What the hell has happened to James Stewart?

I think Lopez was just saying it was Eric "SoreBalls" Sorby who is at fault. Apparently there is a one-sided "Bromance" happening with SoreBalls living at the Stewart compound.

HE NEEDS TO RACE OUTDOORS !!!!

Remember? LB was dead weight.

he and the team are battling a pretty bad affliction that was first discovered in japan after they sucker punched pearl harbor.

i think it's called some weird name like Wehcnacye-Htnahteromffotib, it's hard to detect but he should start by looking in the mirror longer than it takes to toss a wink and a kiss.

It's called pressure.

The weaker the field, the better he rides. The stronger the field, the more vulnerable he looks. He starts to crumble under pressure. He can't handle it.

Same as Tyson, when no-one stood up to him he looked invincible, awesome. Stewart went 24-0 against the likes of Tim Ferry and no-one even challenged him - he won just by turning up. He looked unbeatable.

Now he's being challenged again - he hasn't had that since RC dominated him. The result is the same. Unless he gets the hole shot and checks out he's a panic induced accident waiting to happen.

He got the 2 titles (by a very small margin) in a weak field. The party's over and he knows it. Panic time. And it's only going to get worse as guys like Canard/RV mature and gain strength/experience.

What has happened to James Stewart?? Money,Cars,Jets,Houses,The pressure to feed his family. Everything but racing!!!!

IMO, James needs to become a full time racer again and and not a part time rock star. SX only does not work anymore. I hope he figures it out before he ruins a riders career or kills someone on the track. Seems like he is getting closer to hurting someone than winning any type of a championship



.

There are many different scenarios why James Stewart isn't winning anymore. Let's see, I've heard;
1. It's the Yamaha
2. He doesn't have Aldon Baker anymore
3. Eric Sorby is screwing things up
4. Johnny O'Mara might be training him wrong
5. The team can't get the bike working correctly
6. His father is involved
7. The competitors are faster this year
And the list goes on.

But it clear as day if you take a step back and look at the whole situation. Let me go back to the beginning of this year's Supercross series and try to give you solid facts, because this is what I'm going off of.
Rd. 1, Anaheim 1 Stewart came out after not racing for a long time, he got a 17th place start and rode solid, smart and smooth, finishing 3rd.
Rd. 2, At Phoenix Stewart got the holeshot and finished 1st.
Rd. 3, Dodger Stadium he started in the top 10, had a great battle with the top riders, took the lead, crashed, remounted & finished 2nd.
Rd. 4, Oakland he started top 5, had a battle with RV for 2 or 3 laps, RV crashed and finished 1st.
Rd. 5, Anaheim 2 he started 1st and rode the best I've seen him ride in a long time and finished 1st.
Rd. 6, Houston Stewart crashed in the first turn and was moving through the pack, made a stupid move jumping into JT, but kept going with a bent up motorcycle and finished 15th.
Rd. 7, San Diego rain started falling just before the start of the main event, Stewart started 5th, the track started getting very slippery and falling apart as he moved into 2nd place for 7 laps, then stalled his bike and finished 3rd.

At this point in the series, he was looking like the Championship was his for the taking and;
1. He was riding a Yamaha and winning
2. Even with No Aldon, he looked fit and was thinking and riding smoother than I've ever seen him
3. Eric Sorby was at every race (as far as I know)
4. Johnny O'Mara hadn't even been mentioned up till this point
5. The team had his bike working great or at least it looked good and we didn't hear that it wasn't working well
6. Big James was at every race, like he had been for years
7. He was beating his competitors with ease or at least finishing on the podium regularly

The only thing that changed after Rd. 7 in San Diego was the departure of his Team Manager Larry Brooks. Since Rd. 7 San Diego race, Stewart has been riding the same motorcycle, with the same personal crew around him and with the same race team, but the only difference is that Brooks hasn't been to a race since Rd. 7 and Stewart's results have changed dramatically.
After Rd. 7 Stewart was; 3 points out of the lead in the Championship, finished on the podium 6 times in 7 races, won 3 main events and had one big crash, but got up, salvaged a 15th place finish and didn't give up.
Since Rd. 7 and the departure of Larry Brooks, James Stewart race results have taken a huge step backwards.

Rd. 8 Atlanta Stewart started in the top 3, had a battle with Reed and took the lead, but let Reed stay too close & Reed made a move on the last lap (because Stewart didn't pull a gap) and crashed, finishing 4th
Rd. 9 Daytona Stewart took the holeshot, pulled a big lead and in my opinion riding over his head with that big of a lead. crashing big time, he did get back up and finished 9th
Rd. 10 Indianapolis he started 7th, was moving up, but making big mistakes and should have crashed a few times (that I saw on TV) and finished 2nd
Rd. 11 Jacksonville (well we all know about this race) he got a bad start, clipped Byrne, foot came off and had a huge crash right after the first turn (different people have different opinions, but I think he was riding like he was the only rider on the track) finishing 18th
Rd. 12 Toronto Stewart started 2nd and fell over in the first turn, rode like a mad man, taking RV out along the way and finished 4th (38 sec behind the winner)
Rd. 13 Dallas Stewart started top 5, started moving forward, passed Reed, Reed passed him back and he went crazy loosing control in the whoops and taking Reed and himself out and finished 4th (15 sec behind the winner)
After Rd. 8 through Rd. 13 (6 races) Stewart is now 21 points out of the lead of the Championship and is starting to look desperate on the track, he has finished on the podium 1 time in 6 races, has 0 main event wins, he did remount after that hard Daytona crash and salvaged points, but has taken at least 2 trips to the hospital and has been arrested 1 time.

I'm not sure what Larry Brooks does or says at the races. I have heard stories from riders, but what ever he did do or say it sure seemed to help James Stewart, because since he left and everything else has stayed the same in the James Stewart camp, Stewart's series has gone down hill and has fallen back in the Championship, plus he has taken the points leader out twice (different rider both times). I sure hope you guys read this because I want your opinion on my post and on the 2nd page of some else's thread.
You know, I never knew if a Team Manager did anything, but do some team organizing, but in this situation Brooks seems to do much more than that. I'm surprised more people haven't noticed this. I started seeing something a few weeks back, but after the last 6 Supercross races it is clear as day that James Stewart needs Larry Brooks.

Could be a Brooks thing, or it could just be a combination of age, high mileage body from crashes, elevated field, and an exalted view of self that demands that he live up to the hype.

I heard a quote from Elvis' bodyguard that I never forgot . "Elvis was not addicted to drugs, he was addicted to fame and he dreaded the day that it stopped coming."

Brooks leaving has no affect on Stewart's stupidity. All though James has proven to be the fastest guy on the line he has also proven he is the dumbest.


Hell, he landed on a guy with Brooks on his team. Sometimes you can't fix stupid and I think that is the case with James Stewart.

its not the bike, many yamaha riders did well, it looks like his 25 yr old sore body is not as resilient as it once was to run that top spot all night.

The speed is there, the talent always will be. It's a total lack of focus. Plain and simple.

james needs to contact orange county choppers and tell them to come take their bike back. the hardtail and 6 over springer front end isnt working.

Stewart can't handle other riders being on the same pace as him... he has to dominate his competition....

Any time he has had someone close to his speed he will crash at some point, because he wants to dominate every race...

In the past only Reed, RC and Everts have been on his level... that's when he crashed..now he has four guys every week that are on or close to his pace... he has never had that before, and this is the result - even more crashes. The rest know they won't win all the races, they arementally prepared for the 17 race fight of ups and downs.. Stewart is used to dominating with his speed.. and this year that's not enough, and mentally he isn't prepared to take anything other than win, which in one way is admirable, but in this field it is not possible for even stewart to win every time.

IMO James has been so much faster than everyone his whole career he is not skilled at racing his competition week in, week out.. that is his weakness - he panics when people are his speed because he is not used to it... ironically because he is so good.

James' weakness is Reed's strength - taking a second or third and not pushing over the limit if you don't have it that night....

But if Stewart didn't ride the edge, would he be any faster than the other top riders?....

HighCam,

your analysis seems well thought out and I enjoyed it. perhaps the team manager role is more important than we realize, I have always been amazed how Pro Circuit always gets results no matter what. the team manager has to know what makes his rider tick and what triggers he has to push to keep that enviornment and perhaps do a little baby sitting along the way. the team manager doesnt teach his guy how to be faster, but he sets up a peaceful productive enviornment and recruits the people he needs to keep that running.

you have to give it to brooks, he got results, and this is a sport that requires that.

DeCoster seemed to give up on some of his riders now and then because he required the self discipline of a mcgrath or a carmichael and would not get into the role of baby sitter, but i am just guessing on that.

then again, just like tiger woods, you keep stomping the competition, and the next generation coming up studies your every move while they are little kids with the posters on the wall, and the collection of dvds of the past, essentially, the bar has been rasied and the new generation knows before they ever get their pro license, they have to have the skill set of a mcgrath, the desire and tenacity of a carmichael and the mad skills of a stewart ... and thus, the bar is raised.

The bigger they are - the harder they fall.

His ego as the most dominate racer on the planet is crumbling. All his other competitors have experience in not being the fastest rider on the track, getting beat, getting passed etc. When this happens to them, of course they dislike it, but they can handle it! James on the other hand has gone his entire life dominating - and when not dominating, at least knowing he is the fastest on the track (with the except of some outdoor races with RC). There is a downside to being the fastest man on the planet, and we are seeing it.