Written by:
Denny Hartwig
Two races into the drama-packed Monster Energy® AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., picked up the first his first win of the season at Phoenix’s Chase Field and carries the momentum into Angel Stadium this Saturday. This week will be the first of seven Monster Energy® Supercross races that will be broadcast on CBS Sports (Sunday, January 18 at Noon EST).
Media Day will be held Thursday, January 15 inside the Diamond Club at Angel Stadium from Noon-2:00pm. The GEICO Honda team, including Kevin Windham, Trey Canard and Dan Reardon, will be available for interviews and photographs.
Angel Stadium played host to the first race of the 2009 Monster Energy® Supercross season in which Stewart was forced to withdraw from the main event after an early-race crash with rival and defending AMA Supercross class champion Chad Reed. Heading in to Phoenix, Stewart, the 2007 AMA Supercross class champion, was 23 points behind points leader and Anaheim 1 race winner Josh Grant. After Saturday night’s win, Stewart climbed to seventh overall in the point standings, narrowing the deficit to 18 points.
“I knew that Chad (Reed) would make it tough on me tonight,” said Stewart. “That is the type of racing that we love to do, and I am pumped because I picked up the win.”
In the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites class race at Chase Field, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., moved into the points lead as he picked up his first win of the season.
