Yamaha’s James Stewart wins both races of the 2009 Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open, grabbing a 0,000 prize

Ron Lieback
AllAboutBikes.com Content Editor

For the third time in his career, James Stewart won the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open of Supercross, the San Manuel Yamaha rider sweeping both races, walking out of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with $100,000.

But race two on Saturday night was not as easy as race one for the Haines City, Fla., rider. Unlike race, Stewart didn’t lead every lap; during race 2, the YZ-450F pilot didn’t get out front until he passed GEICO Powersports Honda’s Dan Reardon and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto.

Reardon got out of the gate first, but Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., passed for the lead during lap one, leaving a poor-starting Stewart in the back as Villopoto quickly opened the gap. But by lap four, Stewart got pass Reardon and began closing the gap on Villopoto.

During lap 10 of 20, the defending Supercross champion caught up to Villopoto, and the two exchange the lead a few times before Stewart, after landing a bit ahead of Villopoto off a jump, secured the lead and rode to the win.

“It kind of reminded me about Vegas last year, with me and Ryan battling it out,” Stewart said on the podium. “It’s just an awesome bike and an awesome team,” he said. “All my guys on the Yamaha team work so hard, and I always have fun with these guys.”

Stewart finished 9.8 seconds ahead of Villopoto. The last time both riders raced was at Sam Boyd Stadium in May. During the downtime, Stewart was busy promoting the sport (even landing a reality TV show), but Villopoto had some ACL surgery.

Reardon, of Murrieta, Calif., remained in third for much of the race, but on the second to last lap Red Bull Racing’s Davi Millsaps of Tallahassee, Fla., passed Reardon for third.

In the overall standings, Stewart collected the spoils with a perfect 1-1 score. Millsaps’ third place on Saturday night gave him second overall and Reardon took third on the weekend with a 3-4 score.

Saturday Race Two Results:

1. James Stewart, Yamaha
2. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki
3. Davi Millsaps, Honda
4. Dan Reardon, Honda
5. Michael Byrne, Suzuki
6. Matt Boni, Honda
7. Nick Wey, Yamaha
8. Ezra Lusk, Suzuki
9. Tyler Bowers, Yamaha
10. Chris Blose, Honda

Overall Results:

1. James Stewart, Yamaha, 53
2. Davi Millsaps, Honda, 44
3. Dan Reardon, Honda, 40
4. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, 31
5. Michael Byrne, Suzuki, 27
6. Nick Wey, Yamaha, 27
7. Tyler Bowers, Yamaha, 27
8. Chris Blose, Honda, 26
9. Matt Boni, Honda, 25
10. Matt Georke, Yamaha, 18