Image: Octopi Media.

The Ironman national was a step ‘in the right direction’ for Malcolm Stewart who continues to build in his 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross return.

Stewart made a first AMA outdoors appearance in eight years at Unadilla, which was his comeback from a knee injury sustained at Salt Lake City Supercross in May.

The FC 450 rider was 15th overall in New York, stating afterwards ‘we have some work to do’. He improved to P9 at Budds Creek before noticing 11-8 finishes in Crawfordsville to land eighth for round 11.

“I think the day was overall better for me,” Stewart said. “Qualifying was much, much better. Getting these races under my belt, it’s starting to kind of come back to me. I feel like we’re going in the right direction.

“Our team made a few adjustments for that second moto, and we ended up eighth. I’m really happy just the way that I performed, but the results aren’t quite there.”

The final round of the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship this Saturday at Fox Raceway provides Stewart with another opportunity to move forwards and end his season on a positive note.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate Dean Wilson – who also returned from injury at Unadilla – completed Ironman 15th with 18-11 moto scores.