Page 118 - ISSUE 40

MALCOLM STEWART
450 SX / 16TH
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / LANNAN DESIGN / WILSON
>> So far in 2017, Malcolm Stewart has been doing everything he can to carry his success in the 250 division over to the premier class. The 2016 250 champ started off the season slow as he made his debut at round 3. Malcolm finally made his way into the top ten in Arlington but has since struggled to reciprocate these results. A com- bination of crashes and bad luck have kept him from living up to his potential, but its only a matter of time for the Florida rider. As the day began in his home state, Mookie was looking quick on the rough and tough track. He qualified top fifteen and was ready to race in front of the home crowd. As the revs came up and the gate went down for 450 Heat 1, Malcolm got a great jump but was pinched off as the riders narrowed into the first corner. He knew he wanted to keep the sand eating to a minimum but had no choice as he began to climb up through the pack. He fought his way into 8th with two laps to go and was able to grab one more spot before the checkers flew. In the Semi, Malcolm got an excellent jump off the gate. He made his way down the start straight but his line began to collide with another rider as they made brief contact. Malcolm was forced to let off the gas but still turned his Suzuki safely around the first corner.
He was running 7th as the riders made their way through the moguls. He started to charge his way forward and was demanding positions from the riders in front of him. Then, a mistake from a rider in front of him forced Malcolm to come to a stop on the inside of one of the corners. He had no choice but to wheelie turn the bike over some tuff blocks and was now in 2nd place. He would hold on to 2nd all the way to the finish. In the Main, Malcolm lined up just to the inside of the doghouse. He got a good start when the gate dropped and was running just inside the top ten as the laps began. Malcolm continued to run in 9th until lap 8 where he was forced to give the position over to a hard charging number 1 plate of Dungey. On lap 17, Malcolm was finally challenged for his top ten position as he slipped back to 11th. Then, on lap 18, as if the track wasn’t tough enough, Malcolm hit the Daytona dirt. Fortunately, he was able to brush the sand off quickly and rejoin the riders in 16th position where he would finish just another lap later.
118 GRITMOTO • MARCH 12, 2017