Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Chad Reed has led the 2009 AMA Supercross Championship most of the way until this weekend. After a third place at round one, and then six second-place finishes in a row, Reed sits tied in the points with the man who won the six races, James Stewart, and now the series is heading east.
Racer X: Up on the podium, you said that you weren’t feeling it all day. What did you mean by that?
Chad Reed: I mean, it was obvious from our times and the way I rode. Every time out, we kind of had something to work on, and it was a really, really tough weekend. I love this place, and I think second place was a really good ride for me tonight. My start was better... There were a few pluses that you’ve got to go searching for, but there were some pluses out of that ride.
One lap, over that triple-double into the turn before the triple jump, you had your feet off the pegs and all kinds of stuff. Was that sort of stuff kind of happening all day?
Yeah, just little things. It was a tough track. It was really slick and you have to be really patient. In the main event, the track was the best that it was all night, and I felt a little bit better. My practices were horrible, and my heat race was pretty horrible, and every time out, I tried to make small, little improvements. I knew that the win was out of the question, but I knew that I needed to be on the podium, and I needed a start, and James [Stewart] was just killing it out there. He started tripling onto the table [in the rhythm section] and I pulled the trigger one lap and did it, but I wasn’t prepared to hang it out and do it. I didn’t feel comfortable tonight, so I just figured when it’s not your turn it’s not your turn.
Chad Reed: I mean, it was obvious from our times and the way I rode. Every time out, we kind of had something to work on, and it was a really, really tough weekend. I love this place, and I think second place was a really good ride for me tonight. My start was better... There were a few pluses that you’ve got to go searching for, but there were some pluses out of that ride.
One lap, over that triple-double into the turn before the triple jump, you had your feet off the pegs and all kinds of stuff. Was that sort of stuff kind of happening all day?
Yeah, just little things. It was a tough track. It was really slick and you have to be really patient. In the main event, the track was the best that it was all night, and I felt a little bit better. My practices were horrible, and my heat race was pretty horrible, and every time out, I tried to make small, little improvements. I knew that the win was out of the question, but I knew that I needed to be on the podium, and I needed a start, and James [Stewart] was just killing it out there. He started tripling onto the table [in the rhythm section] and I pulled the trigger one lap and did it, but I wasn’t prepared to hang it out and do it. I didn’t feel comfortable tonight, so I just figured when it’s not your turn it’s not your turn.
Obviously, you’re tied for the points lead now. Were you thinking about that at all today?
I’ll take tied in the points. We’ve got, what, 10 races to go or something? We’ve got 10 races to go, and we’re tied, so basically we’ve got a 10-race series, and I feel good. I feel like I know what the problem is, it’s just going through the motions to fix it. It seems like it’s just not happening overnight. (Laughs) It’s not happening quick enough! But, hey, it is what it is.
You’ve earned a reputation for being fast all the time, so when you were a little bit off in practice today, a lot of people were kind of throwing their hands up wondering what’s going on...
Yeah, I was the second-fastest guy again tonight, so it’s nothing to be too disappointed about. I definitely don’t feel that great about my performance, but at the end of the day, only one guy was better than me. I’ll hold my head up high and I definitely won’t give up. I know you’ve got to be in it to win it, and I’ll take each race one at a time and have some fun.
{LINKS}Now that we’re headed back east, what are you looking forward to as far as the tracks and that sort of stuff?
The different tracks and designs, and the dirt’s great back there, and we’re in some new domes, like Indianapolis will be a whole new place for us. I’m just excited. I love Daytona, and I’m looking forward to that... We were strong at the beginning of the year, and I honestly just think that I haven’t ridden to my potential over the last few. The bike’s ready to go, but I’ve got to twist that throttle.
I’ll take tied in the points. We’ve got, what, 10 races to go or something? We’ve got 10 races to go, and we’re tied, so basically we’ve got a 10-race series, and I feel good. I feel like I know what the problem is, it’s just going through the motions to fix it. It seems like it’s just not happening overnight. (Laughs) It’s not happening quick enough! But, hey, it is what it is.
You’ve earned a reputation for being fast all the time, so when you were a little bit off in practice today, a lot of people were kind of throwing their hands up wondering what’s going on...
Yeah, I was the second-fastest guy again tonight, so it’s nothing to be too disappointed about. I definitely don’t feel that great about my performance, but at the end of the day, only one guy was better than me. I’ll hold my head up high and I definitely won’t give up. I know you’ve got to be in it to win it, and I’ll take each race one at a time and have some fun.
{LINKS}Now that we’re headed back east, what are you looking forward to as far as the tracks and that sort of stuff?
The different tracks and designs, and the dirt’s great back there, and we’re in some new domes, like Indianapolis will be a whole new place for us. I’m just excited. I love Daytona, and I’m looking forward to that... We were strong at the beginning of the year, and I honestly just think that I haven’t ridden to my potential over the last few. The bike’s ready to go, but I’ve got to twist that throttle.
