One Race, One Page

There is a little to remember about the 2013 Lake Elsinore 450 National. It was August 24, which of course meant it was hot, and the Southern California landscape was that typical late-summer baked earth. There was a modest-sized crowd to watch the riders on a makeshift national track, a hybrid built up from Lake Elsinore’s multiple practice tracks, as well as the Lucas Oil Off-Road Truck track, a 1/3-mile oval that seemed like a stadium. It wasn’t exactly Glen Helen; it wasn’t even Pala. The titles had already been clinched in both classes as well, so no real drama was left to add to this storyline either. However, in hindsight, the ’13 Lake Elsinore race was memorable for one thing: it was the last AMA Pro Motocross race of Ryan Villopoto’s career.