Ryan Villopoto

What more can be said about this guy? Only that his decision not to chase a record fifth consecutive AMA 450SX Supercross Championship to try to be the sixth American rider to own an FIM Motocross World Championship caused a reaction that reverberated around the motorcycle racing fraternity. It has been easier to find somebody who doesn’t have an opinion on RV’s switch to MXGP and his attempt to win the premier class crown through the eight months, sixteen countries and eighteen rounds of the 2015 campaign. Villopoto is arguably the top name in off-road racing today thanks to his ten AMA titles and three Motocross of Nations victories. All have been earned with the same manufacturer – Kawasaki – and the 26 year old (27 in August) has been part of the furniture at Monster Energy since the brand entered the sport so emphatically back in the last decade. An embodiment of dedication, resilience, aggression and simply a pocket of fireworks on a motorcycle that will push the machine to the edge and define new limits of corner speed; RV has been the benchmark indoors and out for over ten years and boasts a record of not losing a championship in which he has been healthy. Linking up with the Kawasaki Racing Team for what could be a memorable career swansong, Villopoto’s anticipated duel with six times MXGP World Champion Tony Cairoli is the big match-up that fans, industry and an entire off-road community have been waiting for.