James Stewart undergoes surgery

Stewart is Out

UltimateMotorCycling.com has just finished a call with James Stewart's team and has confirmed, unfortunately, that Stewart was actually injured worse than had been originally diagnosed after two accidents that occurred during round 2 of the 2010 Supercross season in Phoenix. What the original x-rays missed, an MRI scan revealed yesterday: Stewart has a broken bone in his hand and immediate surgery was recommended.

Dr. Arthur Ting, based out of the San Francisco Bay Area, performed the surgery on Friday afternoon, without incident. The surgery was to repair the broken scaphoid in James Stewart's right wrist. Situated laterally between the hand and the forearm, although the scaphoid is the largest bone in the wrist it is only the size and shape of a cashew nut. Located in a very delicate position, this type of injury can be very tricky to both operate on and rehabilitate.

Dr. Ting is a well-known orthopedic surgeon that is highly trusted in and around the professional motorcycle racing communities. Dr. Ting has been known for advanced and maybe more aggressive techniques than your average-Joe doctor. Dr. Ting's reputation is to get professional athletes back to action sooner rather than later.

We were not able to clarify when the team expects Stewart to return to action. It sounded like Stewart was maybe going to stay the night in the hospital and then head home to start his recovery. Normally this type of injury could easily take 6-weeks to heal well enough to race, even with the best medical attention.

In appears that James Stewart's 2010 Supercross Championship hopes are rapidly disintegrating. But the fact that Stewart raced in Phoenix with a broken bone is testament to his drive and determination, but at this point it is difficult to predict what will happen next.

Who would have imagined just weeks ago that both Chad Reed and James Stewart would be out of action so early in the season?

Team San Manuel Yamaha will be evaluating Stewart's situation on a week-by-week basis; we here at Ultimate MotorCycling wish James well and hope for his speedy return. Until then, the fate of Team San Manuel Yamaha rests in the hands of teammate Josh Hill who is off to a strong start in the 2010 Supercross Championship.