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~I AMAIChevy Trucks 125cc U.S. Motocross Championship Series Round 7: Unadilla Valley Sports Center lames and the Giant Chase • James Stewart is making the 125cc Nationals very predictable. He won both ~ motos again at Unadilla, despite not having a front brake for much of the first moto. NEW BERLIN, NY, JULY 20 PJns, be thankful that Team Chevy rTrucks' Kawasaki's James "Bubba" Stewart missed the first four rounds of the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championships with an injury. The 17 -year-old Floridian has proven to be in a class of his own since returning to the series, as his two-moto sweep of the Lucas Oils' Unadilla National makes him six-forsix in moto wins for the season. "The fans out here were awesome," Stewart said. "I wanted to put on a good show for them. I had a good time just riding. The rest of these guys are going fast, but if things keep going the way they've been going, I might be able to win all the motos. I know if there is any way for me to win this championship, I need to start knocking down the motos. But the fans were great. That's the whole reason I come out here. And I also want to thank my dad. It's his birthday today, and I want to wish him a happy birthday and thank my whole team. They're the true champions out here." While Stewart's speed has made the race results J.Jtterly predictable, the championship chase that he has seemingly been eliminated from is anything but. Red Bull KTM's Grant Langston put together another solid weekend with a 3-2 ride for second overall, moving him to within one point of series leader Mike Brown. "I'm happy with second because I gained more points," Langston said. "I had fun today. This year, I seem to be either second or way back. The track was slippery, and it was very easy to fall. I had one little crash, but otherwise I kept it on two wheels. My 12 JULv30.2003· cue I e goal has been to keep chipping and chipping away at the points lead. The last few weeks I've been getting closer and closer. The fans out here were great. Normally, it's just my mechanic giving me the pit board, but I had spectators all over the track giving me pit boards." Brown, of the Pro Circuit Kawasaki team, struggled once again in the first moto, running a disappointing seventh. But he rebounded and showed the aggression of old in moto two to take a third and secure fourth overall. "I rode like shit in the first moto, and I'm not afraid to say it," said the Tennessee veteran. "I'm pissed off, really. I've been thinking about the points, and I haven't been riding well. I got tight in the first moto. Now I don't care if I get first or last. I'm just going for it." Brown lost eight points to Langston at Unadilla, giving him just a onepoint lead after seven rounds. He also lost two points to the third member of the 125cc National title chase, Ryan Hughes, also of Red Bull KTM. Hughes gutted out yet another strong performance on his broken leg, carding 4-4 scores for a podium spot. n e _ s The first moto featured a freight train of KTMs. Langston (111) finished third, Ryan Hughes (105) fourth and Brett Metcalfe (123) fifth in the moto. "I'm excited, but at the same time I expect success," said the Californian, who is still struggling with the injury. "I really didn't know if I could ride here. It [the leg] hurt every time I rode. I had no confidence coming in here. My fitness is good on a bicycle, but I'm still off on the bike. My tongue was dragging in my back wheel at the end of that second moto. But I will be back." Ryno got some help from his Red Bull KTM teammate Brett Metcalfe. Metcalfe rode extremely well in both motos, but team tactics dictated he settle for fifth overall with 5-5 scores, helping out his two Austrian-manufacturer-based teammates in the process. Brown now holds 249 points to Langston's 248, while Hughes is 32 points further back. Amazingly, Stewart has moved into sixth in the standings, but he is still 99 points behind Brown. "I'm not thinking about the title," said Stewart. ''I'm just out here for the fans. The louder they cheer, the harder I push it." Sixth overall at Unadilla went to So Be Suzuki's Branden Jesseman. He finished a solid second in moto one but saw an early-race crash in moto two drop him to 10th. Seventh was Boost Mobile/Yamaha/Troy Racing's Craig Anderson, Amsoil/Chaparral Honda's Michael Byrne was eighth, and Team Racerhouse.com privateer Kelly Smith and Ivan Tedesco rounded out the top 10. Stewart jumped out to the early lead in moto one ahead of the Yamaha YZ250Fs of Smith and Anderson, and he immediately began putting time on the field. His lap times were a full three seconds faster than the rest of the field, and the Unadilla fans were ecstatic with his performance. Langston moved into second by the end of the first lap, with Yamaha of Troy boys Anderson, Brock Sellards and Tedesco giving chase. Hughes, Brown and Eric Sorby were a few spots further back. By the third lap, a big battle had emerged among those three, a fading Tedesco and a charging Jesseman, who had started outside the top 10. Brown has been struggling over the last few weeks, but he looked strong early as he moved into fourth place. But he began to slow about five laps in. "There was a big battle and I got tight," Brown said. Soon, Anderson, Hughes, Sorby and Jesseman were all past the Kawasaki rider. Then Stewart crashed. "I was thinking about getting something to eat," said Stewart with a laugh. "I was hungry, and I lost focus. So I got something to eat between motos, and I was all good for the second moto." The crash allowed Langston to catch the Kawasaki rider, and as Stewart struggled without a front brake (the crash rotated his lever to an unreachable position under the bars), the South African was able to momentarily pass him. But Stewart fought back, and even without the brake he was able to slowly inch away and win the moto. "It was tough because my bike was all jacked up," Stewart said. "He's so fast it makes you wonder how good you really are," Langston said. "There was a big freight train behind me, and I followed him like a shadow for a few laps. Then I looked