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Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations - Back in Time

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News Tuesday 31th August 2010 By Geoff Meyer

As painful as it is, we decide to look back in time. September 2007 and the day Team USA were unbeatable. For me one of the most draining days in the sport as the Grand Prix riders floundered around the Budds Creek circuit. One of our new features and a day when I just wanted to crawl under a rock.

Team USA have dominated the 2007 Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations. Led by Ricky Carmichael who went 3-1 and with huge support from Ryan Villopoto 1-1 and Tim Ferry 4-2 the home nation was truly amazing. Overall Team USA won with eight points, while second place was Team France with 34pts and third was Team Belgium with 36pts. It was the performance though of the greatest motocross nation in the world that impressed the 40,000 crowd.

The opening moto of the Sunday program was the MX1 and MX2 classes together and it was pretty much how the whole day would be run. One American (Ryan Villopoto) took the lead early and just blew away the opposition. It was a different story for Team USA captain Ricky Carmichael as he crashed in the opening lap and had to work his way through the field, eventually passing everyone but his teammate Villopoto and Australian Chad Reed.

The second moto was the MX2 class and Open class. This race saw Villopoto again lead, only to have Tim Ferry crash out early and have to do the same type of race as Carmichael in moto one. Ferry did well to come through the pack and finish in fourth place. Villopoto again won easily and wrapped up the individual overall, the first MX2 rider to ever win the overall class.

The final moto brought together the MX1 and Open riders and this time Team USA dominated as Carmichael and Ferry were quickly into first and second places and stayed like that for the whole race. World MX1 champion Steve Ramon showed some resistance, battled first with Ferry for some laps and then with AMA champion Grant Langston (who had also fought through after a bad start). In the end Langston passed Ramon on the last lap to get third place, with Ramon fourth.

Ricky Carmichael comments

"I didn't make it easy on myself. I came back and rode good, it was hard for me and there are reasons. I would have liked to have come in better prepared, I made it tough on myself and these guys stepped up to the plate. Timmy rode his butt off and stepped it up, nobody can say anything (bad) of him. Ryan won both his motos, I am excited for him and also for myself. Timmy gave me the inside for the second moto and I got the holeshot. I got a good start in the first moto, but we came into the second turn and two guys stopped and I stopped and got rear ended by somebody and my bike stopped and by the time I got going the leaders were gone. I put my head down and in this race funny things happen. It was a long race for me. At first I was confident I could get to second, but Reedy held me off, I spend some energy early and was tired at the end. I could see it was hard to get past guys, but as the race went on I just wanted to get on the podium. I could see Ryan was leading, I knew we were safe."

"First of all I want to say good job Timmy, there was some shit being talked. I don't miss that about this sport and they say you are only as good as your last race, but he beat me heads up a few years ago here. I think he shut everybody up. As for Ryan, he stunned everybody. Cairoli is the world champion, but he isn't racing over here and our guys are beating third place by a minute plus. Cairoli is a great rider, but the pace over here is so different and when you race fast guys you get faster. Everyone is going to be scared to death of him (Villopoto), and they should be, because he has that something special. I wasn't at my best and I want to say sorry to the team, I could have easily lost it for them, but I did everything I could have done."

"This is the last race where I had to really perform, I have some races I have to do USOpen and Bercy). My scheduel I had to do this year has tired me out, but I can't run these guys pace anymore (refering to Ryan Villopoto). I am so proud of my teammates today."

"We made the european guys feel good (the American supporters), I like to say thanks to the American fans, and also the european fans, I think since everything happen in 2001 (9/11). I think this race is back like in the De Coster and Bailey days and it's back on it's feet again and I like to take some credit for it."

"It was tough, I got a little choked up there, it was a great win, the only time I got like that was in France in 2000 when we won, so it was a good reason to cry. Same thing this time, it always feels good to prove critics wrong." "I know I was hard on the track for the National, but was the way I felt. The track was much better this time, I don't know who did it, but it needed to be better and it was, much better. Saturday it was much better, big improvement."

Ryan Villopoto comments

"I got the inside gate in the first moto, I got the holeshot and I was wondering where Ricky was, I thought we go for one/two. I broke the gap and rode it out to the end. I came over the finish line and onto the three rollers and I rode into some guy who was crashed. I got stuck on top of him. I kind of got the heart rate up a bit. It helped to have one of the best bikes out there. It makes it easy going to the line when you know you have one of the best teams. The good started helped and I didn't have to follow anyone, it was warm for sure. Just being that last year was my first time and I didn't want to mess up. It was easier being here in America. I hate to see anyone get hurt, expecially Ben, we have been on the same team, we went at it all year, so I knew he would be fast here. It was a shame he got hurt.

Tim Ferry comments

"I went down, lucky I didn't get run over, I fixed my brake and got going. I was trying to pass as many guys as possible. Ricky's advice was to stay on two wheels. I feel comfortable here. After I fell I was relaxed and after watching the first moto I thought Ryan was gone, the track was good and it was rough and it was also hot out there. Second moto I knew Ricky was out front and at that point it was a personal goal to get second. Ramon is good in corners and that is where I am good, so it made it hard to pass. I relaxed and got my pace going and passed him. I didn't read what people were saying, we talked about it, I was fired up a little bit, but this isn't a personal thing, its a team event."

"I won my class, so that is as good as I can do. I had a great chance when James got hurt. It was great to be a part of this, this race is so nice to do. It was hard to see the Belgians win in 2003, so to win here it was important. I was thinking about losing in 2003. I knew we would be strong, but I didn't think Ryan would ride like that. We have seen the future of the sport and it was a good thing to be part of Ricky's last race."

Team overall

1. Team USA 8pts

2. Team France 34pts

3. Team Belgium 35pts

4. Team Italy 57pts

5. Team GB 63pts

6. Team Spain 68pts

7. Team Japan 77pts

8. Team Switzerland 84pts

9. Team Germany 89pts

10. Team Canada 90pts

MX1 classifications