2005 Budds Creek 250cc AMA Motocross Championship (Round 4 of 12)

This is round 4 of the 2005 250cc AMA Motocross Championship presented by FMF from Budds Creek Motocross Park in Budds Creek, MD.
Returning contenders like 2004 runner-up Chad Reed, 2-time runner-up Kevin Windham, John Dowd, David Vuillemin, Heath Voss, Michael Byrne, Nick Wey, Ernesto Fonseca, 250cc rookie and 2-time 125cc champ James Stewart, 2002 runner-up Tim Ferry, and 5-time defending 250cc MX champ Ricky Carmichael battle it out for the 2005 250cc AMA Motocross Championship presented by FMF. This series is dominated once again by Ricky Carmichael. An incident in practice in this race between James Stewart and Ricky Carmichael caused the two Floridians to get in each other's faces, and ended up with stitches in Carmichael's clutch finger (his middle finger).
Enjoy.

[@todddooley793]

Pretty amazing James was able to make it a race with that 2smoker.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Yes it was. Unfortunately, Stewart wanting to win so bad was a recipe for disaster eventually.

[@todddooley793]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames it sure was, his inability to take a second or third and survive to fight another day was his weakness. Still though, one of three best to ever to do it though. Dude moved the sport to where it is today in regards to technique

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@@todddooley793 No question about it. I don't blame Stewart for trying to win, but he had to know he was underpowered on that KX250 against 37 other 450s. It was also proof to JS of the visual difference between the 125 and 250 classes -- in the 125 class, EVERYONE conceded Stew would win, but in the 250 class, they're like "IDGAS your name is James Stewart or what you did in 125s..." In all honesty, I didn't think James would even win a moto because he was on that 250 2-stroke, but he did get close a couple of times. James even said himself that he needed a 4-stroke to compete with RC.

[@llla4091]

Crazy this was the first time i heard james say anything about needing a 4 stroke. He was trying so hard not throw kawi under the bus

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

It was clear that Stewart was underpowered riding a KX250 against 37 other 450 4-strokes. I don't think Stewart threw Kawasaki under the bus at all; he was being straight-up honest. Everybody had 450s available except Kawasaki.

[@laurenobrian612]

When James was on a 450 the next year he was still beat by Ricky.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

+Lauren Macri Keep in mind that 2006 was James' rookie season practically -- not just on a 450cc, but his rookie season, period. James did win 3 Nationals in 2006 and about 6 motos, but all of those should be asterisked because Carmichael fell or pulled out. Carmichael was NEVER beaten straight up outdoors by James -- only Kevin Windham did that in 2001 and 2003.

[@dennisdreher1038]

05 was JS rookie year

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

True, but '05 was full of injuries for James. Remember he missed over half the SX series due to an injury in his arm at the Phoenix race, and he missed about half the MX series after his crash at Unadilla. So, 2006 would practically be James' rookie season practically.

[@johnnybgood774]

Yea Ricky had more experience and a better bike

[@johnnybgood774]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames he was beat straight up just because Ricky fell means nothing usually one crashes trying to keep the pace

[@Cadwerx1]

James should've just worked for 1st but maintain second thru out the series. That would be a win all in itself in the overall picture. Have a Great Day !!

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

He should've done that, but knowing James, he likes to win and he wants to win, too. You had to give him a lot of credit for even trying to compete on that KX250 2-stroke; at the same time, this was James' REAL first lesson -- this is the 250cc class; NOBODY cares if your name is James Stewart, or how much you've accomplished in the 125cc class. Whoever thought James would cakewalk the series with Ricky in it must've been REALLY high or something because I didn't think James would win any races due to his serious power disadvantage, and the fact that he was competing against 37 other 4-strokes out there.

[@johnnybgood774]

Win or crash from trying to Win a true racer

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@@johnnybgood774 Yet a recipe for disaster at the same time.

[@taz5573]

Why does Ricky's bike have more power than everyone else's all the time, every rider should have the same bike same set up

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Kawasaki certainly missed the boat by not having a 450 available. They may have used their production year when they introduced their 250F the year before, but I'm not really sure.

[@claytonandrews7234]

STEWART WAS ONE OF THE FASTEST MOTOCROSSER IN THE WORLD DURING HIS CAREER. BUT JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER, ONE OF THE FASTEST IN THE WORLD DURING THEIR TIME, ALL THE WAY UP TO HEIRLINGS, NOBODODY WAS EVER AS FAST AS RICKY CARMICHAEL. EVER. AND HIS RECORDS WILL NEVER BE BEAT AS LONG AS MOTOCROSS AND PEOPLE PERIOD ARE STILL ON THIS EARTH.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Absolutely! In the end, only 3 people in this sport are qualified as "GOAT" -- McGrath, Carmichael, and Reed. RC just had a work ethic you just couldn't beat.

[@llla4091]

​@MathewV21688 idk man I definitely wouldn't put McGrath in goat category as far as outdoors. And if your going to include Reed I mean you gotta include bubba. And herlings came over here and smoked the Ironman against et3, who should also prolly be included

[@JR113FTW]

Erin Bates tho...

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

She was an attractive pit reporter too :)

[@juicyearl]

and its not 4 stroke vs 2 stroke, its a 450cc four stroke vs 250cc 2 stroke. Now imagine if james was on the same bike and all the other bikes were 250cc 4 strokes...hmmmm i wonder how many minutes he would be leading by

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

+juicyearl Yes -- one wonders; the other difference there is that James was racing in the 250cc class. When James was riding in the 125cc class, NOBODY was willing to challenge him, which made 2nd place like a win to them; in the 250cc class NOBODY was willing to let James cakewalk the series. James proved he was competitive in Supercross (when the 2-strokes were still alive), but with 37 other 4-strokes out there, James was lucky to win a moto let alone lead some laps.

[@mitchellkalina8191]

I guess u didn't watch the 2006 outdoor season and the limited schedule carmichael raced in 2007, when he put countless beatings on Stewart while Stewart was on a 450

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Mitchell Kalina No doubt. You still have to give Stewart credit for running up front against all those 450s. Kawasaki was FOS in 2005 -- they supposedly had a 450cc available, but didn't let Stewart ride it. In James' own defense, his teammate, Michael Byrne was also on a KX250.

[@mixerguru]

yeah ricky just went faster but he wwld have never had to do so withot james no wold ride like they do today without james

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@@mixerguru No doubt about that. 2005 was James' real first lesson about the 250cc class in general -- especially in Motocross.

[@jamesrobert7155]

The Lance Armstrong comment didn't age very well.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Probably. It's hard to tell because at this time, Armstrong wasn't being tested for steroids or anything until after his retirement.

[@jamesrobert7155]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames that's what I mean, back then at that race and or year, they did not yet know of Lance's juicing/cheating! Imagine if Ricky could've done the same juicing technique, well I don't know, I don't think that kind of juicing would help or hurt in motocross! It's a whole different thing than cycling! I think the correct term is "doping", anyway, it never pays to cheat, at anything.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@@jamesrobert7155 Agreed -- it certainly never pays to cheat. David Bailey said it best that Ricky wins on sheer preparation alone. That's why I feel that James Stewart has NEVER beaten Ricky straight up in MX and Kevin Windham has by his "hidden talent" so to speak. Jeff Stanton also said it best when he knew of that guy at Yamaha who told him, "99.9% of those guys out there will NEVER make it... it's all in their head."

[@claytonandrews7234]

They CAN BLAME WHATEVER AND USE EVERY EXCUSE IN THE WORLD ABOUT CHEATING. BUT LANCE ARMSTRONG IS STILL THE BEST EVER IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE OR ANY OTHER TOUR DE RACE. HE DIDNT CHEAT ANYMORE THAN ANYONE ELSE RIDING THE TOUR DE EVENTS. HE WON BECAUSE HE WAS THE BEST AT IT. TAKE AWAY HIS MEDALS AND HIS WINS FOR WHATEVER EXCUSE YOU WANT TO. LANCE ARMSTRONG STILL WON MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE. AND NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM HIM. HELL THE MAN COULD HAVE JUST DRANK TO MUCH ORANGE JUICE AND THEY WOULD HAVE SAID HE WAS CHEATING. IT'S ALL A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT. I GUESS SMOKING WEED MADE JEFF EMIG FASTER TOO HUH? IS THAT WHY HE BEAT MCGRATH OUTDOORS CONSISTENTLY OVER THE YEARS THEY WERE BATTLING

[@CrackerrJack]

Mathis 12:17 in shape ^^

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Unsure what you're getting at since that's a little after Mathis' pit interview from Erin Bates.

[@CrackerrJack]

MathewV21688 mathis is huge now. he just looked different

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Hmm.

[@lukelang7781]

I hope kawasaki paid Bubba a ton for this season he stuck with them. One of the few seasons he had to dethrone rc and he gets stuck on an underpowered 2 stroker

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

My guess would be they did. James certainly found himself very under-powered and in a recipe for disaster with how hard he had to ride and such to keep up with that 450 RMZ of Ricky. However, I had major doubts that Stewart would even win a moto on that 250 2-stroke, and I was right. Simultaneously, it also showed a side of James Stewart we hadn't seen since his rookie 125cc season in 2002 -- losing multiple races consecutively. He may have gotten close in the first moto at Unadilla, but it was clear that Stewart was not used to losing 3... 4... 5 times in a row.

[@lukelang7781]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames agreed. And even when they got him the 450 following year he wasn't dominating. In fact I think he was having a hard time adjusting. Isn't that the year he broke his wrist when he endo'd the double?

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

No, that was likely 2010 where he endoed over a double jump, or perhaps 2007 San Diego when he had to jump off the bike in mid-flight while leading. Or perhaps that may have been Southwick 2006 where he endoed over a double (after his rear wheel locked up and his 450cc started smoking). When Stewart got on the 450cc in 2006, he showed a side of him a lot of people hadn't seen: patience. However, 2006 was also James' rookie season pretty much after injuries wiped out most of 2005 Supercross for him. Despite winning 8 races in 2006, Stewart had 3 bad races (8th, 17th, 6th) that prevented him from winning the 2006 Supercross title. When Stewart went to San Manuel Yamaha in 2009 at the prime of his career, I secretly predicted that was the beginning of the end, and I was right. When he got on that backwards-framed Yamaha, his talent just went away. He complained non-stop about the Yamaha when he pushed it to the red zone, which led to him having more crashes than normal. Then, when he left JGR Yamaha for Suzuki in the summer 2012, that just about confirmed everyone's suspicions (my own included) that he didn't like that Yamaha.

[@lukelang7781]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames yeah I beleive it was 2006 because if I can remember right, he was leading Ricky and all you could really see is his rear go up and over on that step-down double.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@@lukelang7781 Actually, Stewart was running 2nd in the second moto before that crash took place.

[@lfasty8none365]

James over reved his bike all year outdoors and blamed his bike. I have a stomach problem, you mean a party problem! Lol . How's your nose

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

I seriously don't think it was a partying problem that JS had at the Hangtown opener. They clearly mentioned he was sick after his thumb injury at the Vegas finale. I also wouldn't go that route of James blaming his bike. He was on a 250 2-stroke because Kawasaki didn't have their 450 available to the public for whatever reason. However, his teammate Michael Byrne and pseudo-teammate Sean Hamblin were also on 2-strokes. This had to prove the visual difference between the 125 and 250 classes for James Stewart -- when James was on his trusty KX125, EVERYBODY conceded that James would win the races; in the 250 class, everyone's like "IDGAS that your name is James Stewart and what you did in 125s!" That's proof why David Bailey said it best on the '05 Daytona race -- "The 250 class is different."

[@jimq7519]

Carmichael was on a 4 stroke while they only let Stewart ride a 2 stroke and that's why Carmichael was always faster, and I think that's Wrong

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

The reason why Stewart was on a 250 2-stroke in 2005 MX is because Kawasaki still had their 450cc in production. It's clear to say that Stewart paid for it big time -- just like Ryan Hughes in 2004 when KTM used their development year in 2002 when Lance Smail tested their 450cc 4-stroke in Canada that summer.

[@claytonandrews7234]

You so full of shit and obviously do not know much about motocross. Because CARMICHAEL was still beating everybody when they were on 4 strokes and he was still on a 2 stroke. It's the rider and not the bike. PERIOD. And Ricky Carmichael WON the outdoor championship from his rookie year, and every year after in both classes. Every year dipshit

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@@claytonandrews7234 Agreed. To call this "wrong" is 100% biased. We ALL knew 2005 was because Kawasaki didn't have their 450 4-stroke in production that Stew never won a moto at all, and NOTHING MORE! Every other year, RC just had a harder work ethic, and that got the job done! RC's the TRUE GOAT and Stewart's 3rd best.

[@trustenbaker8766]

Mannnnnnnnn I wish this was able to be viewed well. It's crappy as hell.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

What you see is what you get.

[@juicyearl]

such BS ,...you can see it on the step-up? You see the guys on the 450s hitting the top of the step-up also

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

+juicyearl Technically, hitting the top is pretty close to clearing the whole thing ;)