MALCOLM STEWART - GRIT 238 450SX

GRIT-238 | 450 SX

After flying throughout practice and holding the pole position for quite sometime, Malcolm Stewart would approach the three-portion main event with confidence - and was eager for action to begin in Southern California. As the green flag waved for the opening main event, Stewart was located around a position of ninth and knew that he could sustain speeds that would outlast many of his competitors. Leaping over the largest triple just before the finish line, his subtle scrub over the final double, and into the forthcoming left-hander was a perfect representation of just how in-tune he was with gaining the smallest of milliseconds. The number twenty-seven was flying after the first three laps of action and had his sights set on navigating through the halfway point with expertise... but a wash-out of sorts would deter him a few positions where he crossed the fourth-lap registry in fifteenth. Hopping through multiple sets of whoops with his suspension working rather well, he and Jorge Prado were on the same sort of trajectory when nearing the checkered flag...but the Husqvarna remained focused on the task in front of him and ultimately walked away with a finish of eleventh. For the second main event, he could be found residing in sixteenth while everyone in the field was following the rear wheel(s) of Cooper Webb and Jason Anderson. The action was tight as the first three laps progressed, with riders doing their best to stay within particular grooves that were now trenched in every facet on the raceway. Though Stewart proved that his recovery from last year's injury was certainly up to par with his ability to withstand the pivoting and twisting amongst the ruts...specifically around the eighth minute mark when he and Chase Sexton were beginning to combat one another. The margin of error between the two was thin, though Stewart managed to force the KTM rider to the outside on more than one occasion with a plethora of defensive (but fast) inside lines. Nevertheless, the Floridian managed to sprint to the finish line with tenth place clinched, before moving into round three. The gates would crash, and Stewart was registered near a standing of eighth, behind Justin Cooper in the early going. Remaining on point and calculated though well over thirty-minutes of total race time were set to transpire, Stewart was as consistent as anyone in the field when he barreled into rutted corners around the circuit. Bar to bar with Dylan Ferrandis. There was an aggression that Malcolm embodied when flying down the start straightaway that couldn't be forged, but the fight between he and the aforementioned Ferrandis, along with trying to latch onto Kawasaki's Jason Anderson was a notable feat. He also kept the number ninety-four of Ken Roczen at bay...and despite pressure from the Suzuki rider, he continuously pressed onward as they neared an eventual checkered flag. As all was settled over the final double, it was Stewart who then took ninth for tenth overall on the evening.

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