Perseverance | Malcolm Stewart Pushes Through

On Saturday night, February 8th, 2025, Malcolm Stewart put himself in the record books as a Monster Energy Supercross main event winner. It was the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider's 109th career start, and no one in Raymond James Stadium or at home watching was not on their feet screaming in excitement. 

Malcolm Stewart, in his 15th season and at the age of 32, accomplished something many had decided would never happen. It's been nine years since his 2016 250 East Supercross title, and time has a way of clouding our memories. Recency bias sets in, and we forget he finished third in Monster Energy Supercross in 2022, and there were nights when he was in the hunt for the win. Then, a knee injury in 2023 kept him off the bike for ten months, and it takes time to recover and rebuild.

In Nashville last year, Malcolm told Vital MX, "A whole year of not racing a motorcycle has an effect. In any other sport, you don't see an athlete take a year off and return where they left off. It takes a min." Like numerous other times in his career, Mookie continued to believe in himself and his abilities and pushed through. In that same interview, he mentioned how, after winning the title in '16, he didn't get hired for a 450 ride. Instead, he spent over $500,000 of his own money (most of which was his championship bonus) to go racing just to get 10th place. He said it stung a little and weighed on him, but it also made him appreciate the little things.

Never give up. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. Never say never. Nothing is impossible. You can do anything you set your mind to. Believe in yourself. One step at a time. The inspirational quotes could go on and on, and we've all heard them in life. Malcolm Stewart proved there is truth behind all of them and exhibits the heart of a champion. When asked last year if he believes he can still win, he responded, "Of Course. I have to be there at the right time. If I didn't have that mindset, then why am I even doing this."

That's not to say he didn't have moments of self-doubt and struggles. "When you have an injury like that, and you know where you should be but can't figure it out, for a split second, I was really upset with myself, my team, and everybody. It was a snowball effect. My dad came to me and said, 'Either quit racing or go out there and have fun. Don't forget why you did this. It's not for a paycheck. We have fun doing this.' I've done this my whole life and live for this moment." 

Here he is in 2025, a main event winner at his home race in Tampa with his brother, James, announcing in the TV booth. He and James are the only brothers in history to have won a main event, which can't be taken away from them. Malcolm's win is one of the moments in sports that will live in everyone's memories as a special night, and now he wants more. Hopefully, the win boosted confidence, and we will see him battling weekly for more wins. Congratulations, Malcolm Stewart.

You can scroll down to read a post-race interview Michael Lindsay did with Malcolm, in which he expresses how much the win meant to him.

Michael Lindsay – Vital MX: It is electric hearing a stadium follow a rider lap after lap. How was that, man?

Malcolm Stewart: The feeling of doing this with the hometown crowd is so high in my emotions. At one point, I felt like I wasn't even riding the motorcycle. The whole crowd was. I'm so thankful to get this done and it will always be in the history books. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna group believed in me, and I finally gave them our first win with me on the team. It's a cool vibe and feeling. This team got it done tonight, and I'm hungry for more. 

Michael Lindsay: Jacob, who shoots your team's video series, was there during RJ's (Hampshire) trials, and he told me he's seen what you've been through in the last four years. He stated it gave him goosebumps watching your win. Remind everyone what you've been through that led to this.

Malcolm: Anyone who's followed my 15-year career knows it's been a rollercoaster. Especially the last four years, which have been tough on me, I'm thankful that my friends, family, and everybody have stuck behind me. I got to do this with my hometown crowd and feel like we did this together. 

Michael Lindsay: I was watching, and around lap five or six, I saw you cutting the gap to Chase (Sexton). Then, it settled a little in the middle. When did you know you could do it?

Malcolm: There were about seven minutes to go, and I realized Chase wasn't pulling away. He was right there. I saw him search for different lines and thought, "That's a rider trying to figure out how to pull away." I just stuck to my lines and felt I was faster than anyone in the whoops. I knew if I could continue to hit the marks and hit the whoops, I could get to him. We all know there's nothing worse than when a rider is chased down with limited time left. I was getting close, and the crowd was in my favor. I felt like a football team with a home-field advantage. When I went through the whoops and heard the crowd get super loud, I saw him get pressured and start to go down. Once I got in front, I said, "Dude, this is an awesome feeling. It's been a long time since I've had this." Doing this in front of the hometown crowd at 32 years old is better late than never, right? I'm blessed and thankful that my friends and family saw this. Twenty years from now, we can look at history books and say, "Yep! Malcolm Stewart was right there."

Stephan Legrand – LeBigUSA: Were you nervous at any point?

Malcolm: Ya know when you're feeling it…the last lap, I got a little nervous. I'm not gonna lie. That was the jitterbugs, but to finally get it done has made me speechless. I know it's short-lived, but it's a moment I will never forget. 

Stephan Legrand: Do you believe this win could have happened anywhere?

Malcolm: Yeah. I do believe it could have happened anywhere. It was just about putting the cards right and where the pieces fall. It just so happened it fell right for me. 

Michael Lindsay: When Chase went down, and you see that right in front of you, was it hard to stay locked in? Did your heart rate jump, and did you stay fully in the moment?

Malcolm: The good news is my mechanic was telling me, "Calm. Relax." I knew at that point it was my race to lose. I had a little gap on Cooper (Webb) and felt I had to just hit my marks. Why change what I was doing? It was working. I just kept doing what I was doing. To have that pressure and feel that and finally achieve this, all the weight is off my shoulders. From here, it's about keeping going, trying to get more wins, and enjoying the moment. 

Stephan Legrand: You talked to your brother. What did you talk about?

Malcolm: I told him, "We did it." That's it. I said, "We did it and are in the history books." No matter what happens, our name is on there; we did it as brothers, and the cool thing about it is his commentating and watching his little brother win a race for the first time at our home stadium makes us speechless. It's an awesome feeling.