James Stewart had to come from behind to get it done, but the San Manuel Yamaha rider tracked down a fleeing Ryan Dungey to win the opening round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series at Anaheim, Calif.’s Angels Stadium. For 16 laps of the 20-lap main event, the defending series champ trailed the Rockstar Makita Suzuki-mounted Dungey – at one point by as much as four seconds. However, on the 17th lap, Stewart found another gear and reeled in the Minnesota native. Then, with the help of a Dungey bobble, Stewart put his San Manuel Yamaha at the front. He would have to survive a final lap flurry from #5, but in the end Stewart claimed his 37th career win in front of 43,841 exhausted fans.
“This was a good race for me,” said Stewart. “Dungey got a big lead, and I just had to rely on my fitness. It’s not over ‘til it’s over and I reeled him.”
Earlier this fall, Stewart missed out on winning the King of Bercy title after he became ill just before the final race of the weekend. After consulting a doctor, Stewart cancelled trips to race in Australia and Italy.
“For me, this is my first race in a while, and my first race on the new bike, and this is a lot better than last year’s outcome,” Stewart said, referring to the DNF he suffered at Anaheim 1 last year. “I didn’t really know where my health was, coming in, but I think I proved it’s good. I DNF’ed last year and still came back and won, so this is a lot better start to the year.”
“I kind of struggled in the beginning part of the race,” Stewart admitted . “I messed that rhythm section up three or four laps in a row. But I knew my conditioning was good, so I wasn’t worried. I just put in a few hard laps and I was able to close up on him and make the pass. I just went on the inside of him right before the whoops section – I dove down and got a better run than him at the whoops.”
Dungey grabbed a blazing start, just ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto and Stewart, and pulled away to a big lead, looking in the early part of the race to be Stewart’s equal. And Dungey didn’t back down after Stewart took the lead on the 17th lap. He stuck tight to Stewart’s rear wheel, and even jumped ahead of Stewart for a few feet, but Stewart retaliated and took the checkers with a good gap over Dungey.
“I got a little lazy and messed up in the whoops,” said Stewart. “Ryan got me but I got him right back…. I just stepped up my game and took the win.”
Despite the close loss, Dungey was happy about his performance and the prospects of the coming season.
“This was a big step for me,” said Dungey. “The 450 class is stacked this year, but I feel I belong here, and I’m thankful to finish second.”
“I was able to put down some clean laps at the beginning of the race, but I got out of my flow toward the end of the race,” Dungey added . “You really had to hit your lines good, and if you didn’t you couldn’t hit the timing sections, and that was pretty important. I think he might have messed up at the first of the race, which allowed me to gap him. But then I messed up, which allowed him to get back around me. I tried to make a little effort there at the end, but I just couldn’t get it done.”
Finishing a surprise third was GEICO Powersports Honda’s Kevin Windham, who passed Red Bull Honda’s Andrew Short and Villopoto late in the race to take the final podium spot.
“For the first time in my career, I wasn’t nervous before a race,” said Windham. “I guess 16 years of experience is starting to pay off. We have another year under our belts on the Honda and I just felt really comfortable. But I had my work cut out for me, it wasn’t one of those races where you got a good start and ran out front. I had to really fight for it.”
Short ran in third during the early going but eventually settled for fourth, ahead of Villopoto and Valli Motorsport Yamaha’s Ivan Tedesco.
Chad Reed’s day ended in the first 30 yards of the race, when Suzuki’s Austin Stroupe got squirrelly off the start and clipped the wheel of Reed’s Kawasaki, breaking enough spokes to force a DNF.
“I was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Reed. “The pace is really high right now, and there was nothing that I could do. I was trying to pass another rider and our lines came together.”
In the Lites division, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer grabbed the holeshot and never looked back to win the opening round of the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites series. Weimer’s teammate, Josh Hansen, ran in second until sliding out on lap two. Hansen’s mistake allowed Rockstar Energy/Suzuki/Canidae’s Ryan Morais to move into second place. However, Morais eventually gave way to GEICO Powersports Honda’s Trey Canard. Canard closed slightly on Weimer, but at the finish the order was Weimer, Canard and Morias. The win was the fifth AMA Supercross Lites class win of Weimer’s career.
“It feels good to have the first one done now,” Weimer said. “I rode smooth, and I did not make any mistakes. For right now, it is weekend to weekend, and the goal is to win races.”
AMA Supercross Class Results:
1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
3. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda
4. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
5. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
6. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha
7. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
8. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
9. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
10. Grant Langston, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Results:
1. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
2. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
3. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
4. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda
5. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda
6. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha
7. Tommy Searle, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
8. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo, Kawasaki
9. Max Anstie, Hemet, Calif., Yamaha
10. Jeff Alessi, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
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