AMA Supercross
The 2011 AMA Supercross Championship brought about many ups and downs for San Manuel Yamaha’s James Stewart.
The Haines City, Fla., native held first in the championship points for two rounds, but then a few races later dropped down to fifth. As Stewart chased his third AMA Supercross title, many crashes and inconsistent riding brought about bad luck.
And this bad luck prevailed again during the SX finale Saturday evening. At the 17th round of AMA Supercross in Las Vegas, Stewart crashed again. He held the lead for in Vegas for three laps, but smashed in the whoops, which ended his evening.
JS7 would finish 15th in Vegas, and fourth overall in the point standings, 37 behind the 2011 Supercross Champion, Ryan Villopoto (Monster Energy Kawasaki).
James Stewart (Team San Manuel Yamaha YZF450R) says: “We didn’t end the season like we thought we would. I got a good start but struggled through the whoops. I dropped the front end. I have been crashing a lot in the whoops lately and I’m not really sure what is going on.
“We will keep trying to get better. We have some other things going on now that I am excited about. It’s a bummer year but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I appreciate all the support I’ve had this year and we’ll step it up.”
Overall, Stewart finished on the 2011 podium nine times in 17 races, including five wins (Phoenix, Oakland, Anaheim II, St. Louis and Seattle).