Tom
PR Elite
James Stewart has officially retired, brining to a close one of the most prolific careers in the sport of professional motocross racing.
Stewart, 26, had planned on 2015 being his last season, but the original intention was to spend the summer racing the MXGP series in Europe. He competed in the first four rounds of the series – even earning the overall victory at the second round in Thailand – but a rough crash at Round 4 in Italy left him with back injuries and a broken tailbone, injuries which proved to be too much to overcome in time for the end of the season.
“As many of you know, I experienced a pretty horrendous crash back in April that left me with multiple fractures in my tailbone along with soft tissue damage,” Stewart said in anopen letter to fans. “My initial thought was that I could be back riding in a few weeks if I just stayed quiet for a while. That has not proven to be the case. Follow-up x-rays have made clear that I also suffered severe compression of multiple disks in my lower back. I am still in significant discomfort and I realize that even if I start my fitness program and training now that I been cleared by my physician, I will not be able, prior to the end of the MXGP season, to achieve the fitness necessary for me to compete at the level I have always striven for.”
With a return this season not in the cards, Stewart has decided to call it a career. The long-time Kawasaki rider will end it with nine AMA national championships to his credit, along with one regional supercross title.
After turning pro in 2005, Stewart won three consecutive 250 Class titles in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship from 2006-2008 before graduating to the 450 Class. Since 2011, he has not lost a championship in any series in which he has contested a full season. His four straight supercross titles from 2011-2014 match the record set by another legend, Jeremy McGrath, and Stewartalso collected championships in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross in 2011 and 2013. The only thing that seemed to hold him back from winning more outdoor titles was injuries, as 2011 and 2013 were the only seasons in a six-year span from 2009-2014 that Stewart was able to contest a full season of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross.
After his most recent supercross title in 2014, Stewart underwent knee surgery, and there was talk that he was considering retiirement. But with one year left to fulfill on his contract, Stewart worked out a deal that allowed him to leave America’s factory Kawasaki team for its European counterpart, as he set his sights on adding an MXGP title to his legacy.
“I was so stoked to make the decision to be a part of MXGP racing,” Stewart said in his open letter. “It has always been important to me to ride my best and to be in the best possible position to give my best, in part because of wanting to give back to you, the fans. I am sad that this year did not work out the way I had hoped in that regard. I wanted to be at my best, to compete with these riders who are among the very best in the world and leave it all out on the track as each of them does every race. The sadness is that I only got to do that for a few races.”
According to a press release from the team, Stewartis still evaluating what will come next for him, but for now, he will be staying onboard with Suzuki to serve as a brand ambassador for the rest of the Lucas Oil season, asnoted by team manager Steve Guttridge in an interview today.
The main thing, though, is that Stewart – one of the all-time greats of the sport – is comfortable ending his career on his own terms.
“I am grateful for having had the opportunity to do something I have loved since I was a kid and make it into my livelihood,” Stewart said.
“I leave with no regrets. I have been blessed to experience so much of life through my racing. I have never wanted to disappoint my fans nor my supporters and my hope is that for the most part I have lived up to that.”
