James Stewart?” One of the Re- Porters Asked
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Has the rider we used to call the fastest man on the planet retired from racing so quickly that we missed it? We try to track down James Stewart WHERE WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS PHOTOS: COLLIN SPECKNER THE IT WAS THE EVE OF the Anaheim Supercross opener, and the motorcycle media and a few mainstream outlets were gathered in the Diamond Club of Angel Stadium. Before them was HELL a cloth-covered table, behind which the fastest riders on the planet were all gathered. Well, all but one, and his absence did not go unnoticed. “Your thoughts on the state of IS affairs to be missing one of the sport’s stars, James Stewart?” one of the re- porters asked. “Who wants to take it?” A collective shrug followed; the riders exchanged glances. Then Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey was asked directly. He deferred to Stewart’s longtime nemesis Chad Reed, which brought chuckles from the whole room. “I feel like I’m in a lose-lose,” the two-time AMA Supercross Champion tiptoed. “I think it’s really sad. You know, putting my differences aside. He has, what, 50 wins? Second all-time, two-time champ. He’s got the credentials, and I think it’s really sad that he doesn’t have a job. I have to think he needs to look in the mirror sometimes and see. I think that’s the best way to do it. I’ll miss racing him. I don’t know if this is it for him or not, though. The [picture] was JAMES kind of getting painted, and it’s sad STEWART? that it’s kind of turning out this way.” 72 73 WHERE THE HELL IS JAMES (Insets) Even early in his life and STEWART? career, James Stewart was a stand- out racer, winning AMA National Championships from the time he was on a Yamaha PW50 onward. He was also seemingly more comfortable in the spotlight as a youngster than as a professional, perhaps due to the pressure of winning every time he was on a racetrack. (Main) Stewart riding at his compound in Novem- ber—his one and only public appear- ARCHIVES ance on a motorcycle in 2017. RACER X 74 www.racerxonline.com hat exchange save for Racer X contributing failed. His last supercross can say is it won’t last for did not take photographer Collin Speckner. was in Santa Clara, Cali- long!!! Truly can’t tell ya how place at the Playing with his young son, fornia, on April 2, 2016. He much I’m looking forward to start of the Tabiahs, James looked happy, rode well but pulled out early returning doing it my way. Af- 2018 Monster maybe a little heavy. He did with unspecified mechanical ter months of trying to make T Energy AMA not answer any questions, and issues. He rode a few rounds things happen, I realized that Supercross then he disappeared again. of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross no matter what I would do, it Championship, but rather Once the fastest man on later that summer, the last wasn’t going to work.” 2017’s—yet it would likely the planet, Stewart is now vir- on July 23 at Washougal. He He added this cryptic play out just the same now. tually a ghost. He missed the pulled out of the second moto message: “To all that sup- James Stewart is still missing entire 2015 season after test- and has not been on or near a ported me... I’ll see you soon. from the sport. Last seen on ing positive for Adderall with- racetrack since. Too all that didn’t... I’ll see a motorcycle at his JS7 Ride out the required therapeutic you soon… For those that Day at the Stewart Com- use exemption paperwork. fter that Anaheim presser, tried to break me. Sorry... but pound in Florida, he was on a He came back at the 2016 Stewart posted this on you can’t get rid of me that Honda CRF450R, riding with Anaheim opener aboard a Yo- A his social media: “It’s easy. Not quite done yet!” kids who had won classes at shimura Suzuki, only to tangle been 16 years since a Satur- The @therealjs7 post got his JS7 Spring Champion- with Ryan Dungey early and day night in [January] came more than 54,000 likes—but ship at Freestone in Texas. earn a slight concussion. and I wasn’t in a stadium then nothing. His only other Hardly any media was there, Two more attempted returns doing what I love. But all I post that year was on May 22, KUHN JOHNSON CUDBY 75 WHERE stuck with him through the WADA debacle in 2014, perhaps recalling that Stewart went THE 1-1 at the High Point National, days before he was told about HELL the positive test and imminent suspension. Stewart hasn’t been near a podium since. IS “To be honest with you, since the relationship was sev- ered a couple years ago, we haven’t kept track with him,” says Suzuki’s Pat Alexander when asked about any poten- tial discussions for 2018 and beyond. “Company-wise, Yo- shimura made some changes and became a technical spon- sor after James left, rather JAMES than a racing thing. That’s CUDBY CUDBY pretty much where we’ve went STEWART? with things.” (Above) Stewart turned pro in 2002, 14 days after his 16th Does Alexander think we’ll birthday, finishing second at Anaheim. One week later in ever see him on the track again? San Diego, he was the winner. (Top) James and his little brother, Malcolm, flank their father, Big James, at the “Personally, I don’t think JS7 Ride Day. After being unable to build a team with his so,” he says. “He wants to be brother, Malcolm is racing a privateer Kawasaki in the that #1 guy, and unless he has 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series. a factory bike, I don’t think he will even entertain the idea. He’s a rare individual. But it when he memorialized MotoGP cause, after Yoshimura Suzuki would probably be the same hero Nicky Hayden, who was folded into RCH Racing and all with Ricky [Carmichael] when killed while cycling in Italy. of the other top factory rides Racer X’s Jason Weigandt were taken, it was impossible tried to find James dur- for him to compete without fac- ing the week of the Daytona tory electronics, regardless of Supercross, driving right up to the bike brand. the front gate of the Stewart “Best rider, best shape, In the end, compound. There he found best suspension—there’s no James’ little brother, Malcolm, way you’re winning without the I think we and then Big James, their factory electronics,” Stewart father. Like always, they were Sr. said. When asked if James friendly and talkative. They would ever come back to rac- were maybe were also the only Stewarts that ing, he said without hesitation, Weigandt would get to talk to “He’ll be back.” being jerked for his magazine feature “Where But it wouldn’t be with Su- Is James Stewart?” (June zuki, the brand he’d ridden since around by 2017). Big James explained parting ways with JGR Yamaha that James wasn’t out there be- in May of 2012. The brand had some people.” ROGER LARSEN, SEVEN MX 76 www.racerxonline.com bersake?) and owner. We’ve reached out to James numer- ous times through Larsen, but for the last year, the answer has always been roughly “not right now but maybe later.” “You could pay James hun- dreds of thousands of dollars to do something, but he just doesn’t want to go anywhere right now,” Larsen says. “We might have a big race or big event coming up, but he would rather be home with his family.” While James is active with his Seven MX brand, it’s mostly from home. He’s been getting help and guidance from Eddie Cole, himself a pro racer in the seventies who founded Answer CUDBY CUDBY CUDBY Products, SixSixOne, and Matrix and is now reviving Tag Metals. (Above) Scenes from Stewart’s journey through the years Asked if he thinks we’ll see include his wigged-out homage to Rick James, a stare- #7 on the racetrack again, Cole down with his longtime rival Chad Reed after their run-in at the ’09 Jacksonville SX, and celebrating one of his last wins replies, “That’s a really good aboard a Yoshimura Suzuki. (Top) Stewart rode a Honda at question, and to be honest, I his ride day but likely would have ridden any brand in 2018 ask myself the same! We don’t had it come with factory equipment. really talk much about the rac- ing side—Seven as a brand is completely separate from what he was in the same boat when being at the starting gate at James is doing as a racer. It he was at the end of his career.” Anaheim 1 2018,” Larsen says. After the 2017 season, the “We did everything we could to AMA was assigning rider num- put a team together, and RCH bers for 2018 when supercross Racing sitting down, there were manager Mike Pelletier realized some really good guys out Stewart’s #7 was technically there who were ready to go to He doesn’t want to go up for grabs, as James had not work, but then we kept having out there on a stock scored a point that season. A deals not quite come through, call was made to Big James, and we were waiting and bike without the right who said James was not done— waiting.