Monday Conversation 2: Chad Reed

Chad Reed won the King of Bercy after three nights of battling with Grant Langston. Reed lasted through a tough schedule of three nights of racing with longer heats and a new elimination race. All this and the mains added up to tired riders by Sunday. In Sunday’s main, Reed and Langston had an intense battle as good as nearly any Bercy has seen. Langston held off a relentless charge from Reed, and in the end Reed took it.
 
It seemed that making the decision to do this race was a good choice for Reed. He had a summer of that he said he needed, and was upbeat about his progress for 2008.
 

Racer X: Chad, first of all, congratulations, King of Bercy must feel good.
Chad Reed: Oh, it does feel good. It was a great weekend. I had a lot of fun. I think I came here for the right reasons. I came here to race. When I was thinking about it, I thought about my past experiences. I just remembered it being super-fast, super-intense, and a lot of racing. With that in mind, we showed up to try and get some good training. But it feels great man. Apart from the crash I had in the first race Friday night, everything else went really good. I felt solid on the bike and I’m happy.
 
That was a pretty intense last night main event, wasn’t it?
Yeah. Grant really stepped it up in that last one out. He was pushing hard and it seemed he started making little mistakes. It was getting really tough because it was getting rutty. The dirt was drying out and getting hard. It could grab you and throw you off the track. I saw that happen to him a couple of times. I was working him and working him, and then I had a good rhythm through the whoops and that was pretty much what kept the race so tight; I would come up on him there and didn’t get in there and make a pass. But, hats off to Grant. He was stepping it up and riding really well. A lot of that has to do with our preparation of the bikes.

As far as the equipment you are using and the track you race on, how does this year's Bercy compare to the U.S. Open or an AMA supercross?  
It is a bit of both. I wouldn’t call it a U.S. Open or a U.S. supercross. The lap times I think were mid-42s, so a little bit shorter than a regular supercross, but I think the U.S. Open was about that time. It was great. It was great preparation for the intensity. That’s what I need - and to step it up speedwise.
 
Are you now adding Bercy to your annual schedule now?
I definitely would love to do that. It is a lot of fun. I've been sitting home in the summer and regrouping and just getting really, really motivated and getting ready to go racing again. I think racing in November is a lot of fun. Next year may be tough to work around because my Australian supercross series starts next year. It goes from the beginning of October through the end of November. That will take me out of those two months for these races.  We will see if I can work it in somehow.
 
Do you have a name for it?
There will be an announcement soon, what it will be all about, the name, and the right sponsors and all that.
 
How were you treated by the fans and were they responsive?
Oh, it's awesome. There is no other stadium in the world that you can go to and everyone has an airhorn and a chainsaw. They are all dressed up crazy and are just here for a good time. It’s really nice and the place was full. That is what racing is about. My most fond memories are from doing these kinds of races. My experience this year couldn’t have been any more different than before. I was a little kid with a huge dream. I looked up to all the guys that were racing. This year I came in as the favorite to win and the guy that was paid to put on a show. It is definitely a different situation, but I appreciate everyone that made it happen. I would really love to come back next year. 
 
Last one: Can I go out on a limb here and say this was a really good race for you to do?
I think right after the U.S. Open I said I wanted to go. I want to race. Good things were happening and I was starting to feel good on the bike again. All BS aside, I really needed this summer off. I feel really motivated and things came at the right time. We have a decent bike now. We are going to continue to make that better and work on my physical fitness, my mental strength and intensity. With all those pulled together we can be strong and we can be a threat next year.
 
You going to win Anaheim?
That’s the plan. I haven’t won Anaheim 1 in a long time. It’s my favorite race in the States. I want to come out swinging. I’m not going to sit here and lie. I want to be prepared. James is going to step it up and I want to go with him and challenge him and make it tough for him and make it interesting for the fans and give them something to cheer about and have fun.