Does Malcolm Need A 450?
Photos: James Lissimore
JDR/JStar/KTM's Malcolm Stewart is one of those guys that has tons of raw talent and is a blast to watch on the bike, and if it wasn't for that, he would have been virtually invisible in 2012. In Supercross, Malcolm spent the majority of the races trying to come through the field after bad starts, and most of the time the camera did not find him until he was spotted trying to pick his bike up after a crash. Malcolm did finish the season on a high note with a 4th in Las Vegas, but in the end, his 10th overall in the Eastern Regional Lites SX Championship was way below where I believe his potential is. In the 2012 250 outdoor nationals, Malcolm suffered a very similar fate with consistent bad starts, DNF's, a ton of crashes and an 11th overall in the 250 championship.
If I think he has more potential than this, I must have an opinion on how to fix this, right? Well, you're right. First, I want to point out that Malcolm's fitness and desire has always impressed me. The kid, no matter what, seems to have no quit in him. He always looks like he is putting everything he has into every moto, and whether he is 5th or 25th, he is always trying to move forward. There are very few kids I've seen that can bounce off the ground as hard as Malcolm does, then get back on and push. He definitely does not lack the skill, thick skin or heart.
So what's the problem? Horsepower! I would bet a good amount of money that all that is standing between Malcolm Stewart and success is a 450. Malcolm is a very big kid, bigger than 99% of his competition, and in his professional SX and MX career, I cannot think of one holeshot. Actually, I cannot think of one time where the kid rounded the first turn near the top five. He is constantly way back in the pack, and when you have the aggression and drive that Malcolm does, being marred back in the middle of the field can create problems as we have seen time and time again with him.
What baffles my mind is that his camp knows this and they have not moved the kid up. It was the same for him in amateurs, and he always did very well on the 450. Is it because Big James wants to keep Malcolm and James out of the same class? That I don't know, but as crazy as it sounds, I think Malcolm is a insane talent and would definitely progress faster and run near the front on a decent 450 team. Good starts are the fastest way to good finishes and I can't see that ever happeneing on the 250F. That being said, we will not know if I'm right for awhile. Malcolm is back with the JDR/JStar/KTM team for 2013 and was out testing this week at Lucas Oil MX park. Check out the video filmed by the IdiotBoyz of some of that test session below.