2014 Monster Energy Cup Preview

Who is going to win the 2014 Monster Energy Cup and what does it mean heading into next season? When you look at the strong lineup of riders entered into this weekend’s race in Las Vegas, there are certainly a few capable of taking home the big prize. With three ten lap main events and a chance at a million dollars, there are plenty of reasons for all the riders to go for it!

As we’ve been reading and watching the last few weeks, there is more than one rider who’ll be debuting their new whips in Las Vegas. Justin Barcia, Davi Millsaps and Dean Wilson are perhaps the biggest names who will be staring at a different coloured front fender on Saturday night; all three riders have switched brands recently and will no doubt be looking to have a good first race. Getting out there in race conditions will give these riders a great idea as to where they’re at with their machines and level of fitness.

Saturday night will be Dean Wilson’s first official Supercross on his new Red Bull KTM.

Another rider who is on new equipment is the 2014 West Coast Lites Champion, Jason Anderson, who is now not only riding a Husqvarna but has also moved up full time to the 450 class. Jason is coming off a big win last weekend at a supercross in Sweden so he’s obviously up to speed on the new bike. Cole Seely has also moved up to the 450 class and will debut his new factory Honda on Saturday night. Cole is always fast, and after riding for the Troy Lee Designs Honda Team for a number of years, he should already be comfortable on the red bikes.

With all the new scenery that fans are going to get to see this weekend, it might just be something old that ends up with all the glory. By old I mean something that we’re all quite familiar with, as in Red Bull KTM rider Ryan Dungey. Not only has he finished second at the first three Monster Energy Cups, but he also is coming off a summer of playing second fiddle to his teammate Ken Roczen. Dungey has recently started to work with trainer Aldon Baker so it seems as though he is more motivated than ever to get back on top.

Another older rider who was supposed to race this weekend is fan favourite Chad Reed. After a rough outdoor season and an even rougher MXON a few weeks ago, Reed has been on vacation in Australia and was scheduled to begin his quest for the 2015 Supercross title this Saturday. However, he recently Tweeted that while he will be in Las Vegas this weekend, he may not be racing now due to injuries he suffered in Latvia. If Reed doesn’t race then it will be a big blow to the fans. With James Stewart and Ken Roczen already not riding, that will be three big names sitting out this event. But, with or without them, the show will go on and the racing will be great.

Honorary Canadian Bobby Kiniry will be lining up in Vegas at the 2014 Monster Energy Cup.

If Canadian fans are looking for a few riders to cheer for in Vegas, then you can pay special attention to long time Rockstar Energy Drink OTSFF Yamaha riders Bobby Kiniry, Matt Goerke and Kyle Chisholm. All three riders are coming off decent outdoor seasons and will be looking to use the Monster Energy Cup to get back in the Supercross groove again. The team will also debut their new sponsor, Pirelli Tires, in front of the Vegas crowd. Finally, in the Cup class, we can’t forget about Mike Alessi who we all got to know this summer at the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals. Mike is always a threat whenever he lines up and you can bet he’ll holeshot at least one of the main events.

In the younger age groups we’ll have plenty to cheer for as Tanner Ward, Christopher Fortier and Casey Keast will compete in the Super Mini class, and Preston Masciangleo will try tobuild on his Toronto SX win in the KTMJRSX class. All three Canadian riders have headed to Vegas early to prepare and acclimatize themselves to the heat. It will be fun to watch these fast and aggressive kids compete against the USA’s best in Vegas. If we think back to August, we remember that three of these riders won titles at the 2014 Parts Canada TransCan.

Casey Keast will be one of three young Canadian riders in Vegas this weekend racing in the Supermini class.

All in all it should be a great night of racing under the desert sky. In their pre-race dialogue, all of the riders are taking the pressure off themselves by saying that this is just a “one off” race. While it certainly is just one night of racing, any chance these riders get to line up against each other is a great opportunity to gain a small, mental advantage as they head into the final few months before Anaheim One. Once the gate drops the riders will be as serious as ever. With the mistakes we saw last year with the joker lane and Ryan Villopoto’s big crash, the entire lineup of star riders should be more focused than ever come Saturday night.