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Hubba Bubba!
How much better could the start of a guy’s professional Supercross career go? Not much better than it’s gone for Kawasaki’s latest 125cc phenom, James “Bubba” Stewart, who in his second Pro race became the youngest main-event winner in supercross history. He was less than a month past his 16th birthday when he stood atop the podium at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium in front of a record crowd of 68,145 cheering fans. That’s a notable accomplishment in and of itself, but the other thing that sets him apart is that he’s also the first African-American to win at the sport’s top level. For Stewart, though, he says he simply concentrates on the winning part.
That was clear from the very first practice at the season-opening round in Anaheim. Stewart was on the gas. He rolled out into the “factory” rider practice right behind Honda’s CR250mounted Ricky Carmichael-himself a former 125cc-class crusher-and followed him turn-for-turn and jumpfor-jump, passing many top-level 250cc riders along the way. Not something one sees too often from a young rookie on a 125!
But while Stewart may be a Pro rookie, the Floridian’s been tearing up the amateur ranks since he was 7 years old, when he won the 50cc class at the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals. Stewart went on to tally a record of 11 AMA amateur national championships, all as a Kawasaki rider. His successes were so many, his performances so consistently strong-Stewart didn’t lose a moto in his final year as an amateur-that he went straight to the Kawasaki factory truck for his first season, not to a satellite team.
In the main at the season-opener in Anaheim-a race, it should be said, that he qualified for only after winning the Last Chance Qualifier-Stewart was clearly the fastest guy on the track in the 125cc ranks, posting lap times barely off the pace of the best 250cc guys. He carries phenomenal cornering speed, and is making sideways whips off jumps a standard part of his fast package. He did, however, look a little wild at times, and crashed twice. He managed to quickly remount and rip back up through the pack to finish second after the firstand second-place runners collided and fell on the final lap.
Round two in San Diego was practically perfect. Stewart topped his heat, then smoked everybody in the main after taking over the lead on the third lap, though he raised a few eyebrows when he almost crashed mid-race. He didn’t, and history was made.
“1 want to cry right now, I’m so happy,” Stewart said atop the San Diego podium. “Halfway through the moto. I tightened up because I wanted to win-I didn’t want to crash.”
The next week back in Anaheim, Stewart made it hard on himself again by crashing in the first turn after getting the holeshot. But he threw down another phenomenal comeback by tearing through the field to finish second behind KTM’s David Pingree. The 27-year-old, who hadn’t won a main since the 2000 season, remarked in the winner’s circle Stewart was closing so rapidly that if the race had gone on another lap or two, > he probably wouldn’t have won.
For a rider so new to the series, Stewart’s already a fan favorite, has landed backing from large outside-industry companies such as Gatorade and already has made it into a video game, MX 2002 Featuring Ricky Carmichael.
Most who saw Stewart ride at the early rounds said his inexperience showed at times, but what prevailed was his blinding speed and undeniable talent. There’s a new kid in town, and his “learning” season may be one in which he teaches his competitors a few lessons.
Stewart’s impact on the 125s has been such that it’s taken some focus away from the 250cc ranks. Especially because the two big stars of the premier class, Honda’s Ricky Carmichael and Bud Light Yamaha-mounted Jeremy McGrath, have both been facing somewhat difficult seasons thus far. McGrath has barely been able to break into the top 10, and it wasn’t until the third round that he went public with a cause for his lackluster results-an ailment known as compartment syndrome, a sort of chronic and acute version of arm-pump. Roadracers Kurtis Roberts and Nicky Hayden both suffered similar difficulties, and underwent surgery to remedy it.
Carmichael, meanwhile, has fared better, but his face-plant in the seasonopener knocked him out cold and ended his hopes of lengthening his McGrathlike 14-race winning streak carried over> from last season. Most observers agree that Carmichael still doesn’t look 100 percent comfortable on his new Honda, although it’s probably only a matter of time before he quits with the fourthplace finishes and stands atop the podium again.
The big surprise has been who’s been topping the victory stand. It’s hard to choose which is more surprising, Yamaha’s David Vuillemin winning rounds one and two, or Honda’s Mike LaRocco hunting down and passing the Frenchman to win round three. It’s the kind of Yamaha vs. Honda battle people were expecting, just with different riders!
LaRocco, 31, looked strong in the early races, and might have won the opener if he hadn’t gotten caught up in Carmichael’s crash. Even so, he still managed third, then came back the next week to finish second. The Indiana native’s win in round three was his first Supercross victory since 1995.
The 250cc class hasn’t seen this kind of unpredictable racing for years, making it look like one of the best seasons in recent memory. They’re probably all hoping Stewart stays with his 125 for a good long time! -Mark Hoyer
Looking for Mr. Daytona
Never mind the title, silly season isn’t the least bit funny. Oh, it might be a tad amusing if your name is Mat Mladin, Eric Bostrom or Nicky Hayden, but for lesser mortals, men who hope simply to make their livings as professional roadracers, it’s a stressful time.
Perhaps never more so than approaching the 2002 AMA Superbike season. We’re all accustomed to riders swapping seats during the off-season as through they were playing musical chairs, but this time, there weren’t nearly enough seats to go around. And one of those left standing when the music stopped was Scott Russell, the 1992 AMA and 1993 World Superbike Champion.
To be honest, Russell’s sudden unemployment wasn’t so much a casualty of the factory Superbike teams cutting back-which they most assuredly did, Ducati going from four factory-supported riders to just one, Kawasaki and Yamaha each cutting their two-rider programs by half and Harley-Davidson quitting altogether. No, in his case, it was a casualty of his being a casualty.
Ever since the starting-line pileup in last year’s Daytona 200, Russell has been recovering from his injuries, which included compound fractures of the arm and leg. Having befriended the Georgia native during my days as a Cycle News reporter, I called him not long after his accident to see how he was doing (Clipboard, July, 2001). He returned the favor by calling to see how I was doing after I broke my arm in a dirtbike crash last August. He’s thoughtful like that.
Now, it was my turn again. Racers are always moving and changing their phone numbers, so after a few abortive attempts I got him on his cell phone. Audible in the background was an obviously expert-ridden two-stroke motocross bike, short bursts of wide-open throttle followed by long periods of silence.
“Who's airing it out?” I asked him.
“Oh, you can hear that? I’m watching Shae Bentley practice on his Supercross track,” Russell replied. “You should see him, he’s just awesome!”
“So how are you?” 1 asked.
“I’m all right,” he said somewhat dejectedly. “I’m still not totally healed. It’s going to be a while until I’m right again.
I still can’t feel half of my left foot. But I’m happy because I can walk and talk and all that. It could be a lot worse.”
Then, he dropped the bombshell: “Of course, I’m retired now,” he said matterof-factly. “I’m going to announce it at Daytona. That’s where it all started, and that’s where it ended. I guess that’s kinda neat, in a way.”
Stunned but not surprised, I asked him what he planned for the future. Did he want to run a race team, open a dealership, what?
“No, none of that shit for me,” he said bluntly. “I’m going to take a couple of years off. After what I went through racing, winning the world championship and all that, it’s going to be hard to find anything that I want to do. Life’s too short to work if you don’t have to. I’m going to work on having fun for the rest of my life!”
Sounds like a good gig. But is it a realistic expectation?
“The last four years, with Yamaha and Harley-Davidson, I made really good money, and buckled down and saved some,” he said. “It’s nothing compared to GP guys like Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz, but I think compared to most other Superbike racers, I came out smelling like a rose.
“When I rode for Yamaha, they put a percentage of my income in a bank in Europe,” he added. “It’s deferred; I won’t even get it ’til I’m 40. I’m 37 now, so the next three years might be kinda tight, but after that I’ll be livin’ on Easy Street.”
So, Mr. Daytona, now that you’re done racing, who do you see as the successor to your throne?
“I think Anthony Gobert is going to go good this year,” he said. “Honestly, I think he’s the best rider on the track right now. He’s been The Man ever since he came on our team (Muzzy Kawasaki). I mean, he outrode me his first day on the bike!”
Russell excused himself to answer another call, then came back on the line. “That’s Jamie James,” he said. “I haven’t talked to him in forever.”
Knowing that the two used to be Yoshimura Suzuki teammates, I suggested Russell take the call.
“I’d better,” he said. “See you at Daytona.”
Yeah, see you there-Brian Catterson
Strange days for Akira Yanagawa
Akira Yanagawa probably never thought he’d be piloting a tow vehicle when he signed on to ride for Kawasaki’s World Superbike team a few years ago. And he must never, ever have thought-cue the circus music-he’d be towing an inline skater!
A whacko speed skater named Dirk Auer, a man who'd already reached a urethane-wheel-melting 186 mph while clinging to the rear spoiler of a Porsche racecar, was looking for someone to get him up to a record velocity while being towed by a motorcycle. So, last summer in the midst his WSB campaign, Yanagawa was sent to the new Lausitzring in Germany, a 2-mile tri-oval located 20 miles north of Dresden.
On site was a ZX-12R equipped with a specially rigged grab handle. While the 12R didn't need any other mods for sustained high-speed-towing work, Auer wore specially constructed skitype boots, and special temperature-resistant wheels were made by Dunlop. For added cooling, air-ducts were affixed to the sides of the skate wheels.
Yanagawa was matter-of-fact about the whole thing, saying, “I thought I was crazy, but now I’ve met someone crazier than me!”
Auer, meanwhile, was stoked at how well the attempt went. The target speed was 162 mph, but Yanagawa pulled him up to 168 mph for a new towed-by-amotorcycle record. “I gave him a couple of runs through the lights just to see if he was able to hang on,” Yanagawa said. “He gave me the okay, so on the third run I just wound on the throttle as far as I could, changing through the gears like on my Superbike. To Dirk’s credit, he was able to hang on!”
Despite this magnificent sideshow performance by its number-one rider, Kawasaki has given its top WSB seats to Japan’s Hitoyasu Izutsu and Brit Chris Walker. Yanagawa, Kawi’s most successful WSB rider since American Scott Russell’s title-winning performance in 1993, was sent home to race in the All-Japan Superbike Championship. This was pitched in a press release not as a demotion but a promotion, because Yanagawa is tipped to develop the company’s forthcoming Grand Prix four-stroke. Although Kawasaki is the only Japanese manufacturer whose new MotoGP racebike has yet to break cover, the machine is ex-
pected to make its racing debut in ’03, likely with Yanagawa at the controls.
Hopefully, they’ll leave the inline skaters out of it. -Mark Hoyer
