AMA-SX: Stewart up to ten wins in 2009

RACE REPORT 05/04/2009 Stewart takes win total into double figures Jacksonville success YZ450F rider James Stewart aced his tenth victory of the 2009 AMA Supercross series - also an FIM World Championship - by taking the chequered flag at Jacksonville for round 14 of 17. The LandM San Manuel representative again finished ahead of arch-rival Chad Reed and has now narrowed the deficit in the standings to just 5 points from the Australian with three races remaining. Over 31,000 spectators flocked to the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for the first visit of the supercross show to the Florida venue. For Stewart it was another chance to sample some spoils in his home State after disappointment earlier in the campaign at Daytona. With Reed The 23 year old owned his qualification heat, and in the main event shadowed leader Reed for much of the 20 lap duration before a flurry of exchanges for control took place. Stewart emerged victorious from the duel; that mirrors the close struggle for the title now complete with the mind games and pressure that goes with the high stakes. "The championship's on the line, and there is tension. If I threw dirt at him, or he threw dirt at me, we're going to flare up, and it's just part of racing. He rode great tonight. I can't take anything away from him, and for me, I just came out on the better end. I have a week off to regroup, and we'll see what happens," he said after equalling Yamaha's highest win total in one season, set by Jeremy McGrath in 2000. It was also his 35th career success. Jacksonville Podium Stewart has again reduced Reed's numerical advantage in the championship after having to recover from a first round DNF in Los Angeles. Stewart's own grip on the series was loosened after his seventh place at Daytona (Reed has not finished off the podium) and since then he has been playing catch-up once more to the champion with two triumphs in the last two weeks. Josh Hill was fourth in Jacksonville, Kyle Chisholm notched his best finish yet with eighth and Josh Grant failed to reach the chequered flag. Round fifteen will take place at the Qwest Stadium in Seattle in two weeks time. Circuit Length: NA Crowd: 31, 653 Weather: Dry 2009 AMA-SX Jacksonville 05/04/2009 Race 1 - 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 James Stewart Yamaha USA 17'49.793 2 Chad Reed Suzuki AUS 0'03.664 3 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'28.167 4 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'39.433 5 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'41.793 6 Mike Alessi Suzuki USA 0'46.830 7 Thomas Hahn Kawasaki USA 0'54.049 8 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 0'56.922 9 Heath Voss Honda USA -1Laps 10 Billy Laninovich Kawasaki USA -1Laps 11 Broc Hepler Yamaha USA -1Laps 12 Benjamin Coisy Honda FRA -1Laps 13 Ivan Tedesco Honda USA -1Laps 14 Ryan Sipes KTM USA -1Laps 15 Troy Adams Honda USA -1Laps 17 Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA -14Laps 18 Josh Grant Yamaha USA -15Laps Rider Standings 04/04/2009 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Chad Reed Suzuki AUS 315 2. James Stewart Yamaha USA 310 3. Andrew Short Honda USA 225 4. Kevin Windham Honda USA 193 5. Josh Grant Yamaha USA 193 6. Ivan Tedesco Honda USA 187 7. Mike Alessi Suzuki USA 185 8. David D Millsaps Honda USA 168 9. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 165 10. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 146 11. Tim Ferry Kawasaki USA 100 12. Heath Voss Honda USA 86 13. Matt Boni Suzuki USA 83 14. Benjamin Coisy Honda FRA 75 15. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 74 16. Broc Hepler Yamaha USA 70 17. Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA 70 20. Jason Lawrence Yamaha USA 43 30. Nathan Ramsey Yamaha USA 15 37. Sean Hamblin Yamaha USA 3 Manufacturer Standings 04/04/2009 Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Yamaha 341 2. Suzuki 315 3. Honda 260 4. Kawasaki 210 5. KTM 73 Yamaha Racing Communications Hoogte Kadijk 61 HS / 1018 BE Amsterdam / The Netherlands T. +31 (0) 20 330 2709 / F. +31 (0) 20 420 9470 E. office@yrc.nl W. www.yamaha-racing.com