Josh Grant, the surprise winner of last year’s season opener, crashed and hit his head on a jump while running practice laps at a track near his home in Riverside on Tuesday. He injured his head and left shoulder, but said he could not reveal the severity of his injuries.
He showed up at Angel Stadium on Thursday wearing sunglasses and had scars on his face, the results of a reported broken nose, but said it would take handcuffs and rope to keep him out of the race. It will be a race-time decision if he starts, but his injuries didn’t keep him from turning some practice laps at Angel Stadium with a handful of other riders, including reigning AMA Supercross champion James Stewart and runner-up Chad Reed.
In last year’s AMA Supercross season opener in Anaheim, Stewart and Reed collided. Stewart did not finish the race. Reed was able to return, without front brakes on his bike, and finish third.
Grant ended up being the beneficiary of the collision between Stewart and Reed, winning the first AMA Supercross race of his career.
Stewart went on to win the AMA Supercross championship, the second of his career. Reed finished four points behind Stewart in the AMA Supercross standings.
“The 2009 Supercross season was tough,” Stewart said. “Obviously it didn’t start off the way I wanted it to. I ended up DNFing. Me and Chad ended up getting together, but I was able to, I think, come back and win seven races in a row and still come out at the end of the day and win it.”
The rivalry between Stewart and Reed spilled beyond the race tracks. Even though Stewart said he is ready to start anew in 2010, Reed isn’t willing to forget how “disrespectful” Stewart raced against him last year.
Gates open at 12:30 for practice and qualifying. Main event races are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. at Angel Stadium.
Photo: Josh Grant, winner of last year's AMA Supercross season opener at Angel Stadium, crashed at a private track near his home in Riverside and might not be able to start tonight's race in Anaheim.
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