A press release came out this week announcing that the Jordan Suzuki has signed rookie sensation Jake Holden to join 2005 riders Jason Pridmore and Steve Rapp. Holden will be riding a Superstock spec GSXR1000 in both the AMA Superstock and Superbike classes. This is a fantastic opportunity for the talented rider and another sign that Jordan is serious about winning championships in 2006.

However, one rider’s gain is always another rider’s loss and in this case it is Montez Stewart who will probably be short a chair when the music stops. Strictly looking at this from a results stand point, the folks at Jordan Suzuki undoubtedly made the right choice. Holden’s performance in 2005 was noteworthy as he finished sixth in Superstock and was nineteenth in Superbike. Jake ran some strong races that showed he has the talent and skill to run up front. Montez has continued to improve as a rider and put in respectable rides in Superstock but ultimately wasn’t able to generate the same results as his replacement.

Still, I’m sorry to see Tez lose this seat on the Jordan team. While having more skilled riders in the AMA series is always appreciated the other thing that is missing from the paddock is diversity. Whether its a case of gender or race, the one thing that is clearly obvious when walking through the Superbike pits is the fact that the sport is dominated by white males. Michael Jordan’s presence in the paddock has been a huge step forward in getting some exposure to a new audience and having Montez Stewart on his team has helped bring some much needed racial variation to the AMA ranks.

I’m sure that Stewart’s reason for racing is to improve as a rider, not necessarily to be a role model for minorities but I think he has been in the fortunate position of doing both. I think it is important for our sport to expand beyond its traditional audience and find new racers and new fans. Drag racing has successfully done this, in no small part because of the success of Ricky Gadsen. The same is becoming true of Supercross thanks to the performances to James “Bubba” Stewart. Finally, from what I’ve seen in the pits at the AMA races over the past two seasons there has been an explosion of new fans coming to the races primarily to see Michael Jordan and his rider Montez Stewart.

This past season saw a major shift with not only Tez on the grid but also the VeneMoto team which fielded two Venezuelan riders named Armando Ferrer and Victor Chirinos in the AMA series. Adding to the Latin influence in the pits, Hotbodies helped sponsor Mexican rider Dirk Sanchez. Finally, Kawasaki stepped up with support for Jessica Zalusky which added some much needed gender diversity to the field.

Thus it is a bit disappointing to see a little backsliding in this trend with Montez Stewart leaving the Jordan team. However, hope isn’t lost yet. There is still a chance that some other team will be the value in having Stewart…not just as a talented rider but also because of the message he can send that the AMA paddock is a place that welcomes racers no matter what their race.

[image from the Joe Rocket web site.]