James Stewart – Supercross Legend

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Known for his incredible speed, spectacular crashes and huge smile, James Stewart is one of the greatest motocross & supercross riders ever to have entertained the crowds. Known as the “Tiger Woods of supercross” he became the first African-American to reach the top of the sport, and in doing so has attracted a huge amount of attention, fame and money.

I along with millions of other racing fans, have been on the edge of my seat many times watching James Bubba Stewart, Chad Reed and Ricky Carmichael battle it out miles ahead of the rest of the pack, riding on a different level to the others. And he does ride on another level, like a bat out of hell often only barely managing to hold onto his bike by his finger tips. This is what makes Stewart so damn entertaining to watch!

Born in Barlow, Florida, USA, Bubba was introduced to dirt bike riding by his father who also raced motocross. James Stewart Sr took him for a ride on his bike when he was still in diapers, and Bubba entered his first MX race at the grand old age of four. He began to shine above his peers and was sponsored by age 7. He went on to win many events including an impressive eleven Amateur National titles. Because of this there was a huge amount of hype surrounding James’s entry into professional supercross. And although named 2002 Rookie of the Year he failed to claim the 2002 125cc West Supercross title due largely to crashes and mistakes. But since then he has gone on to win a number of National and World titles in between injuries.

Like all superstars, James Bubba Stewart has his fair share of both lovers and haters. He’s been accused more than once of reckless riding after taking out other people on the track. And it seems that a lot of people don’t just turn up to his races to see if Bubba wins, but also to see if he has another one of his infamous crashes.

Do you ever catch yourself wondering what kind of place someone like J.S, the fastest man on a dirt bike, lives in? Check out this clip below of his property in Florida that he shares with his family. Be prepared to feel a little jealous though…

And just to throw a little salt in the wounds, his garage is not only loaded with dirt bikes but it also contains a large number of incredibly sexy, luxury automobiles and classic cars.

Forming the back bone of James’s success is his close, loving family. His mum (Sonya), and James Stewart Sr are the people responsible for getting James involved in motocross, and they continue to manage and support him today. And although things look pretty sweet for them now, it wasn’t always easy. In the earlier days they struggled to pay the bills and even slept in their car eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while they were traveling and racing because they couldn’t afford a hotel. They also home schooled James to allow him to travel and compete at a young age while still gaining an education. Seems to me it was a winning formula!

When asked what he enjoys doing when he’s not racing dirt bikes, James Stewart reply’s that he likes to chill out, ride his cows, play golf, mountain bike and go jet skiing.

DID YOU KNOW…?

• Sonya said she heard some women calling James “Bubba” at one of his races. The nickname spread and stuck, although his parents have their own nickname for him from when he was still in his Mums tummy – “Boogie” – apparently because of the way he moved around in there.
• J.S rides with #259 in respect of his friend and idol Tony Haynes who was one of the first black Americans to show great talent on a motocross track. Tony used to ride with #259 and when Bubba was only 7 years old, 16 year old Tony was left paralized from the waist down after a serious MX accident. Tony then gave Stewart permission to take over his number. Today they remain close friends.
• James has his own jumping technique called the “Bubba Scrub” in which he launches off a jump with his bike parallel to the ground – pretty amazing to watch!
• His other famous #7 is his national number he won his first championship with. He calls it his “Lucky #7”.
• James Stewart is considering the opportunity to pursue a career in NASCAR racing when he retires from SX.

Some Career Highlights

• 2009 – AMA Supercross Champion
• 2008 – Motocross of Nations Champion
• 2008 – AMA Motocross National Champion
• 2007 – AMA SX Champion
• 2007 – FIM World SX G.P Champion
• 2006 – Motocross of Nations Champion
• 2006 – FIM World SX G.P Champion
• 2004 – AMA 125cc Motocross National Champion
• 2004 – AMA 125cc East SX Champion
• 2003 – AMA 125cc West SX Champion
• 2002 – AMA 125cc Motocross National Champion
• Pre 2002 – 11 Amateur National Titles

 

Personal Stats
Full Name: James Stewart Jr
D.O.B: 21/12/85
Home Town: Haines City, Florida, USA
Height: 1.7m
National MX & SX Number: #7

* All care was taken to get this information correct at the time of writing. If anything is wrong please contact me so I can correct it.

 

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