James Stewart’s name has now been added to a long line of motocross royalty that have held the title King of Bercy, as the 22-year-old L&M Racing rider stayed perfect on Sunday and claimed the crown for himself inside the Palais Omnisport, on the edge of eastern edge of Paris, France. Stewart again won every race he entered, though he did trail the equally consistent Justin Brayton for one lap in the first of two main events today.
“That was awesome, baby!” said Stewart after the first win, adding “I really hope you guys liked that, because I see you all hanging over the wall waving at me and the louder you cheer, the faster I go.”
Brayton, riding his MDK/KTM, continued to be a revelation over here, finishing second in both main events. He did have a problem in one of the match races when an inspired David Vuillemin ran him up high at the end of the whoops for an aggressive pass, then Brayton touched his front wheel to DV’s rear wheel in the next corner and went down. The two had a short exchange afterwards, as Brayton was eliminated from the match race. When asked about it later, Brayton said, “Hey, it was just racing, no big deal, but I did tell him not to be surprised if I did it to him in the next race.”
Brayton never needed the chance, though BUD Kawasaki’s Vuillemin did manage to pass an off-song Kevin Windham for the third and final spot on the podium in the last race of the weekend, touching off a wild ovation for the all-time winningest rider in Bercy SX history. Vuillemin also was second to Stewart in the match races, but never close enough to be a threat to the flawless leader.
In the end, Team USA was declared the overall winner, though it was a severe mismatch from the start, even after both Matt Goerke (finger) and Josh Grant (a big crash in the match races left his bike too damaged to continue) watched the last race from the grandstands.
While the race lacked drama in the form of anyone truly challenging James Stewart for any of his race wins, the fans were very much into the event and stayed until James took his last bow for them. He now joins the likes of Vuillemin, Chad Reed, Jeremy McGrath, Jeff Emig, Johnny O’Mara, and French national icon Jean-Michel Bayle as a King of Bercy.
Racer X interviewed “Le Bubba” for our Monday Conversation, so check back tomorrow for more from the Bercy Supercross.
“That was awesome, baby!” said Stewart after the first win, adding “I really hope you guys liked that, because I see you all hanging over the wall waving at me and the louder you cheer, the faster I go.”
Brayton, riding his MDK/KTM, continued to be a revelation over here, finishing second in both main events. He did have a problem in one of the match races when an inspired David Vuillemin ran him up high at the end of the whoops for an aggressive pass, then Brayton touched his front wheel to DV’s rear wheel in the next corner and went down. The two had a short exchange afterwards, as Brayton was eliminated from the match race. When asked about it later, Brayton said, “Hey, it was just racing, no big deal, but I did tell him not to be surprised if I did it to him in the next race.”
Brayton never needed the chance, though BUD Kawasaki’s Vuillemin did manage to pass an off-song Kevin Windham for the third and final spot on the podium in the last race of the weekend, touching off a wild ovation for the all-time winningest rider in Bercy SX history. Vuillemin also was second to Stewart in the match races, but never close enough to be a threat to the flawless leader.
In the end, Team USA was declared the overall winner, though it was a severe mismatch from the start, even after both Matt Goerke (finger) and Josh Grant (a big crash in the match races left his bike too damaged to continue) watched the last race from the grandstands.
While the race lacked drama in the form of anyone truly challenging James Stewart for any of his race wins, the fans were very much into the event and stayed until James took his last bow for them. He now joins the likes of Vuillemin, Chad Reed, Jeremy McGrath, Jeff Emig, Johnny O’Mara, and French national icon Jean-Michel Bayle as a King of Bercy.
Racer X interviewed “Le Bubba” for our Monday Conversation, so check back tomorrow for more from the Bercy Supercross.
