Yamaha's 'take on' Anaheim II
Tuesday 07 February: We always run the 'official' AMA SX reports from Feld Motor Sports Inc. (who do an excellent job for us readers) but it's interesting to hear what the teams have to say about their successes or otherwise.
Stewart on the box again at packed Angel Stadium
The second visit of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series (also an
FIM World Championship) to Angel Stadium, Anaheim, Los Angeles saw
JGRMX’s James Stewart collect his third podium trophy in a row by
finishing second to Ryan Villopoto on Saturday night. A capacity crowd
witnessed a Villopoto-Stewart-Chad Reed podium for what was the fifth
round of seventeen.
It was an eventful evening for Stewart. While
leading the first heat he mistimed a rhythm section and went down. In
discomfort but electing to attempt the Last Chance Qualifying race the
former champion made it through to the Main Event but without an ideal
gate pick.
Stewart dodged his way through the middle of the pack to reach title
rival Reed and was able to demote the Australian but was then powerless
to close up to the rear wheel of Villopoto.
"To get second tonight was actually pretty good
considering how the heat race went and how beat up I feel right now,” he
said. "It [the crash] knocked the wind out of me, and my ribs and my
wrist, so I’ll be sore tomorrow, and probably Monday, but we’ll be back.
It’s nothing we can’t handle, but I was just trying to get through the
race from there."
"I didn’t get the greatest of starts and made some
passes. I made my way up to third and ended up getting by Chad six or
seven laps into the race. I was trying to salvage [something]. I felt
like I could have gone a bit faster but I will take that. It was tough
out there and definitely one of the toughest of the year!”
Stewart, whose victory last weekend in Oakland took
him to 43 AMA SX career triumphs and means that the Floridian has stood
on top of the podium every season for the past eight years, is now
fourth in the standings and just 13 points (25 counts for a win) from
Villopoto at the peak of the table. Team-mate Davi Millsaps was seventh
in Los Angeles and holds ninth place in the points.
With Monster Energy Yamaha’s Zach Osborne now
beginning to focus on his European programme Yamaha were best
represented by Star Valli Racing’s Nico Izzi as the American took his
YZ250F to fifth place in the West Coast Lites category.
The championship moves down to San Diego for round six next Saturday.