CORONA, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ — Motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi is one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. And now people are going to associate him with one of the most recognizable energy drink brands on the planet as well, as Rossi is set to run the Monster Energy M-claw logo on the 2009 MotoGP tour.

Continuing its global push, the No. 1 by-volume sales energy drink in the United States – Monster Energy – will look to Rossi as a means of delivering Monster’s ‘core’ message to the legions of fans that follow the world’s premier two wheel road racing motorsport.

"Going Big has been our motto at Monster Energy for some time and aligning ourselves with Valentino Rossi is about as big as it gets in motorsports," said Mark Hall, President of Monster Energy. "We feel that Valentino is one of those rare athletes that not only defines his sport, he actually transcends it."

Rossi’s race resume is stellar. Not yet 30-years-old, he stands as the only racer in the sport’s history to have won world titles in the 125cc, 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP classes. And his 97 career race wins in 210 starts approaches a 50-percent win percentage that is absolutely mind boggling.

"I’m happy to join up with Monster Energy and to be one of the first European sportsman testimonials for this new brand," said Rossi. "Monster is growing all over the world and I am very excited to be joining them. I think that together we can make something special and the M-claw is going to look good on my new helmet!"

Monster Energy’s Valentino Rossi began testing for his 2009 MotoGP title defense at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia this past weekend. The series opens on April 12th at the Grand Prix of Qatar.