Monster Energy's Dave Ellis (left) is an integral identity in Australian motocross. Image: Simon Makker/Makkreative.com.

Monster Energy’s future in Australian motocross is set to become clear in the coming weeks as the energy drink giant looks to cement its domestic motorsport sponsorship plans.

Currently the title sponsor of the Monster Energy MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, and naming rights supporter of Monster Energy Kawasaki, both deals are up for the 2013 season. Monster also currently has a number of personal sponsorship programs in the sport.

With Vodafone departing V8 Supercars team Triple Eight Race Engineering at the close of this year, Monster Energy had been a leading candidate for the title sponsorship of that operation, however arch-rival Red Bull has since been confirmed in a multi-year deal.

That leaves Monster scrambling to secure its future in V8s with a leading squad, as Triple Eight driver Jamie Whincup will also be forced to give up his personal sponsorship with Monster as Red Bull takes charge.

Monster is working to finalise its V8 plans this month as its priority, and only then will the Melbourne-based Australian arm of the US energy drink company be able to focus on its 2013 motocross support.

“We’ve got a couple of our guys in from the States and over the next couple of weeks we’ll get a stronger indication,” Monster Energy’s David Ellis told MotoOnline. “I’ve got a meeting with Kevin [Williams] next week and we need TV next year, so that’s a big part of the deal.”

While Monster’s V8 involvement has so far proven a success, motocross remains at the roots of the brand and strengthens its potential continuation in the sport on a large scale. Both the MX Nationals deal and Kawasaki’s factory contract expire at the conclusion of this season.

“[V8s] is going to be a big slab of [the budget], so we’ll take care of that first and then look at what we can do with motocross,” Ellis added.

“Everything’s up for grabs this year, and we’ve got a first right of refusal with Troy [Carroll]. We’ve had a bit of a chat to Troy, so we’ve just got to work out what we can do for next year.

“Once we get [V8s] locked away, we’ll know exactly what we’re going to do. We’re just tossing around ideas right now, probably until next Wednesday. Then we’ll have a pretty clear picture of what’s happening.

“We’ve been looking at what works online and what works really well is V8s. They are 35 percent of our movement online.”

Ellis also confirmed that Monster Energy won’t be involved in the upcoming Australian Supercross Championship, instead waiting to see how the series evolves in its inaugural season under the management of International Entertainment Group.

Since Monster Energy joined the MX Nationals as title sponsor for 2012, the series has greatly benefited from Monster’s marketing strengths and promotional campaigns carried out ahead of each and every round to date.