by Aaron Hansel
In Preparation: The Manager
Thursday, July 21, 2011 | 11:10 AM
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PrintManage: to control or guide, to have charge of, to succeed in doing. That’s how Webster’s Dictionary defines the term, and when it comes to the points lead this year, Chad Reed has followed that description so closely that his butt patch might as well say, The Manager.
Last week we posted some midseason championship predictions right here on Racer X Online, and while the general consensus was that it was too close to call, the reoccurring theme seemed to be an underlying confidence in Reed’s ability to get the job done. He’s held the undisputed points lead since the close of the second round in Texas, and he’s been managing that lead smartly ever since. If you look at the ebb and flow of the points, you’ll notice a pattern that has developed. Reed’s lead has been bouncing around in the ten to fifteen-point range, and every time that lead starts to run a little lean, he richens it up with a healthy dose of points. After the first moto at High Point, Ryan Villopoto was within twelve points of the championship lead. Reed responded by winning the second moto, bumping his lead back up to fifteen points. The same thing happened the following round at Budds Creek.
Reed still holds the red plate as the series makes its way to Washougal.
Photo: Brian Robinette
After the first moto, Reed’s buffer was down to ten, but at the end of the day, was back up to fifteen. Coming into Red Bud, that lead was down to a mere eight points. What did Reed do? He took full advantage of RV’s early first-moto crash to take the win, despite heavy pressure from Ryan Dungey.
Then, things got ugly in Millville. After padding his points lead with a win in the first moto, Reed made an uncharacteristic mistake right before a jump, ejected from his bike and shot into orbit. Just watching it sent a shot of adrenaline surging through my veins, and the feeling Reed must have had as he soared through the air is something that most of us will never even get close to experiencing. After the race, Reed said it was the scariest crash his entire career. Television commentator (and Racer X Senior Editor) Jason Weigandt said that Reed was airborne for so long it was the first time he was able to give the play-by-play during a crash. I thought he was kidding until I went back and watched the broadcast again. Weege had time to scream, “Ohhh! Reed Launches! We got trouble!” before Reed’s body came to rest in a heap on the ground.
The crash.
Photo: Brian Robinette
At this point, nobody would have blamed Reed for pulling out of the race. After a crash like that, it would be shocking if he didn’t. But Reed had a points lead to manage, and after taking a moment to regroup, he was back in the race, salvaging valuable points. After suffering a get-off that looked like it absolutely should have ended his day, his season, his career, and possibly even his life, Reed didn’t even lose the points lead.
Of course, the incident didn’t come without its consequences. Reed is no doubt battered and bruised and has no time off to recuperate before Washougal, and the twenty-one-point lead he enjoyed after the first moto at Millville has shrunk to just six points. The championship battle is unbelievably tight at the moment, and we’re no closer to naming a favorite than we were seven rounds ago at Hangtown. What we can be sure of is Reed’s unquestionable resolve and determination to take this championship to the wire. Ladies and gentlemen, The Manager is in.
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holeshot on 50sx
everybody wants some
Prophesy:
Reed will get 2nd or 3rd every moto here on out and win the championship.
RV will win a bunch of motos and throw at least one away completely (its a pattern).
Reed wins championship.
Done
Braaapppp
Prophesy:
Bill is full of crap and kind of retarded for excluding RD out of the equation.
Prophecy>>>> not "prophesy". Bill, why do you say he'll finish 2nd or 3rd? he's shown the speed to finish up front all year. A few years ago i would agree with you, but this year he's on point. I'm a huge RV fan and not sure if there is something wrong with him, or if the other guys have stepped it up, but he's not running away from them like i thought he would. we'll see though, i still think RV will win the title.
RD1 is the x factor... Its like a match just lite under him and he's going to take charge and win the championship.
Brap that!
With Championships points being so close, lets see where will Canard upset that points chase for one of the Big 3. Also Washougal has been bad luck for both Poto and Canard, I think Dunegy will shine here. As for Speedy Reedy, alot of aches and pain to deal with on the track. Lets see how he flows out there!
I can give credit where credit is due....Reed has proved to be a very consistent guy his entire career...no doubt about that....For years he was consistently 2nd to RC and JS7 on the average day..Now he is right up there with RV and RD. They are all talking turns with Reed coming out on top so far and its a 3-way battle which will hopefully go down to the wire....
But here is another take or possibility on the happenings at Millville: Did Reed actually push himself too hard, make a bad move, should he have waited to make a move on RV??? Reed won the 1st moto and was right up there at the start of moto 2 as RV took the holeshot. The comment Reed made after the 2nd moto was he didnt want to let RV get out in front and run away like he has done any time he holeshot..... " I'm not letting it happen this time " he said.....so Reed pushed it, road aggressive and made a early pass in the sandy whoops on RV.... Two turns later he seemed to come into that section before the jump too fast and appeared to whiskey throttle a little and wheelie unexpectedly....his body weight naturally went backwards and his front end lost traction and began to pogo stick over the bumps leading to the disaster going up the face of the jump.....Did Reed get too caw-kee and put himself on the ground????..... I remember the head shake of a 1990 CR500, you telling me Reeds factory CRF450 got bad enough head shake to rip the bars out of his hands as he says and toss him off the bike like that?... i think he pushed too hard and went over the edge and lost control of his motorcycle....not something we see from Reed too often, but it happens...just my thoughts.....
Its been a great series..'cept for the flip flopping on the boob tube channels.I think Reed IS in it to win it..Not sure he will,but deserve's major props,for getting back in the points after that G.O.(get off) .I'd like to See Dungey DO IT !!! He never got the respect he should have for the Championships,he's defending.Villapoto, I like him,blazing fast,but think 2012 might be his year..But then again It's so tight,If VP2 wins at Washogul,depending on how Reed looks,He's tough outdoors,and once he's on a roll,and could take another championship this year. Like to see Dungey get it Done.. but It's anybodys right now..Great series !!
Keep in mind we don't know how banged Reed is after that crazy getoff. He may be banged up this weekend and fall off the pace a bit. This may be the weekend where the points lead either changes or shrinks even more. Knowing Reed he won't do anything to completely jeopardize his season. I can totally see him finishing 3rd or worse this weekend if he is not 100% just so he can keep himself right on the bubble. He is going to want to be 100% for the last few round when it counts. And with Dilla and Southwick coming up? Yikes!! should be a great finish!
Bill is lost. Reed just got lucky, He should be out for the season or his career. RV gets more consistent with every series he is in. He will squeek this one out and then be on fire for a few seasons. Carmichael style.
Like the SX, I think RV can pull it out in the end....After Millville, although Dungey got the overall, more importantly RV gained more points on Reed than they thought they could or expected....The 6pts can be gained on Reed in 1 moto...If RV nabs the 1st moto victory at Washougal and Reed were to get 3rd or 4th, they would be tied going into moto 2....Same with Dungey as well if RV were to get 3rd...Millville was the 1st race that Dungey passed RV all year outdoors if I recall..... RV has pulled some holeshots the past few weeks and seems to be getting top 3 starts pretty consistantly as of late.....If he can go 1-1 at his home track in Washougal and Reed gets a 3-3 or even a 2-3 finish, I beleive we have a new points leader boys... I think SX proved RV can handle the pressure and even rise to the occasion as well.....so we'll see....should be good....hope they all stay up and make it fun!!
@rickmelon...dude you gotta watch the race before running off your retarded analysis...have you ever ridden at Millville? i have...and that face is deceptive...i didn't see chad getting cawkyy...i saw Chad being aggressive...there was mud everywhere on the track but the face of that jump is ALWAYS dry slick...add a little dust and an intermediate tire and there you go...
i say he just leaned over the bars too much and his weight got too far forward...
watch it again...
Reed was right he needs to get past the ryans right away any of those three get away they can be impossible to catch he could not of forseen RVs pooping out at the end of the race. It was just a freak accident. I am really loving this year major props to Reed, but I am still pulling for the Dunge!
dude dungey is a fkn paper champ.. he can't win the title with on paper, on the track better riders... get use to it..
Lets say Reed starts doing 1 1 and Canard does 2 2,Reed will start making up 10 points in races like that.Most of you on here don't have enough sense to figure this out but I assure you that Dungey and Villamoto have.
@ Rick Melon,Reed said on Matthes webcast that he hit a rock that was buried in the sand.I sure his bike has no more heashake than anyone else's does.
Balls man! We just ran over a small bus!
@fred-Ya I not buying the headshake thing either! Reed hit something like a rock or small hole to throw off that front end. I believe that his Honda is too well dialed in to have issues like that. Now had that been a Hodaka Super Rat, the Rick might have been on to something.
Easy boys.....just another perspective is all...I watched it a few times....It was just a thought of what possibly could of happened...Reed never crashes....But the bottom line is he ate sh*t big time and it costed him points......Reed said the bars were ripped out of his hands ....I think his trouble started when he wheelied over that first bump and his weight shifted then the front end got squirrelly from a hole, a rock or maybe Jimmy Hoffa's head if thats where he was buried......I just dont think Reed had 100%control of his bike when he hit that part of the track that sent him flying.....he may have been giving it a little too much is all i am sayin......just a thought...I just hope we dont hear " Reed would have won the title had he not crashed" if things dont work out in the end...
@Rick- I'm as mellow and easy as can be. That was a rough section there and Reed was really pushin it. It's not like him to rag doll it like that, but I guess the thought of Poto pulling away just didn't settle in so good. Maybe he should have just layed it up and followed Poto's lines for a bit. Oh ya, there is always what is, what could have been and flat out what didn't happened, like RD1 running out of gas. You are right, we don't need excuses about what" IF". The outcome will be what it will be. Then we bench racers can start talking about next season. lol
What a great season so far. The top 3 have all had their share of bad luck... Each would be leading the series without their big crash, empty fuel tank etc...
As crazy as it sounds, Reed's crash would have to be one of the luckiest major get off's of all time. He landed exactly in the only place that wouldn't have finished his race, season, career or life. Super Hard Dude to get up, dust himself off and then clear an uphill triple from a dead stop at the bottom of a gully. Simply awesome to watch. No doubt he's feeling less than 100% this week - if he's not than he's simply not human...
I'm a big Reed fan and of course want to see him win the championship but honestly, all the big 3 are deserving of the title this year. Again, each of them would be in the lead (with a decent buffer) if it wasn't for their "what ifs"...
Oh and by the way, of course Reed "lost control of his bike"... That's what happens to all of us just before we crash.
Good thing the championship is decided on the track and not by all of you "experts".
@CZmark,.....we here at Hodaka "factory" racing, take great offense to your comment about the "unreliability" of the Hodacracker suspension "system".?? We feel Chad would have been much safer on our machine, as our suspension systems relay the shock of a square edged hole before a jump, directly to the riders spinal colume, and has no effect of the front end of the machine. Thus making it less likely to swap as you seen Hondas latest effort. Just something to think about, Ok........we admit, maybe she aint as quick as the factory honda,.......but.....
and maybe ya miss 3, 4, 5 shifts in a row,,,,,but
Reed will go 1-1 at Washougal and open some points back up. Reed is the Boss and banged up or not, he will fight for the points lead.
Look for some agressive rides from Reed.......
Reed -- 2 time SX champ, soon to be 2 time MX champ,.... suck nuts Bubba