Villopoto Sweeps Unadilla

Shan Moore | August 13, 2011

New Berlin, New York, August 13, 2011 – With the title chase starting to wind down, Ryan Villopoto picked the perfect time to claim his first 1-1 sweep of the season, turning in an impressive performance at round nine of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Series at Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, New York.

Riding a new 2012 KX450F for the first time, the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider passed a hard-charging Justin Barcia on lap seven of the opening moto and pulled away to a safe lead before eventually taking the checkers with over six seconds to spare over Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, who had displaced Barcia with three laps to go in the race.In the second moto Villopoto started in second behind Mike Alessi and passed the Red Bull KTM rider on lap three to take the lead. Dungey, on the other hand, was having problems getting around Barcia, who was making his debut in the 450 class for American Honda. Dungey finally passed Barica on the final lap when the two riders collided and Barcia went down, leaving Dungey all alone to finish second.

Barcia rebounded to finish third in the moto and third overall on the day with a 3-3 tally, falling in line behind Villopoto’s 1-1, and Dungey’s 2-2.

Villopoto came into the Unadilla round with a slim, one-point lead in the series standings over Dungey, but left with a more comfortable seven-point advantage with just three races remaining on the schedule.”It was definitely a good day,” said Villopoto. “The team and I made the decision to go to 2012 Kawasaki for this weekend, and it was definitely the right move. Knowing what we had was a lot better, I felt like we were in a great position to win today. I got good starts and was able to work my way through the field and it puts me in good position for the championship.” Fourth overall went to TwoTwo Motorsports Honda’s Chad Reed, who was 4-5 on the day, while Alessi rounded out the top five overall with a 7-4 performance.In the 250 class, Dean Wilson claimed his first overall victory of the season after sweeping both motos, the Monster Energy Pro Circuit rider topping teammate Blake Baggett in the opening moto and GEICO Powersports Honda’s Eli Tomac in moto two.”It was a great day,” said Wilson. “I was just having fun out there. I feel like when I’m out there having fun, I definitely ride my best. I’ve been angry to not get an overall yet this season, but now I feel relieved. I just felt good and refreshed and excited to race again. I couldn’t sleep last night I was so excited.”At the end of the day, Baggett ended up with the runner-up spot with a 2-3, while Tomac rounded out the overall podium with a 5-2 performance.

Wilson now holds a 25-point advantage over Baggett in the 250 Class standings. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team remains undefeated in 2011, posting 18 moto wins and nine overall victories.