suzukimad07
30th March 2011, 11:44
An already tough year got worse Monday night for Haines City motorcycle racer James "Bubba" Stewart when he was arrested at Orlando International Airport and charged with impersonating a police officer.
Stewart was released on bail early this morning.
Stewart, who races motocross — manmade dirt courses, with plenty of tight turns and hills that lead to spectacular jumps — is arguably the best, and certainly the most popular rider in the sport since the retirement of Tallahassee rider Ricky Carmichael.
Carmichael is pursuing a career in NASCAR, something many expect Stewart to do in the next five years. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Stewart said he has spoken with some NASCAR teams, "and it's something I'm definitely interested in, but my focus right now is on motorcycle racing. Down the line, though, who knows?"
If James Stewart's on-track performance doesn't improve, it could be sooner, not later. Injuries plagued Stewart for almost all of the 2010 season, and he only raced through January of last year.
He won three races early in the 2011 season, but on March 5, racing at a Carmichael-designed SuperCross course at Daytona International Speedway, Stewart rocketed to an early lead before botching a jump and crashing very hard.
Stewart tried to get up, then fell, then got up again and got back on his motorcycle. While he was far behind the leaders, he still turned in the fastest lap of the race. The incident cost Stewart the points lead.
Since Daytona, Stewart has had some rough races, and he has not won since Feb. 5. On March 19 in Jacksonville, Stewart crashed on the first lap and did not finish the race, instead heading to the hospital. On March 26 in Toronto, race 12 of the 17-race championship, he again fell on the first lap. After dominating the points early in the season, Stewart is fourth going into this weekend's race at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas, 20 points behind leader Chad Reed of Tampa.
Stewart is expected to race the rest of the season.
Substantially elevating Stewart's public profile was his cable TV reality show, titled "Bubba's World," which premiered a year ago, on Fuel TV. It airs Thursdays at 10 p.m., with reruns on Speed TV. Stewart comes across as alternately driven and professional, but periodically moody and petulant. He often seems eager to distance himself from his parents in Haines City, including his no-nonsense father, James Sr., who introduced his son to motocross at age 3 and largely guided his career.
That said, Stewart seems to have rekindled the fire that made him a two-time series champion. In a tweet to his fans earlier this month, he said, "I'll fight them till hell freezes over, then I'll fight them on ice. You can expect that until the day I hang up my boots." And, "I'll never quit. It's not about how hard you go down, it's about how hard u fight when u get up."
Stewart, who does a lot of charity work, particularly with the Boys and Girls Clubs, took a beating from some of his fans posting on his web site after his arrest. "Positive role model turns into 21st century THUG!" said one.
Others suggested that Stewart, often compared to golfer Tiger Woods, now unfortunately has one more thing in common with Woods — an embarrassing incident involving the police.
There is no word yet on how this incident will affect his multiple endorsements. Stewart rides for Yamaha, and he filmed a commercial for longtime sponsor Oakley sunglasses earlier this month.
M Consumers News.com
Stewart was released on bail early this morning.
Stewart, who races motocross — manmade dirt courses, with plenty of tight turns and hills that lead to spectacular jumps — is arguably the best, and certainly the most popular rider in the sport since the retirement of Tallahassee rider Ricky Carmichael.
Carmichael is pursuing a career in NASCAR, something many expect Stewart to do in the next five years. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Stewart said he has spoken with some NASCAR teams, "and it's something I'm definitely interested in, but my focus right now is on motorcycle racing. Down the line, though, who knows?"
If James Stewart's on-track performance doesn't improve, it could be sooner, not later. Injuries plagued Stewart for almost all of the 2010 season, and he only raced through January of last year.
He won three races early in the 2011 season, but on March 5, racing at a Carmichael-designed SuperCross course at Daytona International Speedway, Stewart rocketed to an early lead before botching a jump and crashing very hard.
Stewart tried to get up, then fell, then got up again and got back on his motorcycle. While he was far behind the leaders, he still turned in the fastest lap of the race. The incident cost Stewart the points lead.
Since Daytona, Stewart has had some rough races, and he has not won since Feb. 5. On March 19 in Jacksonville, Stewart crashed on the first lap and did not finish the race, instead heading to the hospital. On March 26 in Toronto, race 12 of the 17-race championship, he again fell on the first lap. After dominating the points early in the season, Stewart is fourth going into this weekend's race at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas, 20 points behind leader Chad Reed of Tampa.
Stewart is expected to race the rest of the season.
Substantially elevating Stewart's public profile was his cable TV reality show, titled "Bubba's World," which premiered a year ago, on Fuel TV. It airs Thursdays at 10 p.m., with reruns on Speed TV. Stewart comes across as alternately driven and professional, but periodically moody and petulant. He often seems eager to distance himself from his parents in Haines City, including his no-nonsense father, James Sr., who introduced his son to motocross at age 3 and largely guided his career.
That said, Stewart seems to have rekindled the fire that made him a two-time series champion. In a tweet to his fans earlier this month, he said, "I'll fight them till hell freezes over, then I'll fight them on ice. You can expect that until the day I hang up my boots." And, "I'll never quit. It's not about how hard you go down, it's about how hard u fight when u get up."
Stewart, who does a lot of charity work, particularly with the Boys and Girls Clubs, took a beating from some of his fans posting on his web site after his arrest. "Positive role model turns into 21st century THUG!" said one.
Others suggested that Stewart, often compared to golfer Tiger Woods, now unfortunately has one more thing in common with Woods — an embarrassing incident involving the police.
There is no word yet on how this incident will affect his multiple endorsements. Stewart rides for Yamaha, and he filmed a commercial for longtime sponsor Oakley sunglasses earlier this month.
M Consumers News.com