Saturday at Glen Helen Raceway Park was cold and cloudy but the rains stayed away.  Track crews did an excellent job making the track rideable for practice and timed qualifying sessions .

James Stewart looked very good and very fast.  In the first combined 450-class practice session, Stewart was a full second faster than the next-quickest rider, Honda Red Bull’s Andrew Short.  Third fastest was Mike Alessi.

Many riders were making their return to the track after spending all or most of the Supercross series sidelined with injuries.

While the weather still holds a slight chance of precipitation for Sunday's finals, the conditions should be ideal for racing, setting the stage for an outstanding opening round.