OAKLAND, Calif. (Jan. 24) -- GEICO Honda rider Malcolm Stewart could not have picked a better location to score his first Monster Energy Supercross victory.
In the home of his dad's favorite NFL team, the Oakland Raiders, Stewart dominated the 250cc West Series main event on Saturday night at O.co Coliseum to become a Supercross winner for the first time.
"It's huge, it's huge," Stewart said with a wide smile. "I always loved the Oakland Raiders, and my dad is a big Raiders fan. To come here and win in the Oakland stadium is awesome."
The win came in Stewart's fourth event with the GEICO Honda team, and it capped a three-race spree in which he has finished first, second, and fifth after a tough start of 22nd at the 2015 season opener.
"We definitely had a rough one in the beginning but we kept pushing," Stewart said. "I can't thank (team co-owner) Jeff Majkrzak enough for hiring me for this team. Now, I'm returning the favor. I just want to pay him back as much as I can because he believes in me and that's why he got me on this team.
"The whole GEICO team, they've been sticking behind me. Jeff Majkrzak, he's been behind me the whole time. My mom and dad, my brother, everybody who's been there, I appreciate it. I'm kind of speechless right now."
But the wide smile on Stewart's face told the story. The win capped a terrific day for Stewart, who nearly won his heat race until being bumped by another rider on the final lap.
Still, his fourth in the heat advanced him to the main event, where he made a good start and was third after one lap. He moved into second, then the lead, before slipping back a spot.
But leader Justin Hill went down with nine laps remaining, and Stewart seized the lead and the moment.
"The start wasn't too bad," Stewart said. "The start was great, and Hill went down. All I know is the last two laps my heart was pumping."
Cooper Webb tried to close in but this night belonged to Stewart, who won by 1.4 seconds.
"He was definitely coming, but I just tried to put my head down and keep moving forward," Stewart said.
After the race, he celebrated with the team on the podium and got a big hug from his father James.
1/25/2015 3:33am
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