Stewart and Townley Win Lakewood National - Shaking off the effects of a bad practice crash suffered at Unadilla, New York last weekend, Team Kawasaki’s James Stewart was back on form on Sunday, July 22, 2007, claiming the overall victory in the AMA National Motocross Championship classification at round seven of the series in Lakewood, Colorado. Aboard his potent factory Kawasaki KX450F, Stewart won the National, but it wasn’t easy as it took a three-way tiebreaker to do so.

In the first moto, Stewart, grabbed the holeshot and took off, but was hounded by Colorado local rider Andrew Short of the factory Honda team. However, on lap number five, Short made a small mistake and Millsaps and his works Honda 450F motored into second. By the midway mark of the race, Stewart, obviously in some sort of pain, began to fade a bit and Millsaps began chipping away at his lead. Then, on lap 11, Millsaps made his declarative move and passed Stewart. Soon thereafter, Short also got by the number seven Kawasaki and went looking for the bred rear fender of his teammate, but it was to no avail as Millsaps hung to win his first moto of the season. And before it was all said and done, Stewart would be relegated to fourth position as KTM’s Mike Alessi also zapped him at the very end of the moto. When the gate dropped to start the final 450F moto of the day, yet again, it was Millsaps and Stewart racing out of the first corner at the sharp end of the field. It would take five laps to do so, but Stewart finally made his way around Millsaps’ Honda. Not long after, Millsaps began to fade dramatically (he would end up eighth at the moto’s end), while Short and Alessi picked up the pace. However, the true star of the race was still making his way to the front. After a poor eighth place start, Tim Ferry had been scratching and clawing his way through the snarling pack of 450s, and with just a few laps to go, passed Short, Alessi and Stewart to win the moto. After the calculators, paper and pencils were pulled out and dealt with, it was determined that James Stewart had won the overall with 4-2 moto scores. Also ending the day with 40 overall points were Alessi, who wound up second with 3-3 scores, as well as Short, who was third overall with a 2-4. Davi Millsaps missed the podium by once place, fourth overall with inconsistent 1-8 motos.

“I was sitting back in the motor home when my dad (James Stewart Sr.) said I had more heart than this,” said Stewart after the race. “I got up and started looking at the big picture. I want to win the championship. I’ve rode hurt before, but if it wasn’t for dad, I would not have rode the second moto.” Meanwhile, in the Motocross Lites Championship division...

Once again, it was the Monster Energy duo of Ben Townely and Ryan Villopoto stealing the show on Sunday at Lakewood. Washington State native Villopoto ran away with the first moto aboard his Kawasaki KX250F, while Townley, who had gotten a bad jump out of the hole and fell on the opening lap, was forced to race his heart out to get back to second by the end of the moto.

It was reversal of fortune time for Villopoto and Townely in the second heat, this time Villopoto hitting the gravel in a heap. Ryan ended up picking his lime green 250F out of the dirt, while way up front, New Zealander Townely was streaking away to the win. Villopoto fought his way back to second for second overall on the day. Third overall in the Motocross Lites class in Colorado was Team SoBe/No Fear/Samsung/Honda’s Josh Grant.

The AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF now heads to the Pacific Northwest for nest Sunday’s Unbound Energy Washougal National. Villopoto’s home state, the fans will no doubt be out in force to cheer on the demure red head on as he tries to get the better of teammate Townely. By the way, the two are still deadlocked in points for the 2007 AMA Motocross Lites CHmapionship with 310 each. Josh Grant sits third with 253 points.