Why did RV2 have such problems?
Why was the first Grand Prix not a success for Ryan Villopoto? Many people have this question in their stomach. Many opinions are also floating around the internet, some more interesting than others.
One of the most interesting opinions can be found in the PulpMX blog written by David Vuillemin. A man who showed great things in his time in both the AMA Motocross and Grand Prix events. A man who also spoke with Ryan Villopoto during Anaheim1. Then he briefly told the American champion this: 'Don't use your American setup in the Grand Prix event, the courses there are very different. Start from scratch and build a working setup for a Grand Prix track.' To which both Ryan and Ryan's father replied that the American setup had already won them titles in the past and that they would therefore not deviate from that.
Logically, a champion is always a bit stubborn and why would that strange tall Frenchman know anything about that, Ryan knows his machine best... Unfortunately, it turned out that the champion made an error in judgment. Not an insurmountable one, but one that sets him back a lot, one that puts him back at the workbench looking for a Grand Prix setup that works for him.
Why is grand prix motocross so different from its AMA counterpart? One thing seems to us to be an established fact, the courses in America are a lot faster, which also explains why an American setup has a high front and a low rear. As a pilot you always want to have power on the rear wheel. It also explains why people often opt for the outside in a bend, with this setup short turns are no fun. In addition, all Americans ride with stiffer suspension, a gift they bring with them from supercross. Something that doesn't really work on a course with chickens everywhere and very long tracks.
The question also arises with which engine setting Ryan Villopoto had at the start in Qatar. Was it an extremely powerful and aggressive setup, inspired by American standards? According to David Vuillemin, RV2 used its aggressive American setup and these are still out of the question in the Grand Prix circus. First of all, the courses are very different, they are not deeply milled and treated with trucks full of sand and compost as in America. Because the European type courses do not require so much brute force from the engine, you do not need such an adjustment, even in the deep sand of Lommel, among others, you do not need such an adjustment. If you did that, the engine would dig itself in more than move forward. Conversely, a 'European setting' would have a very difficult time on a tough American course like Red Bud. Thus David Vuillemin.
You can read David Vuillemin's full column at PulpMx
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