After two sold out rounds of the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series in Anaheim and Phoenix, we’ve seen two different winners on two different brands of motorcycles. We’ve also witnessed forty laps of action in the 450 class that has kept most of us on the edge of our couches at home. However, even with all of the greatness that young guns Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac have provided, I can’t help but realize how much we miss James Stewart.
As you all know by now, James is serving a lengthy suspension for failing to report that he was using a drug called Adderall last season. As it’s been reported many times, James actually had a prescription from a doctor to safely use Adderall, however he did not get a TUE (exemption) to use it while racing Supercross, so he was found guilty and suspended. Those facts are indisputable. What isn’t exactly clear is where James would’ve fit into the 2015 Supercross Series. Here are my thoughts:
Stewart’s sport altering style is definitely missed so far in the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series.
This is by no means a slight at the riders who have lined up at the first two races of 2015, they’re the best of the best and that’s why they’re there. James Stewart messed up and he’s currently paying a very high price for his actions. But I think everyone in the industry has agreed that Stewart’s sentence is way over the top since it was concluded that he wasn’t cheating intentionally. I mean we’re not talking Ben Johnson or even Lance Armstrong here. Although the current crop of SX riders are immersed in their own programs and their own selfish bubbles of trying to win races, I’m sure they all miss the #7 just a little bit as he brings so much attention with him to each race. As far as the fans go, the hard working people who actually pay money to attend one of these SX races, I think it’s safe to conclude that 99% miss watching James Stewart navigate a SX track every Saturday night.
While I don’t think that Stewart makes or breaks a SX main event, I mean the gate drops and the racing is great regardless of who’s there. However, in recent years as the young riders have improved their tactics and techniques when Ryan Villopoto’s utter dominance had been so apparent, Stewart’s talent and ability to win at any time has never changed. Even as he’s gotten older and a little smarter with his race decisions, he still brought an X-Factor quality to each main event that always got fans excited. While Villopoto would sometimes settle for second or third place to maintain his points lead, Stewart would never hesitate to throw caution to the wind and make that last minute attempt to improve his position on the track. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn’t, although he never seemed to care, because the fans always loved it. As I said earlier, the riders currently racing the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series are amazing, but the series is missing that X-Factor that James Stewart always brought to the track.
It seems like the amount of effort and focus that it currently takes to be successful in this sport is greater than it has ever been. Even the most naturally talented of riders now work hard during the week, if they don’t then they simply fall behind. There are no short cuts in this sport and all of the riders realize this now. With there being so much at stake and so little separating the top riders, sometimes they’re ‘scared to make a mistake’ riding comes across as almost robotic. You can’t blame them, because that is how you have to race in 2015 if you want to win on a regular basis.
For better or for worse, James Stewart never bought into this strategy, so at times he was as much of an entertainer as he was a supercross racer. For instance, who will ever forget James come-from-behind ride last year in Toronto? It was amazing, it was historic and it was something that only comes along once or twice in a season. A rider, even one as talented as Stewart, couldn’t take those types of chances every weekend, it’s just too risky. But, for that unforgettable night at the Rogers Centre, even with 21 other riders on the track, James had 48,000 sets of eyes solely on him. In this sport with so many exciting things to watch during a main event, that isn’t easy to do.
As the 2015 series goes on and the point race tightens up throw March and April, the riders involved will buckle down even more and do what they have to do to get the job done. While there’s nothing wrong with this practice, this is how you win championships and get your name in the record books. However, whether the sport realizes it or not, I for one am going to miss that go-for-broke style that James Stewart brought to SX every Saturday night.
