Last year marked James Stewart’s first full season with the Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing Team, and the multi-time AMA Supercross and Motocross Champion did not disappoint.
From the moment that James Stewart first joined the Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing Team in an unprecedented 2012 mid-season move, there was no holding him back. The championship-winning rider threw a leg over the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 and promptly went out and won the first four AMA Motocross motos that he raced, despite not having competed in the series for several years. From there, it was on.
In the 2013 AMA Supercross Championship series, Stewart turned in a stellar performance on the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 and achieved several career high points. The most impressive of these was becoming one of just three racers ever to go nine straight seasons with a win, thanks to his victory at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome. In addition to this, he picked-up podium finishes at both the St. Louis and Indianapolis events. Finally, he culminated the year by capturing the stand-alone Monster Energy Cup Championship in his first-ever attempt at the prestigious race.
Similarly-successful in last year’s AMA Motocross Championship series, Stewart raced his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 to overall victory at the Spring Creek National and finished on the podium at three additional events. He was also fastest qualifier in multiple rounds and wrapped-up the season fifth overall, despite missing the final race of the season. An added bonus was that Stewart’s prowess at starts netted him five holeshots and, in turn, the 2013 Motorcycle-Superstore Holeshot Championship.
“Last season, we had some ups and downs but overall it was good,” said Stewart. “I felt like we really started to gel as a team toward the end of the year and we found a good set-up on the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 that I felt comfortable with. Now our goal is to just build on that momentum as we go into 2014. During the off-season, I’ve been training at home in Florida and focusing on being consistent and doing my normal program. Now I’m just looking forward to staying healthy and being competitive all year.,” said Stewart.
Now, as Stewart prepares for the 2014 season, he is excited about racing in both AMA Supercross and Motocross aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450. Having successfully completed his first year with a new team and machine, nothing can stop Stewart in 2014.
There is no one more-qualified to lead the Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing Team than Mike Webb. As former team manager for American Suzuki’s off-road program, Webb secured 22 major titles. Since taking over the Supercross and Motocross reins, Webb has led the Yoshimura crew to a combined 10 Supercross and Motocross victories, as well as the prestigious Monster Energy Cup Championship. Going into 2014, Webb believes that the team’s greatest accomplishments remain ahead of them.
“Everyone at Yoshimura Suzuki is excited about the start of the 2014 season,” said Webb. “Last year we had a little bit of a learning curve but now we’ve really come together as a team. We’re looking forward to using the momentum we built last year to take it to the next level this season. Between James’ unparalleled talent, Suzuki’s championship-winning DNA and Yoshimura’s unbeatable expertise in racing, we definitely have a lot to be excited about in 2014,” said Mike Webb.
An accomplished off-road racer himself, Webb is a former Vet World MX Champion and still rides regularly. His hands-on experience with the RM-Z450 has already proven extremely helpful not only during the racing season but also in testing and overall bike set-up. Webb’s passion for racing is strong and his years of experience at Suzuki add up to a great recipe for success.
Suzuki RM-Z450:
With the most 450cc class wins and the most 450cc class championships in AMA Motocross history, the Suzuki RM-Z450 is used to being out-front. Not only does the Suzuki RM-Z450 possess this illustrious racing pedigree, it also claims bragging-rights for being the first-ever fuel-injected production motocross bike.
Most recently, the Suzuki RM-Z450 was updated to increase bottom-to-mid-range power and torque. The overall result is improved performance without losing top-end power. Suzuki also developed the RM-Z450’s four-stroke engine to deliver phenomenal idle-to-redline performance.
But that’s not all; as in the past, the RM-Z450 comes equipped with the best possible chassis, suspension and brakes to remain at the top of the class. What you have with the 2014 Suzuki RM-Z450 is a cutting-edge, open-class motocross weapon that’s more potent than ever.
As a racer, you want quick, laser-accurate steering and confidence-inspiring high-speed handling in one package. And you also want a high-performance machine with a racing pedigree that enables it to be competitive right out of the crate. The Suzuki RM-Z450 is that machine.
Sponsors:
American Suzuki Motor Corp., Yoshimura Racing, Motorex, Dunlop, Renthal, Vortex, Showa, Seven, Hinson Clutch Components, Renegade Fuels, Mechanix Wear, Works Connection, Twin Air, Moto Tassinari, Shorai, Matrix, N-Style, Zero Gravity, D.I.D., Excel, NGK, GET, RG3.
