HARD-FOUGHT SECOND FOR JAMES AT ANAHEIM 2
Round five of the 2012 AMA Supercross Series was greeted by perfect weather and a challenging track inside Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California on Saturday night, and the capacity crowd was treated to some of the best racing of the year as James triumphed through adversity to finish in a gutsy second-place, podium position aboard his JGRMX Yamaha.
A bit beat up after a gnarly heat race crash, James is stoked to walk away from Anaheim with second-place points, and looks forward to going after win number two in San Diego next weekend. For now, here’s how the racing unfolded in Angel Stadium…
SUPERCROSS QUALIFYING HEATS
• When the gate dropped for the first Supercross-class heat of the night, James got taken wide in turn one, but blasted into the lead in the following rhythm section.
• On lap four, while building a massive lead over the rest of the field, James went down hard in the same rhythm section that he used to pass for the lead early on, and was unable to rejoin the race.
• With his perfect heat race streak now broken (4 of 4 heading into A2), JS7 lined up in the gate for the Supercross-class LCQ despite being banged up from his earlier crash, and immediately piloted his Red Bull-backed Yamaha into the lead on lap one.
• Though riding a conservative pace, James led all six laps en route to the LCQ win.
SUPERCROSS MAIN EVENT
• After a solid start from the outside, James rounded lap number one of the Supercross-class main event in fourth place.
• Toward the end of lap eight, James put a pass on Reed to take over the second spot, but had his work cut out for him to catch Villopoto who had established a five-second lead up front.
• In the end, Villopoto’s gap proved too much to overcome, and JS7 had to settle for second on the night.
• Though bummed to not back up his Oakland win with a second-straight in Anaheim, James’ second-place finish was still plenty to be proud of after his hard get-off earlier in the evening.
• The series moves on to San Diego next weekend for round number six, and the championship points chase is still well within reach for James, as he now sits just 13 points back in the fourth spot.
SUPERCROSS RESULTS
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. James Stewart
3. Chad Reed
4. Ryan Dungey
5. Justin Brayton
6. Kevin Windham
7. Davi Millsaps
8. Mike Alessi
9. Brett Metcalfe
10. Broc Tickle
Killer race dude. Be patient and make your mark on 2012. Hope your ribs feel better. Lucky you hit that block. Or, at least it looked like you did. Keep it fun.
GREAT RACE JAMES!! YOU WILL WIN AT SAN DIEGO!! 2012 IS YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP!!!
The last time I was at a race Marty Smith won,,,,,I saw you were out there kicking butt and taking names and decided to take the family….Best 200 bucks Ive spent in a long time….
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150654700438973&set=a.10150654698908973.452307.102461938972&type=3&l=c3c7a22ca4
I dedicate the first scene to you bubba… It’s an epic story of coming back…
http://youtu.be/p7CaiWxKYBo
I can say only one thing.
Very nice race, very nice 2nd place, attention with no mistakes.
James.
2012 is YOURS!
Czech republic
sos el mejor James!! espero q salgas campeon este año del supercross!! te sigo por internet desde Argentina todos los fines de semana! Suerte para este años! Un abrazo!!
Love watching you ride….. Fastest dude out there for sure
Nothing against Yamaha, but I think you need a change. Really awesome to see you come back and perform like you did after killing yourself! Just so you know…. you were smoking them when you crashed, so you can slow down a little. Can’t wait to see you ride in Indy!
If you werent as good as you are then the haters would have nothing to talk about so continue to hush the haters. They say James falls a lot or always crashes , you already have 42 supercross wins with a lot more to come Ricky Carmichael had 48 you must be doing something right. Remember ALL WORK IS EASY WORK.
Glad your alright James was a scary one.. and dont let those losers bother you man just be bigger then them keep it up!
Great Race James !
Love it everytime you pass Reed.
Hope you feel better and you will take the win next week.
You showed how a real champ rides broken rib and all very impresssive.
You are a True Champion.. I’m looking forward to you winning the series… and sitting Chad Reed down . He will never be better than you…!!!
Fan for Life Look forward to seeing in Atlanta My son and i will be there…..
Dwayne Thompson & Brandon Thompson
The sad thing as national arena cross and the lites gets better coverage and once again my local CBS is blocked out the race im glad to see you up there on the blues machine. Wished I were able to tune in and watch you do ur thing. Thanks for your web page so I can stay updated!