IN
THE
WIND
P32
VILLOPOTO JOINS YAMAHA FAMILY
R
yan Villopoto ended his
career with Kawasaki and
will form a marketing partnership
with rival manufacturer, Yamaha,
announced at Angel Stadium of
Anaheim ahead of round one
of the 2018 Monster Energy
AMA Supercross Championship
season.
"With my transition to life
after racing, I'm still passionate
about motorsports," Villopoto
said. "Whether I'm racing, rid-
ing recreationally or teaching
my kids to ride, I still have a
lot I want to give back to the
motorsports industry from
many aspects. My family and I
enjoy all sorts of motorsports
activities, and Yamaha has the
broadest and most diverse
lineup around. That's why I'm so
excited to enter into this col-
laboration with Yamaha."
The four-time Monster Energy
AMA Supercross Champion
and three-time AMA Motocross
Champion spent his entire
professional racing career in the
Kawasaki camp. He retired from
pro competition in 2015 after
injuries sustained in a crash
while competing in the Trentino
MXGP and moved into a brand
ambassador role with Kawasaki,
a role he filled until this year. Vil-
lopoto's appointment at Yamaha
will focus on promoting the dif-
ferent aspects of the company's
motorsport programs, and not
just focus solely on motocross/
supercross racing alone.
"Yamaha is an iconic brand
in the motorsports industry, and
Ryan Villopoto is a supercross
and motocross racing legend,"
said Mike Doughty, General
Manager of Motorcycle Opera-
tions for Yamaha's Motorsports
Group. "Beginning today and
continuing throughout 2018,
YMUS and Ryan will collaborate
on numerous motorsports activi-
ties, with the purpose of promot-
ing all aspects of motorcycling
and motorsports throughout the
U.S." CN
Yamaha surprised
many with the
announcement
that four-time
Supercross
Champion Ryan
Villopoto is joining
the Yamaha family.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
STEVE
COX
Villopoto rode
Yamaha YZ80s
early in his career
before switching
to Kawasaki.
