James Stewart has accomplished a lot for this sport as the first African-American superstar and one hell of a competitor on the track.
James Stewart is an enigma, a freak on two wheels. The things he can do, the lines he chooses and the speed he can carry are seemingly unreal at times. It might be boring from a racing standpoint to see him destroy a field of the world’s best motocross racers and cruise around the track. But even then he’s a pure joy to watch.
Stewart broke down racial barriers by becoming the first black superstar in the sport. Often referred to as the Tiger Woods of motocross, Stewart’s speed, style and personality were just what the sport needed, and he has become the new spokesman for MX/SX. There’s no arguing that he has earned the right, seeing how he was the only man to consistently challenge Ricky Carmichael and eventually start beating him in races. But before he was tasked with facing the GOAT, Stewart threw down in the tiddler class on his Factory Kawasaki KX125. Many will still claim that JS was more fun to watch on the small-bore 2-strokes, but all good things come to an end, and Bubba made the jump into the premier division with mixed results.
As with almost every rider, making the switch to the big bikes was rough at times. Stewart saw plenty of time headed different directions from his machine and he soon became known for his gnarly get-offs. That’s the problem with trying to race at Carmichael speeds, the consequences of a crash are so much higher. Eventually he got the hang of riding the big bikes and when Kawasaki finally released its KX450F, Stewart finally had a real shot at winning titles. Now that RC is retired, a move that robbed fans of who knows how many epic battles, Stewart has a clear path to the checkered flag. After missing the 2008 SX season with injury, Stew rebounded at the outdoors to pull off his own 24-for-24 win streak, something only Carmichael has achieved before. It seemed as though the 450 class was on the verge of falling into a boring rut but with Chad Reed changing teams it shook things up a bit. Then, with an open spot on the Yamaha L&M Racing team, Stewart left Kawasaki for a fresh start after riding green his entire professional career.
Stewart's style is as impressive as his speed. His competitors are constantly trying to emulate him and figure out how to match his pace, much less go faster.
With another victory at the US Open of Supercross, Stewart doesn’t seem to be missing a beat on his new Yammie, but time will tell if he really has it all figured out as much as it seemed when he was still on the KX-F.
James Stewart Specs:
Birth Date: December 21, 1985
Birthplace: Bartow, FL
Residence: Haines City, FL
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 160 lbs
Turned Pro: 2002
National Number: 7
Career Results:
2009 1st (SX)
2008 23rd (SX), 1st (MX)
2007 1st (SX), 7th (MX)
2006 2nd (SX), 4th (MX)
2005 10th (SX), 12th (250MX)
2004 1st (ESX), 1st (125MX)
2003 1st (WSX), 3rd (125MX)
2002 1st (125MX), 2nd (WSX)
