Young gun

Friday, May 3, 2002 | 9:28 a.m.

James Stewart admits he is living a wonderful life.

At the age of 16, Stewart doesn't attend school, gets to travel around the country and regularly hangs with major league baseball players Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin.

Oh, yeah, he also happens to be one of the most promising young supercross riders in the country, and many predict he'll become the first black champion of a major professional motor sports series. He already owns 11 AMA national championships as an amateur.

Stewart, who will be competing in the 125cc East/West Shootout when the EA Supercross Series concludes its season Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium, was poised to lay claim to that title in his rookie season. Despite winning his third main event of the season last weekend in Salt Lake City, Stewart lost the 125cc Western Region championship to Honda's Travis Preston.

Although he did not capture the championship, Stewart said he was pleased with his first season as a professional.

"I'm actually pretty stoked," Stewart said. "I learned a lot this year and I got a lot of confidence. I guess I (hoped) to win it going into the season, but I really didn't know what to expect because these guys are real fast."

So is Stewart. After falling twice and finishing second in his pro debut in Anaheim, Calif., in January, the Florida resident came back the following week and ran away with the main event in San Diego.

"I didn't know how I would do (this season) but after that first race, I was pretty pumped," Stewart said. "When the season started, I expected (to win) more but as it went, I was plagued with injuries and all types of things, getting real sick, and that kind of messed me up a lot."

Stewart, the son of a former motocross racer who is home schooled by his parents, has been gaining national attention all season as a pioneer in what has been a predominantly white sport. Stewart has been compared to Tiger Woods and Griffey has called him the "Jackie Robinson of motor sports."

Stewart takes it all in stride.

"All that (comparison) stuff is pretty cool, but right now my main focus is just the riding, you know," Stewart said. "I feel as I keep on, more African-Americans can get into (motocross) and I think if I keep winning races, I think it'll all follow."

Stewart said the media attention or the pressure to live up to expectations hasn't overwhelmed him this season. He said Griffey has helped him deal with those pressures throughout his rookie season in the supercross series.

"He definitely helped me out a lot, especially with the media," Stewart said of Griffey. "He told me to have fun at it -- to keep it as having fun and not a job. I like it because one day when I retire and they don't ask for me, I'll be like 'Why can't they come to me?'

"As far as being a role model or a pioneer or whatever, I don't think about it; I just try to race."

Stewart said he met Griffey, who is a motocross enthusiast, last year through a mutual friend. Griffey and Larkin have spent time riding on two motocross tracks the family maintains on their 40-acre property in Haines City, Fla.

"Ken had always wanted to meet me but just didn't know who to talk to to meet me," he said. "Scott Taylor, a local (motocross gear representative) happened to be a real good friend of Ken's and he set the deal up.

"Knowing that Ken Griffey Jr. wanted to talk to me was great; I was pretty pumped on that one. It's an honor to even talk to those kinds of people, let alone be friends."

Stewart said he would like to spend another year in the 125cc class before stepping up to the 250cc class and compete against superstars such as Ricky Carmichael and Jeremy McGrath.

"It depends on how I do (next) year," he said. "It's going to be cool, though, getting to race guys like Ricky and McGrath. I can't wait."

In the short-term, however, Stewart said he is focusing on Saturday night's East/West Shootout.

"I definitely want to win Vegas," he said. "The East-West Shootout is a real big race with everybody going head-to-head for the first time and I want to try to beat them."