Villopoto Eager to Turn Heartbreak into Triumph in Quest for First AMA Supercross Class Crown

AURORA,
Ill. (December 10, 2010) – With a season-leading seven victories and a
season-long battle with Ryan Dungey for the championship in 2010, to
say that Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto’s Monster Energy
Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season came to a heartbreaking
conclusion would be an understatement. Just as the championship picture
was coming into focus, Villopoto, the 2008 AMA Supercross Lites West
Region Champion, suffered a frightening crash while leading at St.
Louis.

A
broken tibia and fibula resulted in Villopoto’s worst injury of his
career and put him on the sidelines for nearly five months. The road to
recovery has been a long one for Villopoto, with numerous surgeries and
considerable rehab to get him back into riding shape. Just a few weeks
ago, he resumed riding in preparation for the 2011 Monster Energy
Supercross season.

“I’ve
been off the bike for a long time,” said Villopoto. “The way things
ended last season was unfortunate. I really felt I was riding the best
I ever had on the 450. I’ve made some changes to improve my program and
now it’s time to just prepare for this season and hopefully take care
of some unfinished business.”

Through
two years of competition in the premier class, Villopoto has yet to
complete and entire 17-race season. During his rookie year in 2009, he
suffered from a virus that sidelined him for three races and last
season, his broken leg forced him to miss the final three rounds as
well. However, in the time he has been on the track, Villopoto has
proven to be one of the fastest riders in the class.

During
his rookie campaign, the Washington native bounced back from his
illness by capturing two of the final three races of the season. Last
year, a slow start led to a surging middle portion of the season in
which he grabbed seven wins in 11 races, giving eventual champion
Dungey all he could handle.

“I
definitely feel comfortable and confident on the 450,” added Villopoto.
“I know what it takes to win and I know that I can win the
championship. I’ve just had some really bad luck the last two seasons,
but I’m ready to turn things around.”

Now
that he’s back on the bike, Villopoto will have plenty of time to dial
in his Monster Energy Kawasaki and get back into race shape. No rider
in the series suffered from more loss than he did last season and as a
result, no rider in the championship has more to prove. It wouldn’t
come to anyone’s surprise if Villopoto has a chip on his shoulder
coming into Anaheim 1.

“I’m
definitely upset with how things turned out,” he said. “I really felt
like I had Ryan (Dungey) where I wanted him and I was putting a lot of
pressure on him. In the past he’s made some mistakes when the pressure
is on so I was just waiting for my opportunity to capitalize.”

Villopoto’s determination to redeem himself is apparent in his off-season
preparation.

“I’ve
never been more motivated and never been in better shape than I am in
preparing for 2011,” he added. “I want that title and I’m ready to take
on everyone.”

Adding
to Villopoto’s confidence heading into the upcoming season is the
addition of longtime friend Jake Weimer to the Monster Energy Kawasaki
team. The reigning AMA Supercross Lites West Region Champion is one of
many rookies coming in to the premier class and the bond he shares with
Villopoto will surely carry over onto the track for both riders.

“I
couldn’t ask for a better teammate,” said Villopoto. “Jake and I have
been friends for a while and we get along really well. Training and
testing with him is going to make the offseason that much better and
I’m looking forward to working with him on race day.”

As for putting all the pieces together and completing
his first full Monster Energy Supercross season and possibly capturing his first premier class title?

“They say the third time is the charm, so hopefully this is my year.”

For more information on the Monster Energy® AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com. For all media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig
dhartwig@feldinc.com or 630-566-6305.

About Feld Motor Sports℠