Ryan Villopoto Joins Yamaha
Rennie Scaysbrook | January 6, 2018
Ryan Villopoto Joins Yamaha—Ryan Villopoto has ended his career with Kawasaki and will form a marketing partnership with rival manufacturer, Yamaha, announced today at Anaheim Stadium ahead of round one of the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship season.
Villopoto has joined Yamaha after a near lifetime in the green Kawasaki camp.
“With my transition to life after racing, I’m still passionate about motorsports,” Villopoto said. “Whether I’m racing, riding 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 collaboration 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. Villopoto’s appointment at Yamaha will focus on promoting the different aspects of the company’s motorsport programs, and not just focus solely on motocross and Supercross racing alone.
“Yamaha is an iconic brand in the motorsports industry, and Ryan Villopoto is a supercross and motocross racing legend,” stated Mike Doughty, General Manager of Motorcycle Operations for Yamaha’s Motorsports Group. “Beginning today and continuing throughout 2018, YMUS and Ryan will collaborate on numerous motorsports activities, with the purpose of promoting all aspects of motorcycling and motorsports throughout the U.S.”
