James Stewart: Overdog Again
Friday, January 6, 2012 | 2:00 PM
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Two years ago, I wrote a Racer X Illustrated magazine piece on James Stewart titled “Overdog.” Because no matter what goes down leading into a season, James Stewart never enters a championship chase as the underdog. The talent and ability is undeniable, so as long as he’s on the gate, he’s a favorite to win.
But we’re really putting the overdog theory to the test now, because since I’ve written that story, Stewart has failed to win the Monster Energy Supercross Championship twice, and raced no other major events besides a fail at the ’10 Unadilla AMA Pro Motocross National. One major injury ruined his 2010 campaign, which happens. But a series of crashes unraveled his 2011 campaign, to the point where other riders can now say, “We raced him for 17 rounds, and we beat him.”
Photo: Simon Cudby
And yet we just can’t help ourselves. For once, Stewart could have come into a season as an underdog, but when we posted an online poll of who will win Anaheim 1, guess who came out on top of the voting? Yup, old JS7, edging out defending SX Champion Ryan Villopoto with about 3,200 votes to RV’s 3,000. Such a vote shows a big leap of faith in what Stewart’s new JGR/Toyota Yamaha team can bring to the table, but also that same old leap of faith in Stewart’s abilities. And that leap isn’t a mega-tricky quad combination jump. It’s easy to understand. We may have laid the Fastest Man on the Planet thing to rest, but, no man on this planet doesn’t think James Stewart is fast.
And then you dig into last season. You can point to the highlight reel crashes for Stewart as an indicator that he’ll never find consistency. Or you can note that he still won five races and actually wasn’t too far back in points with two rounds to go. Before more crashes kicked in. With Stewart, it’s always going to be win or crash, so much so that at yesterday’s press conference, for once, no one even bothered to ask if he’s going to change his style this year. We already know the answer!
Photo: Simon Cudby
There is a consensus around Stewart right now if you talk to insiders, ex riders and experts. They all come back to the same phrase, “Stewart really has something to prove.” But even that, really, is no different. James Stewart always has something to prove, because he’s always expected to be fast and win. He has never lined up in a race where a second place finish is good enough. It’s not win or crash, it’s win or “what happened?”
Thus is the blessing and curse of such speed. It always has been. Underneath Stewart sits a new JGR bike that is vastly different then the L&M (or JSE) Yamaha he raced last year. It could make the difference. But the bigger factor is time. Even after two bad seasons, Stewart is still the same threat. But while even failed 2010 and 2011 seasons still leaves him as a favorite in 2012, if James Stewart doesn’t start winning a whole bunch again, don’t expect him to stick around for long. He’s not going to come back and cash paychecks for more seasons of 2011-style racing. Remember, he only races to win. So maybe this time, we add a new category. Maybe this time it’s win, crash, or nothing.
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He's not my favorite rider by any means but I have a feeling he will easily win half the races this year.
Who cares? I love to watch him ride, but if he thinks he can keep fans and not race the nationals, well, he's mistaken. There will always be the fair weather fans, but who cares. I hope it's a knock down, drag out fight tomorrow night. If he concentrates on racing again instead of being a "reality tv star" or a "perp", maybe he'll get some fans back.
I love the guy's abilities, hate his personality, but i'm going to call it right now that JS7 runs away with this supercross championship.
I agree with Kxpwr18
randy he is raceing the nationals this year. He is the fastest guy and if he can keep it off the ground like he has before he could be champ. I say its him or RV.
I don't care about what he says or does off of the motorcycle: he acts like the rest of life is just a prelude to the time when he gets to rip it. Bradshaw wasn't the guy with the most wins, but he was the nastiest thing to ever ride a motorcycle, and JS7 is even better. Keep your record books. I'll take the memory of the first time I ever saw him scrub a jump in an AMA national.
Excellent read Weege!! Those folks have been in the sport since before the JS7 days no what JS7 brings to the table and why he again the favorite to win via the pole..If things go right, he is untouchable and when he was on last year, that was 100% the case...The only guy to beat James was James (and Reed T-boning him of course).......Sure, some folks don't like his personality but many folks didn't like Johnson, Stanton , Bradshaw or even MC's personality in there days of glory. and you know what, they don't care....it comes with the territory and nobody is perfect.....I see a new more mature JS7...he is reaching out to fans trying to mend the broken fences and with a few race wins under his belt this year, he will once again be top dog......or not.....we will see....and I will enjoy every second of it....my boy RV is only 23 and has many years to come....JS7 has only a few more years and as even Reed has shown at almost 30, if you want it, its there for the taking....Good luck Bubba and the rest in 2012..BRAAAAAAAPT!!
it all depends on how hard 'ole whirlwind with BNG starts to buck when he puts the spurs to it tryin to run down RV1. We'll see if JGR's gelding process has helped. The guys is a flat monster on the bike and I actually admire his 'must win' agenda.
I'm not a huge fan of Stewies, but I too say he is the man to beat...indoors. That "half a second faster per lap" speed adds up nicely over 20 laps.
JS was blessed with all the attributes of a great motocross racer except one, a head!
It is very interesting to me how much ink can be spent on a guy who hasn't won a SX championship in 3 years or a MX championship in 4. Yeah, he's fast. So are they other guys and the amount of JS hype all over the place is starting to reach epic proportions.
well put weege... Stewart is the fastest minus crashes and mistakes. Chad and RV are the only two that I can see matching Stewarts pace and even then I don't think they can keep it up for 20 laps ( well, according to the last 2 years neither can James). That saying of "slowing down to go faster" does not exsist. Dungey point blank gets a pass this year, new bike and team... too soon for him but I think they figure things out by mid season and he starts cracking the podiums. I think Windham will show his speed and flashes of magic here and there but week in and week out he's the leader of the second group. Josh Grant is my biggest question mark, he's got the speed but how will it match up with the kawi and can he keep it on 2 wheels? Davi, Short, Brayton, Hanny, Jake W, Ivan T, Tickle and Stroupe ... (wow this season is gonna be awesome!!!!) all of these guys have the potential to bust it out big and for the sake of us fans I hope they all do at the same time! really excited about tomorrow night.
Win, crash, or nothing... I'll take crash and then nothing for Bubba! LOL.
The stuff on these boards will never change, positive and negative, it will always be here......tomktm has been on a negative mission for quite awhile now, who cares....i totally agree with "foundwood", keep your record books, dwell on where he finished last year,b i t c h and moan about whatever you want to about the guy.....but put his ass on the seat of a dirt bike and i can't think of anybody in history who is any MORE fun to watch than he is. Glad you are still out there JS!!!
JS7 is STILL the fastest on the planet and right now he is at his best. Any doubts will be shut down on Sat at A1. Just look at the press day gallery and not any one of JS pictures he has the bike sr8. 2012 yr of the JS7 domination.
Stacked field, and don't forget the King of Bercy, KC11!
The dude is probably the fastest guy to ever ride a motocross bike. The only downfall is the head trips, crashes & the occasional run-in with Chad Reed. Of note: When Ricky was beating him outdoors he freaked out a little too much but RC's not here anymore. Lay it down or get out of town JS7
@whatever - indeed! ....The likes of Reed and company (folks who don't like the kid for whatever reason) are hoping JS7 has a bad year...If he has a good year, he is winning the title.....It almost happened last year and his year was considered a disaster....So, it can only get better from here on out...If he doesn't crash, he usually wins...hopefully his crashes (they will happen) are at a career minimum and we let the men on the track do the talking for all of us....I want nothing more than good racing and a good year for all those guys...but there can only be one champion...so there will be some unhappy folks who put their spin of why things didn't happen for their guy..no matter who wins
JS7 is a phenominal rider...but it appears he is riding a bike ( YAM ) that for some reason doesn't fit his banzai style. He will win some events this season, but his real emphasis is toward racing trucks and then cars for Joe Gibbs. That secondary focus will open the doors for riders that simply want to get on the podium this season. Put that man back on a KAW
He definately has a chance to win since he has a good team to help him now. As long as he can keep his focus now he will be a force.
@Whatever, I have to disagree on one thing, Stewie was not my favorite to watch, that easily goes to the GOAT. His total domination for 10 years was a pleasure to watch for sure. 15 titles in 10 seasons will never be matched, and it was great to see.
Outlaw53,,, I agree, I would like to see him on a Kaw again, but I think the bike he's on now looks much better in testing than last year's bike.
@bd200, I disagree... Watching RC smoke everyone for all those years got extremely boring.
It's like a cult in here lol, everyone needs to stop hopping on his nuts or he's gonna be too sore to ride tomorrow night.
Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad,don't want to be treated this a way.
I love how last year around this time, you would have read the exact same posts about James running away with it. And at the end of the season, he had been beaten straight up for the title.
James' days of dominance are over. Not saying he won't be stupid fast. Not saying he won't win lots of races. Not even saying he won't win the championship. But he WON'T be dominant. He WON'T be clinching the title with 4 races left. The days of James having it his own way are over. Just like Rossi in MotoGP, the field has caught him in terms of speed, and now they KNOW they can beat him.
Will there be days that he has the field covered? You bet. But as I said, the days of it being a foregone conclusion that JS7 will win - those days are over. You read it here, folks.
@GraciousOne,,"James' days of dominance are over. Not saying he won't be stupid fast. Not saying he won't win lots of races. Not even saying he won't win the championship. But he WON'T be dominant. He WON'T be clinching the title with 4 races left. The days of James having it his own way are over."
ahhhh,, I think most poeple on here knew that long ago......
@mxmofo1, you think that most people on here knew that James' days of dominance are over? You must be reading a different thread than I am.....
GraciousOne,,, no, they didnt know it, they know it now. Dominance and winning championships are two different things...
hahaha hope for Stewart's sake that dgizzy's "domination" declaration works out better than when Alessi was declared to dominate the 2010 Nationals by him. My prediction is RV wins 9, Stewart wins 5. Canard wins 3 and that covers the 17 available. People don't seem to realize we KNOW RV is WAY better than he was in SX 2011, we've seen it. People are just hoping that Stewart is better. Stewart HAS to be better to keep pace with RV. If he isn't he is toast. I also think Stewart is the only shot at anyone keeping it from being a runaway. Could be a boring series if not for the occasional Stewart soil sample (couldn't resist)
I'll point something out to anyone who thinks the L&M team was crap........they won several titles with 2 different riders. People make it sound like they are a bunch of fools who were working out of a farmer's barn. They were basically Factory Yamaha with all of their resources. The engineer that couldn't figure James' bike out last year is now with Reed's team and is now being touted as a valuable addition to the 22 squad. Anyway, JGR is a good team but are we saying that Brayton wishes he was back with JGR instead of where he is now? He certainly thinks it's a step up. Way too many people are suddenly acting like JGR is THE team of all teams. Before long James will be blaming his Pirellis.
GraciousOne said: "I love how last year around this time, you would have read the exact same posts about James running away with it."
AND the same posts leading up to Unadilla 2010 (and the same chatter from Stewart). Same posts before 2010 SX, before hurting himself with several crashes. Same posts pre-2011 Nationals before he never showed up.
RV's gotta be the favorite! He has destroyed ever since switching to the 2012 bike.
Good Lord, shut your mouth B-KR....it's been known for a long time that you don't like the guy and your insistence on stating it is losing it's luster. Does it make ya feel better to knock the guy down all of the time?? You must struggle in your day to day life if you have to constantly say negative crap about Stewart!! You are just one of those dorks that will talk down about him no matter what he does, but you and your kind have definitely shrunk in numbers this year.....and i couldn't be happier!! Oh, and who the hell is saying JGR is the team of all teams?? I think people have stated that it should be a positive move for James, that is all, quit making it more than it is!! Also, the fact that Brayton is happier at Honda has nothing to do with the strength of JGR either, he just thinks it is a better fit for him....good for him then. I guess to sum it up, just shut up!!
LOL! I really don't mind James. It is all the mindless slobbering over anything he does by his minions that is a problem. It's to the point that he throws a Taco Bell cinnamon twist wrapper in the garbage and you guys all gather around it and stare at it saying "did you see the way he threw it?" Believe me if this hype continues they will be back in force. The anti-Stewarts haven't gone away, you guys did when he wasn't winning which allows us to have some peace. Now you are all bumbling out of the woodwork again and for some reason are ignoring several years of results and declaring him FMOTP again. If you notice, I spoke mostly about stuff coming from fans' mouths, not much about him other than how I think he will do. I digress though, it is wrong to do anything but declare that he will dominate. hahaha you funny
B-KR I said that about his tires when he signed on the dotted line. When was the last time Pirelli won anything moto??? I've heard James was going to ride
2010 Nationals= never happened
2011 Nationals = never happened
2011 Monster energy cup = never happened
2012 Nationals ======== never going to happen... If he loved this sport he sure doesn't show it!!!!
The only thing James did in 2011 was screw over Kyle Regal!!!
"B-KR wrote:
about 1 hour ago
LOL! I really don't mind James. It is all the mindless slobbering over anything he does by his minions that is a problem. It's to the point that he throws a Taco Bell cinnamon twist wrapper in the garbage and you guys all gather around it and stare at it saying "did you see the way he threw it?" Believe me if this hype continues they will be back in force. The anti-Stewarts haven't gone away, you guys did when he wasn't winning which allows us to have some peace. Now you are all bumbling out of the woodwork again and for some reason are ignoring several years of results and declaring him FMOTP again. If you notice, I spoke mostly about stuff coming from fans' mouths, not much about him other than how I think he will do. I digress though, it is wrong to do anything but declare that he will dominate. hahaha you funny"
Ding ding ding we have a winner, so true.
I remember when TP 199 said he feels sorry for everyone when JS7 moves to Pro from the Ams. He was right.
The 1st Fastest Black Man on the Planet, OOOO wait that would be the Bolt !
decoster needs to get on that ktm and lay the hammer down...ahahahah
When he's on the tract at a race either practice, heats, or main NOBODY can take their eyes off of him; he's just that good. Let him win the first three races and even the haters will choke on their hating. He's awesome, ours for a brief time, lets just enjoy.
Good Lord to you V-O-R...B-KR is not far off in his comments. You know what? I think JS7 is going to win tomorrow, I really do. I think he is there mentally, I think he will be very aggressive and confident. HOWEVER..There are so many of us out here that have not forgotten about the many NEGATIVE things JS7 has been guilty of, sorry to say. The crashes with other riders ( due to JS7) that could have ended so badly, the taunting of his competitors, the injuries due to crashing. AND there are so many POSITIVES! His talent is unmatched, his technique is very solid, he is more humble now. The fact of the previous seasons, is that JS7 doesn't respond consistently to pressure. It's very unfortunate. RC, in my opinion, is the only rider who was able to elevate his speed up to JS7 when it was needed. He responded to pressure very well. So this season could really be it for JS7, I think if he is comfortable, and has the fitness, he could easily win the SX title.If he isn't, oh boy...Hope he doesn't land on someone's head.
The guys who bad-mouth James have always done so, and will continue to do so. It has nothing to do with his skills, their knowledge of racing or any impartial analysis - it's because of who he is. That's all there is to say about that. Small minds stay in small, safe areas. All we have to know is that the haters will hate, and it has nothing to do with racing.
TPowell82.......you're right, everyone is just racist and his history on and off the track is imaginary. He's the best ever regardless of what the stats say and his whole career is a positive highlight reel. Don't forget to play with the step children while you're down there lol.
I remember James mostly as the GOAT's exhaust collector. One moment I will never forget is his first race on the big bike 2 stroke at Hangtown over reving in practice and the crowd going wild. Then I put the stop watch on him and RC who was riding smooth and found RC 2 seconds a lap faster. I mentioned that to all around me and the yelling for James almost stopped. Well the first moto RC killed him and then James quit in the second moto, I asked his mechanic why he quit and he said I don't know, this was way after the race ended.
I think he quit at Unidilla also trying for the MXD team, so if fans pay to see someone and they quit, yes you might become a hater. I can say this for certain the GOAT would not quit if you were throwing bolders at him. The "WILL" of the GOAT forced James into submission and personally I believe RV has the speed, talent, and enough WILL to do the same once again.
Motocross is not about going fast over your head and breaking bones, crashing, losing titles, thats what local squids do all the time. RC said it best " you win by doing your best on a bad day", but when James has a bad day he comes up zero.
I put my money on RV last year and doing the same this year. If I thought JS
could beat him then my money would be on him for sure.
So B-KR gets a ringing endorsement from the retard....big deal..you jokers are two peas in a pod so go ahead and grab each others manhood all you want.....call each other right all you want...it doesn't matter. You are just creating crap in your thin skulls, i don't hear many people overly praising James this year, no more than are saying that RV is gonna clean house, and that is definitely no guarantee either. Quit carrying the hate JS torch and just try and enjoy the racing.....and let people like who they like!! Dorks!
None of us really know how hard it is to do what these guys do for 17 weeks, the travel alone would take a huge toll on anyone.
James is the fastest racer on the track, right up to the moment that he isn't, if you've ridden a bike, then you know the feeling.
The ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on Matt Hoffman is very illuminating as to the mindset of these kinds of incredibly brave pioneers.
Hat's off to all of them, stay safe fellas.
Claxton, james on a 250 2 stroke to the GOAT on a big ol fofiddy,stewart had everybody covered on the 250 except rc remember when rc was on a 250 ferry and kdub got him that year E.A.D.
Rud1, It wasnt always that way, Stewie had a 450 and RC still beat him. RC crashed at Unadilla, and still ran down Stewie and passed him. RC was just the best period.
@MXMOFO-- i have never seen a boring MX race. And watching the greatest ever race a motocross race was never boring, it was great.
JS7 sucks!