February 17
2018
If Chad Reed qualifies tonight for the 450SX main event in Arlington, Texas, he will equal Mike LaRocco's all-time start record in AMA Supercross. The two-time AMA Supercross Champion from Australia has been racing full-time in the premier class since 2003—he rode a few West Region rounds in ’02 while he was getting ready to win the 125 SX East Region title. If he lines up tonight, it will mark Reed’s 227th career start in AMA Supercross.
1990
In one of the biggest upsets of the year in AMA Supercross, Team Suzuki's rookie 250cc rider Larry "Big Bird" Ward won his home race in the Seattle Kingdome, bettering Kawasaki's Jeff "Chicken" Matiasevich and his Suzuki teammate Ron Tichenor. The race was something of a ram-fest between Ward and Matiasevich, as well as a run-in between Tichenor and French import Jean-Michel Bayle of Team Honda. Check it out below, as voiced by Larry Maiers and Dave Despain.
The 125cc race winner was Honda privateer Ty Davis, who topped Kawasaki Team Green's Jeremy McGrath and Michael Craig.
2007
Team Yamaha's Chad Reed took the win at San Diego over Kawasaki's Tim Ferry, Factory Connection Honda rider Kevin Windham, and Suzuki's Ivan Tedesco. Series points leader James Stewart had his first off-night of the series, crashing while leading and then requiring a pit stop. He eventually finished fifth. There was not a single KTM, let alone Husqvarna, in the main event.
At the 40-minute mark you will see Stewart's crash across the finish line jump while leading.
The Lites class win would go to Kawasaki-mounted Ryan Villopoto, followed by Yamaha of Troy's Jason Lawrence, and RV's Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's teammate Christopher Gosselaar.
And here's RV's Lites win, as he moved closer to Kawasaki's fifth straight West Region title.
1971
And check out this February 17 cover from the 1971 Houston Astrodome TT race, which looks very much like what the first AMA "Superbowl of Motocross" would look like 16 months later when it goes off at the Los Angeles Coliseum, heralding the dawn of modern supercross as we know it.
