AMA 250 Eastern Regional Supercross Champion Malcolm Stewart will join the Autotrader/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Team this weekend at the second round of the AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship at Houston in Texas, filling-in for injured Justin Bogle.

The 25-year-old Haines City, Florida native will race the new RM-Z450 Suzuki on a race-by-race basis as Bogle recovers.

Said Stewart: “The opportunity came about on Sunday when J-Bone [Jeremy Albrecht] called and asked if I wanted to ride their factory Suzuki RM-Z450. I’ve been so busy up to this point with getting things organised to go racing on my own and that’s why I was unable to race at Anaheim. To be given this chance on a factory team is a blessing. Now I’ve been on both sides of the fence, from being a privateer to racing for a factory team. It has truly been a humbling experience, and I’m ready to give the team my full effort.”

Stewart – brother of former Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Rider and multi-time AMA SX and MX Champion James Stewart – has enjoyed a successful Supercross career, with three wins, 13 podiums and 24 top-five finishes, culminating with the 2016 AMA 250 East Supercross title.

Autotrader/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Team Manager Albrecht, is looking forward to working with Stewart. He said: “I’m excited to see Malcolm race for us this weekend at Houston. The fans love him and he has a really good personality. I feel that Malcolm has great speed and I’m happy that he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Albrecht also provided insight on the duration of Stewart’s role: “Bogle is currently recovering from an off-season injury. Malcolm will fill-in until he returns, which should be several rounds. We should know more on Bogle’s status next week.”

The second round of the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series will be held at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Saturday, January 13th.