GoPro HD: Hangtown Moto 1
Watch Jame Stewart’s complete moto 1 from the season opener at Hangtown!
Posts Tagged ‘James Stewart’
JAMES WINS BIG AT HANGTOWN MX NATIONAL
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
