Page 48 - MPG15

JAMES STEWART
True fans know James Stewart as the 125 rider who changed the game of Supercross forever. Lately, the older Stewart brother has been the subject of so much criticism. “You’re only as good
as your last race” is the harsh reality of our sport and haters are quick to put him down. People seem to forget that James invented the scrub, and no one knew it would completely alter the way dirt bikes were ridden, but indeed it did. Now it is not uncommon to see 50cc and 65cc riders mimicking the same moves at the local track. Now, riders have developed their own style of scrubbing and it definitely makes for much more interesting racing. “Bubba” raised the bar to a level that many struggle to achieve consistently. Now, James seems to be one of the riders who is struggling to be consistent at the insanely fast pace but many people forget that James is the one who created this pace. If it weren’t for his revolutionary riding, Supercross would not be where it is today. There was a time that no one can deny, where 125cc rider James was consistently faster than the 250cc riders. Ricky Carmichael and the others stepped their game up in the bigger class and now, Supercross is
a sport that requires complete life dedication in order to be at the top. These top guys eat, sleep, and drink dirt bikes and every single thing they do is aimed towards bettering themselves on Saturday nights. This year, James has been determined to regain the title of “fastest man on the planet” but crashes and flat out bad luck have kept him from doing that. It all started at Anaheim 1, when Stewart and Dungey came together violently which resulted in a serious concussion for James. Since then, in 14 rounds of racing, James has completed many practice and qualifying sessions but has only finished one Main Event. A couple weeks ago in Santa Clara, it seemed as though James had his characteristic speed back and could potentially challenge for a podium. Unfortu- nately the Suzuki did not feel the same way and James was forced to DNF again. After getting together with Peick last weekend in St. Louis, James picked himself back up in dead last and finished the Heat with some very refreshing cheers from the crowd but would again pull out due to re-injury of his ankle and back. It is confirmed that James does have a fracture in his ankle and needs time to nurse his back injury as well. James will heal up and come out 100% for Hangtown.
48 GRITMOTO • APRIL.25.16
words/BUBBLANNAN