Stewart back on top with Phoenix success
The 25 year old erased the painful memories of the same event in 2010 where he fractured his scaphoid and ultimately was forced to the sidelines for the rest of the campaign. Stewart also had to overcome his nerves, a factor that led to a small crash during the heat race prior to the main event.
Seizing the holeshot later in the evening the 2009 champion was able to control the 20 lap sprint from the front and keep last week’s winner Ryan Villopoto at bay for half of the distance until the latter slipped off. Stewart was then able to roll to the chequered flag for his fourth triumph at Phoenix.
“The track was tough and really slick tonight, it was so easy to over-ride it,” said Stewart who is the only rider to win at Phoenix in both the SX and SX Lites classes. “I wanted a good start and with the holeshot I then did my own race. I was confident and Ryan [Villopoto] rode really well, we were both pushing the limits of traction out there and it was cat-and-mouse for a little while. It has been a long time since I won a race so this feels good. I just need to keep getting the starts and ride smart.”
Yamaha was the machine of choice for the fastest riders at Chase Field as four YZ450Fs gained slots in the top ten. Justin Brayton finished 6th while Kyle Chisholm was 9th and Stewart’s new team-mate, Kyle Regal, showed signs of improvement by grabbing 10th.
Stewart is two points behind Villopoto as the championship heads for the first time to the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for round three this coming Saturday.
2011 AMA-SX United States
Chase Field 17/01/2011 20 Laps
1 James Stewart Yamaha USA 16’40.207
2 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 0’05.144
3 Trey Canard Honda USA 0’11.924
4 Chad Reed Honda AUS 0’13.963
5 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0’14.922
6 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 0’32.502
7 Andrew Short KTM USA 0’37.716
8 Brett Metcalfe Suzuki AUS 0’44.187
9 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA -1Laps
10 Kyle Regal Yamaha USA -1Laps
11 David D Millsaps Yamaha USA -1Laps
12 Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA -1Laps
13 Weston Peick Yamaha USA -1Laps
14 Ivan Tedesco Kawasaki USA -1Laps
15 Chris Blose Kawasaki USA -2Laps
16 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA -2Laps
18 Jeff Alessi Yamaha USA -5Laps
20 Austin Stroupe Yamaha USA -20Laps
AMA-SX World Standing
Rider Standings After Race 2 of 17
1. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA – 47
2. James Stewart Yamaha USA – 45
3. Trey Canard Honda USA – 38
4. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA – 38
5. Chad Reed Honda AUS – 34
6. Brett Metcalfe Suzuki AUS – 26
7. Andrew Short KTM USA – 25
8. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA – 22
9. Ivan Tedesco Kawasaki USA – 21
10. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA – 20
11. Kyle Regal Yamaha USA – 19
12. Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA – 18
13. Kevin Windham Honda USA – 17
14. Josh Grant Honda USA – 12
15. David D Millsaps Yamaha USA – 12
16. Chris Blose Kawasaki USA – 10
17. Weston Peick Yamaha USA – 8
20. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA – 6
22. Jeff Alessi Yamaha USA – 3
24. Austin Stroupe Yamaha USA – 1
Filed in: Motorcycle News
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