2 Ryan Villopoto

Since the commencement of his professional career, Ryan Villopoto has quickly established himself as a household name in motocross. Like many up-and-coming amateur stars, Ryan was surrounded with a ton of hype. He made his pro debut at the Broome-Tioga National in August of 2005, where he rode to a respectable, but perhaps disappointing, fifteenth-place finish. Ryan answered his critics the following weekend with an impressive top-five at Steel City, and ended the season on the podium at Glen Helen. As anticipated, he was quickly becoming a threat in the Lites class. His rookie Supercross season earned him a second-place finish on the West Coast, which he followed with the 2006 AMA Motocross Lites Championship crown. Proof of Ryan’s arrival came when he was invited to be part of Team USA for the 2006 Motocross des Nations, where he, James Stewart, and Ivan Tedesco brought back the USA’s 17th MXdN victory. Shortly thereafter, he was named the 2006 AMA Rookie of the Year. Ryan continued his dominating ways by taking command of the 2007 West Coast Lites Series, as well as successfully defending his number-one plate outdoors. That year he was invited back to the MXdN, held at Budds Creek, where he became the first rider to ever win both motos on a Lites (or 125cc) bike, leaving spectators speechless and putting to rest any doubts of his astounding talent. As the curtain rose on the 2008 Supercross Series, Ryan was still recovering from injuries at the opening round. Forced to fight it out on the east coast, after a string of bad luck, he found himself falling just short of the title in second place. We are now on the brink of the ’08 AMA Motocross Championship Series with a stacked roster of Lites riders. Despite the caliber of talent that will be on the gate, Ryan has proven in the past that he will come out swinging. This summer will be his final season in the Lites class, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the RV show. Alyssa Wald