AMA Chevro let 1 5 cc Cha mpionship M otocross Se r ies
2
he fastest 125cc rider on the
planet - James " Bu b b a"
Stewart - rebounded from
his first loss of the season at
the previous round of the
2004 AMA Chevrolet Motocross Championships (Red Bud) and piloted his
Chevy Trucks/Kawasaki KX125 to a convincing I - I victory at the legendary
Unadilla MX track this past Sunday.
Stewart, who increased his lead to 51
T
points over Yamaha of Troy's Mike Brown
in the overall standings (at the midway
point of the 12-race season), became the
first rider to win Unadilla three times on a
125 in scoring his fifth win of the year out
of six races so far. A fan favorite with the
19,OOO-plus in attendance at Unadilla,
Stewart was joined on the podium by Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki's Matt Walker (second)
and Yamaha of Troy's Kelly Smith (third) both of whom were on the podium for
the first time this season.
Easy as I-I sounds, the victory was not
without drama, as Stewart and his so called "unde rpowered" I25 would get
involved in a first-moto pileup (though he
wouldn't go down) and have to race from
back in the pack to secure the first moto
win, while the second one proved to be a
bit easier, as he led the entire race and
stayed on it for a seemingly easy victory.
"My dad told me that in watching the
www.cyclenEWs.com
qualifiers, I25-c1ass riders were piling up
on both the inside and the outside of the
first turn," Stewart said. "He told me get
into the middle of the pack and just stop
[if there's a wreck] ," he added with a
slight laugh. "I don't go to the gate thinking I won 't get the holeshot.'
Hotter than ever and now the talk of
the mainstream press, the 125/250F wars
were on at 'Dilla. Take away Stewart and
KTM 125 riders Ryan Hughes (sixth) and
CYCLE N EWS • JULY 28, 2004
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