Monster Energy’s Athletes Ramp Up for the X Games
Summer’s smokin’ hot action sports competition/festival gets
rolling in Los Angeles with a host of Monster Energy-backed athletes
competing for the hallowed X Games gold!
CARLSBAD, Calif., (Aug. 3, 2006) – Monster Energy’s athletes will
take the global center stage beginning on Thursday (Aug. 3rd) when
the best skateboarders, BMXers, FMXers, wakeboarders, supermoto and rally car racers converge on Los Angeles for the white hot action
sports crucible that is the annual ESPN Summer X Games.
“Monster Energy’s done its homework and backed what we feel is the finest stable of athletes competing in the games,” said Mark Hall,
President of Monster Energy. “I’d like to say ‘Best of luck’
to all the athletes running the iconic Monster Energy clawed ‘M’
logo. Be strong, be healthy, drink Monster and bring home the
hardware!”
In all, Monster Energy-backed athletes won FIVE gold medals last year at Summer X, ten metals total (5 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze). Here’s a breakdown of the Monster Energy-backed athletes that will be
competing in this week/weekend’s ESPN Summer X Games:
Skateboarding
Vert – Jake Brown & Jean Postec*
* New to the Monster Energy skater stable, Postec, from France, is
considered one of Europe’s top vert skaters. He’s living in
Encinitas (Calif.) this summer.
Note: Monster Energy’s Pierre Luc Gagnon (PLG) injured his knee
while sessioning the Mega Ramp and will act as commentator during the X Games, representing Monster Energy. PLG was skating’s top dog last year, winning the Vert and earning silver in both Best Trick and Big Air.
Big Air (aka “Mega Ramp”) – Jason Ellis and Jake Brown
Vert Best Trick – Jake Brown
Street – Greg Lutzka (returning silver medalist)
BMX
Park – Dave Mirra (’05 gold medalist) and Ryan Guettler (last
year’s Dew Tour BMX Park overall champion)
Vert – Mirra
Dirt – Guettler (’05 bronze medalist)
Big Air (first year on the Mega Ramp) – Mirra
Note: Monster Energy’s Mirra is the all-time winningest athlete at
the X Games, competing and medaling at every X Games since 1995.
Mirra has won an astonishing 20 X Games medals, 14 of them gold.
FMX
Freestyle – Mike Metzger and Adam Jones
Step Up - Metzger
Note: Metzger has eight Summer/Winter X Games combined FMX medals, comprised of 3 gold and 5 silver
Supermoto
Moto X SuperMoto – Doug Henry (’05 gold medalist) and Mark Burkhart
Wakeboarding
Wake Pool Rail Jam (inaugural event) – Danny Harf (’05
Wakeboarding gold medalist and ’06 Pro Wakeboard Tour Champion), Shawn Watson and Daniel Watkins
Note: Monster Energy’s Shane Bonifay, who battled Harf in the finals
of last week’s U.S. Wake Tour in Reno, injured his knee and will not
compete at Summer X. He was one of the favorites to medal.
Rally Car
Rally Car (inaugural event) – Ken Block
Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it motocross, surf, skate,
snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy
more than anything these days. Check out all the flavors – Original
Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault and the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “Khaos.” All the boyz racing rockin’
the Monster Energy logo at the Dew Tour dig ‘em – so will you. On
the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com.
