MXGP Insider No.3: Ryan’s Debut

Transmoto’s weekly web-exclusive column, the MXGP Insider, penned by David Bulmer, presented by KTM Australia. 

So the most watched start in GP history (probably) took place over the weekend and it certainly wasn’t a let-down in terms of drama. As 28 riders went round the first turn, all eyes were instead focusing on the one rider who wasn’t – Ryan Villopoto. I actually got to listen to him speak a fair bit over the weekend and he was pretty forthright with his views on a number of subjects. The long and strenuous American season, the fact that the GP riders only go over for the SX and not the outdoors and also his enthusiasm regarding the traveling for this 2015 campaign. It was refreshing to hear and I really hope it continues all year long.

Of course, a lot of it does definitely depend on his results and he can’t have been happy with his start in Qatar. I don’t think there is a motocross fan/worker/rider alive who would have predicted a 9-8 scoreline for the #2 and it certainly opened up a lot of people’s eyes regarding the rest of the MXGP class. Afterwards, a massive inquest took place online, with the general consensus being that bike set-up is to blame and this is something I can agree with. Although I’m no David Vuillemin when it comes to explaining things, his bike looked nowhere near as smooth through the choppy sections as the rest of the riders and it’ll be interesting to see how he adapts for Thailand. This is a brand new track so in theory no one should have an advantage but obviously it won’t be an easy process to get up to speed so quickly, after being way off the pace in Qatar.

Speaking of off the pace, I spoke to Jeffrey Herlings before the weekend and he genuinely didn’t believe he would be able to win this weekend and was completely okay with coming 5th or 7th or whatever. It seems these injuries have been a dose of realism for the Dutchman and winning isn’t everything. Of course, it didn’t stop him from going 1-1 in what was an ominous performance for the rest of the MX2 class. I also spoke to Tim Gajser and it turns out he only got into Qatar about three hours before the first practice on Friday. He had problems getting a visa sorted out in time and there was a very real possibility that he would miss this round. As it was, he spent the previous three days sleeping in various airports around Europe, trying to get one sorted, so not exactly ideal preparations for the first race of the year.

Lastly, congratulations must go out to the IceOne racing team for their GP victory with Max Nagl. The often-overlooked German rider won both races in convincing fashion, using his standard holeshot-checkout procedure to give Husqvarna their first 450 win in a looooong time. It must have felt particularly good for him to hold off Gautier Paulin in those first few laps, after being forced out of the HRC Honda team, but it also served as a reminder that there is more than just Ryan Villopoto and Antonio Cairoli in the MXGP class.

If the anticipation for Qatar was high, I’d say the intrigue levels for Thailand are going to be even higher as everyone will be looking on to see if RV2 can bounce back – I just hope the MXGPTV servers can handle the load…