Picture perfect

Stewart keeps undefeated streak alive

Friday, July 18, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Photo by MIKE SLATTERY James Stewart won both motocross motos, as well as each holeshot award, to remain perfect in motos this season with 14 straight wins. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Three of those seven championships were perfect seasons: 2002, 2004 and 2005. This season, James Stewart, dubbed the Tiger Woods of motocross by some, is attempting to accomplish the same feat en route to his first Motocross title.

Stewart entered the 2008 Pro National at Budds Creek Motocross Park last weekend with a six-race winning streak, including 12 straight motos. He hadn’t been beaten all season, but he also had never won at Budds Creek, a title that had been won each of the last eight seasons by the now retired Carmichael.

He came close last season, but lost on a tie-breaker to Carmichael, who has since left motocross racing in search of a career in NASCAR.

On Sunday, Stewart’s fortunes at Budds Creek changed, following the path of his more recent wins earlier in the season. Stewart easily won both motos on Sunday to remain perfect, with a combined win margin of a whopping 42 seconds.

‘‘I could hear the announcers,” said Stewart, of his lead during the race. ‘‘I could hear them saying that [second-place finisher] Timmy [Ferry] was coming. But the easiest thing for me is to just run lap to lap and try to beat my lap time.”

Stewart’s dominance is nothing new, but the way he dominated at Budds Creek was a bit of a surprise. Stewart took both of the day’s holeshot awards –– given to the driver who leads each moto after the first lap –– for the first time all season.

‘‘In the first moto, I got a good jump,” said Stewart. ‘‘In practice, I saw people pushing out, so I wanted to tuck it in and run on the inside. I don’t really remember much from the second moto, but on the first I just got a really a good start.”

Part of the reason Stewart captured each holeshot award was due to the absence of motocross regular Mike Alessi. Alessi is currently tied for second in the motocross points standings after sitting out at Budds Creek.

Alessi, known for grabbing holeshot awards, was the victim of a vicious crash at Red Bud Track and Trail in Buchanan, Mich., in which several drivers landed on and drove over Alessi’s unconscious body.

Alessi is said to have suffered very little injuries and is doing well, but he was notably absent at Budds Creek.

Even with Alessi’s absence, Stewart’s dominance was impressive, even if he insists remaining perfect isn’t his objective for the rest of this season.

‘‘I don’t really care,” said Stewart. ‘‘If it happens, it would be cool, but I never made it my goal.”