At this point in the season, most riders and teams are simply fine-tuning the bikes depending on the racetrack or conditions. For Stewart and his team, though, they are still making drastic changes to his YZ450F. It’s hard to see in this photo, but the front motor mount on Stewart’s bike is much larger and rubber mounted. We can only speculate, but it is probably for flex and to help improve handling.
Good friends and teammates, Justin Barcia and Justin Bogle finished on the podium in first and third respectively. Both riders were pumped on their finishes. For Bogle the third place came in only his second ever Supercross, already cementing him as one of the frontrunners in the class.
After a horrible opening round for Monster/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett, he finished second at Atlanta. The Kawasaki rider rode well all night but currently sits all the way back in fifth in the points standings, 22 points back from Barcia.
The first Lites class heat race was interesting, as Barcia, Alex Martin, and Malcolm Stewart all crashed while leading the race, and they crashed all on laps two, three, and four. Baggett managed to keep it on two wheels and take the heat race win. In this photo, Barcia picks himself up after washing out in a turn while leading.
Gratuitous Monster Girl photo. We love the Jacuzzi…
TAGS: ama, atlanta, dirt bike, georgia, james stewart, kickstart, Monday Kickstart, Monster energy, motocross, mx, One Industries, ryan dungey, ryan villopoto, supercross, SX
