RV: 5 challenges for 2015

Taken from Speed Week



Ryan Villopoto (Monster Energy Kawasaki) who completed his first laps on his KX450F Year 2015. It is getting serious with his World Cup preparations.

Five factors should be for the 26-year-old American and his upcoming world title challenge of importance:

1. Schedule

In the 18 upcoming Grand Prix -Race total of 36 runs are completed. That's Ryan Villopoto by the AMA usual -Outdoors. First Difference: The World Cup races take place on four continents. The races go as opposed to the US-runs to be held on a day throughout the weekend. This is an advantage for Villopoto . He has more time for setup. But he has to deal over the weekend, with deeply rutted ruts and braking bumps, which does not exist in this extreme form in the US-race with the drastic deterioration of the track conditions. About the use of the two championship classes also are the relevant classes of support (at the World Cup race EMX , WMX etc .) at the start, which also ruin the lines. It would be more than normal when Villopoto takes some time to get used to the rhythm of the world championship races.

2. Star Swirls hunted on and off the track

Who in Germany- Grand-Prix has seen this year, which swirl the presence of Ryan Villopoto has caused to the fans, even though he was present only as an onlooker, guess what happens if it is because of the serious debate on the track against Antonio Cairoli , Clement Desalle and Gautier Paulin . Some 300 fans waited in Teutschenthal on a poster of " RV ". This was a foretaste of what the star of so many other well-attended Grand Prix is expected. One can assume that he at his first and probably last Grand Prix a similar star-like vortex -Season Cairoli will cause. The pilot with the large number "2" is not only of his Grand Prix to be targeted -Kollegen, but also off the track to be a hunted man.

3. The new team

It remains the big question mark whether Villopoto harmonizes with the new team from the beginning, or whether he needs around him with the all-new people more time getting them to push for excellence. His desire Team Buddy Tyla Rattray is for Villopoto , of course, contact for his ideas, problems or suggestions, but also for Rattray is the Department uncharted territory. The competitiveness of Gautier Paulin and at times also of Steven Frossard in the last three years has shown that the team KRT operates efficiently and professionally. But now the team has to do with the biggest names in the sport. The technical MXGP Regulations allows for much more room for interpretation than the " production rules "of the AMA . The entire team is much more in the focus of interest, as earlier. So it will be a busy winter for both sides of the team. Are they well prepared in Qatar at the start, is the thing off the table. But Beat in the preparatory phase and the development of the motorcycle a wrong course one, the team could early fall in a hole. Villopoto has only once changed the team in his career.

4. Antonio Cairoli

Cairoli has the upper hand. Villopoto comes not only in a completely new environment that dominates the Sicilian alone since 2009. On the known him Grand Prix -Strecken has KTM -Star 45 Grand Prix won -Siege and 85 runs - not to speak of the podiums and other top-three finishes that are so crucial for its unparalleled consistency in the World Cup were. Cairoli has hundreds of hours on clay tracks like Lommel spent and it is hard to imagine that anyone can conquer him under such conditions. Jeffrey Herlings would probably be a candidate, but in this match we have to wait another year. Cairoli has even in difficult days maturity and restraint shown when he was afflicted about to injuries. Just then he has always been solid and effective results home. Ryan Villopoto knows, of course, in his dispute with the opponents of the US-scene also one or the other secret of success, but one Lord Cairoli on the new KTM 350SX-F to defeat whose hallmarks are good starts and an enormous speed in virtually all track conditions, is a particularly important factor.

5. Routes

About this topic already much has been written, but it would be totally presumptuous to think that Ryan Villopoto unable would be a dirt bike at the highest level at WM-routes any Couleurs hunt. There is only the question of how fast it to the changing conditions of a narrow, rutted track can react and whether rich his abilities in this case even for victories. The Cup trails offer much more variety compared to the US routes. This is one of the major challenges for Villopoto and will be a big part of the World Cup adventure. He is sure - how many other drivers also - be frustrated by the one or the other route and in this case get to know his limits, while maintaining the great goal of the World Cup in mind. Four of the eighteen races in 2015 anyway for most Grand Prix pilots are breaking new ground.