Monster Energy-dominated Team USA wins ’22 Motocross des Nations at RedBud MX

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Monster Energy’s Tomac, Cooper and Sexton bring coveted MXdN title back to United States after 11-year drought; Cooper & Renaux capture individual titles

CORONA, CA – September 26, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The 75^th running of the world’s most prestigious motocross event, the Motocross des Nations held at famed American professional motocross venue RedBud MX in Buchanan, Mich., was won on Sunday by an All-Monster Energy team of racers representing USA – Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton and Justin Cooper – adding to the United States’ record win total (23) and breaking an 11-year drought  (2010, Lakewood, Colo.) since USA last won the coveted MXdN Chamberlain Trophy.

Leading Team USA was Cooper (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha), who won the overall MX2 division title with a 9-4 two-race finish. Monster Energy’s Sexton (Honda) added a 2^nd/3^rd two-race finish for 2^nd overall in the Open division for some crucial team points and Tomac (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha) won the opening race, then rode to a solid 6^th place (following a smart first turn move to avoid a crash) in the third race to preserve the victory for Team USA.

All totaled 12 Monster Energy-backed racers competed at the RedBud MXdN. Maxime Renaux (Monster Energy/Yamaha) would win the 3^rd race outright, going 3-1 in the MXGP class to secure the MXGP individual title and help Team France to a 3^rd place overall finish. Renaux’s countryman, Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha), would go 6-4 in the Open class for 3^rd place individually. Switzerland’s Jeremy Seewer (Monster Energy/Yamaha) raced very strong and would go 4-5 in the MXGP class to finish 3^rd individually and Belgium’s MXGP class racer Jago Geerts (Monster Energy/Yamaha) would battle Tomac closely throughout the opening moto, finishing with a strong 2^nd place finish, but fell in the 3^rd race and finished outside the top ten (5^th individually). Noteworthy Monster Energy performances: Chile’s Hardy Munoz (Husqvarna) placed 8^th overall in the MX2 class; Glenn Coldenhoff (Yamaha) of the Netherlands battled back to a respectable 13^th place in the first moto after crashing early; the UK’s Tommy Searle (Honda) placed 9^th overall in the Open class; Japan’s Jo Shimoda (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki), who won the RedBud MX National 250 class this summer, unfortunately didn’t get to race Sunday’s main program on account of Japan not qualifying as a team.

Saturday Qualifying

Team USA entered Sunday’s final races with all kinds of momentum by winning Saturday’s qualifying rounds. Cooper was victorious in MX2 qualifying, leading every lap of the 20 min/plus two-lap qualifier race. Tomac placed 2^nd in the MXGP class qualifying (behind winner Geerts, and ahead of 3^rd place Seewer). And Sexton, who was winning the Open class qualifier on Saturday, fell on the last lap, handing the victory to Ferrandis (Sexton remounted for 2^nd). The 2-1-2 finish by the Monster Energy-backed racers gave Team USA the top gate pics in Sunday’s final races.

Race 1, MXGP and MX2 (Monster Energy highlights)

Monster Energy’s Eli Tomac

Geerts got out fast on the muddy track, beating Tomac to the holeshot line by a set of forks. Tomac would quickly get the lead back from Geerts, passing the Belgian on Turn 2 and taking the early lead. … Tomac would continue to increase his lead over Geerts, but the MXGP MX2 class runner-up was persistent in his pursuit of the ’22 450 class U.S. SX/MX dual champion, keeping within two to four-seconds of Tomac. … Renaux and Seewer also kept Tomac and Geerts in sight, and helped Monster Energy with a 1^st (Tomac), 2^nd (Geerts), 3^rd (Renaux), 4^th (Seewer) sweep of the opening race for Monster Energy. … Cooper would add a 9^th place finish, 2^nd in the MX2 class in the day’s first race.

Race 2, MX2 and Open

Monster Energy’s Justin Cooper

Sexton would pull good start, out in 2^nd place, while Cooper and Team Australia rival Hunter Lawrence (Honda) got together on the opening lap, with Lawrence getting the worst of it and hitting the deck (as Cooper raced off). … As the rains continued and track conditions were difficult, vision-wise, Sexton battled with Italy’s Mattia Guadanini, swapping the lead at one point before Guadanini took it back from Sexton. … Both Sexton and Guadanini would get passed by Team Australia’s Jett Lawrence (Honda), but Sexton played it smart in the highly important race for the Chamberlain Trophy, letting Jett Lawrence go and focusing on Guadanini – who he passed late in the race to take 2^nd. … Noteworthy: Cooper’s get together with Hunter Lawrence, and his 4^th place to Lawrence’s 10^th place, would be the main turning points for Team USA winning the MXdN championship over Australia.

Race 3, MXGP and Open

Monster Energy’s Chase Sexton

With all the team championship chips on the table, the two premier classes faced off in one last race at RedBud – to decide the 2022 MXdN championship. And it’d be Monster Energy-backed racers that’d dominate. … Blasting out to the early race lead were Team France’s Ferrandis (holeshot) and Renaux, leading Sexton out of the first turn. … Drama ensued as Geerts would go down and disrupted Tomac’s start, relegating the MXdN opening race winner to 12^th place out of the first turn. … At the race’s halfway point Ferrandis made a mistake on the massive “Hammer of Thor” uphill triple jump and Renaux took over the lead. … With Ferrandis down, Sexton was close behind and easily took over 2^nd place. But again played it smart with the team championship on the line for USA and allowed Jett Lawrence to breeze by, while keeping Renaux (2^nd) in site. … While all that was happening Tomac quietly picked his way through the world’s top racers and up to a commendable 6^th place in the final race. And when the checkers flew it was Sexton in 3^rd and Tomac in 6^th to secure the Chamberlain Trophy for Team USA.

So at the end, 34 nations and 102 racers, Team USA stood as the champions of the 2022 Motocross des Nations at RedBud, Team USA’s record 23^rd MXdN championship and first since 2010.

Monster Energy’s Overall MXdN Placers

MXGP Class

1^st – Maxime Renaux (3-1)

2^nd – Eli Tomac (1-6)

3^rd – Jeremy Seewer (4-5)

5^th – Jago Geerts (2-11)

MX2 Class

1^st – Justin Cooper (9-4)

Open Class

2^nd – Chase Sexton (2-3)

3^rd – Dylan Ferrandis (6-4)

The full list of Monster Energy-backed racers that competed at RedBud’s Motocross des Nations:

Name                                                   Country

Eli Tomac                                              USA
Chase Sexton
Justin Cooper

Maxime Renaux                                    France
Dylan Ferrandis

Jo Shimoda                                           Japan

Jago Geerts                                           Belgium

Tommy Searle                                       Great Britain

Glenn Coldenhoff                                  Netherlands

Jeremy Seewer                                     Switzerland

Guillem Farres                                      Spain

Hardy Munoz                                        Chile

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About Monster Energy

Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com

Source: Monster Energy Company

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