Upgrade to enjoy this feature!
Vital MX fantasy is free to play, but Premium users receive great benefits. Premium benefits include:
- View and download rider stats
- Pick trends
- Create a private league
- And more!
Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
RC received a tremendous amount of hate also.
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
It was meant as a snub and people in the industry take it for that. If James didn't mean it as a snub, he would have gone just to avoid that thought creeping into people's heads, or have come up with a viable excuse..... not sit right outside gambling. Just like we all do shit that we don't want to do and don't have to do, yet we still do to avoid looking like a shithead in other people's eyes. And this is trivial bullshit like insulting a neighbor or something, not public relations for our multi-million dollar athletic career. It needs no defending as James certainly seems to have been making a statement, snub, or whatever intentionally. Certainly he had more than one person telling him how it would look if he didn't go. Yet he didn't go. Who's fault is it that James catches shit for decisions like this? Maybe he doesn't care if he catches shit. He certainly acts like he cares once he does start catching shit.
Anywhere you go in that casino and play would be easily visible from anywhere else.
It's a small (in Las Vegas terms) round casino
Why not go somewhere else? Very strange.
in my opinion it was a snub especially to villopoto and the other guys who he was racing against all year.. lets fast forward to next year and suppose stewart wins the title and poto, reed, dungey, canard and windy just sit outside and gamble i suppose stewart would be alright with that?
and i thought it was a bit shit to make or expect his mechanic to go to something he couldn't be bothered with, to pick up HIS cheque...
let it be known this doesn't effect me in any way, i don't think he owes me anything just what i think he should have done and what i would like to think i would do if it was me
Beat me to it. Bloody Aussies
From my perspective, James' main problem this year seemed to be trying to prove to the competition that he is the best, rather than being humble, taking some losses, and not putting himself out of the championship. There's nothing wrong with him, if any of us went 98% of our lives on a dirt bike with his type of dominance, accepting defeat more than winning would be a very unsettling experience.
If he wants to keep trying to prove that he is occasionally the best, by setting the fastest practice laps in the first session of practice, setting the fastest race laps more often the not in the main, winning occasionally, and crashing his brains out; he should stick with his current approach. If he wants to win another championship against a field with as much talent as him for the first time in his life, he needs a different mindset. On a side note: RV2 mentioned going into Vegas that he was used to pressure since he grew up being second best during his amateur career.
Not to bash, but it makes perfect sense why James is the way he is: he has gone practically his entire life being significantly faster than his competition, which gave him plenty of experience passing, but it also didn't provide much experience racing under pressure from the competition. One thing that bit him in the ass big time this year was failing to realize these other guys are on his level. He feels comfortable when he has a six to sixty second lead on the competition, because that's the kind of lead he has pulled most of his career. We saw it in Vegas this past weekend: K-dub was on his ass and it caused him to push harder. By not being at the award banquet he was choosing not to acknowledge or face the reality that he was not the best this year.
Pit Row
This coming from a Psych major whose wife is a Psych graduate student.
PS - Regardless if JS was required to go or not, it's a respect thing towards your fellow competitors, your sport and the organization you race for. Poor choice for James in my opinion, and we all know about opinions!
Was it disrespectful to your competitors and other participants and employees of the sport - yes
Should you be gambling outside the banquet displaying a total lack of respect for the others who did attend- no
Do you have to go - no, however in Nascar and Formula 1 you better damn well show up to events like this or be seriously fined. Each of these sports have protocols and requirements even for something as small as procedures and etiquette on the podium.
Is it the end of the world - no
For what it's worth Kdub has kids and a wife now- Probably was all siked to get a night out with the little lady and wasn't going to let a little bruised spleen get in the way!
it's possible.
but we need some new material to work with. this horse has been severely beaten.
Post a reply to: Stewart's no-show at awards banquet