Photo: Matt Rice

The rumor mill has been abuzz over the last few weeks about James Stewart and his future with the Joe Gibbs Racing Yamaha team. The rumors reached a new level today when Transworld Motocross reported the following in their Monday Kickstart – New Orleans SX 2012 report:

“In other news (more so in the gossip & rumor category), we’ve heard from sources that JGR has released James Stewart from his contract. Word is, Stewart may contest the outdoor motocross championship aboard a Suzuki.”

The #7 has had a year he would rather forget, and a lot of the blame surrounding the two-time Supercross Champ’s problems has been focused on his weapon of choice for 2012: the Yamaha. It has become painfully obvious that Stewart has lost all confidence in the machine. Whether you believe the problem is the bike or not, it is hard to question that James believes it is. The man has crashed harder and more often than we have ever seen in a single year from any rider.

Will a switch to Suzuki or any other color change all that? We cannot be sure, but in a sport that is as mental as motocross and supercross, we think it will not hurt to try something new. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.