Bad news regarding Chad Reed just came out via his twitter.  Official tweet from Chad:

"Well I spent the day in the hospital yesterday here's the damage...
2 broken ribs, broken spinous T6. Torn ACL and fractured tib fib."

No timetable has been set on his return. Get well soon Chad!

Aussie Chad Reed's hopes of claiming the 2012 AMA Supercross title have taken a hit after an ugly crash at Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

Reed went into the seventh round of the series second in the championship but has now lost that position after failing to finish the main event in Arlington.

Reed and Villopoto had pulled a gap on the field and were engaged in a see-saw battle for the lead when the crash happened.

Reed has a moment heading into the whoops on lap seven and bounced over the handlebars. As he and the bike tumbled to a halt Reed's leg became caught in the bike, injuring his left knee.

Reed now trails points leader and reigning champion Ryan Villopoto by 30 points in third place, with Ryan Dungey 13 points behind Villopoto in second.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports/aussie-watch/aussie-ama-supercross-star-chad-reed-injured-in-crash-at-cowboys-stadium-in-arlington-texas/story-fn8am8xg-1226275392014

Motorsportsnewswire.com

TORRANCE, CA – January 30, 2012 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – Round four of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship series took place this weekend in Oakland, CA. The Oakland Coliseum, which usually serves as home to the Oakland Raiders and Oakland A’s, was filled Saturday night with thousands of Supercross enthusiasts. It was another great week for Honda, with GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac winning the Lites class for a second week in a row. In the Supercross final, TwoTwo Motorsports rider Chad Reed also was on the podium for a third time this season, placing second.

Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Brayton came into Oakland looking for redemption after a tough round three in Los Angeles, and he looked fast throughout qualifying and the heat races. Unfortunately, when the gate dropped for the main Brayton got off to a mid-pack start heading into the first turn. The remainder of the 20 laps was spent in an admirable charge through the pack, which eventually netted him ninth place. Reed fared better in the main as he got the holeshot and led the pack for almost half the race until being passed by another rider. He continued to fight hard and rode a very solid race to finish second.

“The starts are so important,” said Reed. “Hopefully we can keep building on these last couple weeks, keep getting the starts and accumulating those points.” The CRF450R Honda rider is now tied for the points lead and will be running red plates going into Anaheim 2.

Andrew Short also had an impressive ride Saturday night aboard his Supercross.com/Honda CRF450R, putting together 20 consistent laps to finish in fifth place. GEICO Honda rider Kevin Windham showed impressive speed with a fourth place overall qualifying time in practice. He also put together a solid main by finishing in sixth place, right behind Short.

“The night was good, it was a nice rebound for me after Dodger Stadium,” said Windham. “I spent most of the week focusing on trying to come out and get my job done after last weekend. I saw the whole thing with Trey and it was really difficult for me. It felt like I had a good heat and great times during the day and I am pleased with my finish but I am really looking to get GEICO Honda on the podium.”

For the second week in a row the night belonged to GEICO Honda’s Lites rider Eli Tomac. Heat two was stacked full of Honda riders with Cole Seely of Troy Lee Designs/ Lucas Oil/ Honda finishing in first, Tomac in second and Billy Laninovich in third. In the main event Tomac got a third-place start, followed by Seely in fourth. Tomac made his way to the front of the pack by lap three and after that he was untouchable, laying down incredible lap times. He quickly pulled away and took the checkered flag, making him the first rider in the 2012 season to win back-to-back races. He will be running the red leader’s number plates once again in Anaheim. “After the front two guys made some pretty big mistakes, I wanted to make sure I stayed consistent once out front,” said Tomac. “I didn’t do anything crazy and was able to ride a solid race. I am excited, the red backgrounds look good on a Honda.” Seely finished in 11th position after crashing in the beginning of the race and restarting almost last. His Troy Lee Designs teammate Travis Baker had a great ride, finishing sixth in the main.

Supercross Main Event
1. James Stewart
2. Chad Reed (Honda)
3. Ryan Villopoto
4. Ryan Dungey
5. Andrew Short (Honda)
6. Kevin Windham (Honda)
7. Davi Millsaps
8. Jake Weimer
9. Justin Brayton (Honda)
10. Josh Hansen

Supercross Championship Points (after 4 of 17 rounds)
1. Chad Reed 85
2. Ryan Dungey 85
3. Ryan Villopoto 83
4. James Stewart 73
5. Jake Weimer 61
6. Kevin Windham 58
7. Andrew Short 52
8. Josh Hansen 47
9. Brett Metcalf 45
10. Davi Millsaps 42

Supercross Lites West Main Event
1. Eli Tomac (Honda)
2. Marvin Musquin
3. Zach Osborne
4. Ryan Sipes
5. Matt Moss
6. Travis Baker (Honda)
7. Nico Izzi
8. Max Anstie (Honda)
9. Martin Davalos
10. Dean Wilson

Supercross Lites West Points (after 4 of 9 rounds)
1. Eli Tomac 88
2. Dean Wilson 73
3. Zach Osborne 67
4. Marvin Musquin 64
5. Tyla Rattray 60
6. Cole Seely 57
7. Jason Anderson 53
8. Nico Izzi 46
9. Max Anstie 45
10. Ryan Sipes 43

About Honda
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and MUVs in the U.S. American Honda’s Motorcycle Division conducts the sales, marketing, and operational activities for these products through authorized Honda dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to www.powersports.honda.com.

By: Paul Carruthers
Cyclenews.com
Photography By: Kit Palmer

LOS ANGELES, CA, JAN. 21 - TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed won tonight's AMA Monster Energy Supercross final at Dodger Stadium, the Australian taking the lead from fast-starter Jake Weimer on the fifth lap and pulling away to a 2.98-second win over Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey

It took two starts to get this one in the books as Muscle Milk's Trey Canard and Ryan Morias crashed hard on the opening lap of the first go. The crash was a bad one with both riders needing medical attention on the track - thus a red flag brought a stoppage to the race. After a delay of some 15 minutes while Canard and Morais were being attended to, the race was restarted. Initial reports after the race were that Canard was shaken up but not badly injured. No word yet on Morais. Updated reports on Sunday morning, however, say that Canard suffered a back injury and underwent surgery on Saturday night while Morais suffered a broken jaw.

On the restart, Reed rebounded from his heat-race tip-over to get a third-place start, moving past JGR Yamaha's James Stewart to take over second on the third lap. A lap later and he was on Weimer, making the pass for the lead on the fifth lap. There was no denying the Honda rider from that point on as he pulled a gap that he maintained to the finish -taking his first win of the 2012 season.

"I've been bashing my head against the wall trying to figure out what the hell I've been doing wrong this year," Reed said. "I switched to a tire that I used last year and it worked. I am going to keep trying to get better each week. I will take the good with the bad and keep moving forward. First and foremost I want to give a huge shout out to those two guys that crashed out. It was a tough night for everyone. It was a tough night for big red. I'm glad that we could put the Bel-Ray Honda out front and I hope those two guys recover pretty good."

Dungey, meanwhile, was fourth when Reed took over at the front and he was in the catbird seat when Stewart made an aggressive pass on Weimer that knocked the Monster Energy Kawasaki to the ground. Dungey was hounding Stewart when the Yamaha man crashed on the 11th lap. From there, Dungey was able to cruise unmolested to second.

Stewart found himself with his hands full in the final laps. Monster Energy's defending series champion Ryan Villopoto was dead last for the second week in a row after a first-turn crash - and for a second race in a row he again showed that he's currently the fastest rider in the field. Villopoto motored through the field and had Stewart in his sights, challenging him for third on the final lap. Despite setting the fastest lap of the race on the last lap, Villopoto came up short and had to settle for fourth.

Fifth place went to Yoshimura Suzuki's Brett Metcalfe, the Australian 1.6 seconds ahead of JGR Yamaha's Davi Millsaps. Hart & Huntington's Josh Hansen ended up seventh with Monster Energy Pro Circuit's Broc Tickle eighth, Geico Honda's Kevin Windham ninth and MotoConcepts Mike Alessi 10th.

The top five in the final were all on different makes of motorcycle - Honda, KTM, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki.

With three rounds in the books, Dungey leads the title chase by four points over Reed and Villopoto, 67-63. Stewart is fourth in the series standings, 19 points behind Dungey. Weimer, who recovered to finish 11th after his run-in with Stewart, drops into a tie with Stewart for fourth. Windham is sixth with 43 points.

The Lites final was all about Eli Tomac, the Geico Honda rider storming to a 15.4-second win over Monster Energy Pro Circuit's Dean Wilson. Tomac led out of the first corner and was never headed, pulling away to his first victory of the season. The win also put him in the championship points lead by a single point over Wilson, 63-62.

The points leader coming into Dodger Stadium, Tyla Rattray, ended up fourth in the final and drops to third in the title chase - though just three points behind Tomac.

"That was crazy. I stuck around in that first corner," Tomac said. "I rode a solid 15 laps like I should have the rest of the season. You can't compare when you get a good start - it's like night and day."

Wilson battled with Zach Osborne, finally getting the better of the GP rider on the 13th of 15 laps. Osborne held on to finish third - the first podium of his Supercross career - with Wilson second.

"Slipperiest track I've ridden this season," Wilson said. "Eli [Tomac] is going to be a tough competitor the whole season. He's really going fast."

With Rattray fourth, fifth went to LCQ winner Jason Anderson.

It was a tough night for defending race champion Cole Seely, the Troy Lee Designs Honda rider going down in the first corner with Nico Izzi and Matt Moss. Seely, who won round one in Angel Stadium, remounted to finish 15th.

Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin also had a tough main event. The Frenchman was catching the Wilson/Osborne battle when he crashed hard into a tough block. He pulled out, though he didn't suffer injury.

Supercross Final

1. Chad Reed (Honda)
2. Ryan Dungey (KTM)
3. James Stewart (Yamaha)
4. Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki)
5. Brett Metcalfe (Suzuki)
6. Davi Millsaps (Yamaha)
7. Josh Hansen (Kawasaki)
8. Broc Tickle (Kawasaki)
9. Kevin Windham (Honda)
10. Mike Alessi (Suzuki)

Lites Final

1. Eli Tomac (Honda)
2. Dean Wilson (Kawasaki)
3. Zach Osborne (Yamaha)
4. Tyla Rattray (Kawasaki)
5. Jason Anderson (Suzuki)
6. Max Antsie (Honda)
7. Michael Lieb (Honda)
8. Matt Moss (KTM)
9. Martin Davalos (Suzuki)
10. Billy Laninovich (Honda)

Reed started TwoTwo Motorsports from scratch one year ago and had limited resources. The team will now be housed at American Honda’s Californian Racing facility next door to the factory motocross team which will give access to state-of-the-art facilities in design to manufacturing.

Reed said the new deal will go a long way towards winning the AMA Supercross and Motocross titles.

"In some ways this feels like redemption," Reed said.

"In the beginning the support from American Honda was limited, which was completely understandable given we were a new team without any runs on the board."

"Our new relationship with American Honda holds so much potential and for me it is a money can’t buy partnership to be associated with a manufacturer that is as equally committed to winning as we are."

Reed has also signed highly-experienced motorcycle engineer Mike Gosselaar as Technical Director as well as Sergio Avento as Research and Development Manager.

Reed said having the right people on the team is important to back-up his on track performance.

"As a rider, I am responsible for my own performance and I expect to go out there and win, anything else is second best," Reed said.

"With a team situation there are so many other things that can affect an outcome, but it was the sheer hard work and dedication of my crew this year that ensured none of those factors influenced our performance."

"They worked extremely hard 24/7 to create a dynamic within the team that was second to none in the championship. It is the sort of dynamic you normally see within a team that has worked together for years."

"Recruiting Goose & Sergio will further strengthen that dynamic and provide the additional resources we need to continue building a solid infrastructure around the team," Reed said.

Reed will undergo testing in California testing with his TwoTwo Motorsports team as they prepare for the opening round of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship which begins at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Saturday January 7, 2012.


source: http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports/aussie-watch/australian-ama-motocross-rider-chad-reeds-twotwo-motorsports-gains-honda-factory-support/story-fn8am8xg-1226189959455

Chad Reed AMA Motocross Interview 2011

September 11, 2011

After starting up his own team for 2011, Chad Reed's TwoTwo Motorsports has yielded amazing results, sitting third in the Motocross championship.

After starting the 2011 racing season with a big question mark, Chad Reed proved that he had what it takes to run with the big factory teams with his self-funded TwoTwo Motorsports effort. After running up front for much of this year’s Supercross championship Honda increased their support which saw him run a full-factory bike in the outdoor season. Reed didn’t disappoint putting in some phenomenal rides and looked like he could be a contender for the championship until some bad luck struck at Southwick, thereby taking him out of contention. We caught up with Reed a few weeks ago during the  2012 Honda CRF450R First Ride report from Racetown 395. In the interview he talks about a number of different topics including his death-defying Moto 2 crash at Millville, Minnesota.

TALK ABOUT THAT SUPERMAN MOTO 2 CRASH AT MILLVILLE.

Yeah it was nuts. It was like... business as usual, you know. We won the first one. I got a good start in the second one and I was trying to go for it. I made a pass for the lead and at that point I was like ‘sweet’. The next breath of air I’m flying through the air without a motorcycle and I’m thinking ‘what the hell just happened?’ It was brutal and scary actually. I was pretty beat up. The biggest thing was my groin and left hip were really sore. I didn’t have any breath either, I was really winded. I just tried to get back on the bike and do the best I can (he finished 14th). The next week, that was a tough weekend. I couldn’t regroup fast enough, I was hurting. Things are going well now and I’m back to 100%.

Reed made a quick recovery from a spectacular and potentially season ending crash at Millville.

DID YOU GET KNOCKED OUT IN THE CRASH?

I never went out at any point. I knew everything that happened... unfortunately [laughs] I just had to be careful. Every time I’d push I felt like I was going to throw up. It was a tough long moto, but six points is better than zero points.

PASSION FOR MOTOGP RACING.

I grew up in Australia during the Mick Doohan / Wayne Gardner era.  MotoGP always seemed like the ticket out of the country. Motocross guys it wasn’t a common thing that we were successful on leaving and actually staying away and achieving goals. Doohan I think won five world titles. At a point I really wanted to go road racing. I grew up less than a mile from Casey [Stoner]. We use to ride the bus to school. I know him really well and root for him every weekend. I’m a huge Rossi fan and also his crew are all Aussie guys. I love racing. Any form of motorsports I’m down with it. NASCAR, Formula 1, V8 Supercar, or MotoGP. It was a weekend off and I was migrating south to SoCal and it was on the way so I made a stop watched a good race, and got to see some good people.

HAVE YOU EVER RIDDEN SPORTBIKES ON THE RACETRACK?

A little bit, not too much it’s fun though.

WHAT’S THE FUTURE OF TWOTWO MOTORSPORTS?

The future of TwoTwo Motorsports looks bright with a multi-time champion at the helm and growing manufacturer support.

I think any business you always try and grow and expand it and try progress from year to year. What we’ve achieved this year already has been awesome. We want to go bigger and better next year. We’re working on that side of things. We’re trying to have it be successful and try and give it some stability while I’m here and beyond my racing career as well. There’s big plans, but as everything you need a budget so we’re working on that.

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH AMERICAN HONDA SEEMS TO BE WORKING WELL.

It is. First and foremost, I ended up riding their bike because I thought it was the best bike for me. At one point buying bikes and parts, and now we’re riding their full-blown factory bike for the outdoors. We’ve come a long way in a short amount of time. They’re great to work with. They’re really open to try and be creative and allow me to have my freedom but also represent Honda as the brand the best we can. It seems like we’re checking boxes off. We plan on staying with them for a long-time. We’re negotiating how long that will be right now. Hopefully, that will be wrapped up here soon and we’ll have a little more stability with a manufacturer over the next three years.

WHAT OTHER RACES ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO?

I’m going to need all four. We’ve got eight motos to go. Take each race as an individual one. My goal is to put myself in front of the two Ryans. That’s the goal. If I fall short of that this title is going to get away from me and I’ll end up losing it. I’ve just got to keep my head down and keep the goal in mind.

ARE YOU PLANNING ON RACING THE MONSTER ENERGY CUP IN LAS VEGAS?

Being the owner/racer can get tricky when it comes to planning your team's racing schedule and finding time to rest.

Right now we’re committed to doing it. Halfway through October, that leaves a month after des Nations to prepare for it. Ideally, I’d like to go to Australia and have some down time and come back end of October, beginning of November. Like every other athlete you want some downtime. It should be cool – it’s a million-dollar race – well it’s actually it’s not. The wording sounds cool. You’ve got to win all three races and even then it’s not a million dollars. The name is cool, but that’s about it.

WHAT’S THE STATE OF MOTORCYCLE RACING IN AUSTRALIA (REED WAS INVOLVED WITH AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS SERIES LAST YEAR)?

I’m not involved with that anymore. They had a direction they wanted to go, and I didn’t feel that represented the way I wanted it to go. And my name was so attached to it, so I didn’t feel it was as positive as I wanted it to be. So, I kind of walked away from that and chose to put my time and effort into TwoTwo Motorsports. I think Australian racing is on the fence – it could go one way or the other. From a fan's point of view – motorcycles have been my life, so I hope it does well and I hope it succeeds, but we’ll see. I think they’re doing things differently in my opinion. I don't agree with it and it’s not what I would do, but we’ll see if their plan of attack works.

WHAT’S THE FUTURE HOLD?

Reed has motorsports in his veins. Don't expect this champion to quit racing for the finish line any time in the near future, though he may turn his attentions to four wheels instead of two.

I’m a year-to-year guy at this point. Next year I’d like to race. Beyond that I don’t know what I want to do. I want to go four-wheel racing. You can’t leave it too long. As with every sport it’s involving. The athletes are getting younger and younger, and I’m not getting any younger. You need to make a transition at a point that you can take it all in, and not being too late in your mid-30s. That’s the goal, four wheels whether that’s NASCAR, off-road trucks, rally or back in Australia with V8 Supercar. I have some great relationships with a team back there and Vodafone. I’m not ready to move back to Australia 100% of the time so that’s what’s really holding me back on that. We’ll see, maybe I can do a part-time thing where I can have some fun and learn and maybe when I'm a little older I’m more willing to commit to moving back to Australia.

Source:  http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/484/10990/Motorcycle-Article/Chad-Reed-AMA-Motocross-Interview-2011.aspx

Pala 450 Motocross Moto 2 Results 2011

September 11, 2011

Ryan Villopoto claimed his first 450 Motocross title by finishing second overall at Pala Raceway.

 

Moto 2 in the 450 class looked much like the first. Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey didn’t learn their lesson well enough in Moto 1 and lined up too far to the inside on the gate which left them battling to be inside the top-10 on the start. However, this time Chad Reed didn’t crash out and the TwoTwo Motorsports rider was fighting for the holeshot and quickly into the lead.

Justin Brayton had a good start and ran up front early for the JGR Yamaha team, but Honda’s Justin Barcia took over the runner-up position on Lap 2. Barcia continued to chase Reed who was looking more like his early season form until Lap 7 when he lost the rear end and went down in a corner. The small crash allowed Barcia to slip past and Dungey to pull up on his rear wheel. Reed couldn’t hold off the defending champion who was doing everything in his power to win the moto and put himself in the best possible position for a miracle championship.Reed gave way to Villopoto two laps later and would finish the moto in fourth. Combined with 12th in Moto 1, he would finish 7th overall.

Instead of pushing through to the finish, RV2 wisely backed down his pace and let the two frontrunners get away. Meanwhile, Dungey was in a battle for the overall win and he sealed the deal with two laps to go. Barcia finished second with the new 450 class champion a distant third.

“We started off this outdoor season way behind,” said Villopoto. “It’s been a hell of a year.”

Ryan Dungey won the overall, but it wasn't enough to retain his 450 crown.

Dungey’s teammate Brett Metcalfe had another strong ride in fifth which gave him fourth overall, just behind Barcia who trailed the Ryans with a 3-2 moto tally. Mike Brown finished 15th in the last moto on his KTM – not bad for an old moto guy-turned off-roader.

“I’m really happy to end it out with a win,” said Dungey as he watched Villopoto collect the #1 plate. “It was a long-fought season. That’s what it’s about, that’s what racing is about. We train our butts off. Congratulations to the whole Kawasaki crew, Ryan Villopoto. It was a joy racing them all year. There was nothing I had to worry about, we could just fight each other clean. Let him taste a little bit of this victory like I did last year.”

AMA Motocross Pala 450 Overall Results:
1. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki) 2-1
2. Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki) 1-3
3. Justin Barcia (Honda) 3-2
4. Brett Metcalfe (Suzuki) 5-5
5. Milke Alessi (KTM) 4-7
6. Kyle Regal (Suzuki) 6-8
7. Chad Reed (Honda) 12-4
8. Justin Brayton (Yamaha) 9-6
9. Jake Weimer (Kawasaki) 10-12
10. Les Smith (Yamaha) 14-9

AMA Motocross 450 Championship Points:
1. Ryan Villopoto, 526
2. Ryan Dungey, 514
3. Chad Reed, 382
4. Brett Metcalfe, 374
5. Mike Alessi, 304
6. Jake Weimer, 271
7. Justin Brayton, 218
8. Andrew Short, 196
9. Kevin Windham, 193
10. Davi Millsaps, 173

 

Source:  http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/785/11020/Motorcycle-Article/Pala-450-Motocross-Moto-2-Results-2011.aspx

Pala 450 Motocross Moto 1 Results 2011

Ryan Dungey could only manage second in the opening moto. He will need a miracle in Moto 2.

 

Chad Reed had a crazy start as he got a solid launch and then headed straight for the left sideline, weaving all the way over to the inside and cut off both Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto. Reed would crash moments later in the first turn and wound up 31st at the end of Lap 1. Mike Alessi emerged with the holeshot on his Red Bull KTM with Colton Facciotti in second aboard his Lucas Oil TLD Honda. Alessi would lead for the first three laps before Justin Barcia took over the point position.

Dungey and Villopto were buried off the start and the Monster Kawasaki rider was happy to follow Dungey around for the opening lap. Dungey started picking off riders but spun out in a flat corner and RV had no choice but to go around. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider immediately surged by again. A couple laps later he would again make a mistake that allowed the #2 bike to slip past but Villopoto had a big scare when his right hand popped off the handlebar on a big double jump and Dungey went back past.

“Chad came over on us really hard and we were in the back,” said Villopoto. “It’s dicey back there. All those guys are fighting for a spot and a position to do well. Me and Ryan (Dungey), we’re both trying to stay out of trouble. It gets a little hairball.”

The madness would eventually sort itself out as they pulled up on Alessi’s rear wheel and started battling for the runner-up position. Out in front was Justin Barcia who was putting down the fastest laps on the track. Alessi did a masterful job of holding off the points leader but eventually succumbed to the pressure and seemed to have spent his reserves on fighting his old nemesis as Dungey quickly worked around the KTM 450 SX-F.

Justin Barcia led for much of the race before giving way to Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey.

 

Villopoto continued to increase his pace and cut Barcia’s lead in half with 7 laps remaining. He would pass Barcia and inherit the lead on Lap 12. Dungey knifed into second place with two and a half laps remaining but his only hope at that point was to stay close enough in the points that something might happen in the final moto as RV claimed the moto win.

“I didn’t get out to the best start there and that didn’t help us out much,” said Dungey. “I felt good and I’m just really looking forward to Moto 2. All we can do is go out there and give it our best.” 

2011 AMA Motocross Pala 450 Moto 1 Results:
1. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki
2. Ryan Dungey, Suzuki
3. Justin Barcia, Honda
4. Mile Alessi, KTM
5. Brett Metcalfe, Suzuki
6. Kyle Regal, Suzuki
7. Nico Izzi, Yamaha
8. Colton Facciotti, Honda
9. Justin Brayton, Yamaha
10. Jake Weimer, Kawasaki
11. Jake Canada, Honda
12. Chad Reed, Honda
13. Jimmy Albertson, Yamaha
14. Les Smith, Yamaha
15. Jarred Browne, Yamaha

TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racings Chad Reed has severely hurt his chances at a 2011 AMA Pro Motocross Championship after two non finishes at round 10 in Southwick, Massachusetts.

While Reed had issues in both races, another Aussie in Brett Metcalfe stole the show with two podium finishes, enough to claim his first AMA Motocross overall round win.

Despite now trailing series leader Ryan Villopoto by 65 points, Reed is remaining hopeful with two rounds and four races remaining.

"That was without a doubt our worst weekend since forming TwoTwo Motorsports," Reed stated.

"I felt like today I was living a really bad dream but there is no point dwelling on it.

"I am healthy and will be back for more next week. We will fight on to finish the year on a high note," he added.

Meanwhile South Aussie Metcalfe was understandably delighted with his first career win.

"Getting this win is definitely the highlight of my motocross career," Metcalfe said post-race.

"It’s been eight years of racing in the U.S. and trying to get a win, so this is incredible. It’s great to be back on the podium again, for both motos and the overall.

"Thanks to the Rockstar Makita Suzuki team for a great bike in the RM-Z450 and to my family and everyone who’s helped make this happen.

"Hard work, motivation and dedication - stay at it and it happens.”

With the double victory, Metcalfe jumped to fourth in the points standings, just 62 points behind Reed.

"Now, there are two more rounds left and I want to take the momentum from this win into Steel City next weekend," Metcalfe said.

"I did really well there last year and I feel like that track really suits me.

"We really have things dialed-in with the bike now, I’m real comfortable, so it’s really time to attack and try to go for the win again."

The AMA Pro Motocross Championship next heads to Steel City Raceway, Pennsylvania on Sunday September 4 and you catch all the action LIVE on SPEED and SPEED HD from 6am (EST).

source: http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports/aussie-watch/chad-reeds-ama-motocross-championship-damaged-as-aussie-brett-metcalfe-wins-in-southwick/story-fn8am8xg-1226125394471

Prior to the start of the 2011 Monster Energy Supercross season, just about everyone was ready to write off former champ Chad Reed. Not any more…

Back at the beginning of December, just weeks away from the start of the 2011 Monster Energy Supercross season Chad Reed wasn’t sure he would be racing this year. The veteran rider hadn’t been signed by any of the industry’s factory teams or leading factory-supported efforts, and, nearing the latter portion of his career, retirement was fast becoming an increasingly realistic option.

However, Reed still had the fire in him to compete and rather than take 'no' for an answer, he took matters into his own hands and entered the very foreign territory of team ownership.

In other major motorsports like NASCAR, IndyCar or NHRA, owning one’s own team is not unheard of. While still relatively uncommon, a number of drivers have seen tremendous success at the helm of their own program. However, in the sport of motocross, this was an undertaking no one had ever really attempted. Jeremy McGrath was ready to give it a go just prior to his retirement, but ultimately, it never came to fruition.

If there was to be any rider capable of successfully taking on such a challenge, Reed would definitely be on the short list of potential candidates. As the most successful international rider in the history of the sport and a global star throughout his native Australia, the U.S., and Europe, Reed has both the status and passion to be an effective leader. He also hand-selected his bike -- a Honda -- after putting several bikes through their paces and determining what was the best fit for him. He aligned himself with strong support from successful brands like Bel-Ray and Pro Circuit to make sure his equipment was the best it could possibly be, and he instantly became the face of the Shift brand, wearing its gear while out on the track.

No one really knew what to expect once the world’s leading supercross riders took to the track in January, but the industry figured the odds were stacked against Reed, forced to go head-to-head with younger competitors on factory equipment.

TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed (Photo: Honda Red Riders)

TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed (Photo: Honda Red Riders)