AURORA, Ill (June 1, 2011) – The final chapter in the greatest Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season ever was written at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium as Ryan Villopoto was awarded the sport’s biggest prize, the Supercross class championship. The success that Villopoto and his Monster Energy Kawasaki team achieved is synonymous with the overall success of the 2011 Monster Energy Championship.
“Across the board, we enjoyed huge success this year,” said Todd Jendro, senior director of two wheel operations, Feld Motor Sports. “We expect to build on the greatest season ever as we prepare for the highly anticipated 2012 Monster Energy Supercross season.”
Overall live-event attendance was up 5% from 2010, bringing the yearly total to 775,000 fans. More than 300,000 fans attended the pre-race pit parties with 135,000 fans taking advantage of the Monster Energy Pit Pass recycling program, driving pit party attendance up 32%.
“The enthusiasm of Monster Energy Supercross fans really hits home for us,” said Bruce Stjernstrom, Monster Energy Vice President of Sports Marketing. “Our pit activation lets us interact with our customers and the Monster Energy can recycling program supports our local retailers. To top it off, Monster Energy riders Ryan Villopoto and Broc Tickle won two of the three championships!”
Complementing the live-event attendance was the 24% increase in television rating on SPEED. This year SPEED added an additional two live broadcasts, bringing the total to eight live races. In addition to the 25 hours of live television, SPEED provided more than 90 hours of programming. CBS Sports provided nine hours of network coverage that yielded a 21% increase in ratings this season.
Internationally, Monster Energy Supercross was broadcast in 181 countries. Highlighting the international interest was a 66% increase in Australia, home of former two-time Supercross class champion Chad Reed, during Q1, besting NFL Playoff coverage.
Monster Energy Supercross’ social media platforms also enjoyed record growth. Facebook “likes” grew to 650,000 this year, posting a 915% growth. Similarly, Monster Energy Supercross’ Twitter followers grew to nearly 15,000, posting a 285% increase. Supercrossonlie.com, the official home of Monster Energy Supercross, played host to 540 videos that were produced live through the 16 tour stops, generating 2.5 million views to date. The video clips include post race recaps, pit and podium interviews with the stars of the sport and special behind-the-scenes features.
The epic points battle that featured five different race winners was covered nationally by some of the country’s major media outlets, including ESPN the Magazine, USA Today, Associated Press, ESPN.com, SI.com and Yahoo Sports to name a few.
