I woke up this morning after having a weird dream in the middle of the night. Before I get into it, though, let me start by saying that I have never written anything like this before, so even though it might suck, here I sit writing these words at 3:46 am! So my dream, or shall I say nightmare, was that I had lost everything I had and couldn’t race anymore. It was like I had completely lost my speed and talent, and couldn’t even make the night show! It was weird, because the week before I had won the race and dominated against the best in the world. What was even stranger, though, is that I wasn’t even sad about it.
Yeah, I know it sounds strange, but I wasn’t, which is why I had to get up to start writing about it. I wasn’t sad because I have done more in my career than I ever thought was possible, and it isn’t just about winning races to me anymore… It’s about being the person that I’ve become. I have met some really great people in my life (as well as some bad). I’ve made some great choices and I’ve made some bad choices, but I wouldn’t take any of them back. Yes, there are things I regret, but those are the things that helped to make me who I am today. I love being James Stewart, and I’m thankful that I have a great family, great friends, a great team, and great fans who support me!
It’s difficult sometimes to think that there are people out there who look up to me. I’m just James Stewart, a kid who grew up in Winter Haven, Florida, looking up to guys like Damon Bradshaw and Jeremy McGrath, and thinking that maybe one day I could race Supercross like them. Now, fast forward to today, and I’m one of the most famous people in the sport. I’ve made a great living, have traveled the world, and even have people today who call me “The fastest person who’s ever ridden a motorcycle.” Wow, that’s a jump!
When it comes down to it, though, I don’t really care about being famous; I just love to race motorcycles.
Things have changed even since I came into Supercross. It’s not how it used to be. The small things, like walking out of your motor home, having people wish you good luck, and just having fun, aren’t quite the same as they once were. Now there are people running up to you for interviews, asking about your family, your teammate, Larry Brooks, or whatever they want. It’s cool, but I guess people just don’t understand that we can’t just walk outside and go hang out with the fans, or even the team, without getting screamed at by the people who love you, or booed by those who don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it’s not always as simple as some might think.
I’m really a shy person, and I don’t converse well with people that I don’t know. As a kid, I was always by myself when my parents had to work. It made me who I am today, though, and I’m thankful for that. I guess the moral of the story is that my dream (nightmare) made me realize that I am actually living a dream every day, and I am truly blessed to have people like you reading this. Because somewhere down the line, that must mean that you actually care what I have to say!
Larry Brooks, thank you for giving me a chance and believing in me when not a lot of people did. You’re a great person, and I’m happy to be on your team. Thanks to Oscar, Paul and the rest of the team for the great year. Also, a special thanks to San Manuel for their support. I have met a bunch of great people there, and it’s been awesome to work with them! Red Bull is a huge part of my career, as well, and its cool being with a company that has such a great outlook for the future. Thank you! Roger from Answer, thank you for picking up the phone when I called looking for a ride. Curtis from Nike… Man, “C”, I know I always tell you the same thing, but you don’t know how big this is to me to be with Nike. I mean, come on… It’s Nike! Oakley, thanks for always being there through it all. Bell and Alpinestars, I can’t stress enough to everyone how much of a big help these companies are! Thank you so much to everyone and their efforts… There are many more great years to come! I have aligned myself with the best out there, hands down!
Last, but certainly not least, thank you to my fans and everyone that is reading this!
This year has been stressful at times, but it’s been a great ride, and in the end it turned out incredibly well… #1!
Chad, great fight this year! It was a really fun battle, even though there were some times that I didn’t care for you much. But in the end, I think we both did a great job for the fans and for growing the sport. No Starbucks or dinner for us, though…
Thank again to all of you for helping make my dreams a reality!
J.S. #1
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