Image: Octopi Media.

It’s been over a full decade since Malcolm Stewart finished fourth at the Budds Creek national in his rookie 450MX campaign, but he’s finally matched that result again in 2024 at the same venue. For Stewart, ‘fourth is like a podium’.

After missing almost the entirety of last season after undergoing knee surgery and then working his way back into form at Rockstar Energy Husqvarna to date this year, Stewart has been one of the finest stories of Pro Motocross.

Despite having little to zero recent outdoor experience – making just four starts over a 10-year period – until this year, Stewart has consistently finished inside the top 10 overall, and went 6-5 for P4 at round 10 on Saturday afternoon. It equalled his career-best finish in Maryland back in 2013 and sparks promise for what’s to come.

“Budds Creek always treats me well!” Stewart reflected. “Every year that I’ve come here in the past, I’ve always had pretty good results and the track fits me well. The fans were awesome, it was a great day for me, and we needed this. We didn’t get a podium, but for everything that we’ve gone through, fourth place is like a podium. We’ll go out for Ironman and see if we can keep the same momentum!”

Stewart currently sits seventh in the 450MX standings with a single round remaining, also positioned P7 in the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) points table ahead of the post-season beginning in Charlotte next month. He was 10th in Monster Energy Supercross earlier this year on return.