It’s hard to say who’s the fastest man on the planet now on a 250F. If it’s the first moto of an AMA Motocross National, it’s Ryan Villopoto. If it’s the second moto, it’s Ben Townley. If it’s in Europe right now, it’s Tony Cairoli. But then again, all three of these guys hustle in both motos, but the breaks have worked out—in either motos or contracts—that we won’t know until September 23 and the 2007 Motocross des Nations at Budds Creek.
I have not seen Cairoli race this year, but a couple of co-workers who have say he is stunning. But I have seen Villopoto and Townley, and they are both extraordinarily fast and in shape. Villopoto, the defending AMA Toyota Motocross Lites Champion, gets going in a hurry every time out. If not for a spill in the second moto yesterday while leading, it would have been tough for Townley to catch him. Even though he has yet to win a race, he’s still the points leader after three rounds, and as we saw at Budds Creek last year, he flat-out flies there.
Townley has been more patient, maybe because he’s three years older than his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit teammate and still finding his way in America. His second-moto prowess is obvious: He’s 3-for-3 in 2007, and that’s why he’s got two overall wins to none for RV1. However, he knows he can’t let Villopoto get on a roll, because if he does—as he did last year—he’s tough to stop.
As for Cairoli, Racer X’s European contributors are split: Geoff Meyer says the Italian is the best on the planet right now; Matt Allard told us at High Point that it’s Townley. Too bad that Tony isn’t coming to Budds Creek this coming weekend as many hoped in order to check out the MXdN track, because America’s best vs. New Zealand’s best vs. Italy’s best would be something to behold! It would also answer the question as to who is the fastest right now.
