Monster Energy Kawasaki?s Ryan Villopoto helped lead Team USA to its seventh-straight victory after an impressive third moto win aboard his Kawasaki KX 450F amongst the best in the world at the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) at Circuit du Puy de Poursay in St. Jean-D?Angely, France. After finishing third in his first moto, Villopoto stepped up to claim the best overall result of the day with a 3-1.
USA teammate Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki?s Blake Baggett placed 17th in both motos. Showcasing his talent aboard a big bike, Tyla Rattray put his 2012 Kawasaki KX450F on the podium of the final moto of the day and helped propel South Africa to sixth in the final country standings with a 5-3. Dean Wilson?s Team Great Britain finished fourth overall as he rode through an injured wrist to finish 9-27 in his motos.
Going into the final moto of the day, Villopoto knew that his team sat nine points back of France in the overall standings. Compared to a mid-pack start he got in his first moto, Villopoto was near the front and made a great pass for the lead on the fifth lap. He was leading by more than 10 seconds, but slowed to celebrate the finish with Team USA teammate Ryan Dungey.
?Every win at this event feels incredible,? said Villopoto. ?This one is definitely special because I haven?t raced the event since 2008. It was hard to watch from the sidelines those two years and now that I?m back, it?s better than I remembered. Coming into the final moto, it wasn?t looking that great, but I knew that if Dungey and myself rode how we do in the states, we had a good chance.?
For Baggett, racing amongst the best in the world was a new experience. The different procedures and new competitors didn?t seem to affect him on Saturday, but the track conditions changed drastically on Sunday and provided new obstacles. In typical Baggett fashion, he worked his way through the pack in both motos, including in the second moto where he came from 36th to 17th.
?I was on the ground a little too much for my liking, but I didn?t ever want to give up because I knew that every position counted,? said Baggett. ?I?m not really pumped with how I rode, but USA won and that is something to be proud of. It?s a great feeling to be a part of something so special. Hopefully I can prove myself again next year and make the it back for 2012.?
The 65th running of the Motocross of Nations has come to a close and Team USA was able to secure its seventh-straight victory, along with adding another win to make the total 22. The impressive total is the most of any country since the start of the race in 1947.
?Being a part of something so significant is definitely special,? said Villopoto. ?I?ve been lucky enough to race in four motocross of nations and every time I can?t believe we were able to bring the Chamberlain trophy back to the USA.?
Over the past few years, Team USA had to dig deep to come out with the overall victory. The 2011 Motocross of Nations wasn?t any different as Villopoto made sure an American finished out the last moto on top. With help from Dungey who finished second in the final moto, Team USA finished 13 points ahead of France.
?Having been in this situation before in England, I knew that it wasn?t over until the final race,? said Villopoto. ?It?s easy to get down on how the day has gone, but everyone came together and got us revved up for the last moto. We went out and did what we needed to do in order to have a chance and ended up getting a little bit of a gift to put us on top.?
The Motocross of Nations has been known to bring out the best fans in motocross and the race in France was no exception. The fans lined the track and cheered with horns, bells, and whatever else that could help with a great amount of pride for whatever country was represented.
?Whether they were cheering for us or not, we could hear them on the track,? said Villopoto. ?That was amazing because the bikes are pretty loud, but the fans were louder. I didn?t care who they were cheering for because it helped us either way.?
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