Page 70 - Issue45

Malcolm Stewart
450 SX / 15TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / KUHLHOFF DESIGN / WILSON
>> Ride 365.com/Stewart Racing’s Malcolm Stewart had a turbulent evening in Salt Lake City. We all know that Malcolm has the speed, but putting it all together for the Main Event is where the disconnect seems
to be happening for the number 47. After a fourteenth place finish at the last round in Seattle, Malcolm needed to do better this weekend under the bright lights of the Rice-Eccles Stadium. Malcolm Stewart found himself
in the second heat race of the evening and was off to a good start in fifth place behind Eli Tomac in fourth. Unfortunately, in the blink of an eye, Malcolm dropped back to fourteenth place and was now going to have to prove himself in the Semis. Once again, Malcolm found himself in fifth off the start, and with some very intense battling happening all around him, Malcolm stayed focused and held onto the fifth and final transfer spot. The Sunshine State native was heading to the Main Event. The energy
in Utah was mountainous as the riders had their eyes on the gate, all searching for the holeshot at the end of the lengthy start straight. Off the start, Malcolm got buried in the pack and was sitting in fourteenth early in the moto. With plenty of laps to go, he showed speed and perseverance as he started working his was through the crowd. About halfway through the race, he had caught up to eleventh place and was working towards a promising spot within the top ten. Perfect timing and consistency was key in Utah and recovering from any mistakes at an altitude of 4,637 feet is much easier said than done, and sadly, Malcolm was victim to a mistake late in the moto that put him in fifteenth place at the finish. For Malcolm Stewart, putting in a very steady Main Event will be key at the next round in Jersey if he wants that spot within the top ten.
70 GRITMOTO • APRIL 23, 2017