MALCOLM STEWART

Husqvarna’s Malcolm Stewart would advance to another level, within the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The rider from the state of Florida had steadily ascended throughout the series thus far, and proceeded to excel with phenomenal speed from the moment practice began on Saturday. He was aggressive in every aspect of the course, and it was easy to identify his technical prowess on the SX circuit, when he consistently downside(d) the LaRocco’s Leap landing with perfection...which was a feat that few others could display, consistently. And he carried that proficiency well throughout the first moto, even as jump faces became rutted and landings were now filled with braking bumps. He had acquired an initial standing of seventh, but quickly overtook the sixth position after surpassing Texas’ Grant Harlan. Now on a similar path as that of fellow veteran, Jason Anderson, he and the number twenty-one remained within the same realm of speed for the rest of the moto. Both established contenders were smooth in their processes, eliminating mistake and somehow managing to stay smooth among this evolving race track. Through the rollers Stewart would manual, hop, and bounce, as the checkered flag neared...and though he had been passed by Justin Cooper only minutes prior, Stewart would have to be proud of his final standing as action concluded...and his final result of sixth, was a definite platform to work from in the following round of racing. For moto two, Stewart immediately charged to the front of the pack — contending for a top-three position, while occupying the fourth place standing as the green flag waved. His execution of the Pro Section was beyond commendable, where his style of sitting a bit further back on the seat, would garner immense traction on the rear wheel when powering atop the steepest uphills! He and Aaron Plessinger would undergo a brief battle, before Stewart would descend to fifth...and though he was briefly positioned in sixth, after being passed by Hunter Lawrence, both he and the number ninety-six machine would surpass Kyle Webster. It then became a battle, with Malcolm and Dylan Ferrandis, where despite being absent from the series for numerous years of competition, Malcolm was steadily gaining experience in the highest form of outdoor racing. He seemed to defend the fifth place position with immense confidence, and wasn’t fading...but an unfortunate wash-out after the initial triple (in the Pro Section), would have him falling to the ground in the proceeding left-handed corner. As a result, he would lose the spot to Dylan with less than ten minutes remaining on the clock. It was then a process of trying to defend his standing from Justin Cooper, and despite an incredible effort being put forth by the Floridian, a costly mistake on the last lap (with what appeared to be a lapped rider) would shift Stewart’s line choices, which resulted in being passed by the Yamaha rider — however, his performance remained, superb...earning seventh place for the moto, and sixth overall within the 450MX standings.