Motocross rider Ryan Villopoto has won the last four consecutive supercross championships. After watching this new video of him romping all around a private course in Groveland, Florida, it's easy to see why.
The Gateway to the West, aka St. Louis, is one of those midwest cities you definitely don't want to miss. Solid sports teams, lots of beer, a really big arch. And for the recent stop on the Monster Energy Supercross, the Lou even had Monster Energy girls dancing on the Old Courthouse building.
That was far from the only action going on at the supercross stop. This battle between reigning Supercross champ Ryan Villopoto and James Stewart is getting real. In St. Louis, Villopoto jumped out to an early lead, but Stewart was right on his tail. Around lap 10 Stewart went for a pass around the corner and jetted into the lead. Stewart held on to take his 50th career Supercross victory, which is also his third consecutive win. Stewart is hot right now and has been narrowing Villopoto's lead in the standings.
Ryan Villopoto is a true champion. Even though he may or may not be a leprechaun, Villopoto is not hung up on the rivalries and the battles that happen on the track. He invited 450SX Monster Energy Supercross rookie phenom Ken Roczen down to his private Supercross farm in Florida. It was a chance for Villopoto to show the rookie the ropes and impart some of his hard-earned wisdom. Or maybe Villopoto is an evil genius and this was his subtle way of psyching out Roczen. Either way, this is a great way to see two of the biggest stars in supercross.
James Stewart started off this year's Monster Energy Supercross with a crash, and it seemed like he wasn't going to be in the title hunt this year. But Stewart has come on as of late, winning three of the last six races. Last weekend in Detroit, Stewart won his 48th career 450SX race, which ties him for second place all-time with the G.O.A.T., Ricky Carmichael. The win also bumped him up to third place in this year's points standings, behind Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto.
You don't see defending 450 supercross champion Ryan Villopoto get buckedd off his bike that often. But Villopoto suffered a nasty crash during a qualifying run for the Monster Energy Supercross race at Daytona International Speedway last weekend. This was one of the harder crashes we've seen this year, but it also gave Villopoto a chance to show how tough he is. After the crash, Villopoto still qualified for the main event, where he put the bike down again and still managed to win his 37th career 450SX victory. Villopoto now has a 28-point lead in the season standings and a whole bunch of tough guy points, too.
What do you think of this Ryan Villopoto crash? Tell us in the Comments.
It's one thing to watch a Monster Energy Supercross race from the stands or on television and see a tight battle happen between two riders. It's something entirely different to see it from the rider's perspective. Watching the POV of James Stewart's winning moto at last weekend's race in Arlington, Texas, hammers that point home. Stewart trailed Ryan Dungey for over three laps before making the winning pass and holding on for the win. Seeing Stewart patiently bide his time before overtaking Dungey is really impressive, especially considering the pressure of the situation.
This was the second win in a row for Stewart, who previously won at San Diego. He now sits in third place in the standings, trailing rookie Ken Rozen by two points and leader-defending champ Ryan Villopoto by 14.
31-year-old motocross pro Chad Reed is not giving in to the younger guard this season on the Monster Energy Supercross circuit. Last season Ryan Villopoto won the title, and he's still vying hard for that repeat. And rookie Ken Roczen has been putting in near flawless races every time the gate drops this year. But Reed's veteran savvy can never be counted out. He won in Anaheim for the second time this season on Saturday, ahead of Roczen and Villopoto, respectively. Reed's victory puts him just two points behind Villopoto in the overall standings and five points ahead of Roczen.
What do you think of Chad Reed repeating in Anaheim? Tell us in the Comments.
The Monster Energy Supercross event in Oakland is always one of the gnarliest of the season. And that's just in the parking lot. It seems that all the Black Hole Oakland Raiders fans get on their motorcycles and come out. Judging from Dirt Shark's behind-the-scenes look at the race, it's basically anarchy on two wheels. Inside the arena, the drama is toned down a little bit, but not much. Defending supercross champ Ryan Villopto took his second victory of 2014 to regain the overall points lead from rookie Ken Roczen. Villopoto and Roczen have been going back and forth with the points lead, but Roczen's sixth-place finish in Oakland opened the door for Villo.
Which supercross rider is riding the best right now? Tell us in the Comments.
The third stop on the 2014 Monster Energy Supercross circuit proved to be a tight battle. Rookie Ken Roczen refused to let up on the throttle, keeping his momentum going, and James Stewart earned his best result of the year. But it was seasoned veteran Chad Reed was the guy who fought the hardest, earning his 42nd Supercross victory (42!). Roczen's third place finish helped him retake the overall points lead from Ryan Villopoto.
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When rookie Ken Roczen won the first event of the year in Anaheim, it was pretty much a given that reigning champ Ryan Villopoto would bounce back in the next Monster Energy AMA Supercross race. After his fourth-place finish in Anaheim, Villopoto wanted to get back on the podium. He didn't get a good start out, but Villopoto kept fighting. In the second half of the race, he passed eight riders, including Justin Barcia, Ryan Dungey, Roczen, and Justin Brayton to grab the lead for good on lap 13. The victory also gave Villopoto the points lead which is always nice, even early in the season.
Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Supercross/Steve Cox
