The second round for the 2008 Supercross puts James in a tie for the points lead with Chad Reed. Chad seems to have a new found speed and is riding different from the Chad of past seasons which is keeping him real close to James and allowing him to have a chance to capitalize on the many mistakes James seems to always make. James again shows he’s the fastest man on the planet by winning the second round at Phoenix but just didn’t show the flare that we have all grown to love. With a new trainer and a different outlook he seems to be riding a lot smarter and maybe holding back just a little so that he doesn’t end up on his head and behind in the points. I’m glad to see him on two wheels but it’s just not the same for me. I love to see James push so hard the first few laps that he seems like he’s going to destroy himself and blow the race or go down from pushing himself so hard that he has to run as hard as he can to catch the lead from way back in the pack. I hate to say it, but the 2nd round was just plain out boring. I know it’s all he needs to do to win and it keeps him safe and on two wheels but I hope he has to hang it out just a little more so we don’t fall asleep this season.
I’ve never had a chance to met James or even see him in any other environment or mind set out side of racing. He always seems to come across cocky and even a little rude. I know it’s where he needs to be mentally for competition, but it’s hard to take and that’s why people have a love/hate attitude towards him. Always in one breath he goes from humble and respectful to that guy that gets under your skin with cocky comments that could go unmentioned. But I must say, after watching Deal or no deal last night just to see Bubba Stewart, I gained a new and higher opinion of himfrom these few minute on the show. He seemed very caring and concerned for the fan that was playing and even invited him to a day at his home after the guy opened a million dollar case. It almost seemed like the invite wasn’t part of the show and Howey pushed it off. It was a different James for me and I can say that I liked that James. As for the competitor James, he still gets to me once and a while. But like every other rider out there, I love to watch him race.
A recovered James comes in hailed by all as the fastest man on the planet. Yeah we all know he’s fast but can he keep his head out of the butt of the guy in front of him long enough to stay on two wheels? The first corner gave us that answer and James claims he got a bump which led to the stack up. I reviewed the race and just don’t see it. So another brain fart puts Stewart back in the pack again. After getting back on it he shows just how fast he is and pulls with in 12 seconds of Reed. Now here is the eye opener. James pulls his head out of that butt in front of him, makes the decision to settle for second and finishes the race healthy, safe and real close to the leader in points Vs going for the 3 extra points in the season opener and getting beat, bruised and way behind in points . Good for James. I look forward to seeing his speed and talent all year long.
James’ scrub has to be the most exciting thing to come to motocross ever. If you never saw it in person, you have no idea what it’s all about. At a National, I got to see the scrub for the first time and it scared me half to death. I thought he was going to line drive right into us. He went into a gravity cavity and emerged at the top of the hill with his bike completely flat and flying straight across the ground. We jump away from the track a little until we understood that he wasn’t going to crash. It just scared and amazed us. I never saw anything like it before. Now I see a picture from the 80’s of a guy named JoJo Keller I think. It shows him doing what looks like a scrub or could be called a scrub, but it’s not the same. I don’t know if it was intentional or if it was a swapped out jump attempt. One things for sure, he wasn’t screaming his bike as fast or as far a James. James Stewart is “hands down” the most exciting thing in Motocross and Supercross today and you have to love him for the excitement and thrills he brings to the sport.