At the end of the race, an incensed Stewart questioned whether the Kawasaki rider is deliberately trying to knock him out of every race.

“I want to race. That’s why I’m here. So to have to look over my shoulder every time CR gets close has gotten really old,” he wrote in his blog. “From where I sit, it sure seems like he has repeatedly tried to take me out, which makes me question his agenda.”

Reed, for his part, had to retire for the second time this season and was left nursing a possible broken hand.

The event had started well for Stewart fastest in first practice and the fastest overall lap in qualifying, but a heavy fall in the qualification heat saw the Floridian limp to the trackside clearly in some pain.

“I was in pretty bad shape, but I tried my best to get back out there to race for as many points as possible in the main event.”

Stewart took to his Yamaha YZ450F to salvage as many points as possible in the main race. Then came the incident with Reed. While tussling for a slot just inside the top 10, Stewart and CR tangled sending Reed out and dropping JS down the order to 15th.

'It was for the best neither that Chad, nor anyone from his team, could be found at their truck' – James Stewart

“The accident itself was a bummer, but while I was getting up, CR hit me in the back of my head,” added Stewart. “I was pretty dissatisfied with his decision to do so, especially given the fact that it’s not the first time this has happened.”

After the race, he went looking for Reed to “have a chat”. “I think it was for the best neither that Chad, nor anyone from his team, could be found at their truck,” he said.

Stewart’s removal left the way clear for Ryan Dungey to claim his first win in the 450cc class, followed by Ryan Villopoto and Josh Hil. It was an impressive run from 20-year-old Hill, squeezing out Ivan Tedesco for third place to reach the podium for the fifth time in his SuperCross career. 

 It wasn’t all plain sailing for Hill either: "I had a big crash in practice,” he said. “I almost got into a head-on collision with [Fabien] Izoird, but I came out of that and didn't get hurt. I just got good starts, which is something I don't usually do, so it was awesome. I was just able to keep a good track position."

Stewart took six points from the weekend, but drops from first to seventh in the championship.

Round three sees the action return to the Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Los Angeles, next weekend.