Australia’s Mark Monea won $40,000 at the Best Trick Presented by Dirt Shark competition yesterday at the inaugural Monster Energy Cup held at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Of the five riders competing in the Best Trick competition, Monea’s signature trick, the ‘Carry On’, which is a front flip 360, scored him a 94. Prior to the MEC, Monea had never successfully landed the Carry On in a competition.

“This is not only the largest amount of money I have ever won, it’s the only money that I have ever won in freestyle motocross,” said Monea.

“I’ve landed it six or seven times before tonight but never in a competition,” said Monea. “There is a big difference in landing it in practice and landing it when the pressure of a competition is on.”

This one-trick, go-for-broke-freestyle-motocross competition didn’t unfold without the pressure of unyielding risk involved.

“I was super nervous before tonight,” added Monea. “I have been practicing long and hard on this trick, and to successfully land it tonight was huge.”

Monea was formerly a mechanic for fellow Australian buddy and X Games gold medalist Cameron Sinclair before his FMX career ignited.

One of the most anticipated moments of the evening was Kyle Loza’s attempt at landing the ‘Scarecrow’. The awe-inspiring trick unfolds as Loza removes himself from the motorcycle and flips the bike with one hand.

Unfortunately, Saturday night in Vegas would not be the night for Loza to accomplish this feat as he failed to successfully land this trick. The three-time X-Games gold medalist was able to walk away safely and go back to work on landing the flip.

“I was happy that I was able to walk away from this tonight,” said Loza. “I am bummed I didn’t land it, but I came pretty close.”

Australia’s Cam Sinclair crashed during his attempt at the double flip, suffering a broken femur in the incident.

Best Trick Presented by Dirt Shark Results
1. Mark Monea 94
2. Jackson Strong 93
3. Todd Potter 85.7
4. Kyle Loza 65.3
5. Cameron Sinclair 65