RV2 - Moving forward

Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto has enjoyed a pretty good introduction into the 2015 MXGP championship. A GP win, a moto win and fourth place in the series points after three rounds isn’t a bad way to start your assault on the MXGP title owned by Italian rider Antonio Cairoli.

We asked two riders and a team manager what they think until now about the form of Villopoto.

Red Bull Iceone Husqvarna Factory rider Max Nagl who has already had a few good battles with Villopoto in 2015, and beaten him straight up on a number of occasions. The German enjoyed having the American in the series.

“I really enjoy racing him,” Nagl said. “I was really surprised how clean he rides. I have been in battles with him twice now and he always stays on his line, he won’t move over and try and block you, or try and take you off the track in the straight. If you are faster you pass him, and the same way if he is quicker he can just pass. I like racing somebody like this. On Saturday in Argentina when I was behind him he was wide open, but he is always like that, that is his style.

A rider who hasn’t had the luck to race against Villopoto due to injury is British rider Jake Nicholls of the Wilvo Forkrent KTM team. Nicholls has watched the opening three rounds of the series on television and is impressed with the confrontations between the leading MXGP riders.

“I love watching GP’s no matter what,” Nicholls said. “Having Villopoto here makes the series more interesting. I find it fascinating, I mean in Argentina I just thought he (RV) would wipe the floor with everyone, and he didn’t and that just amazes me. You know we all know the GP guys are quick, but Villopoto is pretty special on a track like that and somebody like Nagl, who doesn’t have the most fancy style goes and beats Villopoto at that track.”

Steve Dixon who runs the Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki team is a big fan of Villopoto and feels the American will come into his own as the series builds.

“He is having issues with how things are set-up,” Dixon said. “When you are racing on the fly-aways you don’t have the luxury of testing and stuff like that. Villopoto has won a Grand Prix already and it’s obvious he used too much energy on the Saturday at a couple of rounds. He just needs to work on his strategy. Everyone says he will struggle in Europe because the tracks are slicker, but he hasn’t ridden on the same tracks his whole life, and he managed to win whenever he came over to Europe for the MXoN.”