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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | James Stewart Jr. |
| Nickname(s) | Bubba Stewart |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Date of birth | December 21, 1985 |
| Place of birth | Florida |
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches (1.7 m)[1] |
| Weight | 160 pounds (73 kg)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Sport(s) | Motocross |
| Event(s) | Supercross |
| Sponsors | |
| Current | Yamaha, L&M, Answer Alpinestars |
| Non-industry | San Manuel |
| Former | Kawasaki |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals | 2006 FIM World Supercross Grand Prix Champion 2007 FIM World Supercross Grand Prix Champion |
| National finals | 2002 AMA 125 Motocross National Champion 2004 AMA 125 Motocross National Champion |
| Regional finals | 2003 AMA 125 West Supercross Champion 2004 AMA 125 East Supercross Champion |
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James Stewart Jr., known as James "Bubba" Stewart, (born December 21, 1985) is a professional motocross racer competing in supercross. He is known for being the first African-American to have success at the very top levels of the sport of motocross.
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Early life
James was born in Bartow, Florida[1] and currently resides in Haines City, Florida. His father, James Sr., was a motocross enthusiast and introduced his son to the sport at a young age. Stewart entered his first motocross race when he was just four years old and soon went on to enjoy much success as an amateur racer.
Career
Lites
Winning multiple Amateur national titles all before the age of 16, James made a name for himself as one of the most promising future stars of the sport. Because of his multiple amateur titles, his pro debut for the 2002 racing season was one of the most anticipated debuts in the history of the sport. While crashes and rookie mistakes kept him from winning the 2002 125 West Supercross title, he went on to dominate the 2002 125cc national championship and was named the 2002 AMA Rookie of the Year. He was also named one of "20 Teens Who Will Change the World" in the April 2003 issue of Teen People magazine.
Stewart went on to easily win the 2003 125 West Supercross Championship but suffered a severe crash at the season ending 125 East/West Shootout in Las Vegas, Nevada. With his collarbone broken in two places as a result of the crash, he was forced to sit out the first few rounds of the 2003 AMA Motocross series, ruining his championship hopes for that series, although he won every single race he competed in after coming back from that injury.
His 2004 season went as planned as he won both the 125 East Supercross title and the 125 Outdoor national title, only losing one moto to Mike Brown in the latter due to a broken clutch cover.
Supercross
For 2005 he moved up to the premier 450cc class for both the Supercross series and the Outdoor National Motocross series. While Stewart immediately showed that he had the speed to race with the top riders in supercross, a practice crash that resulted in a broken wrist at Round 2 in Phoenix meant that he would have to wait before he notched his first career supercross win.
On April 2, 2005, at Texas Stadium (in only his 3rd race), Stewart captured his very first career Supercross victory. James would go on to record many more victories throughout 2005 and 2006, and he eventually won the 2007 Supercross Championship. He was unable to finish the 2007 National series due to a knee injury.
He was unable to compete in the 2008 supercross season as he decided to take time off and have surgery to properly fix his knee. He returned to racing at the first round of the outdoor nationals and went on to win all 24 motos and record a perfect season. He signed with L&M racing for the 2009 season to replace Chad Reed for the supercross season. Stewart is planning on competing in the outdoor national series but on a limited basis. This has stirred some controversy as Stewart is the defending outdoor champion.
The 2009 Supercross season: Stewart & Chad Reed were involved in the tightest (and sometimes heated) points race of his career. Stewart won 11 of the 17 events. On May 2nd 2009, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Stewart won the 2009 Supercross Championship by a margin of 4 points over Reed (377-373).
Other Ventures
Like fellow motocross legend, Ricky Carmichael, Stewart has mentioned that he might like to attempt driving in NASCAR after his two wheel career is over.[2]
Stewart made a guest appearance on the January 7, 2008 showing of Deal or No Deal.
References
External links
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