-
Home
- TV Shows
- TV Schedule
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
Supercross & Motocross
SX: Countdown To A1 - #1 Ryan Villopoto
Ryan Villopoto took the next step forward in his career with an epic 2011. What sort of season will he serve up as an encore?
Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto (Photo: Hoppenworld.com)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: The 2012 Monster Energy Supercross season opener from Anaheim, CA will air LIVE on SPEED Saturday, January 7th at 10:00pm ET.
No suspense here, especially if you've been following the countdown all week…
#1 – Ryan Villopoto
Give credit where credit is due. Villopoto is peaking as a rider at the right time. We’ve seen this coming since 2010, but last season, it all came together and in a big way. It seemed unlikely that a rider would be able to amass a season as prolific as Ryan Dungey's epic '10 campaign, but thanks to addition of the Monster Million, Villopoto took it up yet another a notch.
It’s times like this when it’s unfortunate that the sport of motocross isn’t a bit more mainstream, because Villopoto's '11 can stand up with the best of any athlete in any sport last year.
Ultimately, the difference in speed between Villopoto, James Stewart, Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey, and Trey Canard (when healthy), is very minute. Any of these riders are capable of laying down a blistering lap, and even more impressively, can maintain that pace for an entire 20-lap main event. So what it really boils down to are starts and mental toughness to determine the final pecking order. Who’s willing to push it that extra bit? Who’s daring enough to dive bomb the inside of the corner? It’s genuinely a matter of inches and mere hundredths of a second.
It’s in this area that Villopoto has made so much progress -- and for which he has been richly rewarded. After his catastrophic accident in 2010, the Kawasaki superstar had nothing but time to sit and think about everything. His career, his personal life, his future -- you name it, and he probably had long nights with it running through his head.
Following his lengthy downtime, Villopoto has emerged as an even tougher competitor -- and he was already one of the toughest. That time away from competition, watching Dungey -- one of his biggest rivals -- take championships he had yet to claim reforged Villopoto's mental makeup.
He had something to prove in 2011 and stepped up to every challenge that was presented to him. He was faced with some potentially dire situations throughout, but fought back stronger than ever each time.
And you can bet that Villopoto isn’t willing to settle. He’s got the motocross world in his grasp right now, and isn’t in any hurry to let go. It’s going to be an incredible battle -- likely even better than what we witnessed one year ago -- but the pick is for Villopoto to rise above everyone once again and come out on top again in 2012, becoming the first rider since Ricky Carmichael in 2005-06 to win back-to-back titles.
Tune in live on SPEED on Saturday night to see Round 1.
No suspense here, especially if you've been following the countdown all week…
#1 – Ryan Villopoto
Give credit where credit is due. Villopoto is peaking as a rider at the right time. We’ve seen this coming since 2010, but last season, it all came together and in a big way. It seemed unlikely that a rider would be able to amass a season as prolific as Ryan Dungey's epic '10 campaign, but thanks to addition of the Monster Million, Villopoto took it up yet another a notch.
It’s times like this when it’s unfortunate that the sport of motocross isn’t a bit more mainstream, because Villopoto's '11 can stand up with the best of any athlete in any sport last year.
Ultimately, the difference in speed between Villopoto, James Stewart, Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey, and Trey Canard (when healthy), is very minute. Any of these riders are capable of laying down a blistering lap, and even more impressively, can maintain that pace for an entire 20-lap main event. So what it really boils down to are starts and mental toughness to determine the final pecking order. Who’s willing to push it that extra bit? Who’s daring enough to dive bomb the inside of the corner? It’s genuinely a matter of inches and mere hundredths of a second.
It’s in this area that Villopoto has made so much progress -- and for which he has been richly rewarded. After his catastrophic accident in 2010, the Kawasaki superstar had nothing but time to sit and think about everything. His career, his personal life, his future -- you name it, and he probably had long nights with it running through his head.
Following his lengthy downtime, Villopoto has emerged as an even tougher competitor -- and he was already one of the toughest. That time away from competition, watching Dungey -- one of his biggest rivals -- take championships he had yet to claim reforged Villopoto's mental makeup.
He had something to prove in 2011 and stepped up to every challenge that was presented to him. He was faced with some potentially dire situations throughout, but fought back stronger than ever each time.
And you can bet that Villopoto isn’t willing to settle. He’s got the motocross world in his grasp right now, and isn’t in any hurry to let go. It’s going to be an incredible battle -- likely even better than what we witnessed one year ago -- but the pick is for Villopoto to rise above everyone once again and come out on top again in 2012, becoming the first rider since Ricky Carmichael in 2005-06 to win back-to-back titles.
Tune in live on SPEED on Saturday night to see Round 1.
SX Seattle
LATEST HEADLINES: MOTO-RACING
-
MOTOGP: Crutchlow Takes Career-Best Result
Cal Crutchlow worked his forward to claim a runner-up result in the… -
PHOTOS: MotoGP - French Grand Prix
Dani Pedrosa leads the MotoGP World Championship after securing his… -
MOTOGP: Dovi Leads, Ducati Scores Double Top Five
Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden took full advantage of the wet… -
MOTOGP: Le Mans Race Day Ticker (UPDATED)
Notes and quotes following Sunday's dramatic French Grand Prix. -
MOTOGP: Pedrosa Third To Eclipse 3000 Points
Honda teammates Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez stand 1-2 in the '13… -
MOTOGP: Lorenzo 'Couldn't Do More Without Crashing'
The works Yamaha team suffered through a disappointing outing at… -
MOTOGP: Pedrosa Wins Pivotal French GP
MotoGP title hopeful Dani Pedrosa registered his second consecutive… - More News
