Stewart hasn’t lined up at the beginning of an outdoor series in a full decade, but quickly established himself inside the top 10 of the 450MX field on his Husqvarna Motorcycles FC 450 Rockstar Edition. He was eighth in Moto 1 and went one better on his way to seventh in the final outing, placing him ninth overall for the weekend.
“For being 10 years of not racing a season opener for outdoors, it treated me well,” Stewart reflected. “We said we’d be happy with a top eight, or to be around there, and we were. When you have a season-ending injury like I had last year, it makes you miss the little things, and so far I’m just having a heck of a time here! Overall, I’m happy, we made a lot of improvements event from Moto 1 to Moto 2, and we’re enjoying the moment.”
Alongside Stewart in the premier class was Christian Craig, making his welcome return to competition after an extended time on the sidelines with an elbow injury. He finished 15th in his first race back and backed that up with P17 in Moto 2, despite enduring his share of adversity early on in both motos. Those results placed him 15th overall at Round 1, which he will be able to further improve upon in the coming rounds.
“I didn’t know what to expect coming in, but just wanted to get some gate drops, and to put my best effort in,” commented Craig. “I had a couple of crashes, a first turn pile-up in the first moto, and then in the second moto I fell on the first lap, so I made it hard on myself but I was able to come through the pack, and score some points. I am happy to be at the races again, to be back with the team, and it’s a good vibe being around everybody. We’ll go back to work this week and get ready for Hangtown.”
The anticipated full-time debut of 250MX rookie Casey Cochran was impacted by early falls in both races on Saturday afternoon, but he gained important experience that will count as the season progresses. Moto 1 saw him finish 15th and then he was 21st in the second one, placing him 19th overall for the round onboard the Husqvarna Motorcycles FC 250 Rockstar Edition.
“It was a tough day with going down on both starts, so I had to fight from the back in the motos and ate a lot of roost today,” Cochran said. “It ended up alright, we rode pretty decent, and if we can get a good start we’ll be up there in the top 10 with those guys. I will work on some starts and come out swinging again next week!”
Next Race: June 1 – Hangtown, California
Results 450MX Class – Fox Raceway National
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda
2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
3. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
5. Justin Barcia (USA), GASGAS
7. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
9. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
15. Christian Craig (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 1 of 11 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 50 points
2. Hunter Lawrence, 42
3. Chase Sexton, 40
5. Justin Barcia, 32
7. Aaron Plessinger, 30
9. Malcolm Stewart, 29
15. Christian Craig, 12
Results 250MX Class – Fox Raceway National
1. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
2. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki
3. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
8. Pierce Brown (USA), GASGAS
10. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), GASGAS
11. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
19. Casey Cochran (USA), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 1 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 50 points
2. Levi Kitchen, 44
3. Tom Vialle, 38
8. Pierce Brown, 26
10. Ryder DiFrancesco, 23
11. Julien Beaumer, 22
19. Casey Cochran, 8
