SUPERCROSS
MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES, AN FIM WORLD
ROUND 1 / JANUARY 9, 2016
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA / ANGEL STADIUM OF ANAHEIM
P54
MORE BAD LUCK
FOR STEWART
Anaheim 1 marked the long awaited return of James
Stewart to supercross following his eight-month suspen-
sion. Ever since winning the Red Bull Straight Rhythm
exhibition race in October, a black cloud has been
following him. He suffered injures at his next two rac-
es—the Monster Energy Cup and the Paris (aka Bercy)
Supercross—and now another one, an apparent con-
cussion, at Anaheim.
Stewart rode well in practice and was flirting with hav-
ing the quickest lap time of the afternoon. He qualified
third in his heat and was trying to re-pass Anderson for
the lead on the third lap of the Main when he got inad-
vertently T-boned by Dungey in a turn. It appeared that
Dungey was expecting Stewart to stay high and wide in
the turn, but when Stewart suddenly cut down hard to
try and pass Anderson, Dungey couldn't prevent himself
from hitting Stewart, and it didn't help that a split-second
earlier, Dungey's rear wheel had clipped the landing
and sent him riding the front wheel for a few feet—his
rear brake useless with the rear wheel still up in the air.
Stewart was high-sided to the ground after the contact,
and the side of his head slammed onto the hard berm,
the impact knocking him out for several minutes. Due to
safety concerns, the race was immediately red-flagged
while the Asterisk medical crew came to Stewart's aid.
He was eventually helped to his feet and driven
back to the Asterisk medical trailer. His night
was over.
"He turned down so fast, I had nowhere to
go," Dungey said. "As soon as he did, I tried to
get on the brakes as soon as I could and we
just hit. I feel real bad for what happened."
Back at the Yoshimura Suzuki pits, Cycle
News was told that Stewart did not remember
the incident and was being held for observation
at the Asterisk trailer. His status for round two
in San Diego is not yet known.
James Stewart gives the thumbs up, letting the
sold-out crowd know that he's okay after his crash
in the main that left him unconscious on the track
for a few minutes. Up to that point, Stewart was
riding well and battling for the lead.
