450 Words: A2
It only took three races for the 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, to take on an entirely different complexion. It started out looking to be a two-horse race between defending champion James Stewart on his Monster Energy Kawasaki, and that of 2004 AMA champion Chad Reed on his San Manuel Yamaha. They split wins in the first two events and came into Round 3, tied with 47 points apiece. But prior to the main event Saturday night, James Stewart made a shocking announcement at 6:15 p.m. that he would be bowing out of the race—and likely the entire season—with a knee injury, putting sole control of the championship into the hands of Reed. You can watch the announcement from Saturday night on Racer X Films.
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But if he did win out, that would give him 15 consecutive wins, topping the existing record of 13 wins in a season which is shared by both RC and MC; and would give him a total of 16 in the 17-race series.
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And let’s not forget the incredible ride by Yamaha’s Josh Hill, who finished second in only his third AMA Supercross main event. Hill kept Reed in his sights for the first half of the race, and we can expect to see the young Yoncalla, Oregon, resident on the podium again. Yamaha had to be nervous when they were riding close, as they had a little dust-up practicing earlier in the week, but in the end, a 1-2 for blue didn’t seem remotely possible just an hour before the race,