Weekend Recap: October 15 - 16, 2022

MOTOGP
Alex Rins Takes Australian Grand Prix; Francesco Bagnaia Leads World Championships

Monster Energy-backed Team Suzuki Ecstar racer Alex Rins won the frantic Australian Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon upon the high-speed, 3.0-mile, 11-turn Phillip Island circuit. Milliseconds later, Monster Energy Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia crossed the line in 3rd, and in doing so, moved to the top of the World Championship standings. To win the race, Suzuki's Rins snatched the race lead from Bagnaia on the final lap and beat fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez to the finish line by 0.186 seconds.

“Last time here with Suzuki, it's special,” said Rins, who will join LCR Honda in 2023 as Suzuki prepares to close its MotoGP racing program at the conclusion of the ’22 season. “So to go out with a victory here is amazing.”
 
Defending champion Fabio Quartararo of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team crashed out Down Under after an erratic, mistake-prone performance, knocking him right off the top spot of the MotoGP World Championship standings. The French rider dropped to 22nd in the race before another mistake saw his day ended, thus delivering Bagnaia a 14-point lead with a mere two rounds to go before the curtain drops on the 2022 GP season.
 
“When I saw that Fabio was out, I said to myself 'a win is OK, but no problem if they overtake me in the final laps',” said Italian Bagnaia. “I'm very happy, we are now leading the Championship.”

Meanwhile, with an impressive 4th place finish on Sunday, Monster Energy’s Marco Bezzecchi secured the Rookie of the Year title.

MotoGP will line up again next Sunday for the Grand Prix of Malaysia. The penultimate race of the 2022 World Championship, it appears that it has all come down to the two Monster Energy racers, Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo. Stay tuned!

NASCAR
NASCAR Legend Kurt Busch “Steps Away” From Full-Time Racing

Over the weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Monster Energy NASCAR racer Kurt Busch updated the gathered media and spoke about his health and his racing future.
 
“Racing is all I’ve ever known,” said Busch, who during his legendary 23-year career won 34 races in the premiere Cup Series, including the 2017 Daytona 500. “My passion, my work ethic and my persistence has enabled me to reach all my dreams.”
 
“I know I’m not at 100 percent in my ability to go out and race at the top level of the NASCAR Cup Series,” Busch continued. “These are the best of the best drivers, and lately I haven’t felt my best. The doctors have come to the conclusion that it’s best for me to shut it down for the season.”
 
“As I continue to focus on my health toward being cleared, I’ll be stepping away from full-time competition in 2023. My long-term health is priority No. 1. And I don’t feel committing to compete for a championship is in my best interests or the best interests of the team.”
 
Busch had missed 13 consecutive races after suffering a concussion in a routine crash in July. The 44-year-old had a year remaining on his contract with the 23XI Racing team, co-owned by Cup Series star Denny Hamlin and basketball legend Michael Jordan. Busch said if he is eventually cleared to drive, he will continue to pursue a bucket list of opportunities that include international sports car racing with longtime sponsor Monster Energy. He has earned praise for his work in the broadcast booth, and said he would meet with TV officials at LVMS this weekend to discuss expanding his role behind the microphone. He also plans to continue mentoring 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace.
 
When asked about driving for myriad NASCAR race teams during his two-plus decades in the sport — and leaving each in a better place in the estimation of the experts — he thought about it and said: “I just always gave it my best.”
 
Asked how he would like to be remembered, he replied: “Always searching for the checkered flag.”

XFINITY
Hailie Deegan Makes Impressive Xfinity Debut

A fixture throughout the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Monster Energy’s Hailie Deegan became the first female driver in NASCAR history to post-up two top 10 finishes in a single season this summer, with a 10th at Mid-Ohio and a 6th at Talladega. On Saturday afternoon, Deegan made her NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the Also Uniforms 302 Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 
“I don’t want to make any mistakes,” said a nervous and excited Deegan before the race. “I just want to go out there and get comfortable and go into the second stage and make some good changes and then really get after it in the third stage. I’d be super-happy with a top 10 or a top 15 finish.”
 
And super-happy she was; after all was said and done in Vegas, Deegan raced to an excellent 13th place finish in her premier. Also competing in the Xfinity race in Las Vegas was Monster Energy’s Ty Gibbs, the Joe Gibbs Racing ace powering to a rock-solid 4th place. With only two Xfinity races left to be run in 2022 – Martinsville and Phoenix – Gibbs holds station in third in what has developed into a spirited fight for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship.

SKATEBOARDING
14-Year-Old Rayssa Leal Claims Yet Another Gold in Rio

Rayssa does it again! Monster Energy team rider Rayssa Leal snatched yet another gold this weekend, this time in the women’s skateboard street event at the STU Open in Rio de Janeiro — where she also bagged $50,000 in the process.
 
The 14-year-old from Imperatriz, Brazil, made her home country proud by claiming another win on the heels of her Street League Skateboarding victory earlier this month.
 
Brazilian teammate Kelvin Hoefler also represented his homeland by earning 3rd place in Men’s Skateboard Street, while Luiz Francisco who took home 3rd place in Men’s Skateboard Park.