Page 94 - MPG9

theGRIT
Malcolm Stewart entered Toronto carrying the torch for the Stewart brothers and really wanted to win one for his sidelined brother James after coming up just short last weekend in Daytona. Malcolm has shown he has some unreal speed this season and he translated that speed into a 3rd place qualifying effort. He has been so close to the first
two wins this season and was ready to finally take one for himself.
Malcolm went straight to work in his heat race grabbing the holeshot and never looking back. It was a dominant performance by the Geico Honda rider as he steadily gapped the field and was never threatened. It was a nice warm up, as he got ready to do battle in the main event.
The 250 main event was one of the more wild races in recent years. It all began with a massive first turn crash that involved Malcolm going down hard and basically tackling RJ Hampshire’s rear tire head first. His jersey got ripped up by Hampshire’s tire rivaling the jersey flap that we see from Jason Anderson in the 450 class. After all of that carnage in the first turn, Malcolm remounted, briefly went to the mechanics area and then immediately went to work on the competition. He charged to 14th before being forced to return to the mechanics area to have his kill switch ripped
off. He reentered the race buried in 20th with a beat up machine but none of the mattered. All that mattered was the championship points he needed to salvage to stay in contention. Malcolm started riding with some heart and caught up to the field and started making moves. He was stuck outside the top 10 for a majority of the race but kept charging. Riders were going down left and right and having their own problems and that all benefited Malcolm as he somehow miraculously charged all the way into a 6th place finish! He came out of nowhere in the last two laps and made some crucial passes to keep him within 10 points of the championship lead. It was the grittiest ride I have witnessed in quite some time. First turn crash, jersey ripped to shreds, bent bars, and two trips to the mechanics area could not keep Malcolm out of the race. It was truly an impressive and inspiring ride that showcases the never give up attitude. But despite such a great ride, he has to be disappointed because he knows he had the speed to win. Malcolm will head
into next weekend hungrier than ever to notch his first win of the season.
94 GRITMOTO • MARCH.14.16
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