There have been very few cases of
Pro US riders making the move to
Europe for the MXGP’s, and the idea
of a legendary racer doing such a thing
at the height of his career is simply
unheard of. “Supercross is so huge
here in America,” explains Ryan. “If
you become part of the elite riders,
it’s pretty hard to walk away from all
the fans and media in the USA. And
it’s quite a culture shock for most
American racers too.”
As a kid Ryan admits to not following
the MXGP series too much, but he said
there was one rider that really made
an impact on him – Antonio Cairoli.
“Cairoli is the only racer I really took
notice of on the MXGP series. He is a
stand-up guy for the sport”.
Tony Cairoli has won the World
Motocross Championship for the
last eight years in a row, officially
making him the man to beat in 2015.
In order to achieve his end-goal, Ryan
understands he can’t get too tied up
in all the ‘Cairoli vs Villopoto’ hype and
lose sight of the championship. As he
explains:
“It’s going to be a race by race
situation. Like I said, I am taking this
move to the MXGP’s very seriously. I
need to stay ahead of all the riders on
the gate, not just Tony, in order to win
the title. I am coming over to win and
that’s it. I feel very confident I will be a
contender for the World Title.”
Villopoto’s move will undoubtedly bring
a lot of new attention to the MXGP
in 2015, as fans on all sides of the
pond are raring up for the ultimate
showdown of Villopoto Vs Cairoli. In
a recent press release, CBS Sports
Network stated:
“The MXGP, the class that this year
attracted Monster Energy Kawasaki
Racing Team’s Ryan Villopoto,
arguably the best American motocross
rider of this era, will receive particular
programming attention in USA and
Canada for Villopoto’s first ever hunt
for a world motocross title.”
Whatever the outcome, it is fair to
say that Ryan’s move to Europe will
shine a big spotlight on the world of
motocross and will create a lot of new
interest, hype and good publicity for
the sport. u
96 | FreestyleXtreme.com
£ Ryan chills with Casey
Stoner at the 2015 Grand
Prix of Argentina