Oakland, California, January 28, 2012 – 46,017 fans packed the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Saturday to witness James “Bubba” Stewart win his first main event of 2012 in the fourth round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship series. After his fourth consecutive heat win this season earlier in the evening, Stewart began the main event in fourth place and took the lead just before the halfway mark on lap nine. He would lead the remaining 11 laps to claim Yamaha/ Toyota/ JGRMX’s first Supercross Class Main Event victory of the season. The victory is also Pirelli’s first win ever in Supercross history where Stewart rode on Scorpion SX front tires and Scorpion MX Extra X rear tires.
Stewart’s victory puts him into fourth place in the overall standings where he is just 12 points behind Chad Reed and Ryan Dungey who are tied with 85 points. Teammate Davi Millsaps finished seventh in the main event and is tenth overall with 42 points.
“We cannot be prouder as we watch this historical moment unfold for our brand”, stated Uberto Thun, Pirelli’s World Wide Moto Business Director. “I’ve been following closely as we have pulled out all the stops in support of JGRMX and their riders, Stewart and Millsaps. I look forward to this being the beginning of a long and fruitfulpartnership; we are just getting started.”
This was an emotional win for Stewart and JGRMX as they mourned the recent loss of friend and team mechanic Mark “Tex” Adams. “I got two good starts tonight, and just took my time,” commented Stewart, who dedicated the win to Tex. “This victory is for the race team and everyone sticking with us. Tex, we love you and you will never be forgotten.”
“I would like to extend condolences on behalf of Pirelli to the family of Mark Adams and JGRMX,” reflected Antonella Lauriola, Vice President of Pirelli’s NAFTA Region Moto Business Unit. “Pirelli is proud of Bubba and JGRMX in this bittersweet moment; we are behind them 110% and will do everything we can to support them at this difficult time.”
Round five of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will be held Feb. 4 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. The event will air on CBS at noon (EST) on Feb. 5.
