James Stewart was on the podium for the first five rounds of the 2011 AMA Supercross. He scored three race victories, a second place finish, and a third place finish. But at Reliant Stadium in Houston for round 6, the former season leader finished off of the podium and outside of the top 10. Stewart's 15th place finish was dissapointing, but Bubba is ready to bounce back in San Diego.
Stewart's weekend in Houston started out pretty good. Stewart had the fastest lap during the qualifying session. He also dominated his heat with a 47.85 second lap time. But Stewart couldn't keep his momentum going during the main event.
A tight first turn in Houston forced many riders, including Stewart, to crash. Ryan Villopoto, the current season leader, was also slowed down at the first turn. Villopoto, however, was able to fight his way back onto the podium. Stewart suffered another crash on lap 6, which dropped him even further behind.
“The track was really difficult and it was definitely tough for me out there,” Stewart said. “In the second crash my front break was bent
so my wheel kept stopping in the air and it was a little scary. The good thing is I’m healthy and I’ll be back next week in San Diego.”
Stewart's uncharacteristic 15th place finish dropped him down to second place on the overall leaderboard. Stewart now has 123 points, and is nine points behind Villopoto.
Stewart and the Yamaha San Manuel team will now head to San Diego where they will try to reclaim the points lead.
