March 22, 2006
Orlando, FL - Kawasaki Racing Team rider James Stewart from nearby Haines City, Fla., completely dominated the Supercross field to earn his sixth Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP / Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series victory this season. Team Monster/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Chris Gosselaar earned his fourth podium finish by capturing third place in the Supercross Lites class as both riders put on a show before a crowd of 43,081 at the Citrus Bowl on Saturday.
Stewart began the evening by winning his eight-lap heat race so completely that he was in lapped traffic by the sixth lap. Then, in the 20-lap main event, he took the holeshot and blasted into a two-second lead before the end of the first lap. Stewart was so dominant aboard his KX™450F that he had a 14-second lead before the race was half over, and lapped the field all the way up to fifth place before taking the checkered flag.
“It has been a good day, all day,” said Stewart. “I felt very comfortable on the track today and wanted to win for Polk County where I live. I am the local boy at Orlando so I wanted to win for the fans. I had a scary crash last week in Daytona but put it back together for this week. I am going to keep my head down and see what happens the rest of the season.”
Stewart’s teammate, Michael Byrne, rode a conservative heat race on his Kawasaki KX450F, finishing fourth to qualify for the main event. The affable Australian had a few intense battles during the main event to secure a position at the front of the pack and put in 20 solid laps to earn a seventh place finish.
In the Supercross Lites action, Gosselaar rode strong during his six-lap heat race and finished second to earn a spot in the main event. Gosselaar’s hunger for a victory carried straight into the main event where he had a great start before falling in behind Davi Millsaps and Josh Grant after three laps. Undaunted by his competition, Gosselaar remained steadfast to hold his position aboard his Kawasaki KX™250F and earned another third-place finish. Richmond Kawasaki’s Kyle Chisholm, Teddy Maier and Donnie Mcgourty finished 14th, 15th and 16th respectively. Gosselaar is now tied for at second place in the series standings with Josh Grant at 94 points.
The Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series heads to Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., next Saturday for the 12th stop on the 18-race series.