This weekend in Atlanta marked a first in racing history—James Stewart was lapped without crashing! I know, I know, James has had a rough go of it lately and was just trying to complete the main event and build his form back up to being in contention. I understand that and this is not taking a shot at James. In fact, I actually commend him for swallowing his pride and finishing the race when he had to be frustrated with how things were unfolding. This is a racer that was labeled the “Fastest Man on the Planet” for most of his career, so it was strange to watch the pack ride away from him while he simply clicked off laps.
What happened at the end of the race—as Marvin Musquin and Ryan Dungey lapped him—was a direct result of James’ incredible career and lack of experience in this situation. This was not a blatant effort to get in the way, not bitterness at going a lap down, it was simply James getting into a situation he has literally never been in before.
I am an expert at being lapped. In fact, I would bet I have been lapped in more main events than any rider in history. While that may not be something most would highlight in their resume, it makes me uniquely qualified to comment on blue flag etiquette.
I raced in somewhere around 160 main events during my career (when combining both classes) and was remarkably efficient at going a lap down. With all of my experience in getting blue flags, one would assume I always got it right, right? One would be incorrect. At Hangtown in 2012, I was in Ryan Dungey’s way as he was pressuring none other than the subject of this article, James Stewart. That was an example of a rider (me) not making the right choices when trying to avoid the leaders. I was trying to hold my line and give Ryan some predictability so he could then make his move and keep racing without hesitation. That didn’t pan out how he or I planned and it cost him valuable time. It happens. After watching it on television, I apologized the next weekend and Ryan went on to dominate the championship regardless.
Now that I have proven credible in this scenario and have also proven that even I can screw it up after hundreds of tries, let’s take a look at this incident with James.
As Marvin and Ryan approached James just before the last lap, the blue flags were flying. Stewart was given notice near the wall jump and through the following whoops. He then looked over the finish to locate the leader. These events should have left no doubt that it was the leaders on his rear wheel. This is where his inexperience shone through and things went sideways.
See, on a supercross track, there is a line known as the “race line.” At full speed, almost every racer will be using the race line as their primary way to circulate the track. As James was logging laps, he was using that race line, just as he should. But, when you’re about to get lapped, thought has to be given to abandoning the race line so you don’t alter the leaders running the fastest way around the track. This has to be done carefully and thoughtfully, though, so that the leaders can predict where to pass. The worst thing a rider can do when being lapped is to make erratic movements to get out of the race line and turn the ordeal into a giant guessing game.
So, as James jumped the finish line, he knew that the race line ranged from the middle of the whoops to the left, where a low line had formed. The left side low line was the easiest way through the whoops, but that line put him on the inside of the next turn, impeding the leaders’ ability to pass. Taking the left line down the whoops in that scenario was a mistake due to his inexperience. Ideally, he would have moved right on the landing and subsequently given the right-of-way to Marvin and Ryan, also putting himself on the outside in the next turn, opening the inside for the leaders.
In the following turn, James had another chance to eliminate himself from the situation and didn’t. To his credit, he did take the lowest line possible in order to stay out of the way but ideally he would have slowed much more in the turn, assuring that both riders passed. Instead, he made a normal turn and progressed into the next rhythm section, still ahead of both Marvin and Ryan.
Again, here was another chance to stay out of harm’s way, simply by rolling the first jump on the left side. This is a sign that he was unsure of what to do. His move to the left side of the track was a clear sign that he was trying to get out of the way but the fact that he still jumped the rhythm section flew right in the face of that strategy. Had he either singled the double or simply not tripled in the middle of the rhythm section, both riders would have flown right by.
That’s simply not how it went.
Marvin was forced to change his line slightly because of James’ position and made the mistake that likely cost him a victory. It was a devastating outcome for Marvin and he has a right to be frustrated. James didn’t make savvy choices in this scenario but those choices were simply from a lack of familiarity with the situation.
Lapped riders and their effect on the outcome of a race is a subject that arises often in our sport. From myself to Nick Wey to Heath Voss and now James Stewart himself, we have all made mistakes in our decision making when the leaders are approaching. It’s difficult to grow eyes in the back of your head while in the midst of trying to navigate a treacherous supercross track. Experience is the most valuable tool a rider could have in this specific situation, but with all of the skills that James’ spectacular career has taught him, being lapped simply isn’t one of those. Luckily for James, he probably won’t face this situation very often and quite honestly I would bet it’s a skill he doesn’t care to learn.
