Chad Reed
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Chad Reed is an Australian Supercross champion, winning the U.S. AMA 250 Supercross title in 2004. He had also won the Australian Supercross twice. Born in 1982, in Kurri Kurri, Australia, Chad is married and currently resides in Dade City, Florida.
After winning the Australian Supercross Championship in 2000, Reed moved to Europe in 2001 to ride for Jan DeGroot's factory Kawasaki team. Reed was a revelation aboard his KX250, with the absolute unknown winning the Grand Prix of Lierop and eventually finishing the year second to multi-time World Champion Mickael Pichon.
Eager to move to America and campaign to world's premiere series, Reed picked up a ride with Yamaha of Troy to ride 125 East Coast Supercross and 125 Nationals aboard the four-stroke YZ250F. Reed won all but two Supercrosses that season and earned the East Coast championship. He scored his lone 125cc National victory at Mount Morris, PA, and finished the season third behind James Stewart and Branden Jesseman.
Reed moved directly to the 250 class full-time in 2003 with Factory Yamaha. Aboard a YZ250, he won one more race than chief rival Ricky Carmichael, but lost the title at the last round to the Honda rider. He finished his first season on the 250cc Nationals a distant third behind Carmichael and Kevin Windham.
The 2004 Supercross series was battle between Reed and Windham, as Carmichael was unable to defend his crown due to a torn ACL. Reed won 10 main events to Windham's 5, and became the 2004 AMA Supercross Champion. While still a major accomplishment, Reed has never been recognized as the world's best Supercross racer because he has so far been unable to beat Ricky Carmichael over the course of a championship season. Reed finished 2nd to Carmichael in that year's outdoor National season, but failed to win a single moto, as Carmichael won every race to record his 2nd perfect season.
2005 marked the entry of James Stewart to the 250 class. With the "Big 3" all aboard 250 2-strokes, it was a great season as each rider scored multiple wins, but again it was Carmichael winning the championship handily with 7 wins to Reed's 5 and Stewart's 3. Reed was unable to successfully defend his title, but he did earn a hard-fought second place overall. If not for some trouble at the early rounds for Reed it likely would have been closer. Chad would win his first National moto that summer at Southwick, MA, but was unable to win an overall. Reed dropped out of the series after the halfway point to recover from some nagging injuries.
In the year 2006 Reed switched to the Yamaha YZ450F 4-stroke full time. Reed was very competitive despite suffering a level three shoulder separation in mid-season which hampered his ability to compete to his highest ability. Going into the final event of the season, Reed and Ricky Carmichael were tied for the points lead, making the 2006 season the closest AMA Supercross championship in history. Reed took third place that night to Carmichael's second, narrowly losing the 2006 AMA Supercross title to Carmichael by only two points.
On the bike, Chad Reed is known for his smooth yet aggressive style. He is often regarded as a spitting image of 7-time SX champion Jeremy McGrath. He is typically the fastest rider in the whoops and displays incredible bike control, especially in the air.
[edit] External links and references
- Official Site - [1]
Chad Reed has recently sevearly sprain his shoulder and has been falling a bit behind for the past current races.
Chad had come to America in 2002 with a single focus: Win a Supercross Championship. Everything he had accomplished in his life to that point was geared toward making that dream a reality. His resolve had transported the two-time Australian Supercross Champion from the familiar terrain of the Aussie outback to the fabled GP tracks of Europe, where his runner up finish in the 2001 FIM 250 World Championships earned him a coveted spot stateside on the Yamaha of Troy racing team for 2002. Despite having moved up from the quarter-liter class years earlier, Reed signed on to race a four stroke YZ250F in both the 125 East SX and the 125 MX National series. Reed won seven of eight rounds indoors, handing the Ohio-based factory Yamaha satellite team a 125 Supercross title in his rookie year. When he followed that with a solid second in the outdoor series everyone knew he was headed for the big team semi in 2003. Reed entered the 250 class going toe-to-toe with the best racers in the world, handily winning the last six rounds of the AMA Supercross Series and bagging the 2003 World Supercross Championship. Reed closed out his second year in America with a solid third in the 2003 250 National Championshipseries and capping the year by winning the US Open, the world's richest motorcycle race.
For 2004, Reed was not going to settle for anything less than winning the AMA 250 Supercross Championship he had sought for so long. He didn't disappoint, winning ten of sixteen rounds and placing second in five. Reed never finished off the podium the entire season on his potent Yamaha YZ250, with his worst finish a third place at one event.
With the fruits of his years of labor just one race away, Chad flew forty friends and family members over to share the moment. Champions like Reed do not rest on their laurels, and before the dust had settled on the final Supercross round in Las Vegas, the newly-crowned Champ was back home in Florida, churning out laps on his practice track in the sand and humidity of Florida. Even thow Reed won in 2004 he lost the 05 and the 06 seris but in 06 only lost by 3 points behind Ricky.
Nickname: Skippy Birthdate: March, 15 1982 Nationality: Australian (One half Indigenous Australian) Hometown:Kurri Kurri, Australia Current Residency: Dade City, Florida Years Pro: 8 Training: Cycle, Lift Weights, Ride Motorcycle Trainer: Jeff Spencer Mechanic: Darrin Sorenson Height: 5'11" Weight: 160 Marital Status: Married to Ellie Hobbies: Golf, blackjack, cycling, all water sports from swimming, wakeboarding, jetskis, boats, building things with the bobcat at home, and hanging out with friends Favorite Obstacle: Technical Sections and whoops Favorite Food: Steak and lobster especially from Ruth's Chris Favorite Movie: Action and Comedy movies Favorite Band: I like a variety of bands and music. I listen to different stuff all the time, so I can't name one Vehicle: Toyota Truck, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and Range Rover Chased kangaroos on his motorcycle: Yes Favorite Place to free ride: In the bush in Australia, or in the hills after rain in CA, and at my house in Florida. Sport he would do if he wasn't racing motocross: Roadracing or Golf Favorite Vacation Spot: Anywhere that is hot with great beaches and lots of things to keep me busy! Wakeboarding, boats, jetskiis, fishing, golf and good food. What he loves most about his job: Doing something I love everyday. What he hates about his job: Being so busy on race day and not getting to spend as much time with people, friends, family and the fans.
For as long as he can remember, Chad Reed wanted to be the world’s best Supercross racer. And he currenty is. Like so many other impressionable kids his age, he spent hours on end dreaming about being a factory rider and some day racing in America, in front of stadiums packed with cheering fans. It’s a youthful dream shared by many, realized by few…and even fewer Australians. In Chad’s mind there was never a doubt that it was his destiny to be the next King of Supercross. He studied tapes of the best American riders, emulating their style both on and off the track. It wasn’t long before Reed had won all there was to win down under and after successfully defending his Australian Supercross Championship in 2000, Chad headed to America…by way of Europe.
Reed was going to fulfill his destiny of American glory, so he headed first to Europe to race the FIM World Championship series, along with his longtime girlfriend (now wife), Ellie. The venerable series proved to be the perfect showcase for Reed’s natural talent and desire to win. He finished the year 2001 ranked as the second fastest 250 motocross racer in the world, and it was clear that he’d soon reach his dream of racing in America.
When factory-supported Yamaha of Troy offered Reed a contract to race a four-stroke YZ250F in the 125 East Championship, he knew it was his best shot at realizing his dream. It proved to be a smart move, as Reed decimated the series, winning seven of eight races and the series title.
Yamaha brought Reed into the factory fold for 2003 expecting results and he didn’t disappoint, racking up nine wins en route to the World SXGP title. Reed literally left the competition in the dust as he won the last six Supercross races in a row on his two-stroke YZ250. Chad landed on the podium an incredible 15 times out of 18 races. In his first season outdoors on a 250, Reed took four podiums while finishing third overall in the series.
