James Stewart, Jr.
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | James Stewart Jr. |
| Nickname(s) | "Bubba" |
| Nationality |
 American |
| Born |
December 21, 1985 Bartow, Florida |
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m)[1] |
| Weight | 160 pounds (73 kg)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Motocross |
| Event(s) | Supercross |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals |
2006 FIM World Supercross Grand Prix Champion |
| Regional finals |
2003 AMA 125 West Supercross Champion |
| National finals |
2002 AMA 125 Motocross National Champion |
| Updated on 30 July 2009. | |
James Stewart Jr., also known as Bubba Stewart (born December 21, 1985) is an American professional motocross racer competing in supercross, currently riding the No. 7. He is known for being the first African-American to have success at the very top level of any major motorsports association.[citation needed]
Career
Amateur and Lites Class
Stewart was born in Bartow, Florida[1] and currently resides in Haines City, Florida.[2] His father, James Sr., was a motocross enthusiast and introduced his son to the sport at the age of three. Stewart entered his first motocross race when he was four years old.[3]
Winning eighty-four Amateur national titles all before the age of 16, he debuted as pro in 2002. While crashes and rookie mistakes kept him from winning the 2002 125 West Supercross title, he went on to dominate the 2002 125cc national championship and was named the 2002 AMA Rookie of the Year.[3] He was also named one of "20 Teens Who Will Change the World" in the April 2003 issue of Teen People magazine.
Stewart went on to win the 2003 125 West Supercross Championship but suffered a severe crash at the season ending 125 East/West Shootout in Las Vegas, Nevada. With his collarbone broken in two places as a result of the crash, he was forced to sit out the first few rounds of the 2003 AMA Motocross series, losing the hope to win the championship, although he won every single race he competed in after coming back from that injury.
In 2004 he won both the 125 East Supercross title and the 125 Outdoor national title, only losing one moto to Mike Brown in the latter due to a broken clutch cover.
Supercross class
Supercross class
2005-2007
For 2005 Stewart moved up to the premier 450cc class for both the Supercross series and the Outdoor National Motocross series. A practice crash that resulted in a broken wrist at Round 2 in Phoenix meant that he would have to wait before he notched his first career supercross win.
On April 2, 2005, at Texas Stadium (in only his 3rd race), Stewart captured his very first Supercross victory. He would go on to record many more victories throughout 2005 and 2006, and he eventually won the 2007 Supercross Championship. He was unable to finish the 2007 National series due to a knee injury.
2008
Stewart missed the last 15 races of the 2008 Supercross season due to a knee injury.[3]
2009
Stewart signed with L&M Yamaha racing for the 2009 season, replacing Chad Reed for the supercross season. In the latter season Stewart & Chad Reed were involved in the tightest (and sometimes heated) points race of his career. Stewart won 11 of the 17 events. On May 2, 2009, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Stewart won the 2009 Supercross Championship by a margin of 4 points over Reed (377-373).
2010
After a strong charge by Supercross class rookie Ryan Dungey, Stewart captured the lead on lap 18, taking the win at the opening round at Anaheim. In round 2, Stewart was involved in a crash during his heat, coming back to win the Last Chance Qualifier. In the final, a collision with Chad Reed caused both riders to fall. Reed's left hand was pinned under Stewart and Reed pushed Stewart's head off his arm, in what some deemed to be a physically aggressive manner. Controversy followed in the pits when Stewart pushed Reed's bike off its stand, resulting in an official warning from the AMA.[4] Still struggling with injury Stewart finished 3rd behind Ryan Dungey and Josh Hill in round 3. Stewart retired from the season after having surgery from Dr. Arthur Ting for a broken right scaphoid.[5]
Stewart's wrist injury took longer than expected to heal, leaving him out of the 2010 Motocross series although he did return for one round at Unadilla where he placed third in the first moto and retired early from the second moto,[6] citing bike setup issues and exhaustion.[7]
2011
On January 8, 2011 Stewart made his return to Supercross placing 3rd in the Anaheim season opener. The next week at Phoenix on January 15, he won his first main event in over a year, leading all 20 laps over Ryan Villopoto, who trailed close behind for most of the race. Throughout the season Stewart suffered several crashes with his last big crash in the season finale at Las Vegas where he had the lead but then crashed in the whoops. He took out Kevin Windham along with him, allowing Villopoto and Reed to pass [8]
2012
On March 10, 2012 Stewart claimed his 44th Supercross win by taking 1st place at Daytona International Speedway.[9] At the end of the season, Stewart left Joe Gibbs Motocross Racing.[10]
2008
Stewart missed the last 15 races of the 2008 Supercross season due to a knee injury.[3]
2009
Stewart signed with L&M Yamaha racing for the 2009 season, replacing Chad Reed for the supercross season. In the latter season Stewart & Chad Reed were involved in the tightest (and sometimes heated) points race of his career. Stewart won 11 of the 17 events. On May 2, 2009, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Stewart won the 2009 Supercross Championship by a margin of 4 points over Reed (377-373).
2010
After a strong charge by Supercross class rookie Ryan Dungey, Stewart captured the lead on lap 18, taking the win at the opening round at Anaheim. In round 2, Stewart was involved in a crash during his heat, coming back to win the Last Chance Qualifier. In the final, a collision with Chad Reed caused both riders to fall. Reed's left hand was pinned under Stewart and Reed pushed Stewart's head off his arm, in what some deemed to be a physically aggressive manner. Controversy followed in the pits when Stewart pushed Reed's bike off its stand, resulting in an official warning from the AMA.[4] Still struggling with injury Stewart finished 3rd behind Ryan Dungey and Josh Hill in round 3. Stewart retired from the season after having surgery from Dr. Arthur Ting for a broken right scaphoid.[5]
Stewart's wrist injury took longer than expected to heal, leaving him out of the 2010 Motocross series although he did return for one round at Unadilla where he placed third in the first moto and retired early from the second moto,[6] citing bike setup issues and exhaustion.[7]
2011
On January 8, 2011 Stewart made his return to Supercross placing 3rd in the Anaheim season opener. The next week at Phoenix on January 15, he won his first main event in over a year, leading all 20 laps over Ryan Villopoto, who trailed close behind for most of the race. Throughout the season Stewart suffered several crashes with his last big crash in the season finale at Las Vegas where he had the lead but then crashed in the whoops. He took out Kevin Windham along with him, allowing Villopoto and Reed to pass [8]
2012
On March 10, 2012 Stewart claimed his 44th Supercross win by taking 1st place at Daytona International Speedway.[9] At the end of the season, Stewart left Joe Gibbs Motocross Racing.[10]
2013
On January 5, 2013, after an unsuccessful finish of the 2012 AMA Motocross Series, Stewart made his return to Supercross with his new Yoshimura Suzuki bike. Although having a sore right knee, and in pain, he finishes 8th in the Main Event at the Anaheim season opener. He got back up in Atlanta winning the main event, leading all 20 laps. Throughout the season, Stewart suffered several crashes, including Metrodome, in Minneapolis, where he had the lead in the Heat Race, but crashed in the rhythm section near the Mechanics Area, however he did came back with a win in the LCQ. However in the Main Event, Stewart injured again, this time his wrist got tweaked and resulted in a DNF on Lap 7. Consequently, Stewart will be out for the remainder of the three rounds of the 2013 AMA Supercross Series. [citation needed]
On October 19, 2013 Stewart raced the Monster Cup for the first time at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Having a bad start the first moto, he fought up to 8th. In the second moto he took the holeshot and was battling hard with Villopoto, beating Villopoto due to a hard crash on the Last Lap after missing the Joker Lane. In the third moto James fought hard past Ken Roczen and took the 3rd moto win. On the Final Lap, Stewart took the Joker Lane twice on second and third Motos, before crossing the finish line. He won the overall and the $100,000 payout.
Motocross class
2008<br/ > Having missed the entire Supercross season, he returned to racing at the first round of the outdoor nationals and went on to win all 24 motos and thus the championship.
2009<br/ > Stewart did not compete in the 2009 Motocross series.
2010<br/ > A wrist injury sustained in the Supercross season prevented Stewart from competing in the 2010 Motocross series although he did return for one round at Unadilla where he placed third in the first moto and retired early from the second moto,[6] citing bike setup issues and exhaustion.[7]
2011<br/ > Stewart chose not to race the 2011 National season citing lack of preparation.[11]
2012<br/ > One day after announcing his split from JGRMX and Yamaha, Stewart signed to ride with Yoshimura Suzuki aboard their RMZ-450. He will compete in the entire Motocross series for the first time since 2008. However, during Round 3 of Thunder Valley in Colorado, Stewart crashed in the muddy section while leading the race in the first Moto. The result of the serious injury is his right hand breaking his wrist. Consequently, he was unable to finish the rest of the Motocross series due to the extent of the injury. Though he did come back at some point in Red Bud, but due to multiple injuries, Stewart will not race for the rest of the 2012 AMA Motocross Series until he gets 100% healthy.[12]
2013<br/ > The 2013 Season was a three way battle with Stewart, Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey. Chad Reed is thought to be the main show for the title even though he struggles to ride hard and tried to get the pass for the lead. Throughout the season, Stewart had several crashes this season including Motocross 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts, where he had the lead in about a halfway through, but crashed in the sand section in Moto 1 ending up finishing 34th place, but he did came back to finish 4th in Moto 2 making him 5th place overall. Stewart struggles to ride hard, even though he had a neck injury he crashed in the first corner at Unadilla.
Total Career AMA Wins
- 28 Wins in 125/250 AMA Motocross 10-2002 7-2003 11-2004
- 45 Wins in 250/450 AMA Supercross 3-2005 8-2006 13-2007 1-2008 11-2009 1-2010 5-2011 2-2012 1-2013
- 19 Wins in 250/450 AMA Motocross 3-2006 1-2007 12-2008 2-2012 1-2013
- 92 Total AMA Wins 10-2002 7-2003 11-2004 3-2005 11-2006 14-2007 13-2008 11-2009 1-2010 5-2011 4-2012 2-2013
X Games
Stewart made his X Games debut on July 30, 2009 at X Games XV, and placed second in the best whip competition with 21% of the votes winning his first X Games medal.[13]
He suffered a deep bruise to his bone and muscle in his left shoulder during seeding trials for SuperMoto on July 31, forcing him to drop out of the games.[14]
Reality TV show
On March 28, 2010 Stewart's reality show “Bubba’s World” debuted and ran 10 episodes. The second season started in December, offered 13 episodes and concluded Feb. 24. There has been no announcement about a third season.[15]
Gibbs and NASCAR
In October 2011, Stewart signed to race for Joe Gibbs Racing, with a multiyear contract to run for JGRMX in motorcross as well as plans to run NASCAR stock car races in the K&N Pro Series East and Nationwide Series.[16] At the end of the 2012 Supercross Season, Stewart left Joe Gibbs Racing and JGRMX. Stewart said that he would be open to racing with Gibbs in the future, but stated that he wanted to get back to being competitive in motorcycle racing, and that a change was necessary.[17]
Personal life
On March 28, 2011, Stewart was arrested in Orange County, Florida and charged with impersonating a police officer. According to the allegation, he was driving his 2008 Toyota Tundra pick-up truck when he tried to pull over a vehicle using red and blue flashing police lights on State Road 417. He pulled up alongside the vehicle and the occupants identified themselves as Florida State Troopers. When they identified themselves as law enforcement officers, he fled and was later caught at Orlando International Airport with the help of deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the Orlando Police. He was released from police custody at approximately 2:50 am the following morning.[18] The truck used is currently impounded by Florida Highway Patrol pending resolution of the case.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/493/1094/Motorcycle-Article/James-Stewart-Bio.aspx
- ↑ http://www.amasupercross.com/riders/Bio.aspx?id=553278
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://js7.com/bio/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.motoonline.com.au/2010/01/17/ama-sx-dungey-wins-in-phoenix-reed-and-stewart-clash/
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hilderbrand, JC (2010-01-30). "James Stewart Out for San Francisco SX". motorcycle-usa.com. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/751/7724/Motorcycle-Article/2010-AMA-Motocross-Unadilla-Results.aspx
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 http://www.vitalmx.com/news/press-release/Team-San-Manuel-Yamahas-James-Stewart-Withdraws-from-the-Motocross-Outdoor-National-Series-Race-Series,7922
- ↑ 8.0 8.1
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Stewart Storms To Daytona Win". SPEED Channel. Fox Sports. March 10, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Leistikow, Chad. "Supercross star James Stewart splits with Joe Gibbs Racing". USA Today. Retrieved 5/7/12.
- ↑
- ↑ Waheed, Adam. "James Stewart Signs with Yoshimura Suzuki". Motorcycle USA. Retrieved 5/7/12.
- ↑
- ↑ "Outposts". The Los Angeles Times. July 31, 2009.
- ↑ http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/03/bubbas-world-whats-its-status.html
- ↑ Ryan, Nate (October 24, 2011). "Motocross' James Stewart joins Gibbs team with eye on NASCAR". USA Today. McLean, VA: Gannett Co. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
- ↑ Leistikow, Chad. "Supercross star James Stewart splits with Joe Gibbs Racing". USA Today.
- ↑ Jacobson, Susan (21 March 2011), "Motocross champ James Stewart charged with impersonating an officer", Orlando Sentinel, retrieved 2011-03-28
External links
- Official website
- Dirt Rider Magazine: "James Stewart and Kyle Chisolm racing Team San Manuel L&M Racing Yamahas"
- FUEL TV Series
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