Villopoto Takes the 450 Title
US MX
Ryan Villopoto Clinches 2013 Championship with two 450 Moto Wins in Utah
Moto 1:
JGR Yamaha’s Justin Brayton appeared to have taken the holeshot at the first-ever Utah National held at Miller Motorsports Park, but unfortunately for Brayton, the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot is actually in the second turn. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto was able to cut to the inside of Brayton through the turn following the first downhill. With a clear track ahead, Villopoto began to do what he does best, and that’s separate himself from the rest of the pack as they battled amongst themselves in the opening laps.
Second-place Justin Brayton had Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard right behind him, and not too far back was James Stewart and Ryan Dungey going back and forth for fourth. Canard made his way past Brayton, and so did Dungey after his multi-lap battle with Stewart. Peick even got by Stewart at one point, but Stewart rallied to pass Peick and Brayton. Next in Stewart’s sights was Canard, who had been passed by Dungey when he failed to triple the tunnel jump.
Villopoto already mustered up a 20-second lead as he rounded the track into the sixth lap. Peick was able to get by Brayton for fifth, and Stewart started closing in on Canard. Stewart, who was able to stay lower while jumping over the dragon’s back, finally got by Canard. Canard came back firing though. He cut to the inside of the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot corner, but Stewart squared up and made the pass back on Canard. Unfortunately for Stewart, his third-place ride didn’t last long. The Yoshimura Suzuki rider pulled off after the start straight, holding his back as he rode back to the pits.
Meanwhile, Tyla Rattray had come out of nowhere and was a top-five force to be reckoned with. He was all over Peick for multiple laps. The two went back and forth, and even closed in on Canard at one point, but Rattray eventually claimed the position. Canard picked up his pace and pulled away from the two before Rattray could let his momentum take control of the situation.
With, two laps left Malcolm Stewart took Justin Barcia wide around the holeshot corner and put him into the hay bales. Barcia went down and was visibly upset as Stewart rode away with banner stuck in his rear wheel. None of this mattered for Villopoto, though, as he went on to take the win with a huge margin over Dungey.
Moto 2:
The second 450 moto was certainly a race of attrition. Four riders—including Stewart and Reed—did not line up for the start and only 24 riders completed the race. However, this had little impact on the championship battle between Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey.
Villopoto put himself in a good position to seal the championship right off the start, placing his Kawasaki right behind Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot Award winner Ryan Sipes. Trey Canard separated Villopoto and Dungey, and Justin Brayton rounded out the early top five with Justin Barcia right behind him.
Villopoto made quick work of Sipes, passing him within the first few turns. Dungey was also able to make an early pass on Canard for third, and then he got Sipes for second before the end of the first lap. Villopoto only had a two-second lead on Dungey going into the second lap, so he wasn’t in the clear yet.
Barcia was able to move past Brayton for fifth before the completion of the first lap. Sipes ended up dropping behind both Canard and Barcia after a few laps, allowing the two Honda Muscle Milk riders to find each other as the race progressed.
Rattray was once again on the move in the second moto. The Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider started outside of the top ten and charged forward all the way up to fifth, right behind Barcia. Rattray looked poised to challenge Barcia—who wasn’t too far from Canard at the time—but was spotted pulling off the track after putting in such an impressive rider through the first half of the moto. Malcolm Stewart and Broc Tickle also went back to the pits early around the same time.
Villopoto had opened up a 10-second gap on Dungey by the halfway mark and continued to put in strong laps until he took the checkered flag for the championship. Dungey and Canard rounded out the podium, with Barcia and Peick taking top-five positions. Peick, a full-on privateer, was able to put in an impressive 5-5 day.
Photo: Villopoto crosses the line for his second title in three years. (Photo: George Crosland)
Utah 450 Class Overall Results
1. Ryan Villopoto (1-1)
2. Ryan Dungey (2-2)
3. Trey Canard (3-3)
4. Weston Peick (5-5)
5. Justin Brayton (6-7)
6. Justin Barcia (11-4)
7. Jake Weimer (8-6)
8. Phil Nicoletti (12-8)
9. Matt Goerke (9-11)
10. Ben LaMay (13-10)
11. Andrew Short (15-9)
12. Tyla Rattray (4-25)
13. Ryan Sipes (7-26)
14. Evgeny Mikhaylov (18-12)
15. Nick Wey (17-13)
16. Malcolm Stewart (10-29)
17. Akira Narita (23-14)
18. Derek Anderson (19-16)
19. Broc Tickle (14-32)
20. Michael Byrne (21-15)
Notables
39. Chad Reed (34-DNS)
40. James Stewart (36-DNS)
Updated Point Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, 513
2. Ryan Dungey, -50
3. Justin Barcia, -138
4. Trey Canard, -210
5. James Stewart, -224
6. Jake Weimer, -269
7. Andrew Short, -275
8. Broc Tickle, -297
9. Josh Grant, -305
10. Mike Alessi, -309
