Irvine, Calif. – Monster Energy Kawasaki enters the 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship as the reigning championship team. In defending champion Ryan Villopoto’s absence, Tyla Rattray will compete along side Jake Weimer in the 450cc class aboard a Monster Energy Kawasaki KX™450F. Rattray, a former World Champion, finished second overall in the 250cc Motocross Championship last summer and finished second overall in the MX1 classification at the 2011 FIM Motocross of Nations.

“We are excited to welcome Tyla to the team,” said Reid Nordin, Monster Energy Kawasaki Senior Manager. “He has proven to be a contender for a national championship each and every year, and we are confident he can put Kawasaki up front this summer.”

Rattray has spent the last two weeks preparing for the outdoor season and is excited about the opportunity to race for Monster Energy Kawasaki on the championship proven KX450F.

“I’m pumped to race the 450cc class with Monster Energy Kawasaki,” said Rattray. “I know both the team, and the bike can win championships. I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone allowing me to have this opportunity.”

The 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship kicks off with the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Sacramento, Calif., May 19th, 2012.
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JGRMX and James Stewart Mutually Agree to Part Ways

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 6, 2012) – Effective immediately, JGRMX (Joe Gibbs Racing – Motocross) and James Stewart Jr. have mutually agreed to release Stewart from his contract for all Racing and Media Relations responsibilities that were assumed by him at the beginning of the 2012 racing season. We wish to thank James for his contributions and wish him the very best for the future.

Rumors continue to swirl around James Stewart and where he might end up. But it looks like one thing is for certain; Stewart will be on the gate for the opening round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Hangtown. Stewart recently tweeted the following.

I look forward to seeing my fans at hangtown behind the starting gate. More news to come soon. Here we go folks!

Stay tuned to Racer X Online as Steve Matthes will be brining you more information on the subject in this weeks edition of Racerhead.

Monster Energy Kawasaki announced today that Ryan Villopoto’s knee injury from the Seattle Supercross will keep him off of the track for the rest of the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross Championship and the entire 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Here’s what our staff thinks of the shocking news. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Davey Coombs:

A European journalist recently asked me, and several people, who the fastest rider in the world is right now. Without question, hands down, indoors and outdoors, it’s Ryan Villopoto. No offense to Tony Cairoli, or Ryan Dungey, or James “Ricky” Reed, it’s now RV. And now the fastest rider in the world is done for 2012, just like that. It was another reminder (as if we needed one) of just how cruel a mistress racing can be… It was such a small crash, too. Nothing like the spectacular crash that Trey Canard suffered at Los Angeles, or Chad Reed (Dallas), or like Kevin Windham (Houston), and really any of the ones that pushed James Stewart to the sidelines. It was a turn, some traffic, a foot planted wrong, a summer lost — the third time in four years for Ryan Villopoto.

I hope Ryan gets well soon and comes back 100 percent for the start of the 2013 season and hopefully another solid title defense. Remember, Ricky Carmichael’s streak of SX titles was stopped at three in a row in 2004 when he went down before the series started with a knee injury. He came back from surgery and rehab and won two more. How did he come back so well? By taking four months off for what his doctors said would be a four-month injury, a recovery formula that athletes in every sport should follow.

Ryan Villopoto’s Hall of Fame career is not over, just his summer. Here’s wishing him a speedy and full recovery. I still think he’s the fastest man on the planet until someone beats him when he’s at 100 percent, and that’s not going to happen before January 2013.

Steve Matthes:

Blowing out your knee in a contract year is a total disaster for just about any rider. Fortunately for Ryan Villopoto, he’s not one of those riders. RV has clinched the supercross title and was installed as the immediate heavy favorite for the outdoor title until his crash at Seattle. Villopoto’s had a nice run of three straight titles, but lately in this sport, that’s about all you’re going to get.

The injury count is staggering and not even a guy who’s had everything go right for him can escape the reaper for that long. Villopoto will be back for 2013 supercross and these days, an ACL injury isn’t nearly the problem that it used to me. He’ll be back and I assume at his full powers.

With him gone, Ryan Dungey is now the favorite unless a certain #7 who rides a Yamaha (but maybe for not much longer) dusts off the Nikes and comes back to the outdoors. Then those two big dogs will go at it but right now, guys like Andrew Short, Davi Millsaps, Brett Metcalfe and Justin Brayton have to be pretty excited for their chances to do some damage this summer.

Also the question is out there, who gets to ride the factory Kawasaki of Villopoto this summer? The early betting favorites are a guy like Broc Tickle, who’s on a 450 right now and is sort of an extra guy for the Pro Circuit team. Or do they put Tickle back down and move Tyla Rattray up? Rattray was looking to ride 450 outdoors this past year before signing back up with PC. What about Kyle Regal? Tommy Hahn (who’s rumored to be on Trey Canard’s Honda this summer) or maybe Kawasaki puts in a call to the strangest fill-in rider ever that only lasted one race, Branden Jessemen.

In this season of strange happenings, who really knows? The one thing we do know is Ryan Villopoto will be missed at the races by most everyone but his competition.

Irvine, Calif., — Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto will not defend his AMA Motocross title in 2012 after injuring his knee at the Seattle supercross on Saturday night. The two-time AMA Supercross and defending AMA Motocross champion will undergo surgery on his knee this week.

“I’m pretty disappointed right now,” said Villopoto. “I have trained hard for this season and even though I won the supercross title, I really wanted to defend my outdoor championship. I’ve been through injury before and I know how hard I have to work to get back.”

Villopoto is coming off of a dominant 16 months where the Poulsbo, Wash. native earned two AMA Supercross titles on the strength of 15 wins, the AMA Motocross Championship with three wins and also the richest payday in supercross with a million dollar win at the Monster Energy Cup.

The season has gotten off to a roosting start, lots of pics and video to keep 3rd Moto busy for a while. Thanks Byron staff and riders, it’s also great to see fb friends in real life. Have a great season everybody…