Ryan Villopoto
Encyclopedia
| http://www.rv2.com/ | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ryan Villopoto | |
| tr> | Nickname | RV |
| Date of birth | August 13, 1988 (age 23) | |
| Nationality | Monster Energy Monster Energy -Distribution :Though it is not widely advertised in the media, Monster receives a large amount of recognition from its sponsorship of various sporting events, including motocross and car racing. Hansen Natural Corporation announced a distribution agreement with Anheuser-Busch in the U.S. and Grupo... >[Alpinestars]] Vans Vans Vans is an American based manufacturer of sneakers, skateboarding shoes, BMX shoes, snowboarding boots and other shoe types.- History :On March 16, 1966, at 704 E. Broadway, in Anaheim, California, brothers Paul Van Doren, James Van Doren, and three other partners opened up their first store... Incipio Falken Falken Tires Falken Tire Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of automobile tires. Originally created in 1983 as a brand for Ohtsu Tire and Rubber to sell their lineup of performance tires under, Falken became part of Sumitomo Rubber Industries when they acquired Ohtsu in 2003... | |
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Ryan Villopoto (born August 13, 1988 in Fortuna
Fortuna, California
Fortuna is a city in western-central Humboldt County, California, United States. The population was 11,926 at the 2010 census, up from 10,497 at the 2000 census. The city lies on the northeast shore of the Eel River , and is on U.S...
, California, resident in Poulsbo, Washington
Poulsbo, Washington
Poulsbo is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the fourth largest city in Kitsap County and one of the main suburbs of Seattle in the Kitsap area. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census....
) is a motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
and supercross
Supercross
Supercross is a motorcycle racing sport involving off-road motorcycles on an artificially-made dirt tracks consisting of steep jumps and obstacles. Professional supercross contest races are held almost exclusively within professional baseball and football stadiums.-History:Supercross was derived...
champion who currently competes in the AMA Supercross series and the AMA Lucas Oil Motocross series. He resides in Mennifee California and will race for Kawasaki in the 2012 supercross and outdoor motocross series. His incessant, whiney fanboys are known as Villoputtputts.
Professional 450cc career
2011The 2011 season was a five way battle between Villopoto, James Stewart, Jr., Chad Reed
Chad Reed
Chad Mark Reed AM is an Australian motocross and supercross racer. He is a multi-time supercross and motocross champion. He was taught from a young age as being capable of competing at the sports most elite level. He has proven to be the most consistent supercross/motocross racer in the 2000-2009...
, Ryan Dungey
Ryan Dungey
Ryan Dungey is a professional motocross racer competing in the AMA Supercross and Motocross championships.His hometown is Belle Plaine, Minnesota, although he currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida, so he can take advantage of the good weather for riding with 15-time AMA Champion Ricky...
and Trey Canard. Villopoto consistently finished toward the top of his class, with the exception of round 11 where he failed to qualify, crashing in both his heat race and the Last Chance Qualifier. This was a notable event as the round in Jacksonville was the first time in over a decade that a points leader failed to qualify for a supercross main event. On May 7, Villopoto won the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship by a margin of 4 points over Reed (338-334). Villopoto won the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship by a margin of 14 points over reigning champion Ryan Dungey. In October, Villopoto won all 3 main-event races of the inaugural Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas, Nevada, earning a publicized $1,000,000 prize.
| Round | Date | Place | Finished | Total Points | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 8 | Anaheim | 1st | 25 | 1st |
| 2 | January 15 | Phoenix | 2nd | 47 | 1st |
| 3 | January 22 | Dodger Stadium | 1st | 72 | 1st |
| 4 | January 29 | Oakland | 4th | 90 | 2nd |
| 5 | February 5 | Anaheim II | 2nd | 112 | 2nd |
| 6 | February 12 | Houston | 3rd | 132 | 1st |
| 7 | February 19 | San Diego | 7th | 146 | 1st |
| 8 | February 26 | Atlanta | 1st | 171 | 1st |
| 9 | March 5 | Daytona | 1st | 196 | 1st |
| 10 | March 12 | Indianapolis | 1st | 221 | 1st |
| 11 | March 19 | Jacksonville | DNQ | 221 | 1st |
| 12 | March 26 | Toronto | 9th | 233 | 2nd |
| 13 | April 2 | Arlington | 2nd | 255 | 1st |
| 14 | April 9 | St Louis | 3rd | 275 | 1st |
| 15 | April 16 | Seattle | 4th | 293 | 1st |
| 16 | April 30 | Salt Lake City | 1st | 318 | 1st |
| 17 | May 7 | Las Vegas | 3rd | 338 | 1st |
2010
Villopoto returned with the Monster Energy Kawasaki Team in the Supercross class and battled consistently with Dungey throughout the season.
While in the lead during the Main of Round 14 at St Louis, Villopoto came up short on a triple jump and leaped from his bike landing hard. His bike dived into the face of the third jump and flipped over several times. Medical workers arrived on the scene and cut Villopoto's racing boot off his foot. Villopoto had to be carried off the track. Further examination revealed a broken right tibia and fibula and surgery was performed to stabilize it. Due to the extent of his injury, he was unable to complete the season.
He retired from the 2010 series after his Round 14 injury with 266 championship points, leaving him in 4th place by the season's end. He won 7 of the 14 races he entered. Still recuperating from his injury, he was unable to compete in the 2010 AMA Motocross outdoor series.
2009
Villopoto's beginning year in the AMA Supercross Series, racing a Team Kawasaki
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
Factory KX450. Villopoto's first win in the 450 class took place on his "hometown" track at Qwest Field, Seattle, on April 18. He dominated the field and won convincingly over Reed (2008 AMA Supercross Champion) and Stewart (who won 11 races and was the 2009 Series winner). Villopoto wrapped up the AMA Supercross series of 2009 with his second win in Las Vegas on May 2.
Villopoto also won the opening round of the 2009 motocross outdoor series at Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California. Villopoto finished with two first place finishes after even after mid pack starts in both motos. He was unable to compete throughout the rest of the series due to a knee injury that required surgery. The surgery would keep him out of professional racing until the 2009 U.S. Open of Supercross in Las Vegas, where he finished second.
Lites 250cc career
2008Earned his third consecutive AMA motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
250cc Championship by winning eight events and finishing on the podium in 11 of 12 starts. Finished second in the AMA Supercross Lites East Region Championship with three wins and five podiums in seven starts. Claimed the MX2 championship at the Motocross of Nations helping Team USA earn the team title for the third consecutive year.
2007
Villopoto started the season with a dominating performance in the AMA West Supercross
Supercross
Supercross is a motorcycle racing sport involving off-road motorcycles on an artificially-made dirt tracks consisting of steep jumps and obstacles. Professional supercross contest races are held almost exclusively within professional baseball and football stadiums.-History:Supercross was derived...
Lites Series, where he won seven of the eight races. He carried his momentum into motocross, winning his second-straight AMA Motocross Lites Championship. To cap off a perfect season, Villopoto became the first rider in history to win the overalls in both motos on KX250F against larger 450cc motorcycles at the Motocross of Nations.
2006
Villopoto began his professional career in the AMA West Supercross Lites Series at Angel Stadium for Anaheim I, where he finished second-place overall. He won his first race later in the season at Texas Stadium in Dallas and ended the Supercross Lites season third overall. Then Ryan headed to the AMA Motocross Lites Series with a little more experience stemming from his amateur days. With eight podium finishes and six first-place finishes, Villopoto proved to be unstoppable during his rookie season and became the AMA Motocross Lites Champion. That momentum was carried over into the post-season where Villopoto was selected as a member of Team USA at the Motocross of Nations in England and helped Team USA claim first place. Ryan was also named the 2006 AMA Supercross/Motocross Rookie of the Year.
Amateur career
2005Villopoto concluded his career as a Team Green amateur racer and was honored for his many achievements as the recipient of the 2005 AMA Horizon Award. He competed in his first professional Motocross race at Binghamton’s Broome-Tioga Sports Center where he placed 15th overall. He finished up the remainder of his rookie season taking fifth overall at Steel City Raceway and second overall at Glen Helen Raceway.
2004
Competing in numerous amateur motocross races for Team Green and winning an impressive 12 titles. He won three races at Lake Whitney Spring National, three at the GNC Finals, two at Mammoth Motocross, and four at the NMA Ponca City Grand Nationals. Alessi did give Villopoto a hard time, but Sean Bohannon gave him an even harder time. Bohannon was dominating in the stock class until he unfortunately broke his femur at Ponca City.
2003
Villopoto won 12 titles for Team Green. He won two Kawasaki Race of Champions races, four Winter Olympic SX races, four Winter Olympic MX races, and two Winter Olympics Olympiad titles.
2002
Ryan won the NMA 85cc Open, and placed second in both the 85cc Stock and Modified classes at the AMA Amateur National Championships as a Team Green Rider.
Notable moments
Ryan Villopoto has been involved in some "on track incidents" with several different riders.
Villopoto and Mike Alessi
Mike Alessi
Mike Alessi is a professional Motocross and Supercross racer. He began riding motorcycles at the age of three and became a professional racer at age sixteen.-Amateur career:...
battled each other in their amateur days. In the summer of 2006, RV collided with Mike Alessi at the Budds Creek Outdoor National and caused Alessi to crash. Villopoto called the incident "payback" for what Alessi had done to him throughout their amateur days.
In 2007, Jason Lawrence
Jason Lawrence
Jason Lawrence is a professional motocross racer competing in the AMA Supercross division and Lucas Oil AMA Outdoor Nationals. He currently lives in California...
began racing dangerously and aggressively with Villopoto. The rivalry reached new heights at the opening round of the Outdoor Motocross season when Lawrence followed Villopoto around the track during practice and began putting block passes on him. Eventually Lawrence stopped in front of Ryan out of anger but an outraged Villopoto stopped and launched his motorcycle into Lawrence. Both racers began fighting in the middle of the racetrack, but AMA officials broke the fight up before it got too serious. Both racers were fined, and Lawrence was placed on probation.