After a four-year hiatus from racing the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series, James returned to action aboard his shiny new Yoshimura Suzuki today at the series-opening Hangtown Motocross Classic, and quickly served notice that he’s back in a big way with dominant 1-1 moto finishes for first-place overall.

The weeks leading into the outdoor National series were grueling (to say the least) for James, as his highly publicized switch over to the Yoshimura Suzuki team required a major transition with little time to dial in his new machine. Thanks to a great supporting cast working day and night, however, JS7 was able to return to winning form under the warm Sacramento sun, and the near capacity crowd went absolutely nuts as he put his stamp back on the outdoor motocross series.

Here’s how all the action unfolded outside of California’s capitol…

450 MOTO 1
• When the gate dropped for the first 450 moto of the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series, James jumped out to a solid second-place start, and quickly made a pass for the lead early on lap number one.
• By the midway point of the 30-minute plus two-lap moto, JS7 had extended his lead to 10 seconds ahead of Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Brett Metcalfe, and it quickly became obvious to all in attendance that he would go unchallenged for the win.
• When the checkers waved, James cruised across the line with a seemingly easy victory—his first outdoor moto win since going undefeated during the 2008 season.

450 MOTO 1 RESULTS
1. James Stewart
2. Davi Millsaps
3. Ryan Dungey
4. Brett Metcalfe
5. Andrew Short
6. Broc Tickle
7. Mike Alessi
8. Tommy Hahn
9. Josh Grant
10. Jake Weimer

450 MOTO 2
• The final 450 moto of the day got started with a Mike Alessi holeshot, but Ryan Dungey and JS7 sat close-in-tow in the second and third spots, respectively.
• On lap three, James put passes on both Dungey and Alessi to take over the lead, but Dungey picked up the pace and held onto the back of his rear wheel as the two began pulling away from the rest of the field.
• At the halfway point, JS7 began opening up a slight gap over Dungey in the second spot, but the KTM rider did well to keep himself within striking distance.
• As JS7 and Dungey began navigating through lapped riders, James was able to thread the needle a bit cleaner, and extended his lead to just over four seconds.
• Slicing and dicing his way through lapped traffic, James continued stretching his lead to nearly seven over Dungey, and eventually crossed the checkers with a very impressive win to take his first National overall since 2008.

“This has been a great day,” James commented after the race. “My goal was to come in here and finish in the top-five. We still have a little bit of work to do with the new bike, so I didn’t want to come to Hangtown expecting too much. I’m really just using the series to continue developing my setup for next year, but I also want to perform well for my new team and fans, and also have some fun while we’re at it. Of course, nothing is more fun than winning, so I’m feeling great right now!”

450 MOTO 2 RESULTS
1. James Stewart
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Mike Alessi
4. Andrew Short
5. Brett Metcalfe
6. Jake Weimer
7. Broc Tickle
8. Josh Grant
9. Kyle Chisholm
10. Nico Izzi

450 OVERALL RESULTS
1. James Stewart
2. Ryan Dungey
3. Mike Alessi
4. Andrew Short
5. Brett Metcalfe
6. Broc Tickle
7. Davi Millsaps
8. Jake Weimer
9. Josh Grant
10. Nico Izzi

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Yoshimura Suzuki Racing is proud to announce the signing of famed Supercross and Motocross Champion, James Stewart, to a multi-year contract effective immediately. Stewart will compete in both AMA Pro Motocross and Supercross aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 beginning with the first round of the 2012 AMA Pro Motocross Championship in Sacramento, CA on May 19th, 2012.

Stewart, often called the “fastest man on the planet”, comes to Yoshimura Suzuki with a long list of accomplishments. The 26-year old, native Floridian has amassed 6 AMA Championships, including two AMA Supercross titles and a perfect season, AMA Pro Motocross Championship. He also has a FIM World Supercross Championship as well as two Motocross des Nations titles to his credit.

“I’m really looking forward to joining the team,” said Stewart. ”It’s been a pleasure to get to test with these guys and meet the team. I’m very excited – I love the bike – Ever since I rode it from day one I knew it was a great opportunity for me to come out and showcase my talent. With Mike Webb as the team manager and Don (Sakakura), the President of Yoshimura Racing – It’s been great what they’ve been doing – The whole team is phenomenal. We’re all excited to get the ball rolling and see what we can do over the next few years. I just want to thank everyone at Yoshimura and American Suzuki for giving me this opportunity.”

“James is a great addition to our team,” said President of Yoshimura Racing, Don Sakakura. “He is an amazing rider and gifted athlete and we feel very fortunate to have him join Yoshimura Suzuki. We will do everything possible to help ensure his and the team’s success. Our company has been built on racing and winning championships and we intend to keep that tradition alive with James and his incredible skill on a motorcycle.”

Team Manager, Mike Webb, as well as long-time Team Suzuki mechanic, Lee McCollum, and the rest of the Yoshimura Suzuki squad, will support Stewart in his run for the 2012 AMA Motocross Championship and beyond.

“We’re extremely pleased with the announcement of James joining the Yoshimura Suzuki team,” added Team Manager, Mike Webb. ”We all look forward to working with James and a rider of his caliber. We feel very confident we can provide him with the equipment that he needs to ride to his capability. We’re working hard right now, though we don’t have a lot of time, but we’re very focused on getting ready for Hangtown and we’re definitely looking forward to the opener.”

Stewart will join Yoshimura Suzuki Racing teammate, Brett Metcalfe, at the first round of the 2102 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Hangtown in Sacramento, CA on Saturday, May 19th.

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Houston’s Reliant Stadium played host to round 13 of the 2012 AMA Supercross Series on Saturday night, and some of the biggest news heading into the weekend was no doubt the return of JS7 to the series. After sitting out of last weekend’s race in Toronto thanks to the lingering effects of his heat race crash in Indianapolis two weeks ago, James and team decided to give it a go in Houston despite a severe lack of seat time prior to the event. “I’ve only been on the bike once since Indy, so I just plan on taking it one lap at a time here in Houston,” James said just before practice. “I’m not gonna lie… I’m pretty sore. But I really wanted to come out here for the team and my fans to give it all I’ve got.”

Rolling to the line for Supercross Heat #2 after a Ryan Villopoto win in the first qualifier, James wasted little time getting back into the racing groove, as he grabbed the holeshot and early lead aboard his JGRMX Yamaha. After an intense back-and-forth battle with Kevin Windham, JS7 slowly began opening up a gap, and eventually crossed the checkers with a satisfying heat race win.

When the gate dropped for the main event, James got a decent jump, but unfortunately got pinched off and shoved back to just outside the top-10 through turn one. After making a few passes early on, disaster struck on lap seven when James went down hard at the end of a tricky rhythm section. Unable to remount and finish the race, JS7 exited the stadium in utter disbelief. Physically banged up and mentally frustrated, James looks forward to a much-needed week off, but hopes to come back strong in New Orleans two weeks from now.

SUPERCROSS RESULTS
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. Davi Millsaps
3. Jake Weimer
4. Mike Alessi
5. Justin Brayton
6. Robert Kiniry
7. Broc Tickle
8. Nico Izzi
9. Weston Peick
10. Josh Grant

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