Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128197
AMA 1 25cc Western Regional Supercross Series Round 2: Bank One Ballpark James Stewart Jr. (center) entertained the crowd with a funky victory dance after earning his first 125cc supercross win of the season in Phoenix. The win was also the fourth Western Region Supercross win of his career. Stewart cuts a rug in Phoenix James Stewart Jr. was doing when he "It's just something different this broke into a series of wild gyrations By SCOTT ROUSSEAU PHOTOS By STEVE BRUHN year," Stewart said. "I was practicing on the victory podium after the 125cc I it last week before the races, and I main event. The "dance" appeared to PHOENIX, AZ, JAN. 11 t's likely that none of the 48,445 in attendance at Bank One Ballpark may have been too sure just what the heck Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's didn't get a chance to go up there. It be a combination of influences, and was just fun for the crowd and so that afterward Stewart admitted that it people would laugh at me. You know, needs a little more work. I've been watching a lot of music videos ... Michael Jackson - there was definitely some Michael Jackson in there. " If his race performance in Phoenix was any indication, Stewart will get the chance to try the dance out again soon, and you can take that to the bank. Much in the same way that he earned his first career 125cc Western Region Supercross win at round two in San Diego a year ago, Stewart made good on the hype that constantly surrounds him by earning career win number four in decisive fashion, crossing the line in the 15lap main event some 8.61 seconds ahead of the runner-up, defending series champ Travis Preston. Team SoBe Suzuki's Danny Smith finished third. Stewart wasn't handed the win by any stretch, as he got off the gate fifth, behind Boost Mobile/Yamaha/ Troy Racing's Craig Anderson, Speedy Motorcycles/Yamaha's Steve Mertens, Team Pro Circuit/Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Matt Walker and AmsoiljChaparral Honda-backed Preston. He appeared to be a little ragged in the first two laps, stumbling in one of the rhythm sections and forcing Preston to take evasive action as the two raced side by side early. Just a lap later, he nearly flipped over backward off a jump in one of the rhythm sections. But then Bubba got smoother, and he got faster. On lap four, Walker snatched the lead away from Anderson in the lefthander that rounded what would be home plate on the baseball diamond, and he tried to pull clear, but Stewart had already moved to third, overtaking Anderson in the same spot one lap later. Stewart then caught Walker in the long whoop section and trailed him before thrusting underneath him in the left-hander by the right-field foul pole to take over first. "The first couple laps were crazy out there, you know," Stewart said. "I didn't get the greatest start, and that sucks because I had been working on my starts all week. Then the first lap, I almost looped it out. But once I got around Matt, I just started riding my own race and pulled away from there. n Stewart (2591 and reigning series champion Travis Preston (1) battled briefly in the opening laps. Preston followed Stewart to the finish after putting an aggressive pass on Matt Walker for second place. 12 .JANUARY 22,2003' "" Y c I e n e vv s