Heartbreak for Iain Hayden at Winter X

PRESS RELEASE
(Vaughan, ON – January 26, 2015)

Bronze Medal for Ross Martin
Heartbreak for Iain Hayden at Winter X

The world’s elite winter sports athletes gathered once again for the latest edition of the fabled Winter X Games in Aspen, CO this past week. All were looking to write their name in the history books of their chosen discipline by claiming a gold, silver, or bronze medal in one of the most beautiful mountain resort settings in the United States.

A one-off, special Rockstar Energy Drink Winter X team, consisting of Canada’s Iain Hayden and the American Ross Martin, were among the top snocross drivers who made the journey to Aspen.

Rather than truck their Canadian Rockstar Energy Polaris team to the western U.S. as in past seasons, it was decided Hayden, who has the most international snocross racing experience on the team, was paired up with Martin on the Rockstar affiliated Judnick Motorsports team out of Wisconsin, for which Martin competes in the regular U.S. ISOC series. While things turned out A-OK for Martin, Hayden was faced with one of the biggest disappointments of his storied career to date.

In the all-or-nothing heat races, in which only the top five finishers advanced to the final – a new Winter X format saw the scrapping of the LCQ – both Hayden and Martin got off to a quick start on their potent Polaris IQ 600s. They found themselves rocketing into turn one behind multi-time gold medallist Tucker Hibbert.

For most of the race, the positions up front did not change, with Hibbert ahead of Martin, comfortably in second place, and Hayden in third. Things were looking good for the two teammates, but while Martin was headed to a second place finish, the hand of fate dealt Hayden a heavy blow that dashed any hopes of making the final.

“I was ecstatic with my heat race start, because you had to be with the frontrunners if you remotely hoped to even qualify for the final. I had an awesome snowmobile and I was riding really well. Then, at one point, I was going up a hill and got roosted and I kind of backed off for a few seconds,” Hayden explained.

“The next thing I know some guy was inside me at the top of the hill, not giving an inch, and I got tipped over. There I was, lying on my side in the snow like a beached whale. I couldn’t believe it. After having qualified for I don’t know how many Winter Xs, to be erased from the equation like that was totally disappointing, to say the least. Next time I come back here you can count on me riding a lot more aggressively.”

Although never-say-die Hayden righted his sled and resumed the race dead last, the best he could do was reel in the pack before the checkered flag was waved.

In the final, Martin did not disappoint. Another lightning start saw him again follow Tucker Hibbert into the first turn. Martin pinned the throttle to keep second place and was looking at silver as he had a bit of a gap on third. But in the handlebar banging closing laps he got passed by an on-fire Kody Kamn, settling at the finish line for a still impressive third place and the bronze medal. Hibbert, meanwhile, pulled off his eighth straight gold in as many appearances in the snocross final.

Rockstar Energy Drink congratulates Ross Martin on his bronze medal win and Iain Hayden for the great ride he delivered in his bid to qualify for the final.

About Rockstar: Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles – from Athletes to Rockstars. Available in over 20 flavors at convenience and grocery outlets in over 30 countries, Rockstar supports the Rockstar lifestyle across the globe through Action Sports, Motor Sports, and Live Music. For more information visit: www.RockstarEnergy.com

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