Seismic Shift: James Stewart Sits Out San Francisco

Well is this some MESS (Monster Energy Supercross Series) or what? Team San Manuel Yamaha's 2009 Supercross Champion underwent surgery on Friday to repair his right wrist, which was apparently broken in Phoenix, most likely during his bad accident during his heat race. Here's the press release posted at Vital MX; there's no word on when Stewart will race again.

Missing tonight's race in San Fran certainly puts a damper on Stewart's chances at repeating the title. I hope he heals as fast as he safely can, and then returns to get some race wins for himself and his fans.

Team San Manuel's championship hopes now switch to the capable hands of James' team mate, former Team Yamaha rider Josh Hill, who's sitting in second place after three races, but just five or six points ahead of Ryan Villopoto (Monster Energy Kawasaki), Andrew Short (Honda Red Bull) and Kevin Windham (Geico Honda Factory Connection), rather formidable competition.

With James joining his arch-rival, 2008 Supercross Champion Chad Reed (broken hand) on the injured reserve list, the MESS has suddenly turned into an MMA cage match for a bunch of highly talented 125/250F regional Supercross champions: Ryan Villopoto, Short, Windham, Ivan Tedesco, David Millsaps, Grant Langston and the guy sitting on a big 15-point lead in the points, Ryan Dungey. Talk about opportunity knocking, this is when we're going to see who really wants that number one plate. Who's got next?

Andrew Short beat ALL of those other guys in 2009, finishing third in the championship behind the big two. Kevin Windham came close to clinching the crown in 2008. Tedesco, a former Honda factory racer now riding a Valli Motorsports Yamaha, absolutely romped to two 250F crowns, so the man knows how to race Supercross. Unfortunately his results in the 450 class have been largely forgettable until this year. Hot Sauce is so overdue, if he doesn't win this title, he might be done. And how jazzed would Millsaps be to win the title for Team Honda Redbull?

A2: Two in a Row for The New Man

Dungey's doing it. He patiently chased down San Manuel Yamaha team makes Josh Hill and James Stewart to take his second Supercross main in Anaheim last night. Neither Hill nor Stewart could stop the Rockstar Makita Suzuki star; Hill admitted to getting tired, and Stewart was in visible pain from last week's crash. Now Ryan has a double-digit point lead in the championship standings... after only 3 rounds.

Look at that crazy photo. Energy drinks everywhere! James is clearly favoring his right side by not using both hands to hoist his trophy and his mandatory Red Bull. GuyB gets the evidence (and the race report).

Modern Mud Abatement Tech: Kawasaki

Check out the foam rubber applied to the frame down tube and inside the front fender of Ryan Villopoto's works Kawasaki. Now, I've seen foam glued to the tops of helmets and stuffed between the engine and glide plate, but this application is new to me. Looks pretty cool. GuyB roams the A2 pits.

Racer X Films scoops the World: James Stewart's first interview since PHX

Simon Cudby and Racer X Films are the first to release a recorded webcam interview with the 2009 Supercross Champion after the MESS in Phee-town: Video » Racer X Films: James Stewart

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So only two races in, is this a super supercross season or what?

Finally, Phoenix: TWMX post race interviews

Transworld Motocross has a great feature going: Tell Us About Your Weekend, the freshest tape of the top riders, right before they leave the track for the night. This is great stuff!

Phoenix Phireworks, Part 3: Before the Fall

Chad Reed shown here chasing James Stewart in the middle of the pack on lap 4 of the Phoenix main event. Reed is seconds away from breaking a bone in his hand. This sucks for both riders. GuyB stops time.

Yes, It's Hot in Phoenix

These beautiful twins have become regulars for Monster at the Phoenix Supercross. And yes, I have given these ladies some good-natured grief about their clothes not being sexy enough before, but I must admit that they are looking extremely hot in this GuyB photo. Nice threads!

Phoenix Phireworks, Part 2: The New Man wins his first Supercross!

Wow.

Here are the facts: Rockstar Makita Suzuki star Ryan Dungey holeshot the Phoenix Supercross and led every single lap to notch his very first 450 win and surge into the championship points lead. Monster Energy Kawasaki and L&M San Manuel JSE Yamaha also made the podium, but not with their current and former Supercross champions. The other Ryan, Villopoto, ran fast all night keeping Dungey honest, and Josh Hill represented strongly and grabbed third place.

The two guys everyone thought would be gunning for this champonship finished 15th and 19th after colliding in a heap early in the race. James Stewart, riding injured from a hairy heat race crash, rode out the race in obvious pain. Chad Reed reportedly broke his hand and did not continue.

That's it for the facts of Phoenix. Unfortunately, this year's race will be known mostly for the heated emotions that boiled over after the crash.

GuyB gets the good part.

Phoenix Phireworks, Part 1

The rocket's red glare. Opening ceremonies of the MESS in Phoenix. These would not be the only fireworks erupting this evening. GuyB shoots the lights out.

James Stewart's New Bell Moto 9?

You're looking at some serious product power here. The 2009 Supercross Champion was trying this Moto 9 prototype the other day; Swapmoto at TWMX has the story and pics.

Nike AIRMX Motocross Boots: Ryan Dungey haz 'em

Here's a pretty cool vid by Transworld Motocross: Ryan takes a few minutes to tell us about his custom-fitted, carbon fiber Nike boots. Talk about factory!

He Can Do This

Ryan Dungey exceeded all expectations at the first race of the season. He qualified second fastest, he led most of the main, he finished second only after battling it out to the last lap. 2009 was a phenomenal year for Dungey, and he knows there is only one way to top it in 2010. GuyB sees it.

Pro Circuit: speed on display

In the 250 class, horsepower is everything. Pro Circuit consistently builds some of the fastest bikes on the track, and this GuyB shot of the first turn of the 250 main at the Anaheim opener pretty much says it all: two PC Kawasakis leading the charge. Jake Weimer (12) went wire-to-wire for the win, firmly taking the points lead and position as offical "favorite" to win the whole West Region shooting match.

Supercross 2010: ... and then the work you put in pays off

James Stewart won the opening around of the MESS at Anaheim last night. GuyB has the story and photos over at Vital MX.

Supercross 2010: Steve Scott sacks Terry Boyd?

A curious announcement from Feld Motorsports, Inc. (FMSI) hit the motocross websites today. It seems that former freestyle and monster truck announcer Steve "Lurch" Scott will be the "new face and new voice" of the MESS.

Okay, so the dude who was working FMSI's Monster Jam series is now making the move to the Supercross side of the house. Or as FMSI likes to call it, one of their "most popular properties."

Good news for Lurch, I'm sure he'll do well at the job, although I'm a little concerned about his idea to "bring a new spin to the meat and potatoes," although that is exactly what FMSI did to freestyle with the new "Nuclear Cowboyz" show. Best to just wait and see what's up.

Like, what's up with the current announcers? Who is Steve Scott replacing? The press release doesn't say, and I wonder why?

Supercross 2010: First you gotta put in the work...

James Stewart has been documenting his supercross "Boot Camp" and putting some photos up on his website, JS7.com. It's nice to see the young man healthy and ready for the season. Good luck, James!

Do you know this man? Jason Lawrence speaks

Catching Up With Jason Lawrence, Part 1

Thanks to Swap at Transworld Motocross, Jason Lawrence gets to speak his mind. And freshly out of prison, he says he's racing Supercross!

Nuclear Cowboyz: On Board with Mike Mason

Tell me this doesn't look like fun. Check out the other videos on their site. I guess now I know what Feld Motorsports has been up to during the break between SX seasons: working hard on taking freestyle to a new level of performance.

Obviously, I am the one that doesn't get it

Hear about Nuclear Cowboyz? Transworld Motocross has this gallery by Dan Guetter from the preview of Feld Motorsports' new, scripted freestyle show with the curious name. Now this is right in Feld's wheelhouse: tightly-controlled, artistically-rendered spectacle. I admit have been entertained by the stills alone.

Twelve months later, it appears Feld still doesn't get it

So, what have the folks at Feld Motorsports been up to during the supercross off-season? Negotiating a big-buck, high-visibility network TV deal to improve the reach of their premiere motorsports "property", the "Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship?" Apparently not.

Yesterday this press release hit the motocross websites I like to frequent (this one's on Vital MX), announcing that the opening round of the "Monster Energy...," well, I like to call it the Monster Energy Supercross Series, or "MESS" for short... the opening round will air live on the SPEED cable channel. Well that news doesn't suck. But that's not all, or even first. The press release includes the news that the Feld Motorsports monster truck circus will have it's opening round on the same night, but in Atlanta, Georgia, and SPEED will carry that event live as well. BEFORE the supercross.

FMS is touting this as some sort of big deal, as if all of motocross had been waiting years for someone to finally add monster truck "racing" to the program. Charlie Mancuso, president of FMS, went so far to call it the "ultimate six hours of pure motorsports coverage." Well done, Mr. Mancuso, spoken like a true huckster.

Look, I really don't have anything against the monster truck thing. But I'm a motocross purist, and I get pissed off when people disrespect my sport... and people dis it all the time. Some of those people actually make money off of the sport, yet still they show it no respect at all. No respect for the seriousness of the endeavor, no respect for the commitment of the athletes, no respect for the history of the competition.

To lump our sport in with an exhibition event consisting of characters that call themselves "Grave Digger" and "Mass Destruction" and pretend that this represents some type of positive achievment? No respect.

Someone needs to rescue supercross from its current owners.