It's over... James Stewart is out for the rest of the year.

I can't say I didn't suspect it, but it still bums me out: Kawasaki has just dropped the announcement (see it here courtesy Cycle News)... James Stewart is too injured to compete in any of the remaining races of 2007.

2007 National Championship... goodbye.

2007 Motocross Des Nations in America... no can do.

2007 U.S. Open... so long, payday.

Continued disrespect from misguided "fans"... unending.

I think they made the right decision, and James is showing a lot of maturity by thinking about longevity versus the short term. Those guys have nothing to be ashamed of... they had a great year!

James Stewart will NOT ride at the Motocross Des Nations!

Oh man, I know young James didn't like making this decision; here's the news release courtesy Racer X Online.

And as of this writing, Kawasaki has made no announcement about whether Stewart will race this weekend, so... maybe what I hoped for is coming true; maybe James will race the rest of the Nationals and try to win the title, then immediately go for surgery.

James, you're a big man to let go of the opportunity to race for your country IN your country at Budds Creek.

I hope James is healthy enough to go for the Title

I've been holding my breath... okay, not really, but here's how I see it: since Kawasaki has not issued any press releases yet about James Stewart's condition, then perhaps it's not as bad as it has seemed. Or in any case, they are putting off making a decision about either going for surgery (and scrapping the rest of the year) or going for the National Championship and THEN bowing out of the U.S. Open and the MXdN and getting the surgery then.

The latter is what I'm hoping for.

Yes, I know that with a 21-point deficit, James would need to basically win every single one of the six motos remaining in this season AND hope that somebody can stop Timmy Ferry or Andrew Short from finishing second in all of the motos. And that's asking A LOT. But, man, wouldn't it be something to watch?!

See, I think that James really, REALLY wants to add the 450F title to his list of accomplishments now, rather than later. And I don't blame him; it seems more than a few people have been calling his legitimacy into question because he's had a fairly tough three years in the class, at least outdoors. For some reason, some refuse to give him any credit for his two 125/250F class championships, preferring instead to speculate that the man just doesn't have what it takes to win in the "premier" class. Well, I say fooey to all that claptrap... but at the same time, I'd like James to just win this year and get it over with just to shut those people up.

I know... they'll never shut up no matter what he does.

I guess we'll find out this weekend what's really going on. I know the really smart move is to play it safe and NOT ride injured, just call it a season and get the knee cared for. However, professional motocross is anything but safe, so... what to do?

I hope he's healthy enough to go for it.

David Vuillemin seriously injured at Millville

Team MDK/Honda's David Vuillemin suffered more than a few broken bones as a result of his tangle at the start of the second 450F moto at yesterday's AMA National at Millville. According to this report on RacerX Online, the fan-friendly Frenchman broke his scapula, collarbone, three ribs, sternum and more after being run over. Yikes!

Trooper that he is, though, Vuillemin didn't let his injuries keep him from logging on to MotoTalk to let his well-wishers know what's up. "DV12" said he's catching a plane back to France to see his doctors.

And after seeing the movie "SicKo", I can't say I blame him. Get well quick, DV12!

Did the X Games suck... again?

I pretty much thought so. And I'm not alone: check out this hilarious piece by Racer X Canada's Steve Matthes. It's funny, but on the money.

Honestly, I was put off my feed... literally... when I saw Jake Brown take his infamous digger live while eating dinner at a sports bar in San Diego. That was enough to make me wary of watching any more... and I actually LIKE skateboarding and bmx vert stuff. But like a true motohead, I tuned in later that night to watch the Moto "X" best trick event... and was dismayed by the dude in jeans and the clapped out bike. And no, I wasn't completely surprised when he endoed after attempting the double back flip. The guy had cajones, I'll give him that, but... was he even supposed to be there?

So at that point, I was like "forget the X games"... but again, like the true motohead that I am, I checked out a late night replay of that sorry excuse for a supercross "race". How about ESPN making LiveNation look like motorsports gods? I didn't pay much attention to commentary... I know better than that!... and I just focused on the visuals and all I could think was that most pros have better practice tracks than what they "built" in the Home Depot Center. God, that was an ugly track.

I admit that I was surprised to see Chad Reed go backwards and give up a medal to Kevin Windham, but I'm not going to go as far as some and declare Reed washed up. That would be ridiculous. Although "ridiculous" is a good descriptor for the X games, sure...

Supermoto? Didn't even see it, but I heard a writer, of all things, got the bronze. What's up with that?? (good job, Pingree!)

I could be wrong, but I think the X games is on the way out. I'm sure someone who knows better has some facts and figures to point out that ratings were higher than ever and attendance skyrocketed and all that jazz, but just based on the scant attention being paid at the very packed sports bar I was dining at gave me a much different impression. All good things come to an end at some point, ya know?