2009 Toyota/Muscle Milk Surfercross
PERRIS, CALIF. – After a one-year hiatus, the tenth annual Surfercross is returning to Southern California. The two-day event is bigger and better than ever, and will take place on Tuesday, August 4 at Starwest MX Park (Perris, Calif.) and Wednesday, August 5 at San Onofre State Beach.
“Toyota and Muscle Milk really stepped up to help put on the event this year,” said Jeremy Albrecht, co-creator of Surfercross. “And Oakley has been with us for a few years now and has always put in 100% effort. It’s hard to believe that Mike [Parsons] and I started this thing ten years ago and it keeps getting better and better.”
The Pro class is invite-only, and this year’s roster includes professional AMA riders such as Josh Grant, Cody Cooper, Justin Brayton, Wil Hahn, Jake Moss, and Sean Borkenhagen, as well as former top riders Greg Albertyn, Eric Sorby and David Pingree. This year’s overall winners will receive one-of-a-kind engraved guitars, courtesy of Fender. The famed guitar company will be giving away a total 12 guitars at the event.
The event is set up as a team competition, with each pro motocrosser and each pro surfer riding on day one and surfing on day two. Teams are decided based on the luck of the draw---a random drawing at the start of day one determines who teams up. After each day, the points are tallied and the team with the best combined score for both disciplines takes the overall win. Past winners include Brandon Rambo/Jeff “Ox” Kargola, David Pingree/Adam Wickwire, Josh Hansen/Scott Farnsworth, James Stewart/Mike Parsons, Rick Johnson/Sunny Garcia, Dave Castillo/CJ Hobgood and Nathan Ramsey/Bryan Hewitson.
In addition to the Pro class, there are close to 50 spots open for people from both the moto and surf industries to compete for trophies and bragging rights. It’s a first-come, first-served format, and there’s always a long list of alternates hoping someone doesn’t show.
Every year the event draws the interest of long-time sponsors as well as new ones. The Muscle Milk Training Center will be set up helping keep competitors fueled up and hydrated for their next moto or surf heat, and Oakley is bringing out a custom event truck to set up a distinctly Oakley pit area, complete with goggles for the riders. No Fear is supplying brand-new gear to all the pro surfers in need, and Wahoo’s provides a full lunch both days for participants and their crews. Kawasaki and Yamaha bring a range of KX and YZ motorcycles for surfers that don’t have them but still want to compete.
The Toyota/Muscle Milk Surfercross presented by Oakley is sponsored by FMF, Asterisk, No Fear, Wahoo's Fish Taco, N-Style, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Starwest Motocross Park and Fender. Created by Jeremy Albrecht and Mike Parsons, Surfercross has become an event that many pros look forward to each year – it’s a laid-back, no-pressure event that combines the overlapping interests of many surf and moto athletes.
