Going for the W: Ryan Villopoto
Thursday, August 25, 2011 | 11:00 AM
Bell Sports has been the preeminent designer and marketer of branded sports helmets and accessories for more than 50 years. More world champions have worn Bell Helmets than all other helmet brands combined. Bell helmets have played a vital role in protecting sportsmen and women for generations.
Tweet
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Share
Comment
Email
Print
It’s been so long since Ryan Villopoto has raced at Southwick that we can barely remember the last time we saw him there. Injuries prevented him from visiting the track in 2009 and 2010, which means we’ll have to check the archives from 2008 to find RV’s last performance at the track. And it turns out that race has been long forgotten in bench-racing circles.
By late 2008, RV was already set to clinch a third-straight AMA Lites Motocross Championship. It wasn’t even close, really, as the seasoned RV had reeled off a ridiculous 16-moto win streak in the middle of the season. He was going to win this championship. And supercross antagonists like Trey Canard and Jason Lawrence? They were long gone by the time the series reached Southwick.
Can Villopoto repeat his 2008 successes at Southwick this weekend?
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
RV did have one major rival left, and the name is familiar: Ryan Dungey. The Dunge entered the 2008 season without a career outdoor win, but each week, he crept closer to his goal. By mid season, he was closing in on a victory, and then, finally, he held off Villopoto in a fantastic battle at Washougal to take his first career win.
Dungey didn’t have a shot at the title, but he was trying to build momentum for the future. And he did. Dungey ended the 2008 season with three wins in the final four races, grabbing another victory at his home track at Millville and also at the finale at Steel City, when Villopoto crashed out of his last-ever Lites race. Dungey’s late-season streak and Villopoto’s championship took most of the headlines during the 2008 MX Lites season.
But which of the last four rounds did Dungey not win? Southwick. There, Villopoto absolutely dominated, going 1-1, leaving Dungey behind in both motos, and leaving little doubt that he was one of the best 125/250F class riders ever.
Most of us have forgotten about that 2008 triumph, for at the time it was just another in a long line of Villopoto wins in the Lites class. But surely, RV himself will have fond memories of that race as he rolls over the gate this weekend for the first time in three years.
Share this article:
Did you like this article?
Check out THE DARK KNIGHT
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
Tyler Bowers has become a star on the Amsoil Arenacross circuit, but the often-controversial racer just hit another peak—a surprise win at the 2013 Las Vegas Supercross. Page 148.
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
I will be there would love to see another 1-1 from RV!!
@ BillC....I'm envious of course. I'll have to do the TV/computer thing. I too am rooting for a RV sweep.
Looking for a J-Law 1-1 sweep
Yeah, 1 beer -1 bong hit for breakfast every morning. Go J-Law.
RV will crash hard in practice, again in the first moto and be done for the day. The '12 is going to bite him in the butt. Cheaters never win, winners never cheat.
I have never been to Southwick one of the few I missed. I did race Keithburg ILL. and Hannah said it was tougher than the Wick I dunno. I liked it all the sand mud and hardpack ruts always gave me trouble.
Onward to the Wick May the best man win! I have not checked are the weomen racing there if so also may the best woman win also.
LETS RACE.......
@Connomir????
Cheater??? Little early to be on the crack pipe don't you think?
Imprtant message to all, Welker just set a new record in my training, this am I did 1.5 miles in 39 mnts walking with my cane! ya my hip replacement must have gone pretty good. Whatch out 0ver 50 class here I go.... lol Ya it is pitiful, used to run 5 miles in 28 mnts?????
I was thinking about why I like RV so much. I mean I do like several other riders, even ones that ride for the evil Red bike company.
I then was thinking about why I really only feel luke warm about RD. Fro crying out loud he halls the mail and is ultra smooth. Who would not want o be able to ride like him? answer is no one. We would all want to ride like him.
So, why RV? I decided it was related to how he just attacks, and his style always looks to be attacking. You just get the sense that there is not direction other than forward for him. Look at how he strikes, and strikes FAST, as he moves to the front. There is that something extra.You know they are already riding at a level and controlling their fear, but he has that ability to take it past that. Wow!
Perhaps I am only reading into it what I want, but it is what I see when I watch him ride. I like those qualities, and to perceive them in his riding just makes him the rider I enjoy watching and supporting the most.
Thought I had a deal for a ride, free tickets, and a deal in the Factory Connection tent, but it fell through. Looks like I'm going to miss the 'Wick again.......
AS was written on the beck fender of RJ's Honda years ago "If you anin't cheatin you aint winnin" I remember that pic and gave me a good laugh!
Good comment @ open class! I call it desire, evreyone thinks they have it only a few can control it.
Cool reminder article...I was wondering how RV did last time in the sand of Southwick...Lots of talk about Barcia being the one to beat this weekend since its his favorite track, but I had thought RV had done well there too and this article provided the answer.....few things to consider for the "Wick"....keeping momentum, corner speed and the drive out of turns are crucial at the Wick.....RV is arguably the smaller/lighter guy out of Dungey, Reed and Barcia and that may work in his favor around this track.
RV!!! GO TEAM GINGER!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UokUC1-GcNA
Connomir...Go outside and get some fresh air!! Cheater?? Wake up dude, Your hate for Rv is showing.
And last year Dunge almost lost to Metty until he ran outta fuel... And both Reed and Barcia love the 'wick. This race will make or break Dungeys year. I can see this race being the best racing the season has to offer. 4 guys all with a geniune shot of winning! Quality.
@ openclass, you hit the nail on the head bud, Villopoto always looks like he is charging. That aggressive, gotta get to the front style. For the most part everybody at the top positions their body in the same manner, it is required to be that effective and efficient.
RV2 just seems to crouch a little lower and lean a little further forward or backward, whatever is required. I believe he is the best in the class at feeling the bike and setting his body position to get the maximum amount of traction on any part of the track. I think that is what helps him make passes where others aren't able to.
GO POTO, bring championship part 2 home and secure your ride with the # 1 @ MXDN
Connomir, sounds like a jealous hater. He hates the idea of RV dominating, which I think he will. RV is starting to peak at the right monent, for the final stretch run, all the way through the Des Nations, perfect. And BillC, yes I am jealous, I have never seen that track except on TV.
I predict a wild spectacular Barcia crash. Possibly taking out another racer. There is no way he holds onto the 450 for a whole 30+2 at a rough sand track. Its coming.........
GO RV!!! YOU GINGER....
Those Gingers sure are fast though... (RC, RV, CANARD)
RV, RC and TREY.....or any one else with the red....this is for you!!!
Have a listen....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UokUC1-GcNA
@Weker... Dude, get it all out. every little minute detail of your life, how fast you ran, races you did or didn't do. The minutia that no one gives two sh!ts about. Not everything is about you. You really should keep that narcissism in check.
The rain may hold off. Rain or no rain, Barcia, Dowd, RV, and RD are going to be on the gas. There will be a spoiler figuring into this race guaranteed.
Welker and BD200, I could not even guess how many moto's let alone laps I have done at Southwick!! The Track is GREAT, almost all my practice tracks were sand so Southwick was easy for me and i loved the 2nd moto because the rougher it was the better I did cuse my practice tracks were down right nasty!!
.Don't be jealous, Just come on out and watch with me. I will buy lunch and dinner!!!
.ps I wish I could see some other tracks too!! some day.....
To Openclass....I agree 100% go RV2!
That's the problem with some of us tall guys going around the track. We're trying to go fast, but we look like a monkey humpin' a football and the smoothness only appears smooth from the outside.
I tend to like watching shorter, more berserk-looking guys race. I tend to root for red-headed orphan left handed midgets who ride like they've got a death wish.
@ Openclass - I agree as well. I think RD is bad ass on a bike but I too seem to lean more towards RV for the same reasons. Cant wait for Saturday.
HURRICANE IRENE...
Irene won't arrive until Sunday, well after the races have concluded. I'd be more worried about getting taken out by hurricane Barcia, catagory 17 "extreme danger".
I agree with Weatherman, Im worried about WC17 taking someone out with a rookie mistake. Whats with Honda ? Lets put our fastest 250 guy in the premiere class and see what happens, either he crashes out ( TC ) or takes one of the championship contenders out or both. Its not worth mabie getting your bike on the podium. Barcia is awsome and I love seeing him race but I would rather see him line up at A1 or The Monster Million on a 450 and let the Champs decide who wins 2011 Go Villopoto OPMC
@BillC......If Southwick was easy for you, especially the second moto, you should have either A: gone pro, or B:gone faster. I just don't see anyone ever calling that place easy. I have never seen anything like that place after the pro's get done with it, it looks like a bomb went off.
I'm actually trying to figure out where my love for Villopoto went. I do think he has the ability to beat Dungey just about every round, but I there seems to be something off about him since Vegas that isn't allowing him to perform to his fullest, just like Stewart in SX. We’ll see if his new bike is really the answer.
I will now take a look into the past to see where my RV appreciation went. Let’s go back….
I guess I liked Stewart slightly better than Carmichael in the RC/JS days--he was fast and he was black: not too unusual in other sports, but definitely in motocross--but I never really followed the sport closely enough to call myself a fan. Then in the summer of 2009, even though I wasn't following the action outdoors, I read in TWMX that Villopoto had done damage at his second outdoor race on the 450 and was going to be a major title threat from then on. I'd never really considered rooting for him before, but he just looked so mean on that green Kawi, and I wanted to be on-board when he eventually took a title away from the Goliath Stewart.
SX 2010 is when I started following the sport round-by-round. I had it in the back of my mind that I was supposed to be rooting for RV that year, but this new guy, Dungey, who I'd barely heard of at the time, got the holeshot at A1 in front of Stewart, and RV was wiped instantly from my radar.
I hardly cared when Stewart pulled out of the season--I wanted to see these young guys race! Dungey had another great ride in Phoenix, another at A2, and was dominating the early laps of San Francisco; I was IMPRESSED. Finally he slipped up and flew off the bike, and in those seconds he was running to his machine I could feel the Villomania rising within me. (I've always loved Ralph Sheheen's enthusiasm, to be honest. "WHERE'S VILLOPOTO? THERE HE IS!" The crowd noise was incredible as well.)
And again, Villopoto just looked so MEAN. Even the name sounds fierce and aggressive, like a Greek god or something. And when he got the holeshot at Anaheim 3 (cool track, by the way), I knew it was the beginning of a momentum switch. So each week I would root for Villopoto to beat Dungey and to make a comeback in the points. (It's hard to say if he would've won the championship had he not crashed in St. Louis, but it's certainly possible. Dungey was showing his weaknesses near the end of the season.)
CONT'D:
I wasn't cheering for Dungey outdoors, but I was perfectly content with his domination. I don't exactly know why--probably because I actually wanted to see some RACING for the lead--but midway through the nationals I started really looking forward to Stewart's return. He came back and did well in moto 1, I thought, but pulled out of the second because he "wasn't comfortable" with the bike (i.e., he was losing).
That's lame, I thought. But no worries: there's a big break before Southwick for him to get more testing in, and he says it's his favorite track : ) Nope. Stewart pulls out of the rest of the races, everybody's pissed, and when I hear that he probably just came back to make the MXdN team and not "for the fans" like he's always claiming, I was through with him. All Villopoto, all the time! I thought.
But for whatever reason, that sentiment changed between then and 2011. I was blown away by Canard's championship run to take the outdoor title from Pourcel, and was starting to really like him. Then I watched the Nike 6.0 pre-Supercross press conference with Dungey and Stewart, and Stewart instantly redeemed himself in my eyes. He was just happy and smiling and funny and seemed excited to go racing, and suddenly I was excited to SEE him race. There had been so much talk about James being "finished" in the sport and I was ready for him to shut some mouths. I’d gone through periods of disliking him, but I regard him as THE fastest SX racer ever since watching the '09 series beginning to end. He was flat-out incredible. (Things didn't exactly work out in 2011 like I'd hoped, but I'm looking toward the future. : )
So while all this was going on, I wasn't sure if Villopoto would ever be back to the speed he was in 2010. That's a pretty lame reason to stop rooting for someone, but hey, RV's done a lot of winning this year and the feeling still just hasn't returned for me. Now that he's the new and improved (and in shape) RV, it almost feels to me like he's the robot instead of Dungey. After all, what's so robotic about Dungey's INCREDIBLE SELF-MOTIVATION? If anything, being under a trainer 24/7 makes you more of a robot; you're being controlled, not thinking for yourself. Robot's don't do shit without being programmed to do it.
But none of these things really explain why I like RV less. Perhaps it isn't that I stopped liking him but rather that I started liking two other guys a little bit more.
The End. : D
Go Dungey! BillC, do I get lunch? Hoping the hurricane holds off, but Southwick will be the place to be - rain or shine!
Wish I could be there, it would be an awesome vacation for me. But I do get to go to the Endurocross in Indy this weekend, a buddy of mine is racing and I am going up to help him in the pits. Figured it would give me a chance to talk to Mike Brown again, he is a really cool guy.
since im from washington I saw that ginger stand up and shift gears through a long 180 degree sweeper at mxgp,feet on the pegs effin pinned.My hero ever since,not a cry baby like Dungey Rv2 is almost Rc2!
I'll be there; rain or shine. Hopefully shine. I'm rooting for "The Dunge" to take it. May the best man win. Hey BillC, we should see who can yell the loudest for our guys!
Nice write up, Mr. Weigandt...
Connomir, you are a sick F@#k...
Sure do SEF154, I will spend a lot of time in the stands near the old spectators jump, My bro is bringing his 6 year old son so will not be walking around as much. I still plan to ride up so I will get wet I guess.
Gills, I should have said easer then for the other guys, I was in good shape and rode rough tracks all week so it was not an issue for me. The track is WAY harder after and NEST day then when the Pro's get done. On an NESC day there are tons of breaking bumps form slower guys and the track does not flow for faster guys, At the Nat the track is much easer, the turns flow and don't get all choped up. I have riddin it both ways trust me it is way better at a nat. Everyones speed is closer so it forms for speed, when you have beginners thru pros riding the same track with NO mantance all day and 30+ moto's it is a mess.
MX117 lets do it!! LOL
Sef tell me where you will be and what to look for.
I generally go over to watch the first start, then wander around the track. I'll go over by the bleachers. Bringing the Monster backpack? Not sure that I stand out in that crowd. If it rains, I have a full-length Fox raincoat. I always have my white six-pack cooler. (It's the hot setup. Cooler, seat, and stool for seeing over the rest of the crowd, all in one.)
Yes will have the back pack again. If raining hard will have on a Klim Gortex jacket. Hope to see ya.
@ sef and BillC
I only hate you guys cause I'm a jealous west coaster. Hope you guys stay dry and get to see a great race!
I'll be watching my monitor and looking for the backpack and sixpack cooler.
1 RV
2 JB
3 RD