Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto will carry the red #1 plate into San Diego after becoming the first repeat winner of the season last weekend in Anaheim.
Media Release
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Posted February 06, 2012
Aurora, IL
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Round 6 of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship from San Diego, CA will air LIVE on SPEED Saturday, February 11 at 10:30pm ET. #SXonSPEED
Reigning Supercross Class Champion Ryan Villopoto became the first repeat winner of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season last weekend, taking his second victory of the season inside Anaheim’s Angel Stadium. With the triumphant effort, the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider reclaimed the position of Supercross Class points leader, and will carry the red number plate into action this Saturday inside San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium.
Press Day is Thursday, February 9, from Noon-2:00 p.m., featuring Red Bull KTM rider Marvin Musquin, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac and Gavin Faith, along with Supercross.com Honda’s Andrew Short.
Villopoto replicated his efforts from one month prior inside Angel Stadium, where he took the opening race of the 2012 season to begin his title defense on the top step of the podium. Following three historic weeks of action that ultimately resulted in four different winners through the first four main events, Villopoto responded to put the pressure back on his fellow championship-winning rivals – TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Honda’s Chad Reed, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, and Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX’s James Stewart. Villopoto took the lead early last Saturday night, and pulled away from the field. Statistically, the first rider to win twice in the past 38 years of Monster Energy Supercross has gone on to win the championship 23 times – 60 percent.
Reed posted a podium finish in Anaheim to take control of second in the championship standings, three points out of the lead. Dungey, who finished fourth last Saturday, sits in third, five points behind, while Stewart, who recorded a runner-up finish in Anaheim, is 13 points out.
While the top four riders in Monster Energy Supercross paced the field last weekend, the night in Anaheim wasn’t without some tense moments. Stewart took over the lead early in his heat race, crashed and was unable to finish. He returned to secure an easy win in the LCQ and proceeded to fight his way into a runner-up effort in the main event. However, the potential effects of Stewart’s heat race crash will be a major storyline coming into San Diego this weekend.
Last year in San Diego, Reed captured his maiden victory as a team owner, overcoming Mother Nature and the rest of the world’s fastest riders for a then underdog performance. With the full support of American Honda behind him, Reed will aim to duplicate his performance from a year ago inside a stadium where he is the winningest rider in Monster Energy Supercross history, boasting six victories.
As for Dungey, following podium results through the first three races of the season, he has just missed out on the top three in back-to-back weeks, and after having at least a shared possession of the red number plate since Phoenix, he will be looking ahead of him for just the second time. He, along with Villopoto, has never experienced premier class success inside Qualcomm Stadium.
