Stewart Drug Test Exemption Approved; Out for MEC
Racer X has learned through a reliable source that James Stewart's Theraputic Use Exemption (TUE) for the substance he tested positive for at the Seattle Supercross in April has been accepted by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which performs the anti-doping controls for Monster Energy AMA Supercross an FIM World Championship. A second TUE has also been accepted by USADA, which performs the anti-doping testing for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. The approved TUEs should conceivably allow James to avoid any future ban and continue to race in 2015, however he doesn't have an official WADA trial date coming until next week, so his provisional suspension cannot be lifted until then (he might also still face some sort of penalty at the trial due to not having the TUE in place before the April test).
With an approved TUE in hand from WADA, James might also be able to race this weekend's Monster Energy Cup, but it's still not certain how the provisional suspension applies to this race, which is not part of the formal Monster Energy Supercross Championship. As we reported in our Monster Energy Cup preview earlier today, it's a complicated situation, however the TUE approval might tip things in favor of James racing this weekend.
Stay tuned for more if any additional details become known.
[Update]
On Friday, James Stewart made it official, he will not race the Monster Energy Cup today. As we've reported previously, this is a complicated situation that should become more clear after his WADA trail date, which is scheduled for next week. Stewart made the announcement on social media:
Would've been nice to use this but it's ok I'll just keep fighting. Success is determined not by whether or not you face obstacles, but by your reaction to them. And if you look at these obstacles as a containing fence, they become your excuse for failure. If you look at them as a hurdle, each one strengthens you for the next. Goodluck to my brother @malcolmstewart & my team @team_suzuki_racing
