Ryan Villopoto will be there to win when Anaheim 1 rolls around in January 2013. Image: Simon Cudby.

After returning from a substantial knee injury to defend his 2011 Monster Energy Cup victory, Ryan Villopoto lit up the stage with a dominating performance in race one of three.

The current AMA Supercross 450 class champion proved he has maintained both his speed and racecraft as he prepares for the upcoming 2013 season.

A slight mishap saw the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider go down hard in race two of the event, ultimately ruining any chances of repeating his million dollar performance of 2011.

“It was a disappointing way to end the night,” said Villopoto. “I showed that I had the speed to repeat for the million and felt great on the bike.”

Using the Las Vegas based event to size up his competition, Villopoto now knows what to work on before arriving at Anaheim 1 to defend his title.

“This was a good race to see where we size up against the competition and know now what we need to work on before the 2013 season begins. We’ll be there to win,” he added.

Villopoto finished up in 10th place overall at the 2012 Monster Energy Cup after sitting out the final race of the night.