News 22 Oct 2012

Barcia wins Monster Energy Cup, Reed fourth in Las Vegas

Justin Barcia has taken home the second-annual 2012 Monster Energy Cup (MEC) victory in Las Vegas on debut for the Honda Muscle Milk team.

Justin Barcia took out the 2012 Monster Energy Cup on debut for the Honda Muscle Milk team. Image: Simon Cudby.

Justin Barcia has taken home the second-annual 2012 Monster Energy Cup (MEC) victory in Las Vegas on debut for the Honda Muscle Milk team.

Barcia was awarded a $100,000 prize for his consistent efforts throughout the three main event format, which were jam-packed with action.

Ryan Villopoto, 2011 MEC champion, blitzed the field on return from injury in race one before taking a dirt sample in race two which ended his chances at a title defence. Villopoto opted to sit out the final race of the night.

Barcia used 2-1-2 results to seal the overall victory ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey who pushed through a bizzare turn of events during two of the three races.

Dungey twice suffered a bent shift lever, which caused the former AMA supercross champion to ride in second gear for the whole 10-laps on two occasions. Dungey still managed a 2-3-2 scorecard for second overall on the night.

Rounding out the podium was current AMA Supercross West Coast Lites champion Eli Tomac. The GIECO Honda rider used 3-4-4 finishes to land himself on the podium.

Australia’s Chad Reed made his return to professional racing in Las Vegas, the TwoTwo Motorsports owner laid down a 5-5-6 score for fourth overall.

The Amateur All-Star event was taken out by Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb, followed closely by Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo in second and Honda mounted Jordon Smith in third.

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