5 Minutes with Ryan Villopoto

Eric Johnson

Steve Cox

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto has, for all intents and purposes, motored his way to the 2012 Monster Energy/AMA Supercross Championship (hopefully we’re not tempting fate with our declaration here). In the Great White North that is Toronto, Canada, the redhead pulled down his seventh win of the ’12 season (as well as his sixth win in the last eight races), and now leads the globe’s most prestigious and bitterly fought MX championship by 79 points with five races left to run. If neither Dungey nor James Stewart race this coming weekend in Houston (doubtful), Villopoto just needs to cross the finish line in second to back up his 2011 AMA Supercross title (four rounds early!) Here’s what the kid from the Pacific Northwest had to say after his win in Ontario.

EJ: Tonight you looked like you could just put the bike wherever you wanted…
RV: Yeah, I felt good. I know I have to go back and watch it and see exactly what I did on the start, but Nico Izzi came in really hot and kind of really made a big mistake in the first turn. I kind of slid in beside him. I was lucky enough to still triple out of the first turn and then basically it was just me and Justin Brayton right off the bat. I don’t know exactly what lap I got him, but I know we had a good little battle going. But I made some pretty big mistakes in the whoops, like, three laps in a row.

EJ: Yeah, things looked a little sketchy there for a few seconds.
Yeah, I came in there and my feet came off the pegs and things like that. The next lap, I changed it up and tried to jump in and then jump again. But that lap my footpegs dragged the second jump and it ripped my feet off again. It was tough. You couldn’t blitz them and you couldn’t jump them either because the ruts were too deep…

EJ: Ridiculous question: Your points lead is so big now, have you thought about taking a couple weeks off and then just coming back for Seattle?
No! There are no more domed stadiums after Houston and New Orleans. So, we’ll go to Houston. I think there’s a chance to wrap it up there. That’s the plan. Then it’s no more pressure… Not until Hangtown…

EJ: As far as your racing life, what’s it all like for you right now?
It’s good. It’s tough. I think you get put into a weird situation. Not to say that all these other guys weren’t trying before at the beginning of the season, but obviously when a lot of the top guys go out, they see an opportunity to get second and third, and possibly the win if I make a mistake. So, it seems like they step their game up and then I’m put into a position where I just don’t make any mistakes and don’t push it. You really don’t have to ride as hard as you normally would. It’s like you get a mixed feeling. I wouldn’t say that I haven’t raced with these guys all year, because I don’t want to sound cocky, but I shouldn’t be racing with these guys. It’s just weird. You get put in a weird situation when you have a points lead and you don’t want to make a mistake. You tend to ride cautiously.

EJ: You were not riding cautiously!
No. I guess I felt the best in the Heat Race and the Main I had felt so far.

EJ: For all the racers out there that likely marvel at you talent and racecraft, can you speak to the one line that you had on the start straightaway where you would sweep way farther to the right than everyone else?
The track was pretty slippery and that little kicker that was right here (after the start straightaway) would kind of throw you off-guard. So, it was best to hit it as straight as you could be and not slide off of it.

EJ: If you do pull this thing off early, then are you going to stay home and phone up the local pizza shop, have a few pizzas delivered and watch the races on SPEED like the rest of us squirrels?
I don’t think the sponsors would be too happy … But if that’s the case, if it gets wrapped up early, then that leaves some time to get ready for Outdoors, which last year wasn’t the case. I feel that’s an advantage.

EJ: We haven’t had anyone wrap a title up that early since maybe the Jeremy McGrath era…
Yeah, I don’t know. I’d have to go back and check, but we have to wrap it up first…