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Supercross & Motocross
SX: The Burning Question: Panic Time For JGRMX?
Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey have traded wins and sit tied atop the Supercross points order. But what about preseason title favorite James Stewart?
JGRMX/Toyota/Yamaha's James Stewart (Photo: Yamaha Racing)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Round 3 of the Monster Energy Supercross Lites West Championship from Los Angeles, CA will air on SPEED Monday, January 23 at 12:00pm ET. #SXonSPEED
Is it time for James Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing to hit the panic button?
We’ve completed just two rounds of the 17-race Monster Energy Supercross season, but already, preseason title favorite James Stewart sits a surprising 17 points out of the premier class points lead.
On the heels of sixth and eighth-place efforts in Anaheim and Phoenix, respectively, Stewart’s new relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing hasn’t gotten off to the start anyone had hoped or expected it would.
There is no question that the speed is there for the two-time champ; he’s consistently at the front of the pack in qualifying, and he’s won his heat race at both stops. In fact, the manner in which he went about capturing the heat race in Phoenix was masterful, highlighted by a two-for-one pass into the whoops where he ripped past by both Chad Reed and Andrew Short in one fell swoop.
The bike looks dialed in, as does Stewart… most of the time. He’s already proven that he can win on the JGR bike, but when it comes to the main events, things just seem to go wrong. The biggest issue for Stewart has been his starts, plain and simple. He was late out of the gate in Anaheim, and was again mired mid-pack in Phoenix. Both situations put Stewart in a position in which misfortune can strike even if through no fault of his own -- look at Ryan Villopoto on the opening lap last weekend for reference -- or he could potentially be forced to push himself and/or the bike beyond the limit, which has been the case both weekends thus far.
In Anaheim, Stewart lost traction on the face of a jump and landed on the tuff blocks. In Phoenix, after surging through the field, he washed out while trying to navigate a sand wall. While he remounted on both occasions and fought his way back to respectable finishes, his rivals were out front, battling for the podium. As a result, Stewart is in an unfamiliar seventh place in the running order while archrivals Villopoto and Dungey are tied for first, with nemesis Chad Reed right behind, tied for third.
Is it time for James Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing to hit the panic button?
We’ve completed just two rounds of the 17-race Monster Energy Supercross season, but already, preseason title favorite James Stewart sits a surprising 17 points out of the premier class points lead.
On the heels of sixth and eighth-place efforts in Anaheim and Phoenix, respectively, Stewart’s new relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing hasn’t gotten off to the start anyone had hoped or expected it would.
There is no question that the speed is there for the two-time champ; he’s consistently at the front of the pack in qualifying, and he’s won his heat race at both stops. In fact, the manner in which he went about capturing the heat race in Phoenix was masterful, highlighted by a two-for-one pass into the whoops where he ripped past by both Chad Reed and Andrew Short in one fell swoop.
The bike looks dialed in, as does Stewart… most of the time. He’s already proven that he can win on the JGR bike, but when it comes to the main events, things just seem to go wrong. The biggest issue for Stewart has been his starts, plain and simple. He was late out of the gate in Anaheim, and was again mired mid-pack in Phoenix. Both situations put Stewart in a position in which misfortune can strike even if through no fault of his own -- look at Ryan Villopoto on the opening lap last weekend for reference -- or he could potentially be forced to push himself and/or the bike beyond the limit, which has been the case both weekends thus far.
In Anaheim, Stewart lost traction on the face of a jump and landed on the tuff blocks. In Phoenix, after surging through the field, he washed out while trying to navigate a sand wall. While he remounted on both occasions and fought his way back to respectable finishes, his rivals were out front, battling for the podium. As a result, Stewart is in an unfamiliar seventh place in the running order while archrivals Villopoto and Dungey are tied for first, with nemesis Chad Reed right behind, tied for third.
SX Seattle
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