Motor sports are not maybe as popular as some other types of sports, but it definitely deserves its place in the spotlight.
In today’s text we will talk about a talented motocross driver, who won over the hearts of many fans and not such big fans of Motocross.
We will talk about his net worth, his biography and his personal life, so if you would like to know more about this talented driver here is a perfect opportunity.
Early Years
Ryan Vilopoto was born on August 13th 1988 in California, Fortuna. As a child he enjoyed watching shows about motocross and always dreamed about one day driving a motor himself.
There aren’t many information about his childhood and early years, so we will jump on to his amazing career in the next part of this text.
Career Path
Ryan debuted as an amateur in 2002 and was racing for the Team Green. He won the NMA 85cc Open and this was his first major win. He got the silver medal in 85cc Stock and Modified Classes.
The next few years were extremely successful for him as he managed to gather a total of 12 medals.
He turned pro in the 2006 when he was only 18 years old. He was one of the youngest professional motocross drivers at the time. He went on to win three medals in the MX Lites Championships for 2006 up until 2008.
In 2007 he became the Rookie of the Year and that title was given to him by the American Motorcycle Association. In 2009 he graduated at 450 class and really focused on his career from that moment on.
As everyone knows, Ryan Villopoto dominated 2011 in the Super cross and Motocross categories in the United States and also in Europe in the Motocross of the Nations. But few know about it in Latin America, this is the opportunity to show who Ryan Villopoto is.
Here in Embrague Magazine it could be said that we are all disappointed that Ryan Villopoto won all the championships and special races this year. We are not fans of RV2.
But we have to give credit where and when it deserves. Villopoto surpasses big obstacles this year, starting with entering the first race of the year if testing the new bike in competition due to his accident at the end of the 2010 super cross season which left him in bed for the rest of 2010. With a good start winning in Anaheim 1 and his worst race being Jacksonville where he did not qualify due to accidents in the first corner in his qualifying heat and in the LCQ.
But well here we are not talking about his achievements in 2011 because we hope everyone has already read our summaries of the 2011 Super cross and Motocross races. This is more an article highlighting the life of the man with the red hair that if he is not winning championships is in bed recovering from accidents, the lack of a good sleep thanks to its sponsor Monster Energy.
Like many of the best recent drivers, Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart, Villopoto is a driver who was disciplined by Team Green from Kawasaki. Considered one of the best teams for the amateur category, and if everything goes well as an amateur, it is almost a guarantee that runs for ProCircuit Kawasaki team, led by Mitch Payton, founder of ProCircuit. RV ran under the flag of Team Green for three years, from 2003 to 2005 practically all his career as an amateur (2002 first year as Amateur without exclusive sponsorship)
In 2003 RV won 12 titles for Team Green. In 2004 RV took another 12 titles but this time on a national level and with Mike Alessi and Sean Bohannon that was not a big deal because in all the races the three always met and made life impossible. With a contract signed in 2006 with ProCircuit Ryan, I do not risk much in 2005 but it did come out with a few prizes like the Horrizon Award of 2005.
The first year of RV as a professional can be recognized as one of the best for a rookie in the history of Supercross and Motocross. In 2006 aboard his KX250 ProCircuit / Kawasaki RV he was third in points in Supercross Lites West (One Victory), First in Motocross Lites (6 Victories), and with the opportunity to race in the Motocross of the nations in his first year as Professional RV was part of the winning team of the United States along with James Stewart and Ivan Tedesco.
In 2007 RV achieved crowned champion of all the modalities that ran that year, Supercross Lites West, Motocross AMA and Motocross of the Nations. Accumulating 7 victories in Supercross, 5 in Motocross, and winning again for the United States team in Motocross of the Nations.
Villopoto finished his career in the lites category in 2008, finishing second in the Supercross Lites West (3 Wins), First in AMA Motocross (8 Wins), and in his third visit to the Motocross of the Nations, he achieved with the United States team a third consecutive victory.
In 2009 Ryan Villopoto replaced James Stewart as a Supercross and Motocross driver for the Kawasaki factory team. But I only manage to win two races one being the final in Las Vegas. That year James Stewart released team and achieved crowned champion in Supercross.
James did not race that year in Motocross since his team never planned to race motocross. Which left him unable to defend his 2008 championship. That gave Villopoto the opportunity to mature in 450, RV won the first motocross race of the year, but after that RV retired due to a knee injury that it required to be operated.
2010 was the year of the Ryans, after the first races Chad Reed and James Stewart left the supercross series with fractures. And injuries. Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey were left to fight the championship. Ryan Villopoto dominated many races (7 races won in the first 14 races) but in the 14th race of Supercross RV he had one of the most spectacular falls where he fractured the tibia and fibula of his right leg and could not recover for the season of motocross delivering both championships to Ryan Dungey.
In 2011 things changed, Ryan Villopoto won everything possible including the Monster Million. Delivered to the runner who competed and won the three races of the Hybrid track in Las Vegas. In 2012 we hope to see RV on the podium much more. And we wish you the best.
Ryan has a net worth of around 5$ million. Most of the money comes from his winnings and also from the different investments he has made in the past. Since Ryan is still young, we can expect a lot from him. Maybe he will venture on a different kind of career in the future, but we will have to wait and see.
Personal life
Ryan is happily married to Kristen Brouillard. The couple tied the knot in 2011 and so far their lives have been scandal free. The couple welcomed twin boys in 2016. Their sons Brax and Gage are their biggest preoccupation right now.
The couple also co-owns a coffee shop in Paulsboro near Seattle. Ryan is a celebrity in his own right, but he remained grounded and never tried to use his fame for anything, such as his coffee shop business. He admits that his wife is responsible for the shop and so far it has amazing reviews.
Ryan is currently not competing due to his surgery, but he joined forces with Yamaha to do marketing opportunities in Motocross.
Another interesting thing about Ryan is that he loves guns. He is a gun collector and has some pretty amazing pieces in his collection. He also promotes gun safety and he often speaks about the importance of this subject, especially in America.
Ryan has many followers on his social media accounts, and he often shares different images from his day to day life. He posts photos from his personal life as well, so that his fans can keep up with him and the new projects he is working on.
Whether he will be able to go back to racing, it remains for us to see in the future. So far, he has been focusing on other things. He also likes enjoying his free time with the family that might even grow larger in the next few years.
The couple seems to be functioning rally well and so far there haven’t been any scandalous news and rumors about Ryan’s life.
This talented young man has definitely much more to offer, but which career is he going to shift to next, we will have to wait and see. We might even see him back on the racing track.
Quick summary
Full name: Ryan Vilopoto
Date of birth: August 13th 1988
Birthplace: Paulsbo, Washington
Age: 31
Profession: Motocross driver
Height: 1.73 m
Weight: 72 kg
Net Worth: 3$ million
