Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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AMA 1 25cc Western Regional Supercross Series Round B: Rice-Eccles Stadium Stewart's sevelltb straipt shows e doeso"t need hKk going into Vegas By STEVE Cox PHOTOS BY STEVE BRUHN SALT LAKE CITY, aT, APR. 26 e may not have gotten the holeshot - that honor once again went to Billy Laninovich - but James Stewart Jr. was in the lead by the second turn in Salt Lake City, and it could be said that he put on a clinic, except that those behind him likely couldn't see him long enough to learn much. "James is going pretty fast right now, and I don't think I'm at... I'm not able to beat him this year," conceded eventual second-place finisher Laninovich. "All I can do is hopefully get another holeshot and get another podium [in Vegas]." Red Bull KTM's lone rider in Salt Lake, Laninovich has still got his starts down as he grabbed the S1000 SXGP.com Holeshot Award for the second consecutive race, only this week he stayed on two wheels. "Yeah, luckily I didn't crash," Laninovich said. "Two weeks ago, I crashed getting the holeshot." Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Stewart was immediately into the lead as Laninovich swung wide, and by the time the riders got to the finish-line jump, Stewart already had three seconds in hand - and from there it would just grow as Stewart whipped his bike for the crowd off of just about everything - much to the crowd's appreciation. "I can't do it without the fans out there," Stewart said from the podium after the race. "I can hear you guys every lap I hit the triples, and you guys were pumping me up. I wanted to go fast, and I wanted to whip it for you guys. "The louder they get, the faster I go." (Above) James Stewart Jr. blew the guys away In Salt Lake. It would have been boring if he weren't so much fun to watch. After the main event, he went up Into the crowd and got carried around like a rock star. (Left) Billy Laninovlch had his strongest showing at Rice-Eccles. He rode hard for second. Laninovich sat solid in second in the early going, but with the race for the win essentially over before it started, the focus turned to the battle between Andrew Short and Matt Walker, who came into the night's racing tied for third in points. Walker had been one of the fastest riders all throughout practice and the heat races, and he was pushing hard to beat the Suzuki rider after a somewhat poor start. Short sat third early on, and he was chased closely by Walker's teammate Eric Sorby, but by lap three, Walker had already put an aggressive move on Short for third and set out after Laninovich. "The whole time I was just concentrating on that points thing," Short said. "I got a good start - I think I was topfive - and I was just kind of consistent." n e 111I' S To make matters worse, Sorby got by Short in the linked tabletops a lap later while Walker was knocking on Laninovich's back door for second. "I got pretty nervous when those Pro Circuit guys were around me," Short said. By lap five, Stewart was up by 16 seconds, and the following lap Walker made an aggressive pass on Laninovich following the triple-triple rhythm section when Laninovich's slow pace past some yellow flags allowed Walker to get right on him. Having none of it, Laninovich uncharacteristically fought back, taking out Walker's front wheel in the following corner and sending him to the ground. "Lately, when I get stuffed, I just go with the flow, and I'm usually not like that," Laninovich said. "When Matt stuffed me, I really wanted to get second place, so I went after him." Walker remounted fourth, just in front of Short but behind teammate Sorby, but his race ended just two laps later when he went down hard in the triple-triple section and had to be carted away on a backboard. Initial reports had him with a dislocated