USA Insider No.147: Oh, Stewart…

Welcome to our weekly web-exclusive column, Transmoto’s USA Insider presented by Ipone. Penned each week by our man on the ground, Transmoto’s US Correspondent, Jason Weigandt, the USA Insider presents the story-behind-the-stories of the AMA supercross and motocross scene.

Who knew James Stewart’s podium at the Seattle Supercross on April 12, 2014 would end up shaking the sport to its foundations TWO MONTHS LATER? As you know, Stewart’s post-race drug test at that race showed a trace of amphetamine (most people have heard it’s Adderall, specifically) which is usually used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder. It’s possible to get a Theraputic Use Exemption for this drug, and that’s what Stewart’s case — heck, possibly his entire career — could boil down to. If he has (or has already) provided the paperwork needed to get that Exemption, he could be okay. If not? Oh boy.

None of this matters right now, though, because Stewart is allowed to race this weekend. Remember, Stewart’s drug test took place at Monster Energy AMA Supercross an FIM World Championship. That series, through the FIM, uses World Anti-Doping Agency testing. The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, which makes everyone believe there’s a connection between supercross and motocross, however, there is not. The AMA that’s involved with supercross is the traditional American Motorcyclist Association. At one point, that AMA started a separate wing called AMA Pro Racing, but they sold that back in 2008, and Daytona Motorsports Group (DMG, which involves a bunch of NASCAR folks) bought it. For some reason, though, DMG decided to keep the name AMA Pro Racing for these motorcycle events, so, you end up with a supercross championship with an AMA sanction and a motocross championship with an AMA Pro Racing sanction. They sound the same but they’re completely and totally different.

For the purposes of this Stewart scenario, AMA Pro Racing events are considered non-Signatory to the FIM. The FIM gave Stewart a Provisional Suspension, and only Signatory events (like a GP, which has a direct FIM sanction) are bound to honor that. There isn’t any language in the WADA code or the rulebook for the National Motocross Championship that says it must honour that suspension, and if it doesn’t say you have to do it, you can’t do it, or you’re opening yourself up to an easy argument from Stewart’s camp, which can simply say, “Show us the rule that says the suspension applies to this event.” It doesn’t exist, so he’s allowed to race this weekend. By the way, I’m hearing other riders and teams are not happy about this, and they’re confused how a rider can fail a test and get a suspension and still compete. The answer to that lies in the disconnect between WADA/FIM testing and AMA Pro Racing sanctioned races.

Eventually his case will be heard (by either the FIM or WADA, I’m not sure) and Stewart will move off the Provisionally Suspended list. He’ll either be innocent, or declared Ineligible, and Ineligibility applies to all events, both Signatory (GPs) and non-Signatory (the motocross nationals in the US).

Oh, and by the way, the US Nationals have their own drug testing via the US Anti-Doping Agency, and they tested Stewart, and others, three weeks ago in Colorado. So results are due soon there. This has already been one of the craziest weeks in motocross history — and there’s a chance that a future week could get crazier.