JAMES TAKES DRAMATIC A1 WIN!
After a long summer off from AMA competition, James Stewart kicked off his 2010 racing campaign in style at round number one of the AMA Supercross series in Anaheim, California, on Saturday night. Though a pesky preseason illness threw a monkey wrench into James’ plans and preparation during the off-season, the defending Supercross champ put his head down in the few weeks leading up to the season opener, and his hard work and determination no doubt paid off by the end of the night. Claiming the top spot on the podium at A1 has become a tricky task over the past several years, but James and his Red Bull-backed racing program did exactly that as the checkers waved in Anaheim.
With his sights set on holding on to the bold number one that graces the front of his San Manuel Yamaha, James looked spot on as he set the fastest overall lap times during both of the day’s timed qualifying session, and then went on to dominate Supercross heat number two with a walk away victory. With a stacked gate of the world’s best Supercross pilots frothing at the chance to beat the champ, the field rocketed down the start straight and into turn number one to kick off what would unfold to be an incredible main event! Moving into the second spot behind Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey by turn two, James began a patient and controlled assault on the Anaheim circuit. Losing ground at times due to a few uncommon mistakes, it wasn’t until lap 18 that Stewart finally made his move on Dungey for the lead. Despite a last lap retaliation by Dungey, James held on to the top spot, and motored on to a well-deserved win!
“Ryan rode really well tonight,” James said after the race. “I kept making mistakes in a couple of the sections over there, but I got it together, put my head down, and made a run for him. It wasn’t perfect, but in the end I’m really thankful to leave here with the win.”
Stay tuned for round number to in Phoenix, Arizona next Saturday night!
