Monday Conversation: Ryan Villopoto
Monday, March 14, 2011 | 8:55 AM
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PrintRyan Villopoto won his third race in a row in the Monster Energy Supercross Series and solidified his hold on the points lead which is now 26 points with seven rounds left. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider has certainly been the beneficiary of a couple of breaks going his way in recent weeks but this win was a tour de force performance. On a track that was almost as challenging as Daytona, RV kicked it into overdrive after getting by early leader Chad Reed and checked out for his fifth win of the season.
After the race, with the bikes loaded and the team wrapping things up, I caught up to Villopoto to get his take on the night.
Racer X Online: RV, that’s three wins in a row and good job. Can you talk about it?
Ryan Villopoto: It was a good one for sure, I’m happy about it. No one really went down, it was pretty legit.
Well, Dungey went down- I’m just saying.
Alright, fine.
Let’s talk about the pass that I didn’t see and that was you getting by Chad Reed early in the race. How did that happen?
There was that triple/triple section that all of us were doing after that right hander and he went in and tripled/doubled and I did the second triple and squeezed by him right there. Soon as I passed him, I tried to get a gap because I knew that Stew [James Stewart] was going to be coming. I figured he was going to get second.
Did you see him once he got into second?
Yeah, I knew he was there--I could hear the crowd cheering. Things like that and I could see him when he was fourth as well. Lappers got really bad, we got into them really quick and that was a problem. I got hung up with Mike Alessi a little bit and there were a couple of guys that were hard to get by so he caught me right there. That was a bit difficult but once I got through those guys, I opened my lead up a bit more I believe. I’ll have to check the charts and see but I think that’s what happened.
Villopoto knows even a 26-point lead isn't safe with how wild this season has been?
Andrew Fredrickson photo
Yeah, you did. How gnarly was the track?
It had plywood showing in some places and there were ten ruts on the faces of the jumps. It made doing twenty solid laps really difficult. I had some close calls out there, I landed on a tuff block in that same section I passed Chad in and I got squirrely in the whoops one lap. I had a few close calls out there for sure.
This one has to feel pretty good to win this one straight up after the last few laps, no one “gave” you anything.
Hey, that’s what you’re saying. Not me. That’s what I’ve read on some of the boards anyways.
You have over a race lead in the points now, does anything change?
No, nothing at all. Not yet, I’m going to keep trying to win races and when we get two rounds to the end, then we’ll talk.
You’re undefeated since you moved your base of operations to the east coast, living at your house in Florida. Do you think that is a coincidence?
The travelling is so much shorter, that helps. Just being at home is cool, I can keep my tracks up the way I want them. If I want it dry, I can make it that way, if I want it wet, then I can do that as well. It makes it better for training for sure. I don’t think it’s a coincidence, but I had wins when we were in California also like in LA and Anaheim, you know.
I know but you seem like you’re on more of a roll right now.
Yeah, maybe it’s a long season and it’s taking a toll on people I think. Week in and week out it’s a grind and I’m just trying to make it through.
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Well done RV ...keep it up!
Good interview. He approaches these like its a conversation, not like RD1 that appears to have it scripted before the interview starts. He and Reed appear to be a breath of fresh air this season. Congrats to RV on an awesome ride in Indy!
I know everyone is going to hate on me for this but...... Stewart came from LAST PLACE to 2nd. RV got lucky JS didn't get a good start. Even if RV wins the championship this year there is no way he is the fastest rider. But I do hope he wins, it will make JS want to ride outdoors so maybe it better.
I like that that RV just keeps riding his ride. He has had a few bad starts and even went down in the one, but puts his head down and clicks off the laps.
No need to "try" and do any last to 1st heroics, or flashy passing, just ride your race and know that you will get where you need to be.
Very mature racing approach, the kind that will produce championships.
Well done RV
Everyone starts from the same straight gate, Bubba had the same chance (if not a better position) to get the holey and check out, he didn't. I wouldn't call RV pulling the holeshot and checking out luck.
@RacingForTheSon - faster average lap time wins races. how many mistakes did Stew making pushing that hard...two very significant.
Actually, I do not think Tricks number even make him "Appear" smarter :-)
All that info is meaningless? Racing is not about individual races or individual dominant performances. It is about stringing a bunch of races (SX) and Motos (MX) together to get a title...PERIOD.
All your stats show is that there seems to be something going on with Stewart. At the time of his dominant capabilities he was unable to capitalize on it in terms of titles. THAT is all that you have indicated.
That, and RV was able to capitalize on his, at the time, capabilities.
So, while a lovely trip through the past, let's now get to the present.
No one rider appears to be individually race dominant (please see my posts on laps and times), but one rider is capitalizing on his capabilities.
If you have to ride beyond your capabilities to beat the competition and you are on the ground because of it, well then is that NOT your actual capability?
Oh in case anyone missed the point, you ride your best pace that allows you to be consistent. It is about consistency and not any one lap.
Risks are taken only when they need to be taken and with a 26 point lead, there is not need to take any risks.
For those are new to the sport, have a desire to learn and to gain insight into SX/MX racing, please take hands of keys and pay attention to some of the folks who are providing good info.
For the idiots, by definition there is nothing that can be done for you.
They should start the bikes in a grid like in nascar. You know, so Stewart doesnt have to worry about getting a bad start and having to pass all those squids who don't deserve to be on the same track as the "fastest man on the planet" anyways. Did you notice the sarcasm? BTW where is Larry Brooks?
RacingForTheSon, I have the lap chart that shows Stewart was 5th on the 1st lap, 3.5 seconds behind Villopoto. On the 3rd lap, Stewart was in 4th. On lap 15, he was in 2nd. He couldn't really close the gap on Villopoto. At least he was doing what he should have been doing from the start of the series - playing it smart. He didn't come from last place. The Son might strike you down for saying that kind of thing.
Spoken as a champ!
He's the next champ in SX for 2011... No one will catch the guy.. Stewie makes too many mistakes.. Canard is still learning the ropes.. And Reed is not capable in winning unless there are tricky conditions... Milsaps is a waste of space at the JGR motoracing home.. And Dunge... He's frustrated he is not winning anything lately...
Being the fastest rider is meaningless if you don't win the championship.
RacingForTheSon, don't take this the wrong way, but any criticism you get for that post is deserved, because you're not giving credit where it's due. You act as though JS7 is just letting Ryan win. Crashing is no excuse. Having a poor start is no excuse. Ryan has consistently had good starts, and he has consistently avoided crashing. Luck has absolutely nothing to do with it.
VILLOMOTO!!! RV2 and JS7 are the only two riders who can start dead last and get a top 3 finish, unless they crash their brains out, but event then they have shown they can do it. They dont waste any time passing people and the fact that they can pass Reed on lap one or like JS7 did says alot when you watch RD follow Reed around the track for 15 laps.
Alessi holding RV2 up???? SHOCKER!!! and Milsaps is a slug.....he only seems to charge when he is getting lapped by the leaders.." yeah...i hung with RV for 2 turns....when he lapped me".... Ralph says that Milsaps is getting a new mechanic...that must be his problem (sarcastic)
VILLOMOTO!!! RV2 and JS7 are the only two riders who can start dead last and get a top 3 finish, unless they crash their brains out, but event then they have shown they can do it. They dont waste any time passing people and the fact that they can pass Reed on lap one or like JS7 did says alot when you watch RD follow Reed around the track for 15 laps.
Alessi holding RV2 up???? SHOCKER!!! and Milsaps is a slug.....he only seems to charge when he is getting lapped by the leaders.." yeah...i hung with RV for 2 turns....when he lapped me".... Ralph says that Milsaps is getting a new mechanic...that must be his problem (sarcastic)
RacingForTheSon check the lap times.
Anyone still dis agree with me when I say RD is not good at passing guys??
People need to let go of stewart coming from last to second. Yes he was last coming down the start straight, but anyone who actually races knows that doesn't really mean anything, because everybody gets so bunched up in the bunched up in the first turn.
Js7 started next to rv2 on the same gate, rv2 beat him to the first turn. That's not called luck you morons
Yup, Stewart was midpack in first turn and was in 4th place almost immediately. The fastest man on the planet had plenty of opportunity to win, even with some help from the lappers he didn't get it done. And he admitted that afterward. It's funny that his fans make excuses for him. The championship is slipping away because RV IS THE BETTER RIDER.
"it ain't over yet" but it's gonna be soon............
@RacingForTheSun to say that RV got lucky really only makes you look silly. LUCK has nothing to do with it. They lined up right next to each other and RV got a convincing win, STAIGHT UP!
Stewart isn't making any excuses for himself and niether should you.
Ralph and Jeff made such a big deal about stewart starting last. If you watch the race again you can see he was last out of the gate but he hugged the inside in the first turn and got ahead of half of the pack that got pushed wide in the first turn. He jumped through the first rhythm section and passed another few bikes so he was already well into the top ten. In fact, you could see him and villopoto in the same shot in that first section on lap one and two. Yes stewart was basically last out of the gate which is his own doing, but he just tucked inside and automatically jumped right into the top ten and soon into top 5. Everyone over exaggerated his dead last start wayyy too much, it wasn't that bad. Look at the lap charts, Stewarts fastest was only 2 tenths faster than RV so RV is not lacking speed. He got a good start, got into the lead and pulled a huge gap in a matter of laps and rode awesome on a very sketchy track. Stewart was unable to do any of the above and that's how it goes sometimes. There's no need to take anything away from RV, he won fair and square and demonstrated why he is the points leader.
Everyone says RV22 got those 2 wins given to him but the way i look at it is that he was smart and consistent in both of those races. If he wasn't holding a top position then he wouldn't have got first so the wins were not given to him he was fast, smart, had a good position, and lucked out
How does every figure Stewart started dead last. He took the inside of the 1st turn and was somewhere in the top 12 exiting it. Then passed a bunch of riders from there through the whoops and into the sand section.
Have to give him credit for his skills. Anyone else would have hit the dirt on those two major saves.
RV is riding smart and doing what it takes to be Champion. Give him credit for being probably the smarter of the top 5 right now.
scoreboard baby !! cannot wait to see ya in Toronto .keep it up RV
It is not looking good for Stewart. 7 races left. Lets do this: 7x3=21. These are the points Stewart will make up if he wins EVERY single race from here on out and Villopoto takes second. I think Villopoto has a few more wins in him too. The tide has shifted and I believe Villopoto will come out on top of the greatest supercross season in decades. But then next year we'll have the top 5 plus Weimer and Pourcel (which the latter would be giving RV fits). But then Reed will retire since he hates losing and no matter how much he wants to be, he'll never be the old Reed, he'll just be an old Reed.
racingfor thesun, I think you had sun in your eyes, Stewie was never in last place. When he hit the whoops after the 2nd turn he was in 5th.. I was sitting right there, 12 rows up and saw him.
It was pretty cheesy for Emig and Shaheen to make such a big deal out of JS7's "last-place start", but it was downright PATHETIC when Stewart, during his interview with Erin, said "ooh, yeah, that was last place". He knows exactly how his fantards think, and he feeds them accordingly. That was a straight-up win for RV.
Why when someone gets a points lead do they become so arrogant?
He "knew" Stew would get 2nd?
Heck Reed, Dung, Canard have all beat RV with ease at times this year.
Hey RV how about some humility?
If anyone knows how he conducts his personal life you also know the God stuff is an act.
For all the "what-if" people postulating different scenarios, imagine this. "What-if" it happened EXACTLY as it has happened and the champion was chosen based on this.........impossible to comprehend?
I think Trey was the first to start bringing Jesus to the podium. Now everyone does it trying to win some of Trey's base. Posers.
Give-me-a-break.... RD beat RV with ease but could not pass REED!!! Head to head taking out bad starts or crashes RV SMOKES RD!!! The only times RD beat him was because of a crash or bad start, Yes it still counts but you saying with ease sounds dumb!!! If I am wrong tell me 1 time RD passed RV or JS when they where not on the ground and finished ahead of them. hell one race RD had the lead and RV was in 12th and RV won the race, JS passed RD fell a few laps later got up and passed him AGAIN!! RD is NOT at the same level as RV or JS. Speed wise he is close but he can't pass guys worth a crap so unless he get the start I don't see him winning. I was hopeing like hell he would get Reed before JS got there because if he did RV would be up 28 points insted of 26 but RD could not get the job done and sounded real pissy after the race. Witch is for him unless people get hurt.
i want to thank open class for his coments wish i could have said it that well. this guy knows what he is talking about.
@acejas....7x3=21 .... that's about it... RV2 is definitely in the drivers seat. He can't relax yet, because this is a strange sport and I've seen a lot of people throw away a lead like that in the 25+ years of following this sport. But the pressure to win EVERY race is on JS7 and that's rough.... RV2 was facing the same pressure last year against RD5 and we all saw what happened... it is so hard to maintain that level of performance.... But if anyone can do it, JS7 can... and I'm sure RV2 knows it...for all the talk about a more mature Stewart this year, I really see a more mature Villopoto too... last year against Dungey was a good lesson.... sometimes you chase the rabbit, and sometimes you watch the rabbit bury himself in panic... but either way the smarter hunter always gets his game....
When RV is holding up the championship trophy in Vegas, look over at Bubba and see if he has one that says he was the fastest.
RV learned from last year. He will show his (right) hand when he has to.
Dirt
@Open Class ..... yeah I agree (as I said above too) RV2 has really turned into a mature racer. Sometimes I forget how young he is still, and how impressive he handles this world of energy drink superstars...He has not shown any panic on the track all season. He just goes out there and works his butt off every night...he reminds me a bit of Stanton in that way...there was never anything flashy about Stanton when he was winning titles, and he was not the fastest guy EVERY time he raced...but he was just a workhorse and in the end everyone was falling all over themselves trying to beat him to that #1 plate... RV2 is almost unspectacular this year until you look at the points and realize that's a big lead for this time of year.
Snowman... Bold comparison... RV to Stanton.. I tend to disagree.. Stanton was a boring rider to watch and had no grace on the bike... RV2 is aggressive, and fun to watch... A bit like a Bradshaw, but with more style and maturity..
And... RV2 is generally the fastest rider on the track... Unlike Stanton..
As for working like a horse.. I reckon the trend today is to work your arse off to be competitive..
Double standards are alive an well this year!!
Yes, JS7 was last to the FIRST turn after getting a little squirrley, but as Emig later stated during the replay, he snugged the inside and passed half the field by the exit of turn two, thats what smart racers do...Remember it is LIVE TV so they may over react when it first happens and can't pause and rewind while trying to call the race at the same time, its not a big deal..JS7 did pass 5 or 6 guys pretty quick to get up to the top 4 which got Ralphee all jazzed up, but its not that surprising to me... That amount of passes would have taken Dungey 6 or 7 laps to do atleast (slight sarcasm)....Whats funny to me is, people were all about RD passing folks at Daytona on the first lap after his "dead last" start last week like he was a hero and now JS7 does bsically the same thing except he stayed on the track...RD went off the track and motored past quite a few people befoe jumping back on the track if i recall......RV rules and for JS7 to not ride all week and come out in one piece and in second, good for him too.....Mathmetically it is still possible for JS7,but he'll need some "Dungey luck" for it too happen.
its funny how everybody hates on stewart.I hate to pull the race card but it is what it is.black athletes have made a mark in golf,football,basketball and motocorcc and some guys are scared to accept that.Js7 doesnt have to win another race or title because he is already paid.he has made his mark so stop hating>Even mcgrath never had his own reality show..so you closest racvists need to get over it.When js7wins its cuz so and so got a bad start etc..rv wins and that was a "straight up win"..wtf He hasnt passed and walked away from Js7 yet,what race are you guys watching?js7 is black,now get over it or stop watchin when hes riding.
To Give me a break,
Are you really bashing guys for thanking god for their win in front of the whole world. RV has always been an outspoken christian waay before canard came around. None of us know anything about these riders personal lives so don't pretend like you have some valuable insight when you know nothing on that topic. and saying that he figures stewart would get second isn't*****y... i mean, villo had an 8 second lead and he knows they are the same speed. Not*****y... just common sense. Villopoto is the least*****y of most the riders in the series, anyone that actually pays attention knows this.
@open class- that was the most logical post on this site ever. Well done. Now back to regularly scheduled clown show.
I dont think he was arrogant at all. It sounds like he is tired of all the "straight up" garbage and "gift" B.S. too!! Its pretty isulting when that crap is said. Maybe Stewie is pushing so hard and crashing to try and run Rv2 pace.. Why not, its what some guys tried to say about RC. So why not here. He is running a great season, came back from a terrible injury everyone seems to have forgottem about. And he is on his way to winning the title.. He is pretty confident, but not arrogant.
Jdawg, it has nothing to do with Bubba being black, its his personality
"Also, he IS racing against a "Ricky Carmichael" so to speak right now. RC was a dominant rider when stewart tried to dethrown him, RV is doing the same now to the likes of JS, CR, and even Dungey who won both titles in his rookie year. Apples and oranges, your numbers make you look a little smarter tho, so congrats on that."
you are comparing js, cr and dungey to ricky carmichael ? Carmichael has more TITLES, than all three combined.
"How many times has villopoto raced against a 'ricky carmichael' ?"
Budds Creek MXdN... 'nuff said."
he only raced against him once! Stewart raced him FOURTY FIVE TIMES !
"I cant stand when people bring up old facts. It really doesn't matter what happened on lites or years before. Whats happening now is RV2 just won three races in a row and is in the lead for points. Maybe JS7 is the better rider but that hasn't showed this season. "
Maybe some of the people on here should familiarize themselves with old facts, ITS CALLED HISTORY. sorry to BORE you with it !
"All that info is meaningless? Racing is not about individual races or individual dominant performances. It is about stringing a bunch of races (SX) and Motos (MX) together to get a title...PERIOD. All your stats show is that there seems to be something going on with Stewart. At the time of his dominant capabilities he was unable to capitalize on it in terms of titles. THAT is all that you have indicated.
That, and RV was able to capitalize on his, at the time, capabilities."
stewart only failed to win ONE title, that was the second one, where he had broken his collarbone in las vegas, after already clinching the regional a few weeks before. AND, he still won MORE races in THAT 'losing' season, than villopoto did in his second 'winning' season.
"Actually, I do not think Tricks number even make him "Appear" smarter :-)"
i do not think that the answers, that any of you have responded with, make you appear smarter either. :-)
This is not a rebuttal to 'whether or not villopoto will win this championship.
it is a rebuttal to the people who are saying that "he will destroy stewart in the outdoors". Some people think that villopoto is the greatest outdoor rider, who ever walked the face of the earth. That is ALL that i was debating about.
On a different note: If stewart gets beaten by villopoto for this sx title, it will be the first time anyone has ever done it, besides ricky carmichael. If stewart 'injures himself' out of the championship again, it will be the first time he has ever failed to win a title in between major injuries.
I'm confused on this the fastest rider thing will someone please explain to me why this means anything. Why is so much emphasis placed on this one element of the many it takes to win championships.
James is fast real fast probably is the "fastest man on the planet"
SO WHO CARES !! ( his sponsors and his team don't they want wins) If he cannot translate that into wins then this awesome talent is wasted on someone unworthy to possess it.
ie If you aint smart enough to harness that speed and make it work for you instead of against you what good is it to you.
I commend both RV and JS for coming back from serious injury and riding as good as they have. Both are mature, seasoned Pros, and acting like it. Good ambassadors for the sport, and a joy to watch their incredible skills riding a dirt bike. That is why they are both champs.
Did Jesus tell Canard to bump Dungey after the race? Just curious...
IMO, James is making mistakes due to pressure from other riders. He needs to ride a FAST pace to beat the competition, ie, the competition is pushing him hard. If that happens and you're landing on your head, you're not solely beating yourself. You're getting beat.
I like James Stewart... amazing rider. But c'mon... let's call it what it is and give credit where credit is due. When James pulls off wins, I give him due credit as well.
i think gary bailey explained it pretty well.
Congrats RV park it like you stole it! Stewie did not come from last! He was top 5 first lap! He does not ride smart bottom line! I like his little brother and would rather be in the shadow than the spotlight when it comes to that family. Anyways RV is champ, Dunge got "a gift" last year that he will never be able to live up to again and Reeds the man, if he gets top 3 this year its well deserved and more than anyone expected. He just needs to pass lappers with aggression, he hesitates to much! Thats my take........................................................................................
Give-me-a-break,
Reading comprehension is not a strong area for you is it ... RV said that he tried to build a gap because he knew Stew was coming. RV figured that since Stewart was coming that Stewart would nab second pretty quickly, which is what Stewart did. Don't you think RV's mechanic is telling RV where Stewart is on the track? RV was right, Stewart got around Reed quickly and settled into second place. I don't see how you could misunderstand what RV said there. There was no arrogance in those comments at all.
Franklin
"RacingForTheSon" wrote about James starting last, I see that many covered that for him. So let's go with something else. James is fast, very fast, possibly the fastest rider ever. Having said that, is he the fastest when he ends up crashing and not winning? He is a great rider, but you would think by now that he would learn to go a little slower so he wouldn't keep crashing. He didn't crash in this race and finished second. RV, for the most part dosen't crash, he has learned to go slower to win. I believe RV is as fast as James is most of the time, and faster some of the time, he just knows that in a few laps he will be eating dirt if he keep's going as fast as he can. At Daytona is a prime example, RV could have definately went faster but he stayed at a rate he knew he could go for 20 laps. James was out to make a statement, and he did by the tune of 2 seconds a lap faster out of the gate. Two laps later he was down, was he faster then? Could you imagime what the races would be like if James would slowdown just alittle for control, RV is on his game, CR was consistantly going fast, Trey Canard would stop crashing and RD got his confidence back. Holy crap, those would be over the top races we would talk about for eternity.
ok just to clerify, i watched stewart on the start and yes down the straight away he was in 18-20 but on the inside of the turn and as he crossed the holeshot line he was already up to maybe 9th-11th just by being on the inside. he came from mid pack not last place. rv started in front of him and finished infront of him. end of story. Whos to say that a bad start is an excuse to lose? he should get better starts then and stop making excuses.
Glad to see ya'll are all such fanatics about our sport, but some of your parents came up short on teaching you respect. How many of you truely know how much talent, dedication, and $ it takes just to obtain a pro license? How fast you have to be just to make the night program at a SX, let alone make the main? None of the guys ya'll are *****ing about is a nasty egomaniac. Quit picking on them and enjoy one of the best racing seasons since the days of Hannah, Glover, etc. when any one of 5 or 6 guys could win on any given weekend.
I'll say it again: Never bet against a redhead.
The first 2, of stewarts 6 years on the big bike, were tainted with r/c's existence. The next year he produced one title, and was closing in on a second, when a big rock stepped into the picture. The fourth year brought about a perfect season, but the other title was lost, still due to the aforementioned rock. The fifth year, he produced one title, then took the summer off to make a tv show. The sixth year, both titles were lost due to the 'broken narvicular', one of the worst injuries for any rider. This injury, was the result of a very dumb mistake, made at phoenix.
so, aside from the dumb mistake made at phoenix, what other of stewarts titles, were lost due to "riding over his head, and crashing too much" ?
@jdawg, what the hell are you talking about? No, seriously, I can barely make sense of your choice of words and placement. Let alone your complete lack of punctuation. If you are over the age of 7 you need to get kicked back to the 2nd grade or simply buried up to your head in the back yard and run over by a john deer driving lawn mower.
Jdawg, You're a dip shit.
Maybe Stewart was last, but his gatepick made him have the inside, and it gave him 10 places in an instant. Fro said he was last at the first lap, but the truth it that it took only 10 seconds to get to 8. place. The replay clearly showed it.
All respect for Stewart, but it is pure luck that he didnt injure himself yet. I feel bad for Dungey. He looks as comfortable as the others, but is not able to put it together.
I hope RV will win the next few rounds to, and seal the deal.
I agree acejas, but i dont think villopoto will get second or better, in all of the next 7 races. If he does, then he is the champ, no asterisks about it. whatever happens, its gonna be fun to watch. it could be the best vegas in history.
Stewie WAS NEVER LAST....
@Didierlotsyeng - yeah you're right, I did not mean to say RV was "like" Stanton in his riding style, only in his work ethic, and his ability to ride smart (this season)... I agree RV2 is fun to watch, no doubt... But this year even if he's not the fastest out there, he can still win because he always puts himself in a good spot. Atlanta was a good example and so was Daytona... clearly JS7 was faster in those races, but he did not win.... RV2 was definitely faster in Indy... I'm just so impressed with RV2's maturity this season, that's what lead to the Stanton comparison....