What I see Villopoto doing differently than everyone else on the track.

Edited Date/Time 4/4/2012 10:53pm
Back in about 96, when MC was demolishing everyone, there was an article in MXA that really outlined why he was destroying everyone. It mentioned whoop speed, corner speed, and just being smoother than anyone else.


Now, I have noticed some stuff, week in, week out about RV, that I never see people seeming to acknowledge.

1. The most obvious is corner speed. RV comes into and gets out of a corner so fast, that on TV, you cant even tell what the hell happened. often, he doesnt even take a foot off the peg. he is in and out so fast its like he was never in the corner at all. and there is roost flying, the whole time. into and out of the corner. roost. steering with the back tire, but telling people how his falken tires "hook up just fine"

2. his bike is straight as an arrow. since about 03 or so, probably due to JS, its become uber-cool to toss your bike every which way. some riders make it work, like James and CR22. But RV has shown (or maybe not shown, yet) that you dont have to drag a footpeg up every jump to stay low and go fast. You CAN absorb the take-off with your arms if you are in the right position on your bike, and your elbows are up. Elbows up seems to be a forgotten thing. I see so many guys, albeit fast, with their elbows in their laps.

3. He has a blatant disregard for downsides. this ties in with #2. so a jump is 60 feet, with 10 feet of run-in to a turn. 19 riders will scrub or slowdown to do the 60 feet and catch backside, then roll into the turn. What does RV do? He jumps the whole 70, lands flat, changes direction (see #1) and keeps truckin.

4. He seems to be the only rider out there who doesnt care what he "looks like" going around the track. Style is so important these days. You see kids commenting on things around here to the tune of "that looks cool". perfect example, the Bogle leg-dangle which is the moto version of the Rossi (valentino) leg wag. Is it faster? god no. but you see people saying 'it looks so sick, dawg!" Well, RV doesnt give a shit what he looks like and it shows. he has this crouched-like-a-tiger riding position. its ugly. but it allows him to soak up shit without swinging his bike sideways and dropping his elbows (see #2)



I just hope everyone competing against him took a note this year Especially Dungey. He is so incredibly smooth, that it almost seems he could turn it up a notch.
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Titan1
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4/3/2012 2:47pm
RV rides like he's literally trying to inflict as much pain as possible on track. Like he caught the track screwing his wife, and he's trying to torture it with his Falken tires....it's absolutely unbelievable to watch. He is the definition of "attacking the track"....so aggressive everywhere. He's the man no doubt.
enketchum
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4/3/2012 2:51pm
with his Falken tires?? whaaaaa?
MaicoJC1
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4/3/2012 2:54pm
Back in about 96, when MC was demolishing everyone, there was an article in MXA that really outlined why he was destroying everyone. It mentioned whoop...
Back in about 96, when MC was demolishing everyone, there was an article in MXA that really outlined why he was destroying everyone. It mentioned whoop speed, corner speed, and just being smoother than anyone else.


Now, I have noticed some stuff, week in, week out about RV, that I never see people seeming to acknowledge.

1. The most obvious is corner speed. RV comes into and gets out of a corner so fast, that on TV, you cant even tell what the hell happened. often, he doesnt even take a foot off the peg. he is in and out so fast its like he was never in the corner at all. and there is roost flying, the whole time. into and out of the corner. roost. steering with the back tire, but telling people how his falken tires "hook up just fine"

2. his bike is straight as an arrow. since about 03 or so, probably due to JS, its become uber-cool to toss your bike every which way. some riders make it work, like James and CR22. But RV has shown (or maybe not shown, yet) that you dont have to drag a footpeg up every jump to stay low and go fast. You CAN absorb the take-off with your arms if you are in the right position on your bike, and your elbows are up. Elbows up seems to be a forgotten thing. I see so many guys, albeit fast, with their elbows in their laps.

3. He has a blatant disregard for downsides. this ties in with #2. so a jump is 60 feet, with 10 feet of run-in to a turn. 19 riders will scrub or slowdown to do the 60 feet and catch backside, then roll into the turn. What does RV do? He jumps the whole 70, lands flat, changes direction (see #1) and keeps truckin.

4. He seems to be the only rider out there who doesnt care what he "looks like" going around the track. Style is so important these days. You see kids commenting on things around here to the tune of "that looks cool". perfect example, the Bogle leg-dangle which is the moto version of the Rossi (valentino) leg wag. Is it faster? god no. but you see people saying 'it looks so sick, dawg!" Well, RV doesnt give a shit what he looks like and it shows. he has this crouched-like-a-tiger riding position. its ugly. but it allows him to soak up shit without swinging his bike sideways and dropping his elbows (see #2)



I just hope everyone competing against him took a note this year Especially Dungey. He is so incredibly smooth, that it almost seems he could turn it up a notch.
x1
TX24
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4/3/2012 2:54pm
One could tell from our angle he was hitting the bowel corner before the finish a lot harder than anyone else last weekend.

The Shop

peelout
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4/3/2012 2:54pm
Titan1 wrote:
RV rides like he's literally trying to inflict as much pain as possible on track. Like he caught the track screwing his wife, and he's trying...
RV rides like he's literally trying to inflict as much pain as possible on track. Like he caught the track screwing his wife, and he's trying to torture it with his Falken tires....it's absolutely unbelievable to watch. He is the definition of "attacking the track"....so aggressive everywhere. He's the man no doubt.
i was just about to say the same thing, albeit his close aunt instead of his wife, but hey..

RV rides like he is pissed at the track, especially outdoors. i can't wait to watch him outside, his style is fucking RAW
MaicoJC1
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4/3/2012 2:54pm
Titan1 wrote:
RV rides like he's literally trying to inflict as much pain as possible on track. Like he caught the track screwing his wife, and he's trying...
RV rides like he's literally trying to inflict as much pain as possible on track. Like he caught the track screwing his wife, and he's trying to torture it with his Falken tires....it's absolutely unbelievable to watch. He is the definition of "attacking the track"....so aggressive everywhere. He's the man no doubt.
x1..He's the man.
SteveS
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4/3/2012 2:57pm
The Falken tires go on cars and trucks. Bridgestone or Dunlop or Pirelli for the bike. For Villopoto it's Dunlop.
SteveS
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4/3/2012 2:57pm
TX24 wrote:
One could tell from our angle he was hitting the bowel corner before the finish a lot harder than anyone else last weekend.
There was a toilet in that corner?
tbanks
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4/3/2012 2:58pm
Back in about 96, when MC was demolishing everyone, there was an article in MXA that really outlined why he was destroying everyone. It mentioned whoop...
Back in about 96, when MC was demolishing everyone, there was an article in MXA that really outlined why he was destroying everyone. It mentioned whoop speed, corner speed, and just being smoother than anyone else.


Now, I have noticed some stuff, week in, week out about RV, that I never see people seeming to acknowledge.

1. The most obvious is corner speed. RV comes into and gets out of a corner so fast, that on TV, you cant even tell what the hell happened. often, he doesnt even take a foot off the peg. he is in and out so fast its like he was never in the corner at all. and there is roost flying, the whole time. into and out of the corner. roost. steering with the back tire, but telling people how his falken tires "hook up just fine"

2. his bike is straight as an arrow. since about 03 or so, probably due to JS, its become uber-cool to toss your bike every which way. some riders make it work, like James and CR22. But RV has shown (or maybe not shown, yet) that you dont have to drag a footpeg up every jump to stay low and go fast. You CAN absorb the take-off with your arms if you are in the right position on your bike, and your elbows are up. Elbows up seems to be a forgotten thing. I see so many guys, albeit fast, with their elbows in their laps.

3. He has a blatant disregard for downsides. this ties in with #2. so a jump is 60 feet, with 10 feet of run-in to a turn. 19 riders will scrub or slowdown to do the 60 feet and catch backside, then roll into the turn. What does RV do? He jumps the whole 70, lands flat, changes direction (see #1) and keeps truckin.

4. He seems to be the only rider out there who doesnt care what he "looks like" going around the track. Style is so important these days. You see kids commenting on things around here to the tune of "that looks cool". perfect example, the Bogle leg-dangle which is the moto version of the Rossi (valentino) leg wag. Is it faster? god no. but you see people saying 'it looks so sick, dawg!" Well, RV doesnt give a shit what he looks like and it shows. he has this crouched-like-a-tiger riding position. its ugly. but it allows him to soak up shit without swinging his bike sideways and dropping his elbows (see #2)



I just hope everyone competing against him took a note this year Especially Dungey. He is so incredibly smooth, that it almost seems he could turn it up a notch.
MaicoJC1 wrote:
x1
x2

I haven't seen aggression like this since RC.

The sad part about it all is that Ryan is totally in control while destroying the track.
WhKnuckle
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4/3/2012 2:59pm
We were sitting at the end of the first whoop section, at a flat left hand turn that led into a rhythm section. The dirt was pretty soft, so it got ruts in it, and one of them was great in the turn but extended across a little whoop-hump thing and was really deep right there. Early in the race, Villo used the rut to turn and then got out of the rut before the deep section leading into the straight. Then, ONE LAP, he kind of got stuck in the rut and it grabbed his rear wheel going down the straight. The very next lap, he went outside the whole rut, slid the thing around and blasted out - he got caught in the rut one time and he wasn't going there again.

You'd be amazed how many really good riders kept fighting that rut all night long. Villo used it until it screwed him over, and that was the last time he ever hit it.

IMO, Villo is exceptional at racing the track ahead of him, concentrating on the exact line he wants to use and the exact technique that he thinks is best for that particular line. He never rushes things but he never slows down either. And that's exactly what Gary Bailey taught in a motocross school that I attended in 1971. Some things never change.
englishman
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4/3/2012 2:59pm
His corner speed is exceptional.

He seems not to fear the track whereas a lot of the other guys are somewhat tentative he's just going all out no matter what.

Very impressive rider.
4/3/2012 3:00pm
yea, dunlop makes the tires, but they don't get the credit. falken pays the money. its a weird relationship. watch the commericals sometime during SX. i'd be interested to know the real story behind it.

4/3/2012 3:02pm
whoops and keeping lower than any of the competition. Also, staying healthy.
blusmbl
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4/3/2012 3:02pm
His corner speed is ridiculous for sure. Watching the roost in any of the 180* turns, he is on the gas noticeably earlier than anybody else.
MR. X
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4/3/2012 3:08pm
His rear suspension is flawless. When he leaves a corner his rear tire never leaves the ground ,always on the ground driving forward , ive noticed some of the other guys and you will see their back tire getting kicked up off the ground coming out of corners.
Titan1
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4/3/2012 3:09pm
enketchum wrote:
with his Falken tires?? whaaaaa?
I'm obviously not in the loop, but does Falken tires sponsor him even though he doesn't use their tires on his bike? I assumed they rolled out a dirt bike tire and kawi was using them...I guess I'm wrong.
Ish
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4/3/2012 3:10pm
2008 GLEN HELEN - I remember Villopoto was flat landing a huge jump by the finish line.. Every single lap.. The guy is a beast.
cool_hand
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4/3/2012 3:15pm
Good observations,..

RV1 is currently the best rider in the world right now. The next GOAT, ....? There can only be one GOAT, but all things considered that little dude can flat out ride and corner speed is definatly an advantage.

He is a humble, dedicated professional and seemingly a good dude. If he dials in one or two more notches he may make a run at GOAT2 status.....
reded
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4/3/2012 3:16pm
enketchum wrote:
with his Falken tires?? whaaaaa?
Titan1 wrote:
I'm obviously not in the loop, but does Falken tires sponsor him even though he doesn't use their tires on his bike? I assumed they rolled...
I'm obviously not in the loop, but does Falken tires sponsor him even though he doesn't use their tires on his bike? I assumed they rolled out a dirt bike tire and kawi was using them...I guess I'm wrong.
My best guess is he gets free tires from Falken for his personal vehicles since they don't make knobbies.
TDeath21
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4/3/2012 3:23pm
He's the best rider since Carmichael. No doubt about it.
Titan1
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4/3/2012 3:23pm
enketchum wrote:
with his Falken tires?? whaaaaa?
Titan1 wrote:
I'm obviously not in the loop, but does Falken tires sponsor him even though he doesn't use their tires on his bike? I assumed they rolled...
I'm obviously not in the loop, but does Falken tires sponsor him even though he doesn't use their tires on his bike? I assumed they rolled out a dirt bike tire and kawi was using them...I guess I'm wrong.
reded wrote:
My best guess is he gets free tires from Falken for his personal vehicles since they don't make knobbies.
Well, I feel sheepish. Wink
Grieby54
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4/3/2012 3:28pm
1.) He doesn't have "Falken Tires." He has Dunlops.
2.) He does scrub. Watch the Monster Energy cup - he scrubbed the crap out of that big jump in the middle of the track every lap. He also passed Reedy in San Diego by scrubbing the crap out of the triple before the finish line. No, he doesn't scrub as much as someone like JS or TC, but he doesn't just "soak it up with his knees."

I agree with corner speed and downsiding (outdoors - you have to downside in SX).
C.Worthy
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4/3/2012 3:37pm
"3. He has a blatant disregard for downsides. this ties in with #2. so a jump is 60 feet, with 10 feet of run-in to a turn. 19 riders will scrub or slowdown to do the 60 feet and catch backside, then roll into the turn. What does RV do? He jumps the whole 70, lands flat, changes direction (see #1) and keeps truckin."


I have noticed this all season long. I went to the first 4 rounds and it was very noticeable how he would jump further on everything. Yea he scrubs like everyone else but i swear those landings didn't exist. At one of the anaheims I noticed in a rhythm section he was landing on the face of the next jump and was powering through every lap like nothing. Very aggressive. He looks extremely comfortable on that bike.
newmann
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4/3/2012 3:46pm
He thanks Falken on the podium though.
grimey
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4/3/2012 3:53pm
MR. X wrote:
His rear suspension is flawless. When he leaves a corner his rear tire never leaves the ground ,always on the ground driving forward , ive noticed...
His rear suspension is flawless. When he leaves a corner his rear tire never leaves the ground ,always on the ground driving forward , ive noticed some of the other guys and you will see their back tire getting kicked up off the ground coming out of corners.
this, I've honesty spent quite some time watching RV in slo-mo and the bike sets up perfect everytime. Its amazing how well the kx looks under him. He's had the confidence to approach any obstacle without hesitation since Vegas. knowing he will exit out with proper hookup/ traction. Im so fucking jealous.
sxracer68
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4/3/2012 3:54pm
Thanking Falken is no different than thanking San Manuel. There are lots of outside sponsors that give money but have no product to offer.
reded
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4/3/2012 3:55pm Edited Date/Time 4/3/2012 3:56pm
newmann wrote:
He thanks Falken on the podium though.
I'd thank Falken every chance I got if I didn't have to chuck out a thousand bucks on new rubber for my pickup.
sxracer68
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4/3/2012 3:56pm
sxracer68 wrote:
Thanking Falken is no different than thanking San Manuel. There are lots of outside sponsors that give money but have no product to offer.
By product to offer, I'm saying towards the bike.
peelout
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4/3/2012 4:04pm
sxracer68 wrote:
Thanking Falken is no different than thanking San Manuel. There are lots of outside sponsors that give money but have no product to offer.
sxracer68 wrote:
By product to offer, I'm saying towards the bike.
you mean to tell me that Reed doesn't run Cooper Tires from Discount Tire?

bullshit

prove it, brah
fader418
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4/3/2012 4:06pm
What I see him doing differntly is winning....

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