In a brief press conference following practice at Anaheim II yesterday afternoon, defending Supercross champ James Stewart explained that he had injured his knee (again the left knee, which is the same knee he injured during the outdoor motocross series last year) as a result of a practice crash on December 20 of last year. Stewart stated he had been riding in pain since that time (and not practicing). He stated he expected some sort of medical procedure to be performed on his knee, but would await the results of a MRI next week before determining exactly what his next step would be. Near the end of the informal press conference called inside the Kawasaki semi, Stewart said he probably would not race until Glen Helen, which is the late May start of the outdoor motocross series.
Here is the press release Kawasaki issued yesterday before the Anaheim II main event.
Monster Energy Kawasaki rider James Stewart will miss tonight’s third round of the Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM Championship after suffering an injury to his left knee during preseason training.“It was a tough decision to make,” said Stewart. “For me it was really difficult because as you could see during the first two races, I wasn’t racing at 100 percent. I’m going to go in for a MRI and then we will make a decision on the future. I’m just sorry for my fans, I know it is disappointing for them.”
A decision on Stewart’s health will be made after he consults with doctors this week.
“James’ is a tremendous guy and he has always been a great rider for our team,” said Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Manager Mike Fisher. “This was a very difficult decision but we feel it is the correct one. Once we know the full extent of the injury we will plan for the rest of the season.”
Stewart entered the third round of the championship tied for the points lead with one victory and a second-place finish.
