Tough beginnings
By TMX Archives on 4th Mar 15
Ryan Villopoto talks exclusively to TMX after his difficult MXGP debut
You have to almost pity the winner of the Grand Prix of Qatar. Even a performance as accomplished as Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Racing's Max Nagl's was always going to be overshadowed by the debut of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team's Ryan Villopoto.
It's perhaps with some justification too. Rarely has an import into MXGP and the premier class of grands prix been so decorated and feted in the global scheme of motocross. Villopoto's outing at Losail was the big news of the opening round of 2015 – regardless of whether he blitzed the field or planted his head in the desert terrain.
RV's 9-8 run was surprising. Many were tipping him to assert his speed from the off, particularly based on previous motos around Losail that is wide, fast and relatively easy. However, heavier watering in the build-up to the GP helped to carve a softer surface and it was the difficult holes (square-edged and suddenly deep among the corner ruts and braking bumps) that meant the ground was unsettling and tested the set-up capabilities of many.
Nagl immediately credited the performance of his WP system in the post-race press conference and it looked throughout the motos as if Villopoto was hankering for a configuration from the Showa hardware that would let him attack the terrain with more vigour. He hit the lines and corners fast and passed half of the pack in the first moto in his flight from last position (twice).
Part of the handicap of having to come from the depths of the MXGP field – while the leaders escaped and ran lap-times within a 10th of a second of each other – was his own making. Ryan's first active gesture as a GP rider was to stall the bike out of the gate. He then was caught in the same rut as Jose Butron – the Spaniard never a shrinking violet when it comes to seizing track space. In the second moto he lost his rear brake and was passed by aggressive MXGP rookie Romain Febvre.
Watching Ryan in Qatar was like watching a trailer for a very good movie – something you want to see more of and you know it will come but perhaps slightly disappointed that you didn't get more right away.
Post-race he knew that the results did not match his profile and status.
"Pretty sh*t,” he said before trying to put a well-versed positive spin on the debut. "All I know is that every time we went on the track we got better. From yesterday until now we got better all the time. We definitely have some things to work on with the bike, set-up-wise and getting the thing to work a bit better in these conditions. It is not a US-spec set-up but it is really close. We're gonna work on that.”
TMX: What about the location here at Losail? How did you feel with that?
RV: "I think this place is a little unique being under the lights and it was good but it can always be better when you are racing at night. We scored okay points and for me it has been about learning the system and how it all works.
"I haven't ridden on Saturday and raced on Sunday or done two 20-minute practices and a 20-minute race followed by a 15-minute practice and then into the motos – that is more riding on the weekend than we have ever had in the States. I'm getting used to that.”
FOR MORE OF THE RYAN VILLOPOTO INTERVIEW SEE TMX NEWS, MARCH 5, 2015 (ISSUE 1961)
