2002 Steel City 125cc Moto 2 (James Stewart Goes For A Record 10 Overall Wins)

This is the 2nd 125cc moto from the 2002 Steel City Motocross in Delmont, PA.
In 2002, Team Kawasaki's James Stewart, Jr. was on a tear during the 125cc Motocross season. The 16-year-old rookie had won the last 7 straight overalls going back to his 6th place overall at Southwick (30-1). He had only lost 3 motos in that win streak -- 2 to Yamaha of Troy's Chad Reed, and the first moto at Washougal to Moto XXX Yamaha's Larry Ward. James came back to win the 2nd moto in every single race he had won.
At the last round at Binghamton, James put a virtual lock on the 125cc Motocross Championship -- his first of his career. At the same time, he surpassed Ricky Carmichael's rookie win record of 8 victories which he set in 1997; James also tied Ricky's all-time season win record of 9, which he set in his last full 125cc Motocross season in 1999.
After losing the 125cc West Supercross title, James got his revenge. Although he won 3 races (the most of anyone in the series), he had 3 straight bad races due to crashes and double-digit finishes. 2 of his wins came in the first 4 races of the season where he won by big margins; however, the wheels came off at Anaheim 3. After a crash on lap 1, he made it up to 5th before crashing again and finishing in 11th. At the next round at Houston, James broke his right foot in practice and finished 10th, which cut his points lead to 10. The next round at Dallas was a nightmare -- James crashed early in the main and fought up to 6th before the 14th lap when he crashed 3 more times in the next 3 turns; he finished 16th and lost his 10-point lead. James would win the final round at Salt Lake City, but AMSOIL Honda's Travis Preston rode steady to a 2nd place finish, giving him the 125cc West title by just 7 points.
With one season under him, James transitioned to outdoors and learned quickly. He started out strong with a 1-2 at Glen Helen before sweeping Hangtown. The wheels came off at High Point when James twisted his knee and was deciding whether or not to race. He eventually chose to race and finished 4th in moto 1 before a blown radiator and a DNF in the 2nd moto. Yamaha of Troy's Chad Reed took advantage with a 1-1 sweep and took control of the series to go along with his 125cc East Supercross title. James took it back 2 races later, and he never surrendered the points lead.
The battle for 1st was done, but only one other battle remained: who would place 2nd overall in the series. Reed held the lead over Blimpie Suzuki's Branden Jesseman by just a few points, but Chad pulled out of the first moto from a crash in his final 125cc Motocross race ever before riding the 250cc class in 2003. While Chad had won 4 motos and 1 overall during the season, his results were rather sporadic and mixed with bad luck. He gave away the overall at Red Bud with a moto 1 win before crashing in the 2nd moto and finishing 22nd for no points and 7th overall. Jesseman hadn't won any motos or overalls, but had plenty of 2nd place finishes; he was still on a high from winning his first professional 125cc Supercross at the 125cc East finale at Pontiac, MI, stopping a 6-race win streak by Chad Reed. However, Jesseman ended on a slight low when he tweaked a knee in practice, but Reed's DNF gave Jesseman a sigh of relief, and he rode steady to tie Reed for 2nd overall in the series; however, Reed is technically credited with 2nd place due to the overall win at High Point.
Other title contenders were having their troubles, too. KTM's Grant Langston was looking for revenge after a flat tire crushed his title hopes in 2001. Unfortunately, a knee injury just before High Point knocked him out for a big chunk of the series; to make matters worse, Langston would have no chance at redemption because another early crash in this moto dropped him back outside the top 20 -- even going a lap down from James Stewart. Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Mike Brown, the defending champion, had dropped out of the series after Budds Creek due to an injured toe. All he could show was winning the 2nd moto at Glen Helen after a 10th in the first moto (4th overall).
As for James Stewart, only one thing was on his mind: shattering another of Ricky Carmichael's 125cc records. He was looking for a rookie record 10th overall win for the 2002 season, but 39 other riders had something to say about it. Pro Circuit's Matt Walker showed he could battle with James, but he couldn't beat James either.
On a side note, it was also the final 125cc Motocross for Team Honda's Ernesto Fonseca. After winning the 125cc West Supercross title in 2001 with 5 wins, Ernesto had pointed out of the 125cc class, having scored 100 points in 3 straight seasons (winning the 125cc East in 1999). He ended up 4th in the final points tally.
Enjoy.

[@nickb5472]

Back when racing was fun to watch

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Totally.

[@gawdszn302]

16 years old dominating smh how many records he owns sheesh

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

It IS mind-blowing when you think about it.

[@gawdszn302]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames and everyone over reacting over jett lawrence lol ill admit i do like jett also though but james was on a 125 against 250s then when he left kawasaki they had fuel injected bikes yamaha didnt have fuel injection at the start of that 2009 year yet man still won the title

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

​@@gawdszn302 Hahaha that's true. I don't think the fact that Stewart was still on a carbureted Yamaha had anything to do with that. The fact that Reed went through a 6-race run of god-awful starts in 2009 while Stewart went on a 7-race win streak certainly did Reed in. I just find 2009 to be a year that wasn't fair (as a Chad Reed fan). Reed was ultra consistent and never finished worse than 3rd until that 7th at Seattle did him in and Stewart won 11 races to Reed's 3. Simultaneously, I secretly predicted that Stewart signing with the San Manuel Yamaha team and racing Supercross only at the prime of his career would be the beginning of the end, and I was right.

[@camolita7]

: ) que enorme orgullo.. nuestro lobo fonseca.. haciendo top presencia por costa rica.. y tambien por latinoamerica.. frente a estos monstrous de este deporte tan emocionante, spectacular, ect.. !!!

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

wilson bonilla What's that in English?

[@louiedangelo3843]

el mejor hispano en el motocross, nadie as hecho mas que el lobito.

[@rasheedshakur3754]

Just 16 years old. Wow.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Yes indeed. This 125cc rookie MX season was the best ever since Carmichael in 1997 when Ricky won 8 races out of 13; Stewart topped his record with 10 wins, as well as Ricky's 1999 record of 9 wins in a single 125cc MX season. It's hard to believe this was the beginning of the end for Ricky's 125cc MX records.

[@lect0n7]

5:59 - James Stewart wasn’t the first _African American National Champion_ he was the first black man to win a national championship, by Greg Albertyn (Greg Albertyn’s from Johannesburg, South Africa & James Stewart’s from Bartow, Florida, USA) & Greg Albertyn won the 1999 250cc National Championship making Greg Albertyn the first _African American National Champion_

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

I don't know if I'd put Greg Albertyn as African-American, even if he is from South Africa.

[@johnnybgood774]

Carmichael is good but he aint no goat...stewart clowned Reed lmao

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

No way... Ricky is certainly the GOAT; James Stewart... is NOT!! I do admit I liked Stewart's work ethic back then, but I didn't like how he had to take other riders out from incidents that could very much have been prevented.

[@johnnybgood774]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames naw for real tho Ricky was a Goat for sure

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@@johnnybgood774 And RC still IS the GOAT, no two ways about it.

[@johnnybgood774]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames no "was" the goat Tomac Is the new GOAT

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@@johnnybgood774 I don't think Tomac's accomplishments are up there for GOAT status.