The Bubba Soap
The positive doping pee that James 'Bubba' Stewart delivered on April 12 last hung over the American motocross scene like the sword of Damocles. Since yesterday the sword has fallen. 16 months retroactive suspension, simply put, this means that there are still 8 months left on the penalty bench for the Yoshimura Suzuki pilot. Amazingly, many big names from the sport and even the AMA immediately came to James Stewart's aid. More about that later in this piece, but first how does such a doping test work.
We asked around, because how exactly does such a doping test work? The story we got was the following. 'If your chaperon reports to you with the message that you need to be tested, you must first sign a sheet. This so that it is stated in black and white that the doping testers have presented themselves. Then the chaperon follows you everywhere and privacy is a dead concept. You will be guided to the place where the urine samples will be collected. Once inside you can choose two pots yourself. You can open these jars yourself, the papers are filled out and stickers are applied. You have to pee a minimum amount of urine in those two pots; these will be sample A and sample B. You pee with your pants around your ankles and your shirt under your arms. Why do you ask? To prevent pranks like what Michel Pollentier did, hiding pure urine under the armpit. After you have filled your jars, the doctor in question will ask whether you are taking medication. If you answer positively, you must immediately issue the necessary certificates. Every athlete knows that it is best to have those certificates somewhere nearby so that you can quickly pick them up during inspection. All this: certificates and urine are put in a bag and the athlete signs as approved.'
Where did James Stewart go wrong? According to the official story from the Stewart camp, James has been an ADHD patient for years. They use products such as Relatin, Equasym, Adderall, etc. If James Stewart is being treated as an ADHD patient, he should have submitted his certificates obtained for this to the examining doctor. However, he did not do that and there, without a doubt, he made a mistake. A big mistake assuming that this was not his first doping test of his life that he still has the necessary certificates.
Why ADHD medication is doping
The question is why medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is viewed as doping. This type of medication contains substances from the amphetamine family. These have a stimulating function and ensure greater release of dopamine in the brain. This will ensure that, among other things, concentration and reaction capacity will increase. Former intimates of James Stewart, Eric Sorby, talk about the drug Adderall as if this were the product that JS7 uses. This consists of 4 amphetamine salts.
The American motocross scene is going crazy
As critical minds, we can ask ourselves whether the official version of the James Stewart camp is the truth. Another option that we should keep in mind is that after the check, the JS7 camp hastily cooked up a scenario. However, if we assume that the story told is the truth. An error has still been committed, namely the failure to submit certificates or to submit them late. The Yoshimura Suzuki pilot thus committed a mistake that we could compare to forgetting to fill in 'Where-A-bouts'.
A 16-month suspension is therefore not even a disproportionate sanction. Let's even say that the FIM is still very lenient by making the suspension retroactive to the date of being caught. This means that the suspension will in principle only be 8 months for James 'Bubba' Stewart.
Why are the Americans so angry? That's a very good question, even the AMA has written to the FIM targeted and thus clearly sided with James Stewart. Bizarre and special because we don't immediately see it happening in, for example, athletics or cycling, or let's just say Marion Jones or Lance Armstrong.
We also read the most bizarre comments from, among others, Eric Sorby, Jeremy McGrath & Brian Deegan. The latter says in his message that the European FIM has no business in supercross, because supercross is theirs. Now Brian, or Mr. Deegan, the FIM is a global regulatory body like the UCI in cycling, FIFA in football and the FIA in motorsport.
It is therefore one big joke to read what the average American motocross fan thinks about this whole thing. Fed with incorrect information, provided by people who in principle should know better. Usually the tenor is the same, this is part of the great European conspiracy against supercross. The conspiracy in which WADA, USADA, Youthstream and the FIM first brought Ryan Villopoto to the Grand Prix with Monster money. The plot in which they are now trying to further decapitate the supercross championship in order to draw all the attention to the 2015 MXGP championship. Now let's just say the logic is completely lost among the American motocross population. Personally, I think James Stewart was screwed by ET.
Text: Matthias Van Eeckhoven – Photos: Red Bull
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