Wednesday, March 23, 2011

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Monday, January 12, 2009

Stewart wins Supercross showdown with Reed in Phoenix

First victory for Stewart in Bell Moto-8; Wey 15th

Stewart was all business in Phoenix after an unfortunate tumble in Anaheim last week.

Bell Rider James Stewart won his first Supercross race of the season, outdueling rival Chad Reed for the victory at Chase Field in Phoenix on Saturday. When the gate dropped on the main event it was last week's surprise winner Josh Grant who took the holeshot with Stewart and Reed hot on his heels. But by the end of the first lap Stewart had made his way to the front bringing a raucous cheer from the crowd of nearly 50,000. Lap three was Reed's turn to amp the fans when he slipped by Grant to set up the duel everyone came to see.

Rumor has it that Stewart showed up on radar at Sky Harbor Air Traffic Control.

For the better part of 17 laps the pair rode a race of their own with Stewart out front. Though Stewart had some less-than-perfect trips through the whoops section, he was able to correct and keep things moving away from the speedy Reed. On the last two laps things got tight with Reed closing the gap to a couple bike lengths and challenging hard. A determined Stewart kept his focus, however, holding steady for his third consecutive win at Chase Field. Grant would hang on for third.

“I knew that Chad would make it tough on me tonight,” said Stewart. “That is the type of racing that we love to do, and I am pumped because I picked up the win.”

James Stewart lights the lamp on his first SX win of the '09 campaign.

With last week's DNF in the main event, Stewart now sits seventh in the season standings after two events with Grant, Reed and Andrew Short in the top three spots, respectively.

Fellow Bell Rider Nick Wey finished 15th on the evening and sits 13th in points.

Nick Wey with another solid performance abourd his 450 at Phoenix.

1.10.09 – PHOENIX AMA SUPERCROSS RESULTS
1. James Stewart – Bell Moto-8
2. Chad Reed
3. Josh Grant
15. Nick Wey – Bell Moto-8

2009 SUPERCROSS SEASON STANDINGS
After 2 of 17 events
1. Josh Grant, 45 points
2. Chad Reed, 42
3. Andrew Short, 38
7. James Stewart, 27 – Bell Moto-8
13. Nick Wey, 18 – Bell Moto-8


Photos © 2009 Frank Hoppen

SX LITES: Brayton posts strong second place finish at Phoenix

Sipes claws way to seventh after slow start

Bell Rider Justin Brayton notched his best-ever Supercross Lites finish with a second place showing at the Phoenix stop of the AMA Supercross Series at Chase Field on Saturday. His Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM teammate Ryan Sipes finished a strong seventh putting the riders in fourth and sixth in the season standings, respectively.


Justin Brayton rips through a corner at the Phoenix SX.

Though neither rider had a good start, the Bell Moto-8-clad Brayton impressively moved into fifth after the first few turns while Sipes bided his time back in twelfth. PJ Larsen was Brayton's next victim on lap three when he bolted past in the second whoop section. He soon picked off another rider and by lap four was running in third. Meanwhile, Sipes was busy pushing his way through the pack breaking into the top ten on lap five.

On lap seven, the duo of Ryan Dungey and Brayton took advantage of a spill by early leader Jake Weimer, moving into first and second, respectively. Weimer remounted and made up an impressive amount of ground in the next few laps eventually settling in behind third place rider Ryan Morais. The duo would put the pressure on Brayton for the last few laps, but the KTM rider refused to let up and held on for second behind Dungey. After an incredible climb through the pack, Sipes would secure a hard-fought seventh place finish to go along with his sixth at Anaheim last week.


Ryan Sipes airs it out during practice at Phoenix.

1.10.09 PHOENIX SUPERCROSS LITES WEST RESULTS
1. Ryan Dungey
2. Justin Brayton – Bell Moto-8
3. Ryan Morais
7. Ryan Sipes – Bell Moto-8

SUPERCROSS LITES WEST SEASON STANDINGS
After 2 of 8 events
1. Ryan Dungey, 45 points
2. Jake Weimer, 43
3. Ryan Morais, 42
4. Justin Brayton, 36 – Bell Moto-8
6. Ryan Sipes, 29 – Bell Moto-8


Photos © 2009 Frank Hoppen

Monday, January 5, 2009

Rough day in the office for Stewart at Anaheim 1

Wey finishes ninth, Byrne on the mend; Lites riders strong

James Stewart flat out at A1. Photos: Hoppenworld.com

While the stadium in Anaheim may be home to Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Angels, it was anything but heavenly for Bell Rider James Stewart who crashed heavily and was unable to finish the main event at the 2009 Supercross series opener Saturday.

After winning his heat race with relative ease earlier in the evening, Stewart was off to a promising start in the finale, taking the holeshot and leading the first lap and a half. As expected, the duel between Stewart and rival Chad Reed materialized and the latter took over the lead on lap two and led for the next five laps.

As expected, Stewart would not let the Australian get away and passed Reed back setting up what looked like an instant SX classic. Then on one of the track’s tight turns, Stewart’s bike hesitated slightly and Reed clipped his rear wheel sending both riders hard to the dirt. A slew of riders passed the pair as they desperately tried to re-start their bikes—Reed managed to get his running while Stewart did not.

Stewart had the fastest lap in qualifying and looked great all day.

Rookie Josh Grant made it through the mayhem into the lead with Andrew Short a few ticks behind in second. The pair would stay that way for the remainder of the race—despite a scary battle with a track banner with two laps to go—with Reed working his way back up to third. Stewart would be credited with 19th place on the day.

Bell Rider Nick Wey finished a respectable ninth while fellow Bell Rider Michael Byrne was seen trackside, still recovering from a summer leg injury.

A Bell-clad James Stewart on the whoops at A1.

Muscle Milk MDK/KTM ‘s Sipes , Brayton strong in Lites opener
In the Lites class, Muscle Milk MDK/KTM riders Ryan Sipes and Justin Brayton finished sixth and seventh in the finals, respectively. Sipes took the hard road to his finish—after having bike problems that left him sitting still when the gate dropped on his heat race, he rode a solid last chance qualifier to make it into the final field of 20 riders.

Brayton looked very fast all weekend and was third in his qualifying heat and looked to be headed towards the podium in the finals when a tangle with Dan Reardon sent him over the bars. Brayton recovered and did well to work his way back up to seventh.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Stewart tops list of riders on Bell Helmets for 2009 as A1 looms

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Reigning AMA National Motocross Champ James Stewart will certainly be the biggest star to don a Bell Moto-8 when the gate drops on the 2009 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season in Anaheim, Calif. on Jan. 3, but he won’t be the only one. Building on a strong race presence from the past few seasons, Bell has put together an impressive roster that includes not only Stewart, but other top riders in both the Supercross and Lites divisions.

Joining Stewart on the big bikes will be returning Bell Riders Michael Byrne, Nick Wey and Tyler Bowers. 2008 AMA Rookie-of-the-Year Nico Izzi leads Bell’s impressive slate of Lites riders which also includes Justin Brayton, Martin Davalos, Ryan Sipes, Wil Hahn and Tommy Searle of the Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM team as well as Broc Tickle, Darryn Durham, Michael Hall, and Matt Lemoine of the new Star Racing/Yamaha team. Suzuki City teammates Matt Goerke and Steven Clarke round out the Lites roster with Goerke likely to move up to big bikes for the outdoor season. With a couple exceptions, most riders will race both Supercross and Motocross schedules.

“Having James in the Bell Moto-8 is obviously huge for us,” said Bell Sports Marketing Manager Chuck Platt. “But I think we have a very strong roster top-to-bottom…Supercross, Lites, off-road, amateur, freestyle—we’re solid in everything.”

Bell big in off-road, freestyle and amateur ranks as well
Bell has also signed off-road star Nate Kanney who will kick off his 2009 campaign in February at the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) season opener in River Ranch, Fla. On the freestyle side of things, X-Games star Mat Rebeaud will again fly the Moto-8, but don’t be surprised if you see a number of other top riders on Bell.

“The Moto-8’s reputation for comfort and performance has led a number of top riders to seek us out,” continued Platt. “We can’t possibly sponsor them all, but we’re flattered they believe in Bell and are happy to set them up with some product.”

Twelve-year-old phenom Adam Cianciarulo leads the Bell charge on the amateur side of things. He’s joined by fellow young ripper Joey Savatgy and a handful of other talented junior athletes.

“It’s really exciting to see some of these kids ride,” added Platt. “Do a YouTube search for Adam and prepare to be schooled. He collects national titles like other kids collect baseball cards.”

###

2009 BELL DIRT ROSTER

Supercross/Motocross:
James Stewart – San Manuel/L&M/JSE Yamaha
Michael Byrne – Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki*
Nick Wey – Yamaha of Troy
Tyler Bowers – MDK/Wonder Warthog/Honda

Supercross Lites/Motocross Lites:
Justin Brayton – Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM (West)
Ryan Sipes – Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM (West)
Martin Davalos – Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM (East)
Wil Hahn – Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM (East)
Tommy Searle – Muscle Milk/MDK/KTM (Outdoor only)

Michael Hall – Star Racing/Yamaha (West)
Broc Tickle – Star Racing/Yamaha (West)
Darryn Durham – Star Racing/Yamaha (East)
Matt Lemoine – Star Racing/Yamaha (East)

Nico Izzi – Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki (East)

Steven Clarke – Suzuki City (East)
Matt Goerke – Suzuki City (East)

Freestyle:
Mat Rebeaud – Red Bull/KTM

GNCC Off-Road:
Nate Kanney – Red Bull/KTM

Amateur:
Adam Cianciarulo – Monster/Kawasaki
Joey Savatgy – Red Bull/Honda

* - Injured, likely miss first round of Supercross

Bell unleashes 2009 Moto-8 colorways


Tattered

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Bell Powersports has unveiled its 2009 line of graphics for the Moto-8 motocross helmet that covers the full spectrum from mild to wild, and everything in between. From the artful contrast of pin lines and distressed colorblock on the ‘Tattered’ model to the reserved yet stylish race livery of the Nick Wey Replica to the outright insanity of ‘Psycho Manic,’ the new Moto-8s take helmet graphics to the next level.

“We’re always looking for something that takes the expected and puts a unique twist on it,” said Bell Creative Director Casey Potter. “I think we really hit the mark this year with designs that are eye-catching, distinctive and varied enough to match the many tastes across the spectrum of motocross riders.”

The Moto-8 has become a favorite of riders of all levels from top pro to budding amateurs with the likes of Grant Langston, Jason Lawrence and Adam Cianciarulo all notching championship titles in the helmet. For 2009, the Bell team is lead by James Stewart and a small army of talented riders who will vie for glory in the Moto-8.

The Moto-8 has an MSRP of $399.95.

2009 Bell Moto-8 Colorways
Plaid Orange
.
Psycho Manic
.
Nick Wey Replica
.
Manic
.
Nitro Brown/Light Blue
.
Nitro Orange/Black
.
Nitro Red/White
.
Black Matte
.
White

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

James Stewart to ride Bell Helmets

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Bell Powersports has signed 2008 AMA Motocross National Champion James Stewart to compete and train in the Bell Moto-8 starting in 2009. Stewart is widely regarded as the biggest star in motocross and has won seven major titles since turning professional in 2002. He also holds numerous national titles and championships from his amateur days.

The 22 year old Stewart joins a storied roster of champions and legends who’ve competed in Bell over the years.

“Getting James on board is huge for Bell,” said Bell Vice President Tom Larter. “Working with athletes who are at the pinnacle of their sports to help develop product is what made Bell great and is part of our DNA. We see James as a big part of what’s next for Bell motocross.”

Stewart joins an already-strong roster of Bell Riders that includes the likes of Nick Wey, Michael Byrne, Nico Izzi, Jason Lawrence, Grant Langston and Adam Cianciarulo, as well as the Yamaha of Troy and KTM MDK factory teams.

“At this point in my career safety comes first, so I chose to go with one of the sport’s best,” said Stewart. “The other riders have also been telling me how comfortable and ventilated the Moto-8 is, so I’m really stoked to be starting with Bell next year. I’m also really proud to have my name added to the list of great Bell Riders that goes back to the origins of the sport.”

As Stewart alluded to, one of the reasons so many top riders are drawn to the Moto-8 is its comfort factor. At the heart of the Moto-8 is Bell’s exclusive Velocity Flow Ventilation system that uses a sophisticated set of vents, ducts, exhaust ports and flow management features to create a natural turbulence engine which literally pulls air through the helmet. This coupled with its lightweight TriMatrix Composite shell, easy-to-adjust Flying Bridge Visor and quick drying comfort liner, provides a hassle- and fatigue-free experience while keeping the rider cool and dry. The Moto-8 was designed, engineered, tested and prototyped from the ground up at Bell’s Santa Cruz, Calif. facility over a period of three years. Bell engineers have continued to tweak the design since its introduction, bringing an already excellent design even closer to perfection.

###

Rider: James Stewart
DOB: December 21, 1985
Residence: Haines City, Fla.
2008 AMA Motocross National Champion
2007 AMA Supercross Champion
2006 FIM WSXGP Supercross Champion
2004 AMA 125 East Supercross Champion
2004 AMA 125 Motocross National Champion
2003 AMA 125 West Supercross Champion
2002 AMA 125 Motocross National Champion