Kyfromca - Ryan Villopoto | RV2 | Supercross and Motocross Racing Champion

First Time for Everything: Racing the SCORE Baja 1000

Posted on December 30, 2015March 10, 2016 by Kyfromca

So, a few days before last month’s Baja 1000, I got a surprise phone call… “Do you want to jump in the truck, and race Baja with us,” asked Jonathan and Jordan Brenthel.

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Obviously you know my answer, “Yes!”

Jonathan and Jordan own Brenthel Industries. They are a Southern California-based race shop that specialize in building off-road racing vehicles, like the No. 873 TT Spec truck we raced. For those that don’t know, TT Spec is essentially a trophy truck chassis with a production-based engine, like a stock Chevy LS3 V-8 with around 525 horsepower. In a lot ways they are similar to a trophy truck, only top speed is limited to around 117 mph versus 140-plus mph.

So away we went. I spent almost a week down in Ensenada, Mexico, eating some unbelievable street tacos, and having a whole lot of fun.

The week before Baja, we drove south of the border and did some pre-running in a Class 1 buggy to get a feel for things, and to see which direction the compass needle was suppose to point, haha. After that, we returned and headed to Barstow, California to put time in the driver’s seat. We did two 10-mile laps to get a feel for it and to set-up the controls.

(After a quick pre-running session in Mexico, we returned to California to do an abbrieved shakedown near Barstow, California in the race car.)

Even though I had zero experience in the truck, or driving off-road, I wasn’t nervous. The only thing I was worried about was potentially messing up the race for my co-drivers, Rody Amaya and Jonathan. It’s one of the biggest off-road motorsports out there, and they put in a lot of work getting down to Baja, so I didn’t want to mess anything up for them. Go figure the steering rack mounting bolts sheered off early in the race, right around the 132-mile mark (this year’s race was a 840-mile loop). But believe it or not, it wasn’t my fault. Shit happens.

Before that, my co-driver, Robert Llewellyn said we were hauling ass – yet still in control – especially considering I’d never been in the truck before. So that felt good. I was happy to know that I had a decent pace. It wasn’t race winning speed, but for my first-go that certainly was positive to hear.

It’s hard to describe the sensation behind the wheel. The amount of suspension travel it had, and the things you could hit was unbelievable. It was plain stupid what you could run into with the thing. Of course you have to be mindful for rocks, and the tires— being careful with the sidewalls — so you don’t have any punctures. Also, not hitting rocks toward the middle of the truck, because that’s where the driveline is. Thankfully, the Falken tires did its job.

(The amount of suspension travel these TT Spec trucks have is downright insane. It was plain stupid what you could run into with the thing.)

You felt in control and safe, but all of sudden you’re completely out of control. It’s kind of the same thing with the motorcycle. I did that for so long, and was really good at it, so those ‘oh shit’ moments didn’t happen very often. But it was reassuring to know that if I did have any ‘oh my God, I’m going to crash’ moments, and I did roll, nine times out of ten, I would be totally fine. So to have that in the back of your mind is nice.

But at the same time, that can also be a bad thing. If you don’t understand the speed, or have any regard for what you’re doing, you can end up crashing a lot.

Overall I had a blast – obviously, I’ve raced and rode my entire life, which was fun and all, but having the chance to try a new sport was awesome. We are going to try and make some things happen next year, and potentially step in the truck a few more times.

Besides that, I’m just spending time at home with my family and hanging out for Christmas. I hope everyone enjoys the holidays with their families and I have some exciting news for next year that I’ll fill you in soon enough. – RV

(I had a blast with the Brenthel Industries crew trying my hand at something different. Hopefully they’ll invite me back for more!)

Monster Cup, Riding Again, and Adventures on the Water

Posted on December 7, 2015March 10, 2016 by Kyfromca

Hey everybody, I know it’s been a while since I’ve let you know what I’ve been up to. Even though I announced my retirement this past July, I’ve still been pretty busy. So let’s start with Monster Cup.

That was the last big thing we went to. It was good to see my team, and hang out with the old crew. The Feld guys wanted me to ride an exhibition lap before the night show began because I’m a past winner. But since it’s been a while since I’ve ridden Supercross, I asked if I could do a couple laps during practice just to get a feel for things. That was really cool. I enjoyed that, and also being able to ride the new 2016 KX450F. I hadn’t had a chance to ride it until then.

I was really impressed with the new bike. They increased the power a little bit, and they dropped right around eight pounds. For me, the biggest thing was how easy it was to ride, and the eight pounds it lost was huge, too.

We had a stable bike for all the years I raced it, but it is even more stable now. Over the years I had some little complaints here and there that we were always working to improve on, but it seems like Kawasaki nailed it with the ’16.

It’s not a whole lot different than the old bike. It just does everything a little bit better. I hadn’t ridden Supercross in over a year and a half and I was able to jump right on that thing and ride with those boys.

A lot of people were saying ‘you should race’, but practice was enough for me. Those boys have been putting in their work all season, so to think that I could go out with race with them is a real long shot. It was fun being back at races without the stress level of racing.

Stay tuned for my guest spot on MTV’s Ridiculousness in February. It was fun to do but I wish I would have been quicker on my feet with the jokes!

After that, I flew back to California and did a episode of Ridiculousness. Rob and all the crew there are cool. The episode aires Thursday, February 25, at 7pm on MTV. I wish I would have been a little quicker on my feet with jokes and things to say, but it was a cool experience for sure.

A few days later the Transworld guys came up to Washington to film for Premix, a new video they just released. We were able to do some riding on a two-stroke that my mechanic Mikey built about six years ago. It was the last Stewart KX250 they built. The bike ran great and it was fun to ride the thing. It’s way slower compared to a new 450, and kind of raises questions in regard to how fast 450s are nowadays, and the things guys can jump… but I had a lot of fun and we were able to ride two different tracks, and drink some beer. I wasn’t even that sore the next day… guess I still got it, haha.

A few years back my mechanic Mike Williamson built me this KX250. After a couple years collecting dust in the garage, I finally had a chance to ride it for Transworld Motocross’s new film, Premix.

Since then, I have been doing some stuff around home. Have had a few adventures on the water the last couple days. I just put in a nearly 24-hour stint moving a house boat 50 miles with my cousin… or I should say, helped him move it. He was the real Captain. It was a 44 x 27-foot two story house boat. We used my SeaSport as a push tug through the shipping and ferry lanes across the ocean. Yeah, it was pretty hairball, but he made it in one piece. Other than that, I’ve been doing a little bit of hunting. Haven’t got Bambi yet, but I’ve been trying, haha. Blacktail deer are pretty hard to hunt.

My cousin and I moved his new two-story house boat 50 miles across the Puget Sound. We’re lucky we didn’t sink it!

A couple of weeks ago, I got the opportunity to get behind the wheel with the Brenthel Industries team for the Baja 1000. It was quite the experience, and I will fill you in on what happened next week. – RV

Best Wishes Letter from the FIM

Posted on July 15, 2015March 10, 2016 by Kyfromca

Today was pretty special. The folks over at FIM, the largest and most recognized motorcycle racing sanctioning body in the world, sent me a note thanking me for my years of competition at home in the U.S., and abroad during Motocross des Nations, as well as MXGP this year. Obviously, this summer didn’t go as planned, but it was still nice to be acknowledged for my efforts. Check it out:

Farewell: Motocross and Supercross legend, Ryan Villopoto Announces Retirement

Posted on July 9, 2015March 10, 2016 by Kyfromca

It is with gratitude, humility, a bit of sadness but without regret, that I announce my retirement from motorcycle racing today.

As many of you know, I experienced a pretty horrendous crash back in April that left me with multiple fractures in my tailbone along with soft tissue damage. My initial thought was that I could be back riding in a few weeks if I just stayed quiet for a while. That has not proven to be the case. Follow-up X-Rays have made clear that I also suffered severe compression of multiple disks in my lower back. I am still in significant discomfort and I realize that even if I start my fitness program and training now that I been cleared by my physician, I will not be able, prior to the end of the MXGP season, to achieve the fitness necessary for me to compete at the level I have always striven for.

I am grateful for having had the opportunity to do something I have loved since I was a kid and turn it into my livelihood. I am grateful for the support of my family for all the years they spent hauling my bikes and me around to races, interrupting their lives in the process.

I am grateful for the support of my many sponsors through the years. What people don’t often think about, when it comes to individual “action” sports like motocross, is that we rely on sponsors to compete. In motocross, the sponsors aren’t just a name on your jersey – they are part of your racing team. If they are good, they are sponsors in the truest sense of the word. They are involved in building the best bike, putting together the best team, supporting your training, and so much more. So, with that in mind, first and foremost I want to thank Kawasaki, which has been my bike of choice since my Team Green days. They have been with me through ups and downs, serious injuries and great successes. They’ve always cared about me and I’ve been successful in large part because of it. THOR/Parts Unlimited and Monster Energy Company have been with me through it all as well. Thanks also to DC, GoPro, Oakley, Alpinestars, Atlas and Mobius Braces. Each of you has been an integral part of making this an amazing career.

I want to thank my long-time agent, my friend, Bobby Nichols, and his agency The Sports Syndicate, for the strong guidance and support they have offered my entire career.

But most of all, I’m writing this retirement note to my fans. I am grateful for the hundreds of thousands of fans, not only in the U.S., but throughout the world. It is amazing to know that you have cared so much and been so supportive along the way.

That gets me to the sadness about making this decision now. I was so stoked to make the decision to be a part of MXGP racing. It has always been important to me to ride my best and to be in the best possible position to give my best, in part because of wanting to give back to you, the fans. I am sad that this year did not work out the way I had hoped in that regard. I wanted to be at my best, to compete with these riders who are among the very best in the world and leave it all out on the track as each of them does every race. The sadness is that I only got to do that for a few races.

I am grateful to have had the chance to race with the very best in world, my competitors in Supercross and Motocross in the States as well as those who make the MXGP what it is. I am grateful to know that our competitiveness helped to continue the growth of our sport.

I leave with no regrets. I have been blessed to experience so much of life through my racing. I have never wanted to disappoint my fans nor my supporters and my hope is that for the most part I have lived up to that.

Again, thanks to each and every one of you who have been a part of my team.

Sincerely,

Ryan Villopoto