On Saturday night in Las Vegas, French Supercross racer Marvin Musquin won $1 million by betting it all on the No. 25. It took him 30 laps and less than three hours to win all three main-event races at the Monster Energy Cup at Sam Boyd Stadium on his No. 25 Red Bull KTM and become only the second rider in the event's seven-year history to capture the million-dollar bonus for going undefeated on the night. Four-time AMA Supercross champ Ryan Villopoto achieved the feat in 2011.
"Winning that much money in one night is amazing," Musquin, 27, said Sunday afternoon from his home in Corona, California. "But the fact that I was able to win all three main events is also amazing. I was so happy to see everyone on social media be really happy for me and the team. It will definitely get a lot of people talking about the race, and that's great for motocross."
To put into perspective just how difficult it is to win the overall title at this event, let alone the million dollars, consider this: The Monster Energy Cup is the only major title that eluded four-time Supercross champ Ryan Dungey in his career, and no rider has won the overall title twice. Despite what riders say in pre- and post-race interviews, at the MEC, money is definitely on their minds.
"To be honest, I was not even thinking about the million dollars," Musquin said. Then he thought twice about categorizing that statement as honest. "Obviously, I kinda was. But you know what I mean. Last year I got third. I wanted to win the overall this year, but to win all three motos and have three good starts is so unlikely. Anything can happen."
And typically, it does.
In 2013, Dungey won the first main event, only to cross the finish line and find out -- from Villopoto -- that he'd forgotten to take the joker lane. In 2014, Trey Canard won the first two mains but crashed in pursuit of Davi Millsaps for the lead in the third race, losing the $1 million and the overall title.
Just last year, Ken Roczen won the first and third races but crashed out of the second (while in the lead) and conceded the bonus and the overall to Eli Tomac, who crashed in the first race this year, ending his chances to defend the title.
"Everything has to go perfect, and [Saturday] night, everything went perfect for me," Musquin said. "It was not even real. I think it will take a while to remind me it happened. I was so glad to be able to make the stadium be on fire, especially with what happened in Las Vegas two weeks ago. The riders all talked about it before the race, and we wore 'Vegas strong' stickers on our bikes and jerseys. After the race, we donated our gear to charity to raise money.
"It's not much, but it was important to pay notice and give the crowd a good time."
After the race, and for the rest of the weekend, two questions plagued the minds of motocross fans and social media. His answers were as surprising as they were endearing.
Q: How did Musquin celebrate his win?
A: "The plan was to drive home to Corona after the race, three-and-a-half hours. So we did," Musquin said. "We had a great time celebrating on the podium with everybody, then we stopped at the hotel to say hi to our friends, and then we drove home. [On Sunday] we went for brunch, enjoyed the day and jumped in the pool to relax."
Q: How does he plan to spend his windfall?
A: "I was able to get good bonus money in my career before Saturday by winning Supercross races. I'm happy with the way I live and what I have in my life right now," Musquin said. "It's a little crazy to think about going and buying something else." But if he allows himself one splurge, he said it will be a gift for his wife, Mathilde. The couple met at a Supercross race in France when they were 14, moved to the States together six years later and were married in 2012.
"Mathilde does so much for me, and I am able to focus on my training and the work I have to do because of all she does behind the scenes," Musquin said. "When I win races like that, I'm so happy for her as well. That's why we are here right now: to keep trying to achieve our goals in America."
On Monday morning, motocross's newest million-dollar man was right where those who know him well would expect him to be: back at the track training for his next race, Red Bull Straight Rhythm on Saturday at the Pomona Fairplex. He has more goals to tick off. Every minute of seat time makes what happens at the races that much less of a gamble.