Justin Barcia took out the 2012 Monster Energy Cup on debut for the Honda Muscle Milk team. Image: Simon Cudby.

Justin Barcia has taken home the second-annual 2012 Monster Energy Cup (MEC) victory in Las Vegas on debut for the Honda Muscle Milk team.

Barcia was awarded a $100,000 prize for his consistent efforts throughout the three main event format, which were jam-packed with action.

Ryan Villopoto, 2011 MEC champion, blitzed the field on return from injury in race one before taking a dirt sample in race two which ended his chances at a title defence. Villopoto opted to sit out the final race of the night.

Barcia used 2-1-2 results to seal the overall victory ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey who pushed through a bizzare turn of events during two of the three races.

Dungey twice suffered a bent shift lever, which caused the former AMA supercross champion to ride in second gear for the whole 10-laps on two occasions. Dungey still managed a 2-3-2 scorecard for second overall on the night.

Rounding out the podium was current AMA Supercross West Coast Lites champion Eli Tomac. The GIECO Honda rider used 3-4-4 finishes to land himself on the podium.

Australia’s Chad Reed made his return to professional racing in Las Vegas, the TwoTwo Motorsports owner laid down a 5-5-6 score for fourth overall.

The Amateur All-Star event was taken out by Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb, followed closely by Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo in second and Honda mounted Jordon Smith in third.