James Stewart's return to Motocross lasted just one event. Stewart planned to finish off the season, competing in the last four events, but he came out yesterday to apologize to his fans, and to say that he would not be continuing this season.
Stewart said that his team and himself worked extremely hard to return for the end of the motocross season, but they just weren't prepared, and wouldn't be able to be competitive.
"I hope my fans will understand. I have said before that I wanted to be on the track starting in Sacramento," said Stewart. "But the slow healing nature of my wrist injury made it impossible to do that. Watching race after race and not being a part of the series was very hard."
"All along my motivation was to get back to racing and return to the Motocross National Series for my fans and sponsors. The reality is, though my wrist is feeling great, I’m not ready to race at this level."
"As much as I’d like to be out there, I need more time to prepare so that I don’t put my entire career at risk by getting injured again. A younger James might not have been mature enough to make this decision, but I’ve learned a lot in recent years and sometimes you have to do what’s right, despite what’s in your heart."
"I’d like to apologize to my fans, the Outdoor National series and my sponsors. You've been incredibly supportive of me throughout these recent months. I am sorry if what I’ve said or done has disappointed anyone in any way, but I'll be back on the track at Anaheim 1 and ready to race. I plan to work hard over the next few months and do what I know I need to do to prepare for a chance at the next Supercross Championship title."
Stewart tried to make his return to the motocross series to show that he could compete on Team USA. But now, since Team USA has been picked, Stewart will rest up for next year's Supercross.
