Yoshimura Suzuki Statement on James Stewart

Last night the Yoshimura Suzuki team published a press release that sheds some light on the James Stewart situation. According to the PR below, the FIM penalty severely affects the entire 2015 season for James, which would mean he has been declared ineligible for competition for the year (previously, James was only provisionally suspended by the FIM, which would impact Monster Energy Supercross but not Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. Now that he's been declared ineligible, he's not allowed to race anywhere).

However the PR also says James plans to appeal, so things could change. Regardless, he plans to be at Anaheim 1, and if he can't race—and it appears for now that he can't—he'll be there in support of his team, which we presume means signing autographs and assisting his new teammate Blake Baggett.

Again, an appeal could change things, but for now, it looks like James Stewart will be barred from racing for the 2015 season. Here is the official Press Release from the team.

CHINO, CA – Yoshimura Suzuki Racing is reporting that James Stewart has received notification from the FIM with a penalty regarding his anti-doping violation. The news came eight months to the day from the test at this years' Seattle Supercross event where he tested positive for amphetamines from his prescribed Adderall. The ruling lays out a punishment that severely affects the entire 2015 season for James and the Yoshimura Suzuki team. Suzuki Motor of America and Yoshimura Racing will continue their unwavering support for Stewart during this difficult period and like all the fans hope to see him line up at the gate as soon as his ineligibility is lifted.

“I’m extremely disappointed to say the least,” said Stewart. “We plan to appeal as I personally feel that the punishment far outweighs the situation; especially since I received both WADA and USADA approvals that prove I’m not cheating. I’m bummed for everyone involved: my family, my team, my sponsors, the promoters and most of all the fans. Unfortunately, I’ve had to be very quiet in regards to this situation but I’ll be telling the full story in the next couple weeks so everyone can understand what we’ve been going through. Thank you all for your continued support.”

Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s James Stewart has announced plans to be at the season-opening round of the 2015 AMA Supercross Championships on Saturday, January 3 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim to support his team, teammate, sponsors and fans.