by Aaron Hansel
Monday Conversation: James Stewart
Monday, January 30, 2012 | 9:50 AM
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PrintThe first few races in Monster Energy Supercross didn’t go the way James Stewart had hoped, but the JGR Toyota/Yamaha rider had maintained that he wasn’t worried. He proved why with a solid win in Oakland, where he pulled away from Chad Reed and Ryan Villopoto in the second half of the race. We talked to him about the win, and also about the tragic loss of his home practice mechanic, Mark Adams.
Racer X: Congrats on the win! How was it out there?
James Stewart: The race was pretty good. I didn’t get the best start, but I was up there. I made my way up past a few guys, I think I went up to second on lap three or four and got in a good rhythm. I was following Chad, seeing where I was quicker, and where he was quicker, and obviously I felt Ryan [Villopoto] coming up. I could hear the crowd when he put a wheel in, so I stepped it up a little bit. I ended up getting around Chad on this flat straightaway, and just started clicking laps off. I got my lead up to about four-and-a-half seconds at one point, and just maintained from there. It was good.
You looked more comfortable tonight than the previous three rounds. Did you make some breakthroughs in testing? What was the difference tonight?
The difference was that we didn’t go down. We got up front. I think I was finally starting to click last week, and obviously I hit that Tuff Block, but I think the track was pretty good tonight; the dirt was obviously awesome. I think the tougher the track is, and obviously it did get tougher in the main event, things seem to lean toward me. I have to give it up to my team. We struggled in the beginning part of the year, and now we’re starting to make breakthroughs and we’ll continue to get better. It was definitely a nice win for all of us.
After a slow start to the season, Stewart was able to grab his first win of 2012 in Oakland.
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
In the heat race Villopoto caught up to you and was definitely putting some pressure on you. How hard were you riding at that point, and did you have another level if you needed it?
I felt like I had enough to win the race. In the heat race, the track was pretty good, and I knew in the main event, it’d be a little tougher to ride. Between practice and the heat race we went the wrong way on the setup for sure, so there was no sense to try to get overconfident. We still would have made changes either way. I got a great start, and just rode. He was there in the main event pretty early actually, and I ended up pulling away from him, getting around Chad, and pulling away from him also. It was good. I think it was a great start, we know what we need to work on, and we’ll get better.
After losing Mark Adams, your practice bike mechanic, during the week, how much does this win mean to you?
It means a lot. It’s cool to see the motocross community come around me and really support, not only me, but him. I’m sad, but what about his family? We should be thinking about the people, the friends that he knows, just everybody around him. It was definitely special to win the race, and it was definitely tough to hear on Thursday that, out of the blue, he was gone. Definitely, this win was for him. It was really cool to see the team come together, and we’ll continue to do it for the rest of the year.
I heard you dedicate the race to him up on the podium.
Yeah, for sure. Even though I hadn’t known Tex that long, as long as I have known him, he’s been a good guy. What sucks is that he’s only two years older than me. He looks older, but he was only 28 years old. It was cool to have some of the riders come up to me…even Ryan Dungey came up to me and said, “Sorry about your loss.” It was pretty special, and it was nice of them.
Stewart is now twelve points back of Chad Reed and Ryan Dungey in the points standings.
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
Can you talk about how the whoops have been?
The whoops tonight were actually really tough. They were really small, but they were high speed and easy to skip. I started slowing down through them, and I got through them a little better. I was making up a lot of time in the corners tonight. Some of them I didn’t have that good, but the flat ones I had pretty good all night, at least in the main event. The whoops definitely haven’t been as big, except for the ones last week, they were pretty huge. I looked at them and laughed, then I went down on the second lap of practice in them, so I’ve got to be careful with that!
Have you been having to make adjustments from your practice track whoops?
I think that the track just isn’t really the same. I thought this track was going to be pretty fast, which it actually turned out to be, but just because the jumps got worn down and stuff. It’s hard to adjust for something when you don’t know what you’re going to get, but it was good. At least we had great weather. You can’t complain when you’re in the Bay Area and it’s this dry!
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thats what im talkin bout JS7! You do man, always have been, always wil! You had those guys handled no problem your lap time show the story. You fended off RV and Reed u made them so scared to try and catch u. no wait, they couldnt catch u and never will. ha ha.
i'll keep saying it till I'm blue in the face - RV had an advantage earlier with corner speed and cr and js are have caught him. At least for this week.
I ride a "junky" YZ by the way and in tacky dirt or dirt with traction I think it is great.
Being that I pay for my own stuff reliability comes first to me. That is why i ride blue.
not realy a JS fan but we can all hopefully shut up about it being the bike - hopefully.
Was that first comment in pidgin English?
I hope he can retain this focus. It's shaping up to be a great season.
Well Rv never had an andvantage earlier cause he never got higher then 3rd place. ha ha.. But althought i dont ride a dirtbike, i do know what your talkin about with the traction, JS7 was getting awesome traction all night long. JS7 had the fastest lap times man, thats why he won.
Let's all hope that when/if Stewart wins the championship, that he give back to his fans by getting them hooked on phonics. Some of these comments make me cringe.
haha.....good one teacher....
I'm not a Stewart fan by any means but I can certainly appreciate his talent. Four different winners in as many races. This is going to be an awesome year! I wish the SPEED channel would get there heads out of there butts. This waiting a day or two to see the lights races blows. Bring on the Live coverage!
Hey teacher, you will be waiting a few years before JS wins the World Vet Championship because his days are finished in Supercross titles. The fervent hope is when JS performs his major get off he will be able to finish the series on the track and on his couch.
Claxton.....I'd have to agree with you. JS definitely looked good Saturday night but I find it hard to believe he's got the bugs worked out between his ears that easily!
Glad that James Won with the week he had. The First win is the tough one, Now the REAL Racing Starts.......I'm still going with Orange and Red on top in May
@Claxton, I'm not waiting, because I can see others have caught up to his speed. I think RV & RD have a better mental game. Since JS started loosing while not crashing has probably messed up his mental game. Too many years of people blowing up his ego...now it will just slowly deflate.
Fantastic win for JS and great for the fans, another competive series to look forward to each weekend. It looked to me like the track broke down quickly so the fact that James made his move early enough to take advantage of that and then pulled away on a gnarly track has got to be big for his confidence. I thought Dungey looked really as well, would have been interesting if he was the one out front instead of Chad but CR did hold RV off so props to him too. Great races and much better coverage by CBS this week.
and once again you are all saying that the guy who just won two days ago is 'finished'...he passed reed and ran away, pulled away from RV, the fastest man ever...and RD isn't beating any of the big 4 he doesn't start in front of...
you guys are awesome...
@TheTeacher...uh, its 'losing'...what exactly is 'loosing'?
retard...
halfe316
Some of these guys forget that only Stewart fans have valid opinions......I've learned my lesson.
Very interesting race, Congrats to JS, showded every one he still has the speed. What I have noticed from Stew is he is not making a crazy run to the front, he seems more content to let the race come to him. Could not believe I was watching him motor around behind Wiemer, not chargeing, same for this week he watched Reed rather than trying to force any thing. Could it be Bubba has finally matured, if so, he will be hard beat!
Reed got a great start an ran a very good race, was a little suprised that he did not charge after the 7, he seemed to be content to take 2 and keep behind him taking those valuable points.
Villopoto was fast and I think he could have blitzed Reed, but when the Chad took him wide and kept him from makeing the tripple, I saw RV put it in Championship mode and just relax knowing he was a safe 3.
BD25......good observations. I suggested RV assessed the situation and put it into big picture mode and got vilified for it by the regular Stewart worshipers! Think they've all gone back to their padded cells til next Saturday.
@ Ripdown,, I'm sure that's what happened.
I have to admit as an RV fan I was a bit dissapointed when he did not put a late charge on. Given that I believe he ran a lap in the 52. something range in the heat race while catching Stewart. No one ever came close to that again. But I do also think that RV looks at big picture. He doesnt seem to get caught up in the bravado...Yea...that's what i'm going with! LOL
nice ride JS........wow all the talk that this track was going to be a piece of cr.....! really all you have heard is how technical this track was including Tomac stating this was the "most technical track he has ever ridden?"...........Reed simple could not hold him off and give credit where credit is due....nice job JS........now its a series .....GO REEDY......."GREATEST SEASON EVER 2"
Ripdown: stop trolling.
Ya, Ripdown...i'm sure you don't really care what i think and that's cool, but you are beginning to make yourself look a little bit foolish. The first thing you do on every story is badmouth the guy, then you always pat the backs of anybody else who makes a negative comment. At the same time you stroke RV and his losses as simply being him making a smart choice. Well, just like everybody else this year who hasn't won on a given weekend ,including JS,CR,RD and your fave RV, not winning means your getting beat, plain and simple!! It is futile to try and argue with you, but you really are guilty of the same things you accuse the Stewartr worshippers of doing....do you honestly not see that?? Doesn't matter, you'll always be right in your mind. I agree with James when he says the difference this weekend was "not going down"...it really is!! Some say he is not practiced and out of shape, but i don't agree....he's made his own mistakes the first 3 races and hit the dirt...nobodies fault but his!! But, in my opinion, if you think he is any less valid for the title hunt, i think you would be wrong. All four of those dudes have a legit shot!! He's a little more behind the eight ball, but one race gave him a seven point turn around. 12 down with 13 races left is not at all insurmountable!! Great season thus far!!
...but i guess you would be correct in that once RV realized that on that night he didn't have anything for CR and JS he didn't push the issue and settled for third!!!
It's pretty obvious that James likes to say "obviously" a lot.
Not a big fan of bubbles, but glad a got he a win, and did it clean. Anything is possible, and the guy is not out of the points chase yet. As for the King of Lawn darters, yes he still holds the title. The season is still early, so lets see what cards he has to play. Is there anyone left out there that can step it up for a win?
Hey RacerX, you should put an age limit on people allowed to write in these forums. Seems like a bunch of 12 year olds going at it.
Actually I don't bad mouth Stewart a whole lot.....won't deny I don't really like what he stands for but it's more his fans that I dislike. They are generally just disrespectful to every other rider out there...but then again so is this website. Blatantly disregarded everything that happened in the previous 3 weeks and announced a new award this week for Stewart.....awesome.
As far as coming across as being foolish....well for that I must apologize as I'm actually quite intelligent.....lord knows all your posts are Mensa material.
Couple of more months before the snows gone up here so don't expect to get rid of me too soon.......
@JS7champion
I was talking about earlier in the year. I have posted since anaheim that RV was the fastest through the corners. I have also posted many times thatI am not a fan of any particular rider. More the sport itself. The last guy I was a fan of was Henry...
@JS7champion
I was talking about earlier in the year. I have posted since anaheim that RV was the fastest through the corners. I have also posted many times thatI am not a fan of any particular rider. More the sport itself. The last guy I was a fan of was Henry...
@Ripdown,, WOW,, you actually have the nerve to call others "disrespectful?"
@Ripdown...apparently you haven't been paying attention...
there is far more negative Js7 commenting going on on this site as a whole than all other riders combined...
one article doesn't make a site...look around a bit...part of what you hear from js7 fans is the backlash from all the 'haterade' that gets spread his way everytime tips over or doesn't win by a mile...
good win for stewart and a good win for the fans of our sport. 4 guys believing in their ability to win is far better than 1 or 2...
nice ride for stewart rv was def the fastest reed shut him down allowed stewart to get away smart ride by rv long way to go.cant wait till next week.
Congrats Bubba, that was a strait up win. I was there and in practice RV was faster but as the track rutted up and got technical JS got faster and faster..his passes were precise and well excuted, as soon as RV would pressure him he would just go a little faster, after he passed CR,, then CR went faster and RV settled for 3rd but JS pulled away from both.... amazing to watch live,,,best race of the year so far....this season is shaping up to be great....I can say for sure that the big 4 are definatly in another class then the rest of the pack.
God Speed..."Tex"
"Mensa" eh' Ripdown?? I see you have your dictionary by your side when you post.......and thanks for the compliment!! ha.......ha!! Also, don't be so cynical....it was a new award this week and he just happened to be the first recipient!! These guys add more new articles all the time, unfortunately some of it seems a little redundant at times. Now if they drop the "Outstanding Performance" next week, you have a legitimate concern!!
Call me funny (you would';t be the first) but I like to read all the comments on here. OK not the flat out racist comments, however as a fan, I truly think that I benefit by reading what everyone else is thinking. I take all the thoughts let them swirl around in what is left of my brain and come up with my own conclusion. So I thank everyone-wether I agree on not, for all of thier coments. It entertains me when I don't have racing to watch. I also enjoy reading the posts from the people that post often. Kinda like we know each other after a while. Like to hear the opinions of Welker,CZ mark, Ripdown,BD200,Pizzacorner and even jairtime had good comments now and again. BillC has good points Not to mention favorite riders for sure, he's on a sled trip to canada this week, I believe. Speakin of missing, wonder what happened to old euro Mike that graced this site a year ago or so? You guys gotta remember him. LOL Keep postin' and readin' my friends, and we will let the Best Season Ever unfold. thanks again Bucky
@ whatever..........I have a feeling it was more than a coincidence there's a new award. No matter who we all cheer for we all know who the media likes to cheer for and pump up. 6th place podium interview at A1 on live TV, 4th place overall award at SX ceremonies last year.......I really couldn't care less, we're all used to hearing the sport can't survive without him by now lol.
And before I'm labelled a hater for raising valid points, I'll give JS his props again like I did in other posts, he rode well on Saturday night. Field is STACKED.
RD5 IS A CLASS ACT THROUGH AND THROUGH. Nuff said.
Beat it Bucky , Nobody liked Jairtime , including RacerX , Ripdown is tryying real hard to replace him , He is festering , with negative energy , and has limited knowledge of the sport ,
@bucky394, oh ya, who could forget Euro/Nazi/New Jersey?/Mike! He must have relocated where they don't have internet acess. He was entertaining though.
Boy, I thought this thread would be FULL of comments. Once you take away the JS haters, it shortens up..
Good or bad you all cant stop talking about the guy! Bubba loves his haters, he made them. go7!
Straight up, nuff said. JS was clearly faster. RV I think was looking at the big picture, and Reed too and so just settled in figuring Bubba would likely crash even once out front and on his own; I kept waiting for it and was surprised like many he didn't; congrats JS.
I agree too that JS seems to have matured taking long looks at Weimer and CR before going around them; smart. Maybe 'crazie balls' doesn't apply anymore. I've love to be a fan but until he quites the crashing I just can't stand the disappointment. Think a lot of people feel that way.
I think James is becoming like Reed...... you just can't count him out anymore. Many did it to Reed year after year and were convinced after the Millville crash he was done. Now many do it to James as he was off so long, but he's still fast. That's why all these guys are multiple champions and give it their all week in week out. Going to be a great season.
@ mxmofo1.....it's partly due to the fact his worshippers aren't making excuses this week. It goes both ways, bottom line he won last weekend so he gets his credit where due.
@ Retardcross,, I agree..
Good post Bucky. Kind if summed up how I feel about these posts. For the most part I like everyone on here..... Except Preston, he's kind of nasty.
While I'm at it Preston, I made a New Years resolution to try and become as hated as Jairtime! Think I'm doing pretty good so far.
BTW. I have 33 yrs experience in MX......you just don't like opinions that aren't yours !
If rv's mechanic didn't add a few thicker sponser stickers before the main and throw rv's balance out of wack he would have lapped everyone....he lost again no big picture he races to win. He was all over them then he faded ,reed and stewart beat him, none of the top 4 are way dominate over each other right now, there are really no excuses.
@JS7champione2012
Before you make yourself look like an idiot, realize JS7 didnt have the fastest lap time of the main, or the night. RV2 did. Not that it matters, just showing you don't know what your talking about.
@pizzacorner, I hear the HOF is temporarily closed while they move into a bigger building.
as i have posted many times before, i'm a fan of bubba. i have been since he was on kx125's...that cat is too much fun to watch...win or crash, you just gotta' see what happens. in any case, i think that RV has been the fastest guy overall in 4 races...or 10 if you're Matthes- but oakland was stewies race, he had the right amount of speed, raced smart, and kept it on two wheels. i think CR22 is probably the best racer, JS7 is the balls-out fastest (though not this year as of yet), and RV2/1 has the best combo of both...and RD5 is the new CR22... I've never been a big fan of RV, but he is proving to be something great out there...he just doesnt seem like someone i would want to hang out with like Trey Canard- man I wish that dude would stay healthy! godspeed Tex!
If I avoid reading Stewartfan's comments, I think I can actually start liking him again. Or maybe it is just a healthy dose of humility that he has gotten so far? Whatever the case, he didn't cry this time and I would have thought this was a bigger win than the one last year after 8 straight non-wins. But oddly, I didn't mind him winning all that much. In fact, I have found myself rooting for him to pass Reed, which is absolutely bizarre to me.
@Preston-There's always gonna be a Jairtime or someone like him, no escaping that. I really think it's funny when people let someone like that get thier undies in a bundle over a dumb comment or a simple dissagreement. At the end of the day, who really cares? We are all fans or we wouldn't be here. Takes all kinds to make the world go around. We gotta take the good with the bad or go home. Can we agree THE RACIN' IS GOOD!!!!!!!!
@ bucky394........Jairtime was a doucher and it was hilarious watching the politically correct police cry the blues every time he made some witty/offside remark. I typically didn't agree with the guy but it was funny watching him set people off, it was all the crying that kept him doing it lol.
@Retardcross I know right? He could really get people going. Old euro Mike too. And everyone joined in-myself included. Life is too short to take some things so seriously. I was pickin' on a guy a while ago cause of his spelling. He was making some comments and it looked funny, so I called him on it. Turned out the guy is from Holland and that explained his spelling. Point being I'm chattin' with a guy from Holland. How cool is that? And about moto to boot! Later, Bucky
hey motodog, pictures are worth a thousand words, your avatar that is. now go do your homework!
OMG! Is there any intelligent life out there? Most of you just B---H about each other and not comment on the story. Is this the norm or does anyone stay on topic? Great race for JS. I think he is the fastest on track and I think if your honest that's hard to argue but it's hard to win when your picking yourself up off the ground. James's win or crash style will never make him another championship.