Name/Title
Stewart, JamesEntry/Object ID
471Tags
Motocross & SupercrossDescription
In a sport all about being faster than your opponents on race day, earning a nickname of “The Fastest Man on the Planet” is quite the accomplishment — one James “Bubba” Stewart Jr. certainly lived up to throughout his career.
Born Dec. 21, 1985, in Bartow, Fla., James “Bubba” Stewart showed his potential early on when he won his first national amateur championship 1993 at age 7 — only three years after he was gifted his first dirt bike by his father who had been a local pro in Florida.
It would not take long for Stewart’s potential to burst at the seams as he dominated the amateur level by winning seven AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s legendary ranch before he turned 16.
Debuting at the professional level in 2002, Stewart placed second in the AMA Supercross 125 East class and won the AMA 125MX title later that year while riding for Kawasaki. Winning the title made Stewart the first Black man to win a title in the sport, positioning him as one of the most influential and transcendent riders the sport had ever seen.
His impact was foreseen by many as Teen People magazine listed him as one of 20 teens that would change the world. A few years later in 2004, Sports Illustrated included Stewart on their list of 101 most influential minorities in sports, two spots ahead of legendary basketball player and cultural icon Magic Johnson.
While becoming a cultural icon off the track, Stewart’s rookie season performance earned him the 2002 AMA Motocross/Supercross Rookie of the Year award.
In 2003, Stewart continued his hot start, besting his 2002 finish by winning the AMA Supercross 125 East class title. He won the AMA Supercross 125 West class title the following year.
“My parents raising me the way they did is what prepared me to be a professional,” Stewart said. “The things they instilled in me about life, working hard, respecting others, and fighting for what you want prepared me to be both a good person and a professional.”
While an injury prevented Stewart from winning another motocross title in 2003, he won every race he competed in that season. In fact, Stewart won all 19 of the 125cc motocross events he competed in from June 16, 2002, to June 20, 2004.
During this stretch, Stewart perfected the “Bubba Scrub” — or just the “scrub” — which became a staple technique for motocross riders moving forward.
“The Bubba Scrub was born out of pure necessity and my desire to win,” Stewart said on Redbull.com. “A true Bubba Scrub happens when you have the perfect mix of speed and commitment.”
Stewart’s refined arsenal of moves, talent and commitment won him another AMA 125MX title in 2004.
“I would say having success in the 125 class gave me the confidence that I belonged and could compete at the highest level,” Stewart said. “I think that if it wasn’t for being so successful in the 125 class, I would never have believed I could win on a 250.”
In 2005, it took Stewart only three races to claim his first AMA 250SX class win. Two years later, Stewart claimed the ultimate prize when he won the 2007 AMA Supercross Championship. He won his second AMA Supercross title in 2009.
In between his AMA Supercross triumphs, Stewart won all 24 of motos of the 2008 outdoor series to secure the 450 Class National Championship. The only other racer to race a perfect AMA Pro Motocross season was AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ricky Carmichael, who did it twice — in 2002 and 2004.
“While I was racing,” Stewart remembered, “it was hard to embrace all the things I’d done. As a racer, you’re always trying to improve and get better, so part of being great at anything is to always believe you can be better, so you keep working to accomplish that. Even after a perfect season, I wanted more championships, so I never allowed myself to live on the past accomplishments because I was always concentrating on the future. That’s why the old saying, ‘You’re only as good as your last race,” is probably the most honest and accurate statement in sports.”
Adding to his resume, Stewart became a Motocross Des Nations champion in 2006 and 2008.
Over the years, Stewart became one the most popular and followed riders in motocross history, a fact that became especially apparent when he starred in his own reality show titled Bubba’s World — which debuted in 2010.
The show title reappeared at the end of 2021 in the form of his newly launched podcast, which he hosts weekly.
With an impact that still reverberates throughout the world of motorsports, Stewart’s professional racing career came to a close in 2016 after tallying 50 AMA Supercross premier class wins and 48 AMA Motocross national wins, cementing himself as one of the greatest motocross racers of all time.
Stewart was inducted into the AMA Motorcross Hall of Fame in 2022.
“It’s hard to put in words the feeling of being called a Hall of Famer,” Stewart said about being inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. “I grew up watching these guys just wishing that one day I could win an AMA Supercross race. So to go from that to being called on of the best every — and now a Hall of Famer — is why I struggle even putting this achievement into context.”Relationships
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Stewart, James