aOOE Togota AMA
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Motocross
Championshlp
PPes€nt€d
bU
FMF
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ln
amG
-
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G
Ilhe
ever-revolving
door of
AMA Hotocross Lites Champi-
!
onship
contenders
lust
keeps on
turning. A
week ago, Mon-
I
ster Energy/Pro
Circuit
Kawasaki's Ryan
VilloPoto
had
a
!
tough day at Soutttwick, as a blown
engine
dealt him a major
! bton
in
the championship
poinB
chase.
But after
posting
a
dominant l- I sweep at Budds
Creek and
watchinS hit comPetition
sruggle,
Villopoto finds himself right back
in the hunt.
ln fact, things
began to
turn around in the
very flrst turn of
the veD/
fi.st moto. Points leader l'like
Alessi and second-ranked
Andrew Short
crashed
together
in the lirst turn and both ended
up
finishi.rg outside of
the top 10.
Villopoto narrowly avoided
the first-turn camage,
and he then
mounted
an impressive charge
from midPack that
would net him an easy
moto
win. Another bad
start in moto two wouldn't
deter
him either, and
the l8-year-old from
Whshington ended
up
gaininS
27
Points
and an
invaluable amount of
momentum in the championship
chase.
"l
had a little better
luck this
week," Villopoto said.
"The
first tum
here
is
pretq/ gnarr,
I
just
tried
to work
my way uP front. The biggest
thing
was not to
fall,
because
1ou're
not
going
an;,'trhere
when
you're
on
the
ground.
The track
is
pretty
oneJined,
so
you
hare to
plan your
pass'
es a
few laps in advance."
And
make no mistake,
Vilbpoto is all about
making uP
points
on Alessi'
his old riv-al from the
Amateur nnks.
"He
went
down right in front of me
in the first moto,"
VlloPoto said.
"l
think I
ran over his
leSs or somethinS! lt was
an accident
-
after
I saw
he was down, I
iust
charged so
I could
make up as many
PoinB
as
Possi-
ble."
Alessi started
much better in the second
moto, but this
time VilloPoto
ran him down, and
in
one
of the
more controversial moves of
the
young
season, the
duo collided and Alessi
hit the deck.
"l
saw
Mike up
there, and all of the troubles
that he
Save
me and my
dad during Amateurs,
you
know
I
iust
gave
him a litde
love tap and
he
went down,"
said Villopoto with a
hint of a smile.
Now
runninSwith
speed, confidence and
momentum,
VilloPoto is
iust
I
.':1-..X
w
'I
a
/
\
\
I
1}
_/
E
n
:;
i{ry
I
Ryon Villoporo
put
himself
bq(k
into title .ontenlion
with l-t moto
ftnishes in
the
Liter .loss.
,
a
-
I
a
a
t
a
t
I
I
Budd5
creek Mx Pork
Budds cre€k, ,'^D
MOTOCROSS
Round 4
June
18, 2006
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ar
NYAN
VILLOPOTO VAULTS
BACK
INTO
THE LITES POINTS
BACE
WITH
BUDDS CBEEK
VICTOBY
Bv
JArcH
WEGANDT
PHoros
BY Srwt BRUHN
Zo
