This Week in Kawasaki SX History: Toronto 2005
Thursday, March 24, 2011 | 12:50 PM
Share
Comment
Email
Print
This Saturday night the 2011 Monster Energy Supercross series heads north of the border to Canada for round twelve. The Rogers Centre in beautiful downtown Toronto is the scene and with Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto holding the series points lead, the green team is looking to add another Toronto win to its championship case.
The other win for Team Green in Canada’s largest city came December 4th, 2005 when James Stewart rode his first-ever race on a KX450F, and showed everyone that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming 2006 calendar year.
This race was held in December and only counted toward the World Supercross points, not the AMA series, but all the top dogs were present. Suzuki’s Ricky Carmichael, and Yamaha’s Chad Reed, among others, were there and ready to race.
Stewart made his debut in the SX class in 2005.
Photo: Simon Cudby
The gate dropped and Stewart rounded the first turn right alongside his then-teammate Michael Byrne. The stage was set for some drama when Stewart hit a rock and tipped over early on in the race. This mistake allowed Carmichael to slip by and it took until around halfway for Stewart to catch back up on the number four.
From there it was a cat and mouse game as Stewart would go by, suddenly slow and then Carmichael would repass the Kawasaki rider. Finally, with two laps to go, Stewart slipped by and made it stick.
He would go on to take the checkers in the first round of the world series but what we didn’t know at the time was that the upcoming 2006 AMA Supercross series was going to be an epic one between Stewart, Carmichael and Reed.
In Toronto 2005, James Stewart made it be known that he was here to stay.
Photo: Simon Cudby
"I think basically that was the old James Stewart - just go out there and race," said Stewart, who had “new beginning” written on the back of his pants. He lapped up to sixth place in the 20-lap race. "But I want to go 18 races, and I'm really focusing on the track, watching the videos between practices, and I'm finding some good lines out there that I know with the way the track deteriorates, it's going to be great toward the end. Ricky messed up there and I didn't want to land on him - again. But it was a great race. It's the first real supercross for the KX450 and we got two holeshots."
The race back in 2005 was a great one and it all took place in Toronto, site of this weekends race.
Results 2005 Toronto Supercross
1. James Stewart Jr. (Kaw)
2. Ricky Carmichael (Suz)
3. Chad Reed (Yam)
4. Ivan Tedesco (Suz)
5. Nick Wey (Hon)
6. Michael Byrne (Kaw)
7. Jason Thomas (Hon)
8. Justin Buckelew (Hon)
9. Jeff Gibson (Hon)
10. Doug DeHaan (Hon)
Share this article:
Did you like this article?
Check out THE DARK KNIGHT
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
Tyler Bowers has become a star on the Amsoil Arenacross circuit, but the often-controversial racer just hit another peak—a surprise win at the 2013 Las Vegas Supercross. Page 148.
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
You say it was his first race on the 450, the pipe on that bikes looks like a 2 stroke...??
My eyes are nit the greatest, but I swear that's a Kaw 250 smoker, not a 4 - fiddy...
Wrong photo, that photo is from the 2005 series, the story is about the 2006 series which used to kick off in December. In the 2006 series Stewart did ride the new 2006 KXF 450 and that was an epic year for sure. Wrong photo though.
I thought Bubba debuted the KX 450 in outdoors in 2005.
I think bubba should go back to kaw bikes or suzuki or even honda's. that yamaha looks low and too long for his riding style. he looked better on the kawi's
Thats the year JS BEAT RC for the world title, I remember RC saying after the first round "I have some work to do" JS was on it early. The SX title could have gone either way that year. RC crashed more that year than any one but his first year I think.
Went to this race and it was epic, They had a double triple with the 3rd jump being much bigger then the first 2 and it was right out of a 180 corner. The Goat and Stewie were Jumping up and over the big jump and doubleing out, It was just amazing that they could clear it with no run at all, I think this race was one of the first races that you could see what we see today with these nasty 450's, takes a set of big ones to jump the things these guys do!!!!!
I believe new beginning was also new number, seven, and yes that's defineately a 2 smoker
that pic is from orlando i believe, i recognize the outfit i was there he got a third for that day, it was stewarts first race back from his badly broken arm i think. he crashed hard in the whoops trying to go as fast as reed and rc WHAT A SHOCKER and reed ended up winning with rc in second.
Bubba stepped it up and was clearly the best in Toronto/Vancouver... It's not what marked me the most though. What did is how RC went back to work and in a month between Canada and A1 2006, RC showed up as a different rider, lean, mean, scrubbing shit everywhere and ready to fight back. Which he did. That was one of the time RC impressed me the most...
Bubba raced nationals on a 250 in 05
ah the good ole days when every crash 7 had didn't cost him a whole season, he used to be made of rubber i swear...
nowadays every crash is taking its toll....
he is one of the greats...imagine if he showed up when RC wasn't around...
how many generations get to say they got to watch the GOAT and probably one of the fastest guys ever...on the same track for several years...
love this sport
and now he just lands on his head ...
T.K Ripper,, I totally agree.. I'm not making excuses for him, but the fact remains he has not looked good on the Yams like he did on the Kaws..
Ken is right the new beginning was the #7 and the 450 at Toronto, and I think he def. needed a change he crashed his brains out in 05 sx and jumped on RC's back at Dilla (which I was 20 ft. from and seen in person). Yeah halfe 316 is right what a sport, just awesome, you cant watch a red sox game then go home and play ball at fenway like we can watch are hero's then ride on national caliber tracks the day before outdoor races! I just can't stand all the haters on these sites, I was a Goat fan and have now gone on to be an RV2 fan (saw his first pro race at broome Tioga he got smoked came in 15th), but got no hate for any of these riders now of days, may the best man win! N the thing with Reed at Atlanta, hey its the last lap don't leave the door open, If it was 2 to go then its dirty! Please Pleas everyone stay healthy and run outdoors and add a little 377 into the mix, get out da bull rings, and watch these boyz run with some room to make up for a bad start. It will be awesome, Supercross needs to be 20 min. motos plus 2 laps, I went to Indy this year and the 15 min mains are kind of a rip off. Just sayn
If thesr 450 4 bangers are so fast why dont we go back and race the 500cc 2 strokes? Think what could be done on one of those under JS, RV, Reed, Dungy, Windham and the rest. I belive it was Mike webb said in Dirt rider mag once that if you have never raced a 500cc 2 stroke you have never raced until you do. Ya I used to race a very tricked out YZ490 and you could get in over your head but thre were only a hanful that could ride one to the frull potential Bailey, Glover, Stanton and Magoo DEcoster, and a few others. I would like to see what these guys nowdays could do on one. Yes I tried a CR 500 and Kawi 500 they all were so fast they could make yours eys bleed lol,Quote from Web, I think.
All these guys are unreal riders. What amazed me the most about RC is that he just kept taking on every challenge that came his way. As mentioned, when he got lean and mean, he was plain wicked. I will always respect RC for that.
I think JS7 will get back into form. He's too good not to. He just has some sorting to do. :)
Far out for a bunch of so called 'fans', a lot of you must be total newbies or hav eno been around the MX world for a long time. Anyone with a blind eye can see that the first pic is not of bubba on the KXF, its a pic of James at one of the 05 SX season races, the second pic was taken ON THE NIGHT and shows james on the production KXF in Toronto in early december 05.
He did NOT debut the 450 in the 05 outdoors, it was not homogolated yet and the AMA would not have allowed it to race even if it Kawi did have it ready due to the production rule. Remember the epic battles between ricky on the first year RMZ and bubba on his factory two smoker?
Yes that night was when James was running the new big 7 as it wasnt an AMA race in Toronto but a world series race. Reed was also riding a YZF450, the first of the alloy framed bikes after riding his whole AMA 250cc career on two stroke YZ250s.
Damn people research your history and learn about the sport that existed before bubbas world did on MTV.
Are there AMA points on the line in Toronto or just World points? I remember a few years back some guys skipped the Canada series because they were focused on the AMA championship and the starting gates were pretty empty.
That was the year everyone picked Stewie to win the AMA Supercross title but RC won again, his 5th. And Chad Reed tied Stewie that year with 377 points apiece, but Stewie got the tiebreaker with the most wins..
Welker, believe it or not, a current 450 4-stroke has more horsepower than the old 500 2-strokes. Yes, read a test of the 2 bikes in Motorcross action, the 450 had more horses on the dyno, and was faster on the track..
bd200: it's the WAY the power comes on....a 500cc smokers ramps up the power REALLY fast compared to a 450 valve-n-cam setup. From 15hp to 40hp in 1500rpm hahaha....
RIGHT ON MATHES. A FEW DAYS AGO I SAID THAT WAS THE BEST SX RACE EVER. JS7 was on it. Fell on the first turn then chased down Ricky, caught him slowed down let RC by then passed him again. He was playing with RC. No one has ever done that to RC in his pro career.
That first photo of stewart on the 2-stroke 250, has a caption under it, that says "Stewart made his debut in the SX class in 2005", so it is totally correct.
The second picture, shows him on the #7 kx450f, at toronto 2005, which was the first race of the 2006 world gp sx series. That caption is correct also. A very nice article, with a flashback to 2006.
Yes, I agree. I have ridden a KX500, and it was a brutal machine. I couldnt imagine trying to ride one on a supercross track.
1996 CR500 at Mammoth Mountain. That is some fun!!!
"Motorcross action" : ))