Upgrade to enjoy this feature!
Vital MX fantasy is free to play, but paid users have great benefits. Paid member benefits:
- View and download rider stats
- Pick trends
- Create a private league
- And more!
Only $10 for all 2024 SX, MX, and SMX series (regularly $30).
Unless he learned some sort of valuable lesson this year about his "full speed ahead and damned the consequences" riding style, he's just going to repeat himself, guaranteed. I love psychology and sports psychology, and James Stewart is by far the most fascinating athlete I have followed because the only thing that has kept him from winning more championships is the thing between his ears.
Stewart is fun to watch , mainly because you just don't know what is going to happen. And then on the flip side of what I said above about him ( not knowing what is going to happen next ) is also one of the reasons I like the kid. I think everyone will agree with this.....is James just fucking goes for it. I admire his heart when he is racing. I just can't stand his riding ethics on how he treats other riders on the track , and then the bragging and "I'm holier than thou" type attitude.
This next season is going to be even harder than last year. The other guys will be just a hair faster than they were , and he will be off for 1/2 the season again. The other riders have smelled blood in the water , and know what it takes to beat him....consistency. .
The Shop
Looking like that will hopefully change this year, but what is he, 0 for 3?
I'll take Stewart's 50%.
He crashed out of his first SX title and crashing has cost him several other titles throughout his career. No hate, just the facts. He's not afraid to twist the throttle and take big risks.
There are two bad parts to his style: he has a tendency to take out other riders and he gets injured and is races banged up which probably leads to more bad decisions (on the track) and more crashes.
The only title he won that he didn't struggle with hitting the dirt was his perfect season outdoors.
Will he walk all over the guys in SX next year (12+ wins)? I doubt it. He may have raw speed, but, there are 4 guys that are close enough to fight for the championship. Trying to dominate that group will lead to disaster.
Windham knows where the edge is and sadly has always ridden just below that. Just think how many championships he could have won with just a few ragged edge rides that ended in wins.
RC knew where the edge was and knew he could ride for days, just on the other side of it. Reed knows where that edge is and has worked it to his advantage. Sadly for him, his edge is just behind where RC's was.
Canard has found that edge and pushed it. He has raw speed and hopefully can get a grip on that edge and complete many more seasons uninjured.
As for Stewart though, he has no clue where that edge is and doesn't realize when he has gone three doors and a stairwell past it. You can see it when he's on the track. He goes into that panic mode when pushed or when he's behind. First lap or last, if he's not in the lead he's in banzai mode. He's never found that point where he's out of control....... Let me restate that, he's never RECOGNIZED that point where he's out of control and ventures into ER land to easily.
You can go back to just this past SX season for a perfect example of what I'm trying to say. Look at what TC , RV , RD and CR were doing......then look what Stewart was doing. I love watching him ride......but he beat the living shit out of himself. He FINISHED the season in 4th in points. He would have been 5th I think if Canard had stayed healthy.
So ya kind of see what I'm saying? he made it all season long and raced every round.....but still came in 4th in the points. This next year......all 4 of them guys are going to be even faster. Which means Stewart will be pushed even harder.......and what happens when Stewart gets pushed?
He is capable of winning any single race out there for sure! Nobody can disagree that he has the most pure speed out there at most times.......but for championships? He's an underdog when it comes to them. You will see that within a couple more years , al four of them other guys will have more titles to their names than Stewart does......or at least a couple of them anyways.
But, what makes you think what I said was profound?
the idea that 7 crashes too much is well stated and well proven. But consider this...
1. he does amazing things on a bike that others don't' have the balls to try (hence the fast 'laps')
2. he crashes all the time...roughly
3. not ONCE did he crash thissx year doing one of those other worldly things that make him faster per lap
so i beg the question about him 'taking too many risks' when he races...he washes the front end, slowed up and got rammed from behind in traffic, front wheel missed a seat bounce at daytona...got the 'huck-a-buck' in the whoops, pretty normal stuff if you think about it...
not saying anything profound, but the idea that he is just plain out of control seems to be an exaggeration perhaps?
p.s. I am speaking in terms of this last sx year only...otherwise history might mute my point
Dude, gonna have to do better than that pertaining to BobbyM. Just sayin............................................................................................
Anyways... In past years a bad start or a small crash would result in him getting a 3rd, usually losing to Reed and Carmichael. Now it means a 5th, losing to Canard, Villopoto, Dungey, and Reed. There is no guarantee he will straight up beat those four even without crashing.
And speaking of crashing, he crashes BECAUSE those four are equal to him as far as IN CONTROL speed goes. He compensates for this by pushing over the edge to be the fastest guy and keep that "fastest man on the planet" title. This in turn endangers every rider on the track, himself more than anyone else.
As far as 2012 goes, he'll win races. He'll be a contender. At times, he'll do amazing things. Until he figures out that a 2nd or 3rd or even 5th when 1 or more guys are BETTER than you that night is okay in the long term, he won't win the championship against this field. My guess is that if he hasn't figured that out by now then he never will. Stewart's 2012 season will be the equivalent of Carmichael's 2007 season as far as racing years go. That puts it in perspective big time.
Also remember that ever since he moved up to the big bike class, he has NEVER completed a full season. Since he has gone to SX only, he has completed every other SX series. Assuming this trend continues, he won't complete this upcoming season.
The only way to predict the future is from the past, and doing that says that Stewart will not win the 2012 SX championship. This doesn't mean he won't win it, but unless he changes his style (which if he hasn't by now he never will) he won't win.
Pit Row
Dont know if you can use Stewarts 24-0 season as an example. Who was his closest rival then?....Cody Cooper?
24-0 is unbelievable...
all RC had to beat was a bunch of guys that never ran his pace either...and he certainly didn't have Tim Ferry breathing down his neck on the final moto...
24-0 is beast...find something else to use because bringing that up just reminds everyone how awesome he is/was
Post a reply to: stewart 2012