Stewart out of Hangtown with knee injury

Malcolm Stewart will be absent from this weekend’s National at Hangtown due to a knee injury sustained during the 450MX Moto 2 race at Fox Raceway. The Rockstar Husqvarna team confirmed that Stewart, who currently holds eighth place in the SMX World Championship, had to withdraw from the race after initially dabbing his leg early on. Further medical evaluation revealed that his knee was affected more seriously than first thought, necessitating a period of rest and rehabilitation. Stewart’s injury leaves Rockstar Energy Husqvarna without one of their key riders for the foreseeable future, placing the responsibility of representing the team in the 450 class solely on RJ Hampshire. Despite the setback, team manager Nathan Ramsey expressed cautious optimism, noting that the damage to Stewart’s knee is not severe and that a full recovery is expected with proper treatment. The team has outlined an intensive rehabilitation programme to help Stewart regain full fitness as quickly as possible. Looking ahead, Stewart and the team have tentatively set their sights on a return at RedBud, scheduled for the weekend of 4 July, which corresponds to Round 5 of the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. This timeline will depend heavily on how well Stewart responds to his recovery process. His absence in the upcoming rounds will be a significant blow to Rockstar Husqvarna’s campaign, but the team remains hopeful that he will be back to compete at his usual level soon.