Stewart got off to a good start at Rice-Eccles Stadium, qualifying fifth. The Florida rider showed speed in his heat race and finished a close second to the defending 450SX Champion. In the Main Event, he didn’t get the start he was looking for but quickly established himself in the top five. Stewart was then locked in a battle for third and kept pushing, showing strength in the whoops and staying right on the heels of the competition. After the halfway mark, he made the pass for fourth and then advanced to third the following lap after the race leader went down. From there, Stewart brought it home to earn his first podium in the premier class.
Ferrandis struggled to find his comfort zone, but he and the team kept working all day and got it dialed in for the main. Coming off a fourth-place finish in his heat race, the Frenchman got a good start inside the top five but was pushed off track by another rider and shuffled back to seventh. As time wound down, Ferrandis advanced to sixth and then charged his way to fourth with four laps remaining to earn his third top-five result in his debut season.
Plessinger also struggled to find his comfort zone in the challenging conditions. He got a good start in his heat race but ultimately finished fourth. The 2018 250SX West Champion didn’t get off the gate as he hoped in the Main Event and was 10th after the start. He quickly worked his way to eighth behind Ferrandis and tried to push his way forward but made a few mistakes and had to settle for that position.
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team returns to Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, May 1, for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season finale at Rice-Eccles Stadium.