As the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF entered the second half of the 2008 season, the same familiar faces remained on top.
Monster Energy Kawasaki's James Stewart led every moment of the Budds Creek Motocross National, bringing his record to 14-0 in motos and 7-0 overall, while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto extended his points lead en route to his 12th and 13th consecutive moto victories.
Stewart was untouchable all day, sweeping the BTOSports.com Holeshot Awards for the first time this season and never looking back. The Kawasaki rider earned his first overall victory at Budds Creek, ending an eight-year reign by now-retired Ricky Carmichael. Stewart's combined margin of victory was more than 42 seconds.
Monster Energy Kawasaki's Tim Ferry took second overall after showcasing his endurance in two runner-up moto finishes.
Red Bull Honda's Andrew Short rounded out the overall podium after battling with Ferry and posting back-to-back third place finishes.
"Once I got the holeshot, I just rode my own race and it was good," explained Stewart. "I don't mind if I have to come up through the pack or be out front. I've just been fortunate to come out in the front of the pack. I thought that if I didn't get the jump I just wanted to at least be on the inside. I just cut in and got on the gas quicker and beat them to the top of the hill. The easiest thing for me is to just race lap by lap and beat the time I'm up against. Today I feel like I did that and to me it's all about just hitting lines and having fun."
As the AMA Motocross Lites blasted out of the gates in moto one, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey grabbed his second holeshot of the season. Villopoto battled through traffic to overcome a slow start and grab the lead for good on lap four. Geico Powersports Honda's Trey Canard came home in second.
In the final moto, Canard sped to his first holeshot of the season but found trouble on lap 11 and failed to finish. Dungey capitalized on Canard's misfortune to grab second in the moto and second overall.
