Page 60 - GRIT_70

MALCOLM STEWART
450 SX / 10TH
IMAGE / REEVES WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> What a story Malcolm Stewart has become over the past two years. After winning the 250SX East
Coast Championship in 2016, he was left without a ride for 2017. It was quite astonishing to see a reign-
ing champion struggle to find a factory deal. He would have to go racing in the 450 class on his own dime, but he would pick up some fill-in rides along the way. That is how 2018 started for Malcolm. He was doing everything out of his own pocket and because of that was not properly prepared for round one and had to sit it out. But fortunately for him, a spot opened up on JGR Suzuki and he was offered it. It was perfect because he had already been riding a Suzuki, so the transition was much easier. Since then, Malcolm has had a very up and down season but mainly downs if you just look at the results. His speed and heat race performances have been stellar for most of the season thus far but he has been unable to find anything positive to go for him in the main events. Before Daytona last week where he finished sixteenth, he had just reeled off back to back top tens, his only two of the season, so he entered St. Louis trying to recapture that little momentum he had built up.
Malcolm was on fire in qualifying practice. The rider from Haines City, Florida threw down the fastest lap time of the first timed practice session. He looked tough to beat and was the first rider to bust out a big quad in one of the rhythm lanes. He ended up officially qualifying third and it sure looked like he was in for a good night.
All the high hopes and expectations for the night were thrown out the window two turns into his heat race. Malcolm got an average start and had nowhere to go when Henry Miller crossrutted in a rhythm section and Malcolm ran right into the back of him. Both riders went down but both appeared to be okay. Malcolm re- mounted but rode off to the pits to get medical attention. He was told he would need to get some MRI’s done on Monday, but it was Saturday and that would not hold him out of the night of racing. He gathered himself and went out and took home an easy LCQ victory to punch his ticket to the main event. He was battered and bruised but he still had a chance to give it his all in the main.
Malcolm began the main with one of the better main event starts he’s gotten all year. He managed to emerge from lap one in fifth place. However, the pace and pain of the crash earlier was too much for him to handle early on. He slipped all the way back to thirteenth over the course of the next six laps. He was definitely not the same rider we say in qualifying practice. But he was out there, and he did not give up. He finally said enough is enough and started his trek forwards again. He passed Tyler Bowers and then fought hard in a battle with Dean Wilson, Benny Bloss and Vince Friese for several laps during the middle of the race before finally securing passes on Bloss and Friese as well to move back up to tenth. From there he tried running with Dean Wilson but could not stay close enough. He’d finish there in tenth. It was a tough, gritty, never- give-up performance from Malcolm Stewart that deserves a lot of praise, but he and his fans still have to be wondering how his night would have gone if it wasn’t for his heat race crash.
60 GRITMOTO • MARCH 18, 2018