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Supercross & Motocross
SX: The Holeshot - Atlanta
The James Stewart of old made an appearance in Atlanta, but so too did the new Davi Millsaps...
Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing's James Stewart (Photo: Suzuki Racing)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Round 3 of the Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship from St. Louis, MO will air on SPEED on Sunday, March 3rd at 2:30pm ET.
After a much-needed win, James Stewart looks like he’s back in top form. But is it too late to have any impact on this championship?
It hasn’t exactly been the year James Stewart was hoping for -- and that a massive understatement -- but his wire-to-wire win in Atlanta certainly went a long way to get things headed back in the right direction.
With a new team and a bike he loves, it looked like all the pieces were in place to thrust Stewart back into the forefront of the championship battle. And if his early efforts at the outdoor nationals last summer were any indication, Stewart still has more than enough speed to be a dominant figure in the sport. At the opening round in Anaheim, things looked like they were on track until an awkward twist of the knee subjected Stewart to tremendous adversity before the first set of fireworks had a chance to explode and officially kick of the 2013 season.
With a torn ACL and a level pain that only Stewart could know, it’s been a long, difficult road to battle through so much early-season misfortune. In Dallas two weeks ago, Stewart began to resemble the rider many expected to be a title contender. Once again, heartbreak struck before he had a chance to compete in the main event, this time in the form of a broken clutch.
With a chip on his shoulder, Stewart came out firing in Atlanta and put forth one of his most dominant performances of recent memory. It’s hard to believe it has almost been a year since the former two-time champ stood atop the podium at a Supercross event -- or even led one -- but now the future looks bright for Stewart, even if it’s too late to be a legitimate threat for the title.
With 74 points separating him from Davi Millsaps atop the standings, Stewart faces a near impossible task in getting back into the hunt. Nine rounds remain in the season and we all know anything can happen, but Millsaps is not giving up many points each week and is almost a lock to finish on the podium. Ryan Villopoto isn’t backing down either, nor is Ryan Dungey.
With 35 points between Stewart and Trey Canard in fourth, it is conceivable that Stewart could begin to climb his way up the standings if he continues to ride at this level. Outside of the top three riders, virtually everyone else inside the top 10 in the championship has struggled to put forth consistent efforts on a weekly basis. This is directly attributed to the exceptional depth of the field this season as simply finishing inside the top five is harder than it’s ever been in 40 years of AMA Supercross competition.
Regardless of the championship implications of welcoming the fifth different winner this season, there will undoubtedly be an even higher level of competition in the coming weeks. Stewart has a newfound confidence and a bit of momentum on his side to race alongside the leaders of the class, while winless riders Canard and Chad Reed are going start pulling out all the stops to join this elite group. Canard won three races in his last complete season, while Reed has won at least one race for his nine years of full season competition. These two aren’t used to losing.
Considering that, we very well could be looking at the realistic potential of seven different winners this season. That hasn’t happened since 1997.
After a much-needed win, James Stewart looks like he’s back in top form. But is it too late to have any impact on this championship?
It hasn’t exactly been the year James Stewart was hoping for -- and that a massive understatement -- but his wire-to-wire win in Atlanta certainly went a long way to get things headed back in the right direction.
With a new team and a bike he loves, it looked like all the pieces were in place to thrust Stewart back into the forefront of the championship battle. And if his early efforts at the outdoor nationals last summer were any indication, Stewart still has more than enough speed to be a dominant figure in the sport. At the opening round in Anaheim, things looked like they were on track until an awkward twist of the knee subjected Stewart to tremendous adversity before the first set of fireworks had a chance to explode and officially kick of the 2013 season.
With a torn ACL and a level pain that only Stewart could know, it’s been a long, difficult road to battle through so much early-season misfortune. In Dallas two weeks ago, Stewart began to resemble the rider many expected to be a title contender. Once again, heartbreak struck before he had a chance to compete in the main event, this time in the form of a broken clutch.
With a chip on his shoulder, Stewart came out firing in Atlanta and put forth one of his most dominant performances of recent memory. It’s hard to believe it has almost been a year since the former two-time champ stood atop the podium at a Supercross event -- or even led one -- but now the future looks bright for Stewart, even if it’s too late to be a legitimate threat for the title.
With 74 points separating him from Davi Millsaps atop the standings, Stewart faces a near impossible task in getting back into the hunt. Nine rounds remain in the season and we all know anything can happen, but Millsaps is not giving up many points each week and is almost a lock to finish on the podium. Ryan Villopoto isn’t backing down either, nor is Ryan Dungey.
With 35 points between Stewart and Trey Canard in fourth, it is conceivable that Stewart could begin to climb his way up the standings if he continues to ride at this level. Outside of the top three riders, virtually everyone else inside the top 10 in the championship has struggled to put forth consistent efforts on a weekly basis. This is directly attributed to the exceptional depth of the field this season as simply finishing inside the top five is harder than it’s ever been in 40 years of AMA Supercross competition.
Regardless of the championship implications of welcoming the fifth different winner this season, there will undoubtedly be an even higher level of competition in the coming weeks. Stewart has a newfound confidence and a bit of momentum on his side to race alongside the leaders of the class, while winless riders Canard and Chad Reed are going start pulling out all the stops to join this elite group. Canard won three races in his last complete season, while Reed has won at least one race for his nine years of full season competition. These two aren’t used to losing.
Considering that, we very well could be looking at the realistic potential of seven different winners this season. That hasn’t happened since 1997.
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