam pit.
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Who we?ve got: Josh Hansen & Jeremy ?Twitch? Stenberg
Other top competitors: Todd Potter & Jarryd McNeil
When to watch: Friday, June 29th, 6:45 p.m.
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Best Trick
What?s going down: As always, the most insane event at X Games. And judging by past competitions, Monster Energy for sure has a couple of the most insane riders.
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The Volt. Electric Death. Electric Doom. Kiss of Death to Electric Doom. All ? and belong to none one other than longtime Monster Energy athlete?Kyle Loza, the 2007, ?08 and ?09 X Games Best Trick gold medalist. Lord knows what Loza has up his tattooed sleeve next, but you know for sure it?s gonna be cool. Joining Loza will be YouTube wonder Mark Monea, best known for his 360 front flip dubbed the ?Carry On.? Last year at X-17 Monea threw the trick with a no-handed variation ? and ended up paying the price. Should he land it this year he?ll certainly be a threat to whatever Loza serves up (provided he lands it).
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Japanese freestyle ace?Taka Higashino will also throw his hat into the Best Trick ring, giving Monster Energy three shots at a medal in this all-or-nothing fan favorite event.
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Who we?ve got: Kyle Loza, Taka Higashino & Mark Monea
Other top competitors: Cam Sinclair and Jacko Strong
When to watch: Friday, June 29th, 8:15 p.m.
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Speed & Style
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What?s going down: Last year Nate Adams kicked everyone?s ass in this event. And this year he?s the favorite to do it again. And if for some reason he can?t, there?s two other badass Monster guys ??Jeremy ?Twitch? Stenberg and?Edgar Torronteras ? that for sure could.
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With Adams you?re going up against the best freestyler in the world ? so style (i.e., tricks) are no problem. Add to that he?s got the speed to qualify, or at least attempt to qualify, against kids ten years younger than him at the Anaheim (Calif.) Monster Energy AMA Supercross. So if Adams comes into X-18 healthy, and it appears that he is, Speed & Style is an event made specifically for him and he should add another gold (three total heading into X-18, 13 X Games medals total) in Speed & Style.
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Stenberg nailed the Speed & Style bronze in 2008 & ?10, but last year suffered an incredibly scary get-off on the big freestyle ramp in his heat race versus Carey Hart. This will be Torronteras? first Speed & Style event.
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Who we?ve got: Nate Adams, Jeremy ?Twitch? Stenberg and Edgar Torronteras
Other top competitors: Carey Hart, Robbie Maddison, Ronnie Faisst and Matt Buyten
When to watch: Saturday, June 30th, 6:30 p.m.
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Women?s Moto-X
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What?s going down: Two relatively new women to the Monster Energy MX program ? Arizona?s?Brandy Richards and Australian?Meghan Rutledge ? both race for Monster Energy/Kawasaki?s Team Green program. Rutledge, the 2011 Australian Women?s MX Champion, was recently on the podium at the Women?s Motocross League event in Freestone, Texas, and is currently in 9th place overall in the WML standings.
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Who we?ve got: Meghan Rutledge and Brandy Richards
Other top competitors: Jessica Patterson, Tara Geiger, Vicky Golden (Note: Ashley Fiolek?s out with a concussion)
When to watch: Saturday, June 30th, 5:00 p.m.
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Enduro-X
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What?s going down: The thrill-a-second event that puts the exclamation point on four days of X Games competition the week/weekend?s final event, Enduro-X is inspired by the Monster Energy-fueled GEICO AMA EnduroCross Series.
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Leading the M-claw assault on the STAPLES Center Enduro-X will be Monster Energy/Kawasaki?s premier American off-road racers,Destry Abbott,?Justin Soule?- who nailed a bronze medal in last year?s inaugural Enduro-X ? and?Taylor Robert, who?s won four WORCS events this summer.
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Joining the Monster/Team Green riders on the starting line from Europe will be Italian great?Alex Salvini and German?Andreas Lettenbichler. Keep an eye on Lettenbichler as he?s been the only rider to challenge perennial AMA EnduroCross champ Taddy Blazusiak at the grueling Erzberg Rodeo. Both are competing in their first X Games.
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Who we?ve got: Destry Abbott, Justin Soule?, Taylor Robert, Alex Salvini & Andreas Lettenbichler
Other top competitors: Taddy Blazusiak, Geoff Aaron, Mike Brown,
When to watch: Sunday, July 1st, 8:45 p.m.
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BMX
BMX Vert
What?s going down: On the BMX bikes in 2012 the halfpipe will again be Monster Energy?s Jamie Bestwick?s (aka ?Bestrick?) stomping grounds. Leading the list of Monster Energy successes in 2011, Bestwick earned a record fifth-straight gold medal in BMX Vert ? and is gunning for a?SIXTH STRAIGHT BMX Vert gold in 2012. Coming into last year?s event he was the clear-cut favorite, but he still had to perform if he wanted to beat some serious threats. Bestwick dropped in and cooked around the 60-foot wide halfpipe, chalking up a huge 92.00 for the win.
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Bestwick?s got the biggest bag of tricks. So big at times he?s only had to pull just enough out to win ? and that?s why he?s gunning for asixth-straight X Games gold medal on the vert ramp. With a nod to Mat Hoffman as the Godfather of BMX Vert and Monster Energy?s own?Dave Mirra, Bestwick?s record states that he is, hands down, the most successful vert BMX competitor of all time. Look no further than his FIVE-STRAIGHT Dew Cups in BMX vert and it?s easy to see why this 41-year-old veteran athlete is one of the most resilient actions sports athletes of all-time as well.
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Note: High above the floor of the Nokia Theater, airing it out to chants of ?Auzzie! Auzzie! Auzzie!? by the X Games faithful will be Monster Energy?s newest BMX stable mate ? 2011 X Games double medalist?Vince Byron.
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At 22 Byron?s young by BMX Vert standards, though a bronze BMX Vert medal from 2011 X Games certainly certified his experience in terms of age ? or lack thereof. He also stepped up and captured the silver medal in BMX Big Air, making him one of only two BMX athletes to mine double-precious medals at the epicenter of global action sports in Los Angeles.
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And back home on the mantle in his native Australia, next to his two U.S. X Games medals, are an array of Golds from the Asian X Games ? five Golds in total to go with one Silver for six Asian X Games medals. So for sure keep an eye on Vince Byron ? and not just in Vert, he?ll also be running the M-claw logo in Park and Big Air as well.
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Who we?ve got: Jamie Bestwick & Vince Byron
Other top competitors: Chad Kagy, Simon Tabron, Steve McCann, Dennis McCoy, Jimmy Walker and Zach Warden
When to watch: Saturday, June 30th, 4:30 p.m.
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BMX Park
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What?s going down: With a similar design to X 17?s concrete park, this year?s BMX Park at X Games should again go down as one of the most hotly-contested events of the weekend. Last year?s comp was off-the-charts in terms of top flight talent laying it all on the line in one of the most spectacular displays of riding buddy one upmanship in the history of freestyle BMX. Coming out with a thoroughly well-deserved medal (bronze) for Monster Energy was?Scott Cranmer. A former X Games BMX Park gold medalist (2006 & ?09, along with silver medals in ?05 & ?07), Cranmer can be considered one of the top three X Games BMX Park riders of all time, along with Mirra & Dhers.
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Joining Cranmer in the newly-build X Games Park will be host of Monster Energy-backed riders ? strength in numbers that Monster?s never enjoyed in BMX Park before. Chasing precious medals in BMX Park with the M-claw logo on their helmets along with Cranmer will be:?Kyle Baldock,?Ben Wallace,?Vince Byron and?Pat Casey.
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From MonsterEnergy.com?s recent Vince Byron interview:
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Monster Energy: Your Monster Energy teammate Scotty Cranmer clobbers the park. So will Monster?s Kyle Baldock. Heading into the event what?s your strategy - pull out all the stops on every run or lay down a descent score and try to go out big on your last two?
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Vince Byron: Honestly, I?ll probably ? just for the fact I?m in three events and favouring Mega Ramp and Vert ? not go full throttle in Park so I can do well in the other events. I?m not a favourite to win Park, but definitely going to give it a go. Try and find some big lines, the ramps I can use to my advantage. You?ll see some ridiculous stuff, but I?m going to try and add some original lines and variety.
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Who we?ve got: Scotty Cranmer, Kyle Baldock, Ben Wallace, Vince Byron and Pat Casey
Other top competitors: Daniel Dhers, Dennis Enarson, Gary Young, Ryan Nyquist, Garrett Reynolds, Diogo Canina
When to watch: Saturday, June 30th, 4:30 p.m.
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BMX Street
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What?s going down: Last year?Dakota Roche scored Monster Energy its first-ever medal in BMX Street ? a bronze, just one point away from a silver medal behind Dennis Enarson.
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Roche combines seemingly flawless tech abilities with flat out burly lines, highlighted in his bronze medal run at X-17 by a 540 to fakie and an alley-oop to Smith grind on the big box.
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This year Roche will be joined by Monster Army newcomer?Nathan Williams, a Tennessean, who rips street could be a big breakthrough BMXer for Monster at X-18 here this week.
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Who we?ve got: Dakota Roche and Nathan Williams
Other top competitors: Garrett Reynolds, Ty Morrow, Dennis Enarson, Sean Sexton
When to watch: Friday, June 29th, 3 p.m.
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BMX Big Air
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What?s going down: Monster Energy has the returning silver medalist in BMX Big Air ??Vince Byron. An X Games rookie last year, Byron ? who?s also competing in BMX Park & Vert @ X-19 ? threw a huge double tail whip back flip on the gap, then a no-handed 540 on the quarter for a 90.66 ? a mere point off Steve McCann?s gold medal effort.
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Byron would end up breaking his bike and couldn?t complete his next two runs and had to watch his Aussie buddy McCann nail a 91.66 on his fourth and final run. So you know the two are going to drop the gloves and go at it hard here this week!
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Who we?ve got: Vince Byron
Other top competitors: Steve McCann, Chad Kagy, Anthony Napolitan & Kevin Robinson
When to watch: Friday, June 29th, 3 p.m.
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Skateboarding
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2011 flashback:?Mining the only precious medals for Monster Energy-backed skateboarders out of X Games 17 was?Pierre Luc ?PLG? Gagnon. The Carlsbad transplant from Montreal was edged in the Vert finals by Shawn White, but rallied back to capture gold in Vert Best Trick. Top names in Skate Street ??Shane O?Neill, who?s back at X-18 with Monster this year and?Chris Cole (not skating X-18) represented well, both making it to the hotly-contested Street Semis. Similar story in Vert where Monster?s?Alex Perelson and?Paul Luc Ronchetti (PLR) would rip into the semis, but would make the final group.
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Skate Street
What?s going down: You can?t do much better during the off-season than acquiring the reigning X Games Skate Street gold medalist ?Nyjah Huston. The West Coast regular footer has been clobbering it as of late, dominating the first two rounds of the Monster Energy-fueled Street League rounds to take a commanding lead in that series. Add to that perennial X Games street ripper O?Neill and Monster Energy newcomer?Ishod Wair, and Monster looks to be sitting pretty well in terms of medal potential this year.
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Note: Huston also skated/will also skate in the X Games??Real Street and?Game of SK8 ? joined in the latter event by Wair as well. In Real Street, voted on by the fans in the weeks leading up to this weekend?s X Games, Huston won his opening round videoed match versus Daryl Angel (67-percent to 33-percent), then lost in the quarterfinals to Chris Haslam 57 to 43.
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Who we?ve got: Huston, O?Neill & Wair
Other top competitors: Sean Malto, Chaz Ortiz, Luan Oliveria, Dennis Busenitz, Greg Lutzka, Paul Rodriguez and Ryan Scheckler
When to watch: Sunday July 1st, 3 p.m.
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Skate Vert
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What?s going down: Probably the biggest news hitting the X Games 18 halfpipe was the fact that 2011 Skate Vert gold medalist, Shaun White, has reportedly bailed on this week?s X Games. Oh well, he was going to get a BIG dose of?Pierre Luc Gagnon anyway. PLG ? holder of eight X Games gold medals (five in the halfpipe) and 18 X Games medals overall is again the dude to beat. At 32, Gagnon is in his vert-ripping prime and should be considered the favorite for the gold heading into X-18. Another Monster Energy-backed skater worthy of an X Games Vert medal is?Alex Perelson. The fourth skater to land the 900 and former winner on the Maloof Money Cup tour, Perelson will be joined by?Paul Luc Ronchetti (PLR) to give Monster a formidable shot at multiple Skate Vert medals here this weekend.
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Who we?ve got: PLG, Perelson & PLR
Other top competitors: Bucky Lasek, Andy McDonald, Bob Burnquist, Sandro Dias, Mitch Brusco, Adam Taylor and Pedro Barros
When to watch: Saturday, June 30th, 7:30 p.m.
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Skate Big Air
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What?s going down: Monster Energy legend?Jake Brown didn?t figure in the medals last year, but won gold the previous year in 2010. A fan favorite ? forever ? Brown can easily step up and put himself into medal contention with one big-assed stuck run. In the same breath he can also detonate ? like everyone remembers him doing in 2007. Back-to-back gold medals in 2009 and ?10, along with a bronze in 2007, make him one of the all-time most decorated Mega Ramp athletes ever ? along with Way and Burnquist. All Aussie all the time, count on Brown to also be at the center of fun at X Games ? including the big Monster Bash on Saturday night!
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Who we?ve got: Again this year, all we need?s Jake!
Other top competitors: Bob Burnquist, Mitch Brusco and Tom Schaar
When to watch: Friday, June 29th, 6:00 p.m.
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Skate Park
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What?s going down: Monster Energy?s only got one guy running the X-18 Park contest ? and he?s ?tentative? at that.? Alex Perelson, our No. 2 halfpipe guy behind PLG, can bring it on the concrete as well. He?s done well overseas (Stockholm, 2011) in park-type contest and would no doubt be an outside threat to medal in X-18 Skate Park. But, as of press time, Perelson was still undecided as to if he was going to skate Park or not.
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Who we?ve got: Alex Perelson (possibly)
Other top competitors: Pedro Barros, Raven Tershy, Rune Glifberg, Curren Caples, Aaron Homoki, Grant Taylor, and Andy McDonald
When to watch: Saturday, June 30th, 2 p.m.
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RallyCross
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What?s going down: It?s gonna be a wild one for sure on the grounds of the Gilbert Lindsey Plaza as a virtual smorgasbord of top road racing, off-road, MX, BMX and stunt drivers get to rail on some specially-built sports cars in a full-on motorsports slugfest that very well may spill out from the track and into the pits this year!
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Note: RallyCross is really starting to take off here in the United States where traditional rally racing, though popular in Europe and other parts of the world through the World Rally Championships (WRC), has been scaled back (in favor of RallyCross). The X Games version of the event is thoroughly exciting and Monster Energy drivers should figure in the medals.
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With 2011?s RallyCross event coming down to a two-out-three race main event for the gold, Monster Energy?s Liam Doran would take charge. ?This is unbelievable!,? said a confident Doran following his sweep of the first two finals racer to take the gold medal win over Gr?nholm. ?I can?t thank Monster Energy, Citroen and my whole team enough. And I can?t wait for tomorrow?s RallyCross event!?
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Doran, son of British rallycross champion Pat Doran, placed 3rd overall in the 2010 European Rallycross Championship. In the finals he pulled the holeshot on Gr?nholm ? twice - and drove near flawless races in topping the Finnish racer. ?I didn?t even leave him a chance, I did him in two,? added Doran. ?I can?t say it was easy, it definitely wasn?t easy. These guys are the best guys in the world and this has to be one of the toughest rally competitions ever. I still can?t believe it, to be honest.?
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Monster Energy?s?Ken Block, with valuable WRC experience, has medaled three times in X Games Rally Car Racing (RCR) competition. Monster will also have?Dave Mirra running the M-claw logo in RallyCross. Mirra, the winningest X Games athlete of all-time (24 medals), has been racing the U.S. rounds of the Global RallyCross Series and could easily figure in the medals along with Block and Doran.
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Who we?ve got: Ken Block, Dave Mirra & Liam Doran
Other top competitors: Tanner Foust, Brian Deegan, Travis Pastrana, Bryce Menzies, Samuel Hubinette
When to watch: Sunday, July 1st, 3:30 p.m.
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Recap of 2011 Monster Energy X Games medal haul
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2011 was another in a long line of successful outings for Monster Energy athletes at the X Games. In all the Monster Energy team descended on X Games 17 in L.A., and they left with a bevy of medals to show for their efforts. Bagging?11 medals overall, the team took medals in every discipline?skate, moto, BMX, rally?and represented well throughout the four-day event.
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- Leading the list of successes is?Jamie Bestwick, who earned a record fifth-straight gold medal in BMX Vert, his ninth medal overall. Coming into the event he was the clear-cut favorite, but he still had to perform if he wanted to beat some serious threats. Bestwick dropped in and cooked around the 60-foot wide half pipe, chalking up a huge 92.00 for the win.
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- In Rally Car Racing?Liam Doran beat a stacked field of talented drivers to take the gold. Doran was dominant throughout the day in his head-to-head battles, and in the finals he grabbed the holeshot in both races and never looked back on his way to the checkered flag and his first X Games gold.
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- Nate Adams had a very impressive weekend at X Games?he was the only X competitor to earn two golds this weekend. Coming into the weekend he was hungry for that gold?despite making the podium nearly every year, he hadn?t earned a gold since 2004. ?2011 spelt redemption for Adams. After taking the win in Moto X Freestyle, he went on to chalk up a win in Moto X Speed & Style.
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- Nate?s Monster Energy teammate,?Adam Jones took the silver in Moto X Freestyle, representing two Monster riders on the same podium. Jones pulled a multitude of huge backflip variations to take his fifth X Games medal.
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- In Skateboard Vert,?Pierre Luc Gagnon (PLG) took the silver medal and his 17th X Games medal throughout his career. ?The strong finish continues PLG?s impressive X Games three-time consecutive medal count prior to this weekend?s silver where he took the Skate Vert gold in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
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- In BMX Park,?Scotty Cranmer took the bronze. ?Under a blazing sun, Cranmer handled the course well and with great flow, mixing in 360 tail whips, a backflip tail whip, smooth transfers, and other technical tricks. His two bests scores of 35 and 37?net total 72?was enough for the bronze and his fifth X Games medal.
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- Dakota Roche took the bronze in BMX Freestyle Street. Despite a painful fall in the early round of the finals that left him with a bloody sternum, he really muscled his way through his spin variations to take the bronze, his first X Games medal. ?I was beyond stoked to make it to the finals, let alone make the podium,? said Roche.
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- Justin Soule battled to a well-earned bronze in Moto X Enduro X. This was an all-new event that saw racers battling across a course of dirt, rocks, tractor tires and even something called ?The Matterhorn,? a 20-foot tall pile of logs and rocks. In the finals, just before the halfway point, Soule took advantage in the boulder section to pass riders and move into the medal position. A battle ensued, but on the final circuit he was able to reclaim third and take home the bronze.
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- In Moto X Best Whip,?Jarryd McNeil tossed his bike around to take the bronze. Fans determined this win by text messaging in their votes to decide the winner.
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2011 Monster Energy X Games 17 medal count:
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Gold---------------------------------------Silver ------------------------------------Bronze
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FMX (Adams) ------------------------- Skate Half (PLG)?---------------------Enduro-X (Soule?)
MX Speed & Style (Adams) ---------FMX (Jones) -------------------------Best Whip (McNeil
BMX Vert (Bestwick)?------------------------------------------------------------ BMX Park (Cranmer)
Rally-X (Doran)--------------------------------------------------------------------BMX Street (Roche)
Skate Best Trick (PLG)
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Total 2011 X Games Medals: 11
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5 (Gold)?-------------------------2 (Silver) ------------------------ 4 (Bronze)
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So that?s about it ? check back to MonsterEnergy.com daily during X Games 18 for all sorts of updates, photos and video. And as always you can follow the action on?www.xgames.com
Source: http://www.monsterenergy.com/us/en/news/monster-energyespn-x-games-18-preview/
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