Ryan Villopoto.
2003
Villopoto won 12 titles for Team Green. He won two Kawasaki Race of Champions
races, four Winter Olympic SX races, four Winter Olympic MX races, and two
Winter Olympics Olympiad ti Villopoto won the NMA 85cc Open, and placed second
in both the 85cc Stock and Modified classes at the AMA Amateur National
Championships as a Team Green Rider.
2004
Competing in numerous amateur motocross races for Team Green and winning an
impressive 12 titles. He won three races at Lake Whitney Spring National, three
at the GNC Finals, two at Mammoth Motocross, and four at the NMA Ponca City
Grand Nationals. Alessi did give Villopoto a hard time, but Sean Bohannon gave
him an even harder time. Bohannon was dominating in the stock class until he
unfortunately broke his femur at Ponca City.
2005
Villopoto concluded his career as a Team Green amateur racer and was honored
for his many achievements as the recipient of the 2005 AMA Horizon Award. He
competed in his first professional Motocross race at Binghamton’s Broome-Tioga
Sports Center where he placed 15th overall. He finished up the remainder of his
rookie season taking fifth overall at Steel City Raceway and second overall at
Glen Helen Raceway.
Lites 250cc career
2006
Villopoto began his professional career in the AMA Supercross Lites West
Series at Angel Stadium for Anaheim I, where he finished second-place overall.
He won his first race later in the season at Texas Stadium in Dallas and ended
the Supercross Lites season third overall. Then Villopoto headed to the AMA
Motocross Lites Series with a little more experience stemming from his amateur
days. With eight podium finishes and six first-place finishes, Villopoto proved
to be unstoppable during his rookie season and became the AMA Motocross Lites
Champion. That momentum was carried over into the post-season where Villopoto
was selected as a member of Team USA at the Motocross of Nations in England and
helped Team USA claim first place. Villopoto was also named the 2006 AMA
Supercross/Motocross Rookie of the Year.
2007
Villopoto started the season with a dominating performance in the AMA
Supercross Lites West Series, where he won seven of the eight races. He carried
his momentum into motocross, winning his second-straight AMA Motocross Lites
Championship. To cap off a perfect season, Villopoto became the first rider in
history to win the overalls in both motos on KX250F against larger 450cc
motorcycles at the Motocross of Nations.
2008
Earned his third consecutive AMA [motocross] 250cc Championship by winning
eight events and finishing on the podium in 11 of 12 starts. Finished second in
the AMA Supercross Lites East Series with three wins and five podiums in seven
starts. Claimed the MX2 championship at the Motocross of Nations helping Team
USA earn the team title for the third consecutive year.
Professional 450cc
career
2009
Villopoto's beginning year in the AMA Supercross Series, racing a Team Kawasaki Factory KX450. Villopoto's first win in
the 450 class took place on his "hometown" track at Qwest Field, Seattle, on
April 18. He dominated the field and won convincingly over Reed (2008 AMA
Supecross Champion) and Stewart (who won 11 races and was the 2009 Series
winner). Villopoto wrapped up the AMA Supercross series of 2009 with his second
win in Las Vegas on May 2.
Villopoto also won the opening round of the 2009 motocross outdoor series at
Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California. Villopoto finished with two first
place finishes after even after mid pack starts in both motos. He was unable to
compete throughout the rest of the series due to a knee injury that required
surgery. The surgery would keep him out of professional racing until the 2009
U.S. Open of Supercross in Las Vegas, where he finished second. Then later on,
won the 2010 championship.
2010
Villopoto returned with the Monster Energy Kawasaki Team in the Supercross
class and battled consistently with Ryan Dungey throughout the season.
While in the lead during the Main of Round 14 at St Louis, Villopoto came up
short on a triple jump and leaped from his bike landing hard. His bike dived
into the face of the third jump and flipped over several times. Medical workers
arrived on the scene and cut Villopoto's racing boot off his foot. Villopoto had
to be carried off the track. Further examination revealed a broken right tibia
and fibula and surgery was performed to stabilize it. Due to
the extent of his injury, he was unable to complete the season.
He retired from the 2010 series after his Round 14 injury with 266
championship points, leaving him in 4th place by the season's end. He won 7 of
the 14 races he entered. Still recuperating from his injury, he was unable to
compete in the 2010 AMA Motocross outdoor series.
2011
The 2011 season was a five way battle between Villopoto,James Stewart., Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey and Trey Canard. Villopoto consistently finished
toward the top of his class, with the exception of round 11 where he failed to
qualify, crashing in both his heat race and the Last Chance Qualifier. This was
a notable event as the round in Jacksonville was the first time in over a decade
that a points leader failed to qualify for a supercross main event. On May 7,
Villopoto won the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship by a margin of 4 points over
Reed (338–334). Villopoto won the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
by a margin of 14 points over reigning champion Dungey. In October, Villopoto
won all 3 main-event races of the inaugural Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas,
Nevada, earning a publicized $1,000,000 prize.
2012
Another great season that Villopoto wins and clinches the 2012 AMA Supercross
Champion and the 2012 World Supercross Champion for the second time, and is the
first repeat champion since Ricky Carmichael in 2006. However, during the
Main of Round 15 at his "hometown" track, Quest Field in Seattle, he suffered a
knee injury after a wreck on the first corner, which was the same thing happened
in 2010 during the Round 14 in St. Louis. The most serious of the injuries
required surgery for a torn ACL. Consequently, Villopoto will be out for the
remainder of the two rounds, even though he clinched the Supercross title with a
score of 323 points. Still recuperating from his knee injury, he was unable to
compete in the 2012 AMA Motocross series.
2013
The 2013 season was a three way battle between Villopoto, Davi Milsaps and Ryan Dungey. Despite having a bad start in the
Season Opener in Anaheim in 2013 where he finished 16th Place, Villopoto got
back up winning 10 times in the season, and he clinched the 2013 AMA Supercross
Champion and the 2013 World Supercross Champion for the third time in Salt Lake
City, one round early before the Season Finale in Las Vegas, and will be the 4th
Rider to become one of the greatest Supercross racers in history as he joins Bob Hannah, Jeremy McGrath, and Ricky Carmichael, the only riders to win three
straight titles.
Ryan has won so many titles and in number 1 at the moment. He has won 2 titles in a row. He loves motocross, he knows its dangerous and he says he could quit because he wants to be able to walk. Ryan's Dad feels bad thats how much he has been pushed to get to where he is.
His family has been racing but not pro. His grandpa still rides, Ryan always got beaten by Mike Alessi. That pushed him so much to get him started. Ryan's Dad keeps saying that he should quit now because it is getting to dangerous. Ryan has had a few crashes but he said he wont give up. Ryan accepted to get pushed but his brother didn't like getting pushed. Ryan had the attitude to ride. Ryan has a younger sister who got dragged to all the races and she couldn't do all her things.
Villopoto won 12 titles for Team Green. He won two Kawasaki Race of Champions
races, four Winter Olympic SX races, four Winter Olympic MX races, and two
Winter Olympics Olympiad ti Villopoto won the NMA 85cc Open, and placed second
in both the 85cc Stock and Modified classes at the AMA Amateur National
Championships as a Team Green Rider.
2004
Competing in numerous amateur motocross races for Team Green and winning an
impressive 12 titles. He won three races at Lake Whitney Spring National, three
at the GNC Finals, two at Mammoth Motocross, and four at the NMA Ponca City
Grand Nationals. Alessi did give Villopoto a hard time, but Sean Bohannon gave
him an even harder time. Bohannon was dominating in the stock class until he
unfortunately broke his femur at Ponca City.
2005
Villopoto concluded his career as a Team Green amateur racer and was honored
for his many achievements as the recipient of the 2005 AMA Horizon Award. He
competed in his first professional Motocross race at Binghamton’s Broome-Tioga
Sports Center where he placed 15th overall. He finished up the remainder of his
rookie season taking fifth overall at Steel City Raceway and second overall at
Glen Helen Raceway.
Lites 250cc career
2006
Villopoto began his professional career in the AMA Supercross Lites West
Series at Angel Stadium for Anaheim I, where he finished second-place overall.
He won his first race later in the season at Texas Stadium in Dallas and ended
the Supercross Lites season third overall. Then Villopoto headed to the AMA
Motocross Lites Series with a little more experience stemming from his amateur
days. With eight podium finishes and six first-place finishes, Villopoto proved
to be unstoppable during his rookie season and became the AMA Motocross Lites
Champion. That momentum was carried over into the post-season where Villopoto
was selected as a member of Team USA at the Motocross of Nations in England and
helped Team USA claim first place. Villopoto was also named the 2006 AMA
Supercross/Motocross Rookie of the Year.
2007
Villopoto started the season with a dominating performance in the AMA
Supercross Lites West Series, where he won seven of the eight races. He carried
his momentum into motocross, winning his second-straight AMA Motocross Lites
Championship. To cap off a perfect season, Villopoto became the first rider in
history to win the overalls in both motos on KX250F against larger 450cc
motorcycles at the Motocross of Nations.
2008
Earned his third consecutive AMA [motocross] 250cc Championship by winning
eight events and finishing on the podium in 11 of 12 starts. Finished second in
the AMA Supercross Lites East Series with three wins and five podiums in seven
starts. Claimed the MX2 championship at the Motocross of Nations helping Team
USA earn the team title for the third consecutive year.
Professional 450cc
career
2009
Villopoto's beginning year in the AMA Supercross Series, racing a Team Kawasaki Factory KX450. Villopoto's first win in
the 450 class took place on his "hometown" track at Qwest Field, Seattle, on
April 18. He dominated the field and won convincingly over Reed (2008 AMA
Supecross Champion) and Stewart (who won 11 races and was the 2009 Series
winner). Villopoto wrapped up the AMA Supercross series of 2009 with his second
win in Las Vegas on May 2.
Villopoto also won the opening round of the 2009 motocross outdoor series at
Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California. Villopoto finished with two first
place finishes after even after mid pack starts in both motos. He was unable to
compete throughout the rest of the series due to a knee injury that required
surgery. The surgery would keep him out of professional racing until the 2009
U.S. Open of Supercross in Las Vegas, where he finished second. Then later on,
won the 2010 championship.
2010
Villopoto returned with the Monster Energy Kawasaki Team in the Supercross
class and battled consistently with Ryan Dungey throughout the season.
While in the lead during the Main of Round 14 at St Louis, Villopoto came up
short on a triple jump and leaped from his bike landing hard. His bike dived
into the face of the third jump and flipped over several times. Medical workers
arrived on the scene and cut Villopoto's racing boot off his foot. Villopoto had
to be carried off the track. Further examination revealed a broken right tibia
and fibula and surgery was performed to stabilize it. Due to
the extent of his injury, he was unable to complete the season.
He retired from the 2010 series after his Round 14 injury with 266
championship points, leaving him in 4th place by the season's end. He won 7 of
the 14 races he entered. Still recuperating from his injury, he was unable to
compete in the 2010 AMA Motocross outdoor series.
2011
The 2011 season was a five way battle between Villopoto,James Stewart., Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey and Trey Canard. Villopoto consistently finished
toward the top of his class, with the exception of round 11 where he failed to
qualify, crashing in both his heat race and the Last Chance Qualifier. This was
a notable event as the round in Jacksonville was the first time in over a decade
that a points leader failed to qualify for a supercross main event. On May 7,
Villopoto won the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship by a margin of 4 points over
Reed (338–334). Villopoto won the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
by a margin of 14 points over reigning champion Dungey. In October, Villopoto
won all 3 main-event races of the inaugural Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas,
Nevada, earning a publicized $1,000,000 prize.
2012
Another great season that Villopoto wins and clinches the 2012 AMA Supercross
Champion and the 2012 World Supercross Champion for the second time, and is the
first repeat champion since Ricky Carmichael in 2006. However, during the
Main of Round 15 at his "hometown" track, Quest Field in Seattle, he suffered a
knee injury after a wreck on the first corner, which was the same thing happened
in 2010 during the Round 14 in St. Louis. The most serious of the injuries
required surgery for a torn ACL. Consequently, Villopoto will be out for the
remainder of the two rounds, even though he clinched the Supercross title with a
score of 323 points. Still recuperating from his knee injury, he was unable to
compete in the 2012 AMA Motocross series.
2013
The 2013 season was a three way battle between Villopoto, Davi Milsaps and Ryan Dungey. Despite having a bad start in the
Season Opener in Anaheim in 2013 where he finished 16th Place, Villopoto got
back up winning 10 times in the season, and he clinched the 2013 AMA Supercross
Champion and the 2013 World Supercross Champion for the third time in Salt Lake
City, one round early before the Season Finale in Las Vegas, and will be the 4th
Rider to become one of the greatest Supercross racers in history as he joins Bob Hannah, Jeremy McGrath, and Ricky Carmichael, the only riders to win three
straight titles.
Ryan has won so many titles and in number 1 at the moment. He has won 2 titles in a row. He loves motocross, he knows its dangerous and he says he could quit because he wants to be able to walk. Ryan's Dad feels bad thats how much he has been pushed to get to where he is.
His family has been racing but not pro. His grandpa still rides, Ryan always got beaten by Mike Alessi. That pushed him so much to get him started. Ryan's Dad keeps saying that he should quit now because it is getting to dangerous. Ryan has had a few crashes but he said he wont give up. Ryan accepted to get pushed but his brother didn't like getting pushed. Ryan had the attitude to ride. Ryan has a younger sister who got dragged to all the races and she couldn't do all her things.