endured one of the to ughes t
tests the young sensation has
e nco unte re d in quite some
time.
"I was slow all day long,"
Stewart said. "I could have
pushed a little harder, but I
wanted to be consistent. I've
not been making mistakes in
the last few races, and I wanted to keep it that way. I th ink
Stephane rode good . I had the
situation in control , we got
into a little of a battle, and it
slowed us both down . I had to
get past him and make my own
pace. I got the win, and that
was the plan."
The main event played into
the hands of Stewart, as he got
out of the start in the top five
and settled in behind earlyleader Roncada , who got the
$1000 Butterfinger Holeshot
www.cyclenews.com
Award . Stewart produced his qu ickest
lap, wh ich was 52.676 on the first lap,
yet he couldn't manage to find a way
past Roncada, who posted a 53.494 on
lap one . Stewart didn't get a great jump ,
but he soon had his 125cc two-stroke
Kawasaki right behind Roncada's four stroke Kawasaki.
"I had a decent start," Stewart said.
" I knew if I stayed up on the first corner,
I would win the race . I had some problems tonight - I didn't like the track conditions, I made some bad tire choices ,
and this is a four-stroke track.
" It's over now, " Stewart added . ''I' m
finished w ith this class now. I was n't
surpris ed by Stephane - no way. I was
just happy to win. I showed I'm the
man. I didn't get upset when Roncada
was racing hard w ith me , I just took my
time , and that was what I wanted to do
- show some patience."
As for Roncada , he was surprised by
the battle he had with Stewart. Roncada
CYCLE NEWS • MAY 12, 2004
23
