Ryan Villopoto celebrates his third consecutive American Supercross title. Image: Simon Cudby.

Ryan Villopoto has credited his Monster Energy Kawasaki team and crew of personal sponsors for boosting him to the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, title with a round to spare despite a horror start to the 2013 season.

Villopoto finished a disastrous 16th at Anaheim I’s opener before eventually seizing the lead for the first time this season at Daytona. During the first 16 rounds, he’s won a career record-equalling tally of nine races.

Despite his struggle in the opening round, the triple champion has taken a methodical approach to each round as it came while under attack from Davi Millsaps and Ryan Dungey.

“I think a few of the top riders were down and I think we were all kind of feeling similar there for a while,” Villopoto reflected with Racer X Online. “The close people that we have around us and the good team that we all ride for, for me it’s Kawasaki and Monster and my personal crew that I put around myself, make it easier to come out of those holes.

“But once you’re out of the hole you can kind of step back and look. Like okay, yeah, see the mistakes and where you went wrong and what you did and things like that, but when you’re in it, it’s one of those deals where you’re inside the box and you can’t see outside of it.

“But once you kind of climb back out of it then you see. We were pretty far down. For me it was my team and the close people that I have around me that helped me through it, and we were able to do it as a whole group.”

Villopoto’s clinching of the championship on slightly changes his approach to the outdoor season ahead of the Supercross finals this weekend in Las Vegas.

“I think it just takes off the pressure going into Vegas,” he added. “We can start to shift what we’re doing mentally and getting ready for Hangtown and outdoors.”