This Week in Kawasaki SX History: SLC 2003
Thursday, April 28, 2011 | 4:25 PM
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The 2011 Monster Energy Supercross Series picks up this weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah after taking a one-week break for the Easter holiday. The capital city of Utah has been on and off the supercross tour over the years as it debuted in 2001, went for four years and then took a five-year hiatus from the tour. The race came back in 2009 and it’s been a special place for the green crew. All told, out of the twelve main event winners at SLC (6 supercross class and 6 Lites class), Kawasaki has won five—more than any other manufacturer.
For This Week in Kawasaki SX History, we’ll take a look back at one of the more dominating wins for Team Green at the Salt Lake City Supercross.
Stewart en route to victory in 2003.
Photos: Mario Barberio
The Rice-Eccles outdoor stadium has been the venue for every race held in SLC and oftentimes the weather and the altitude have been the racers’ biggest obstacle as opposed to the other racers. In 2003, James Stewart came into the main event as a man that had already clinched the 125 West Region Championship, as the rider in second place, Travis Preston, was out with an injury.
There was nothing on the line for the number 259, but he went out there and crushed the rest of the competition for the seventh time in eight races (Preston won round one). Stewart had in fact led 100 out of the 105 laps since Preston’s win.
Stewart got a second place start on his KX125 despite being down on horsepower (compared to the four-strokes that he was racing against) and at altitude. But he quickly moved into the lead in the first rhythm section and it was nothing but seconds put on after that.
Stewart dominated the 2003 season winning seven of eight races.
Photos: Mario Barberio
Wearing his trademark Fox pink and zebra-striped gear, Stewart effortlessly attacked the Salt Lake track and started pulling away and looking toward the finish. At one point near the halfway mark, Stewart had some twenty-seconds on second place and started backing it down from there. Soon, with four laps remaining, Stewart was doing clickers and one-handers for the crowd. Like he had been in so many other races earlier this year, he was the first rider to get the checkers in another dominating fashion.
With Preston missing the race, Stewart finished the west region series with a crushing 58-point lead and added to the record books in that class. The world waited for James to make the step up to the supercross class and soon enough, they would get their wish.
But on this night, it was a Kawasaki leading the way in the 125 class.
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Holeshot!
Sweet!! C'mon James, bring some of that back to SLC this weekend!!
Not sure what year it was, 02 or 04. But does anyone else remember Bubba slammin the ground and knockin himself out in SLC.? I think it was on the final lap just after the finish line.?? I think it even sidelined him for the Vegas race.
Man do i wish we could lose this stupid HOLESHOT crap every time somebody is the first poster on a story.....sooooooo stupid!
Mad because you got 4th! Why don't you cry about it!! I thought it was funny, so I continued the tradition.
Hey T, not sure what year it was, but I'm pretty sure it was the Vegas finale when JS when over the bars seat bouncing the quad.
jdoug,, yes it was at vegas when JS bit off.. I think he mised the first 4 outdoors. I also think thats when Grant Langston decided to ride the 125 outdoors since JS had a broken collar bone, so he could win a championship. I'm thinking this was in '03.
Wish we could see him on a two stroke again....he made it looks so easy!
....AHhh...i miss two smokers!
hey HOLE-SNOT, suck it biotch! there will be many more holeshots round here, but rest assure, you will never take one! haaaaaaaaaaaaaaapuuukehaaaaaaaaaaa
I think it was in 04. he got a concussion when he crashed in the whoops in practice, and didnt race in the main.
No it was indy in '04 and hansen won it. The vegas crash was in 03.
Congrats to jdoug (although rubbing it in is kinda elementary school but, I'd do it too) and to hole-snot, keep trying buddy, you'll pull one someday. Maybe you need a holeshot device on your keyboard...........
What ever happend to his relationship with that guy Tony Haines,the guy he always thanked and looked up to back then?
Also ran his old #259
Believe me kids, i did not make the comment because i was upset that i didn't get the "holeshot"..........i made it because it is stupid and annoying!!! Thank you!!
"sissy girl"....checkout the "countdown" page "biotch"!!!!!!!!
i wish racing was still like it was back in 03-04.. so much more fun to attend and watch.
I was there for that race. It was really incredible to watch Bubba put the hurt on those guys like that! So much speed ...
lighten up, the "holeshot" thing is pretty funny. Wish i can get one soon...
The holeshot thing IS lame. Especialy without a comment. To all that get off on it keep trying. Then call all your friends and tell them all about it. Then they will think your lame too.
The holeshot thing is totally lame! It is unfortunate that the only way you could ever get even close to a holeshot is to sit poised over your keyboard waiting for next story to drop instead of a gate.
Remember the Vegas Finale in 04 3 Kawis battling for the lead? Roncada Tedesco and Stewart? those 4strokes hoked up real good on the Vegas crete..James still handled them...couple of weeks after was the Hangtown opener when Roncada was on the gas again bit 259 on the two stroke was just to good...he had a bunch of wins with a minute on the feild that year too and then at the finale in Glen Helen on a four stroke the kid made it look way too easy...who would have guessed his career would be so up and down after those performances?