Motocross
Most Iconic James Stewart Moments in MX History
The JS7 races that you will be telling your grandkids about.
James loves to win. And we love watching him win.
© Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
James Stewart burst onto the pro motocross scene in 2002, and the last dozen years have been loaded with news and stories of moto’s most talked about racer of the modern era. James is not done yet, but here are a few of the James Stewart racing moments that are burned into our brains for eternity:
The scrub – Budds Creek 2003
JS7’s motocross legacy will forever be pinnacled by the scrub, a move pioneered by James which has revolutionized modern motocross. It’s akin to the alley-oop in basketball – a game changer. By throwing the bike sideways on the face of a jump, James could hit the jump with more speed and stay lower, allowing him to put the power to the ground quicker. He first debuted it in the 2002 outdoor nationals, but it was this photo from Budds Creek in 2003 that blew the motocross community away and showed everyone what was possible with James’ technique.
Let Reed by – Unadilla 2002
We have touched on this race before, so here’s a quick refresher – James had been dominating his rookie season in the outdoor nationals, and Chad Reed, still new on the US motocross scene, was claiming that if he could start near James in the beginning of the moto, he could race with him. So James slowed down while leading moto two at Unadilla, and waited for Chad in second place. He allowed Chad to pass him, and then proceeded to race, eventually passing Chad back and taking a sizeable win. Reed was much less vocal after that.
Cheering on Danny Smith - Southwick 2002
In James’ first trip to the sands of Southwick, he was putting on a clinic in moto one when his bike unexpectedly quit, the result of a mechanical failure. James sat stone-faced on the sidelines with his motorcycle, but made sure to cheer on the leader, Danny Smith, each lap he came around. Danny’s brother had passed away in a construction accident just one week before the race, and it would be the only race he’d ever win as a professional.
The switch to yellow – Freestone 2012
James made the high profile switch mid-season from Yamaha to Suzuki in 2012, and announced that he would finally be returning to the outdoor national series on his new bike. After dominating round one at Hangtown, James led Ryan Dungey around Freestone Raceway in both motos. Dungey hounded James, seemingly glued to his rear wheel, but Stewart thwarted his advances and still took both moto wins, going a perfect 4-4 in his return to the series.
The dances – Supercross 2004
In 2004, James was starting to realize that he was way, way faster than all of his competitors, and his swagger noticeably increased. He started having more fun at the races, and marked each win in supercross with a dance number that had women in need and men jealous. His “Sprinkler” was off the charts.
Straight Rhythm: Brayton and the Stewart brothers
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Straight Rhythm this year was not just an iconic race for the sport, but also marked a huge win for James Stewart. In a race designed to favor riders with top-tier natural ability on a motorcycle, he not only took top honors, but crushed the field, going undefeated the entire day.
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