Bench Racing Ammo: Chad Reed
Thursday, June 2, 2011 | 3:15 PM
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PrintChad Reed is back to being the hottest property in the sport right now—an amazing accomplishment considering he was almost out of racing altogether before the year began, and even when he made plans to return to the track, most expected his winning days to be behind him.
And yet he’s winning at an impressive clip right now. Three straight wins counting the opening two rounds of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship and the final round of Monster Energy Supercross. Reed is 29 years old, he’s been racing in the U.S. for ten seasons, and yet, he’s riding as well right now as he ever has.
Most impressive is his smooth transition from supercross to motocross. Winning the final SX round and the MX opener isn’t easy, even in a sport that so often sees domination at the front of the 450 pack.
With two moto wins at Freestone, Chad Reed now sits 21 points ahead in the standings.
Photo: Simon Cudby
Ryan Villopoto won the 2009 Vegas SX finale and the 2009 MX opener at Glen Helen. In 2006, James Stewart won the Vegas SX finale and the MX opener at Hangtown. And believe it or not, Ricky Carmichael only pulled off the feat once, winning the last supercross and the first motocross in 2002.
Reed’s riding a wave of momentum right now. What will it take to stop him? Well, Ryan Dungey surely thinks he has the goods after Texas. Ryan Villopoto is coming off the supercross title and has stout outdoor credentials. They'll be back for more. But maybe what the competition really needs to do is pay Reed some compliments. It seems whenever people doubt him, he rides better!
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Wow...HEP hasn't made a comment about Stewart for this article. Must be cuddled up in his official James Stewart pajamas and bed sheets. Bahahahahaha!
Am i the only one who isnt surprised about Chad winning?! Im not a huge Reed fan but he has always been good. He was always the 3rd best guy behind Carmichael and Stewart. Now that those 2 arent out there he is winning. So i dont know why you keep pinning him as an underdog Jason. He has the most credentials over anyone out there racing right now. But its ok... we all know what Stewart can do to Chad outdoors.
anybody remember when 29 yrs old was WAY to old to race motocross
Anyone else think James might be gay? Not that there is anything wrong with that. just in such a testosterone driven sport its eating at him to come out but he's affraid about how it might affect his image/ sponsors.
Observation/totally serious/ not bashing
Sorry, not sure that has anything to do about the article. #DAYDREAMING
I've thought that for years Shocker....not that there's anything wrong with it! Anyway, whether you are a Reed fan or not, his "have to be in it to win" mentallity is something to learn from. If you are a racer, those are words to race by. You don't have to ride over your abilities each and every moto. When you know when to back it down, you will be much better off. Reed could race another 10 years if he wanted to because of his approach to racing...imo.
I dont think Reed is ready to sit around with a big beer gut, shorts, flip flops, and a cold beer watching cops all day yet! Go get em Reedy!
@Shocker
James is in love with himself......I don't think he could be with another male or female.......
I do think he has issues though.
@Ryan......." But its ok... we all know what Stewart can do to Chad outdoors."
...uh, no we dont because JS will not race until he is ready. JS wasnt ready last year, and is a no show so far this year because as he isnt ready. (according to his website)
The only thing we know for sure right now is that CR22 WAS ready.
big Chad Reed fan . He' seems to be rededicated this year. As a team owner and featured rider, it must be the most difficult position in motor racing.I'm rootin for ya R
Reedy !
100% agree with Ryan, I've never expected Reed to not be fast. He has it in him, just needs to be comfortable at that speed that is needed to win these days. For example does anyone REALLY think Short, Metcalfe, and company are as fast as the current top 3? Not an ounce of disrespect to them but they are just slower. With Canard and Allessi back, it will likely be even greater gap to the "second tier", they will just be pushing each other even that much more.
I will be at High Point next weekend - last year was my first time there - as well as Red Bud, Unadilla, Millville and Steel City taking it all in!
reed is really inspiring me this year, he has shown what it takes to win and all that just working hard
It is a bit of a surprise how well Reed is doing this season. Not to take anything away from his abilities, because he has certainly proven himself in the past. But when you consider the new team, terrible 2010 season, and the fact that he is 29 years old [ most pro racers never even make it that far, and if they do, they are usually past they're prime.]
@ ryan
I remember last year when stewart showed up to race dungey and dungey smoked him and reed can stick with dungey this year so I think everyone has closed that gap that stewart use to have on everyone! But we will have to wonder since your boy won't show up!
@Reed22 you started the JS7 crap today ...no one but you to blame. HE'S NOT RACING AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR BOYS ARTICLE jesus....Every other comment is about a guy whos not racing . I like that Reed looks like he's enjoying himself, but winning will do that. He's obviously trying hard ,haulin a*s and also catching some breaks.We'll see when Villapoto starts to roll ( and anyone who thinks he won't is kidding themselves) and Canard returns and maybe the evil , super violent criminal jair mind rapist crash machine (did i get them all stalkers? ) JS7 lines up. It might be even more fun then.
stewart sucks
Go Reed, Go Villo, Go Dungey, Go everyone, just give us some killer racing like in this years SX, at the end of the day we all just want to watch good battles, I'm a massive Reed fan but I'm expecting a few others like Dungey, Villo and who-ever else to step up real real soon. And by the way, Stewart.......Who? Is that the idiot that rides so fast and above his capability that he crashes absolutely every race? I only wish he'd race outdoors because he has such gnarly rag-doll crashes and they always look crazy and then usually he gets back on the bike and does it again 2 mins later......Don't get too angry everyone, it's just a bit of fun, I ride a million times slower and I still crash too........Have a laugh.....
Stewart is ready to race. Let's get that fact out there right now! The REAL deal is that he doesnt like his bike set up. Or the YZ450F just sucks and probably can never get the bike set up properly for him. Also, I really dont think it was in his budget to race the nationals. If he does show up, he will be mostly paying for the expense himself!
When Reed was injured off the Kawi I thought it was sad all the blogs on here saying he will never win another race. Chad is one of a handful of riders like RC, JS, RD & RV that can never be counted out. Good on Reedy for answering his critics on the bike.
Reed deserves the utmost respect for what he is doing. His team was 'not ready' either (like some other racer we know) back at the end of 2010. And guess what he got them ready. It doesn't matter if Stewart is ready to race or not. The fact of the matter is he doesn't have what it takes to be out there right now. It doesn't matter how fast you are or how fast you think you are. You have to have the entire package. The will, the want, the health, the team. If you dont have it then you dont have what it takes that year, simple as that. Just like 2009, no one had what it took to beat Reed. Doesn't matter who was not or was there. I am not gushing over Reed, I am just saying what this sport takes. And if you are not out there winning then you simply dont have what it takes. Not matter what the reason is.
I think your new name is funny HEP continue to defend the fastest man to not be ready.Ive been around since bikes REALY SUCKED,and never heared that excuse befor.Your boy JS7 is a discrace to the sport and a pus@#sy(I think your right Shocker.....not that theres any thing wrong with that0
I dont want to hear people saying JS7 team is not ready or that he might have to pay for it out of his pocket, that amounts to not wanting it bad enough. I feel that if RV RD or CR got dropped by thier teams today, all of them would be at a dealership buying a bike and at highpoint out of the back of a pickup if they had to. I like JS7 I think he is a great rider, but I have seen a lot of great riders who dont have thier head in the game, and right now that is where I think James falls.
Yeah I like Reedy too, respect. I was one of the guys that thought he may struggle this year but he came back flying. He's a comical character and the sport would be sadly lacking without him. He is a prime example how powerful WILL is. He may have not been the fastest overall, but he sure wants to be and is making it happen more often than not. The guy just believes in himself and it can be a good lesson for all of us to learn.
i love how people still think stewart can win outdoors! its plain and simple you cant win when your not even on the gate and last time he was on the gate he couldnt even finish the second moto at unadilla, i just dont get it!
Wonder what Jeremy has to say about Reed's success? I'm a huge Reed fan and I remember Jeremy being interviewed and commenting that he didn't think it was going to be a success or something along those lines. he wasn't totally negative but it wasn't a huge praise.
GO REED
@Ryan, yo ryan stop talking sh!!t ok!!! stewart has nothing for reed. he might battle a half lap with reed but he will crash duhhh. stewart has nothing for reed and dungey and villopoto ok so f*ck off. stewart sucks and he is scared to come out aand race with the real men. reed is the man!!!
gary, Stewart has won more outdoor races than most of these guys racing now, don't ever think for a second that he can't come in & win motos outdoors or u r a fool! Everybody in the racing world knows what he is capable of doing on a bike so get over it! Forget about JS unless he's on the line! Sure Reed is doin good right now, but I hope Dungey or Villo kick his cry baby ass!
Giving credit where it is due, hats off to Chad Reed! He has shown that he still has what it takes to win. His speed does not suprise me as he has always been fast, his fittness is suprising or he is using less energy to ride, due to his comfort level on the Honda. What ever it is its working, so congrats Chad ! Having said that I hope the young guns show him what they got!
Remember MC said Reed wasn't riding a great factory bike also..... I wounder what MC thinks now.
JM2 in the pre season show said Reed was "in for a rude awakening" in regards to starting his own team. He said that because he failed WITH support from Yamaha. No offense, but he looks stupid now. Reed is a stud. and he shows alot of class. this is far from over, But a confident Reed is very scary to the competition.
I didn't even have to look at who wrote the article to know that it was, Weege. I love Weege's commentary, but like me and everyone else, he's biased. But I have to say that he is 100% correct in this article. Reed is the hottest commodity out there right now. Should he be? Not in my opinion. As a Dungey fan, I have to dispute Reed's value over Dungey. The only thing that has stopped a tie in the series is Dungey's unfortunate DNF. And let's face it, Dungey kicked serious buttocks in that second moto at Texas. At the same time, I must digress and give credit where credit is due. Reed has utterly kicked ass since Las Vegas and it's only my bias of Dungey that gets in the way of seeing that. Reed is on it and deserves to be number 1 right now. No if and's or but's about it. Plus, he has the hottest wife on the circuit. She makes all those 20 year old's look lame! ;)
Hats off to Reed. You can never count him out. As far as MC goes, I bet he has made amends. I believe he has been doing most of Honda's testing for SX and MX. It shows on the track as Reed looks more comfortable than he did on the Suzuki.
@ D135,
"You're"; "loser".
So many haters here. This is a tough sport, and I commend ALL of the pros, just making it to the top 40 in the nation is impressive. To win the gnarly outdoors is simply incredible.
I even respect JS7, but he isn't racing, so no matter how fast he is (was), you can't win if you don't race (or crash 75% of the time trying).
I'm not even sure who I side with, but I have mad respect for Reed, Dungey, and Villopoto. It's going to be a killer season (but I am secretly pulling for Reed).
@D135, i agree with comfortably_Dumb your a loser get out of here D135.
yep, kudos Reed
If you think back to 2010, Reed won Hangtown and then was 2nd at Freestone. Which is where he would have been without a Dungey DNF. Then at High Point he only scored 8 points total and looked like a different guy. Will he keep it up?
Comfortably_Numb, listen Animals and you feel better, I listening the Alman Brothers Band right now, "In Memory Of Elisabeth Reed", no joke, pure coicindence, sorry for my bad English
thx guys, D135 - nobody cares wat u have to say, Ya I'm a JS fan, so what, I'm a MX fan, I also like RD, RV, KW, not a big fan of CR for past reasons, I just want to see some good battles out there & some good clean, hard, racing! Like to see RV step it up & make it interesting! Wilson for the lites championship!
'Reed with the hottest wife'! Milf Hunter!
"MX Fan"!, it's a pleasure to read this, realy, Go Danny "Magoo" Chandler, and Johnny O', and Ron Lechien, and André Malherbe, and Dave Thorpe ...
Cant believe how strongly reedy came back with everything this year. Took a couple of weeks to get started but he hasnt really stepped off the podium yet since (except at dallas unfortunately when an out of control JS7 barreled him off the track). stewart really is dangerous when he's on the track (Jason Thomas wrecked at Houston, Reedy at Altanta, Windham at Las Vegas, Villopoto at Toronto). And thats just this year!! Reedy is probably the one rider i know apart from dungey who knows how to ride comfortably within his limits and still haul everyone pretty good, good enough to get the current points lead in AMA MX! Awesome dedication from Red Reed, championship contendor to the end for sure!! :)
@D135 go get a life men seriously what the hell r u doing here? this is just a comment place understand it one way or the other. go get some education men and ur the maricon making the latinos look bad out there. so u know what calla la geta q tu no tiene cojones maricon. js7 #1
Isn't it amazing that if your not winning they really don't want to talk to you? Seems like since CR has been winning they just can't talk about him enough. Why haven't we heard an interview from RD? Interesting that there's been no interest to hear his side of the story. I guess it's really true in MX.."your only as good as your last race...or win"
i agree D135 reed is the man, o look whos mad TJ and kawi#1 the two js7 fans go cry like him. u just all mad cause D135 said how it really was. and yo kawi#1 learn how speak spanish, and actually i think your the who has to go get education. and this has nothing to do with latinos so dont get out of topic please. reed is killing it hell yea!!! wheres js7 at jajaajaja? no where!
reed-champ thanks bro, hey yo kawi#1 looks whos talking callese perro maricon que usted no tiene pelotas HP. trying to speak spanish but you cant! whatever i dont give a c**p bout yall CR is winning and your guy js7 aint no where! TJ and who asked you if you cared what i have to say so shhhhh! good battles all summer bring CR, RD, RV
reed-champ and D135 thats how it is reed is #1 and js7 nothing he aint no where. CR, RD, RV, KW best riders out there hoping for good battles all summer
Reed is enjoying life and its showing in his riding
Great job chad
HA! I knew all the people would come outta the woodwork, there was I in december 2010 trying to convince all about reeds new found speed and how he was going to win. what did the entire message boards reek of? James this Villo that.
Go suck a phatty you lot, half of you are backflip bandits that are now suddenly 'impressed' and have been made 'a fan of reed' by his riding.
he has ridden hard his whole career, I will never forget Belgium 2002 on that KX250 in europe riding for Jan De Groots team where he overtook Pichon late in the moto to bring home the goods, ever since that I knew he was everything Everts and charmicael were, it just needed to be shown the world.
Bring it home Chad, kurri kurri wants another championship!!
It seems as if all of the Bubba haters , spend to much time thinking about him , I find that to be counterintuitive . Why would someone worry about James being Gay , Unless they are looking for a hookup , I thought this forum was about MOTOCROSS ... Jeez come on man , Get off the JS crap and move on , Post when he has done something recently ...
He who has the most HEART will be the 2011 Outdoor Champ.
I.E: Ace of Spades not in the deck.
If you think about it - Bubbles has never really been able to step up his game and be consistant enough to win a championship with all any of the big hitters in the race. Never beat RC for a championship - took a whoopin from Stefan at the MXDN,(when Stefan was on his way out none the less) - got beat straight up this year for the SX title...
Maybe he should go back to the 125 class er' 250 class, er' lights class - what ever the hell it is and race with the other left over - Hansen, Sipes, Rattray, Devalos, maybe we can get Lawrence back in there as well.
Anyone else hear any rumors about JS7 making a switch to Suzuki?
@rich yox ... Your little comment , shows just what an Fool you must be . Think no one knows what your Racist remark meant ... Loser . your pointy hat is showing
Reedy is making it look easy, wish Js7 would come and play., would like to see if reedy can mess with his head like Js7 did to him couple years back. Js7 is a down dog, and he is a dog who deserves to be kicked when down for what he did to chad mentally way back when. It was fun to watch, but if I was reed I would make it priority 1 to embarrase him before I retire, and this season is his chance but Js7 is using every excuse to stay home. Can u say karma!
Sorry I thought this was a forum about MX .. Not the View ... Is this the racer x website ???
Sure wish James would ride , Without the FMOTP , its all just half the show . Miss you Bubbs.
@TJ
it's too bad your mom didn't swallow
@shocker whats up with all the gay stuff, are you trying to come out or something . its 2011 its Ok now , be proud .
I can agree with this article... " Right Now" Reed is the hottest property in the sport. With his 10+ year career and his new "addiction" as someone stated, he has a new spark and as a rider, racer and fan you can not deny his dedication and spirit. One thing that does bother me a little is the whole "starting from nothing" scenario with the new team....Sure, it was a new team and there were some challenges I am sure getting going....but they appeared to have it together pretty quick. Chad was riding, training on a Honda all summer, raced over in Aus with the Vodofone Honda and he never had time off the bike really, which is the most crucial thing. I respect the Two Two team as he took a Punk rock attitude apprpoach like MOTO XXX did and doing things his way, that is awesome.But when it came time to race, Chad race more than ready and was his usual self....Starting a team is a challenge, but its not like he was learning how to ride again....San Manuel team didnt get this much " starting a new team" hoo rah.....Its a new team full of factory experience....and now factory bikes.....only differnece is who runs it and what stickers go on the bike,,,,
I can say I am a little suprised with how things stand, but not blown off my chair....Reed is an awesome rider or he wouldnt have the career he has had to date. Sure 29 is old (so they say) but look at UFC fighters for example who are ages 30-35 and in their prime...If you have the dicipline, the mental desire and of course the natural talent, anything is possible and Reed has that right now. RC easily had 3-4 years left in him if he stuck to his regiment.... Racing is racing and what happens, happens but had Dungey not broke last week, would we be saying " Dungey is Back!!" and Reeds 2 race winning streak would be dust under the rug already?..Was the Vegas SX something other than JS7 throwing it away and Reed being there to pick up the W while RV coasted to the title?...I think its great to see any rider prevail over whatever obstacle they are faced....injury....personal issues...bad teams....whatever....but considering Reeds career, I dont think he is doing anything that he shouldnt be doing....Great rides indeed.. suprising? a little bit since the favorites are not winning yet...but what is more suprising ?.... Reeds consistency that he has always possesed, or that some guys are having issues on and off the track and Reed is the soul beneficiary so far?....Personally its a little of both and I am glad to see the Honda boys having a good run.....
JS bounced on the sport and the fans, so he doesn't deserve our attention. He has to earn it back if he wants to be called anything other than a quitter.
It's a shame reedy didnt have factory support from day 1 of the supercross, lucky for RV though. Look what he's done since Honda have fully backed him, 3 outright wins both indoor and outdoor. People who think JS7 is the fastest on the planet are right but unfotunately that does not win championships. JS7 is washed up due to his all or nothing attitude, he should take a leaf out of reed's professional approach to the sport as if he doesnt change his style he will not win another championship, ever.
Rumor has it JS7 is testing a red bike....