Monster Energy Kawasaki's James Stewart reached the halfway point in his quest for a perfect season in the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF.
The series' point leader improved to 6-0 in overall victories for the season, while also extending his moto winning-streak to a perfect 12 races at the 35th Annual Monster Energy/Kawasaki Motocross National Presented by Scott USA from Red Bud.
Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Mike Alessi grabbed the opening Holeshot Award, his seventh in a row, and led the opening lap before getting passed by Stewart, who gradually extended his lead throughout the moto.
Alessi held on for second with
Red Bull Honda's Andrew Short in third.
But Alessi, who has provided Stewart's nearest opposition so far this season, was hurt during a nasty accident on the opening lap of moto two - when he fell hard and was then landed upon by several following riders - prompting the race to be stopped.
When the gates dropped for the restart, Stewart took the holeshot and never looked back, while Monster Energy Kawasaki team-mate Tim Ferry finished second.
Short wrapped up second overall with a third-place run. Alessi's team-mate Michael Byrne posted a season-best third overall after a pair of fourth place moto results.
"My starts have been pretty good," said Stewart. "I got the holeshot today. It was hot and I think that separated [the competition] a little bit. I knew I needed to get a good start because Mike [Alessi] was definitely going to. [A perfect season] hasn't crossed my mind. It's not my goal. My goal is to win a championship. I just want to give myself the best opportunity to win. As long as I continue to get good starts and good gate picks I think that will help. Every year this track offers something different. There are a lot of good lines out there and when it gets rough I think it's actually safer."
Stewart currently holds a 79-point lead over Alessi in the AMA Motocross standings, but Mike is expected to miss at least the next few rounds due to shoulder fractures.
