James Stewart raced to his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing last weekend. Image: Simon Cudby.

Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX’s James Stewart has credited patience following his first win of the 2012 AMA Supercross season in Oakland last Saturday night.

In what was an emotionally-charged evening in the wake of the tragic accident to the Floridian’s training mechanic on Thursday morning, the former champion rode smart and put together a solid 20 laps, reaching the chequered flag holding a two-second lead.

“Tonight I got up front and kind of stayed out of trouble,” commented Stewart. “I felt Ryan [Villopoto] there and just tried not to over-ride the track. I was able to get on the inside of Chad [Reed] going across the start.

“It worked out. I was not really riding too hard, just trying to make sure I hit the marks good. I knew it was a track you just kind of had to be patient on. But I think we had the setup a little bit better for me tonight.

“Those three crashes the first three races tore me up. But tonight in the main event I just pulled it together. So, it was awesome. Especially with my mechanic being lost this week it was definitely tough. This was definitely special.”

Stewart currently sits fourth in the Supercross Class, 12 points off the series lead after four rounds.