Chad Reed PR:

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Chad Reed has kicked off his first AMA motocross season in two years with a solid 4-3 (4th overall) finish at Glen Helen Raceway.

Renowned for his efforts on the Supercross circuit, Reed made a late decision to return to the national outdoor series with the support of his team and personal sponsors.

The 27-year-old, though racefit and readily conditioned from recent competition, knew the switch would prove challenging at first due to testing time restraints.

Reed bolted from the blocks, setting the fastest 450 time in practice, quickly coming to grips with the track’s infamous undulating surface.

He maintained the pace and sat atop the timesheets following a close qualifying session, setting up for a strong peformance in the day’s dual moto showdowns.

Buried mid-pack as the gates dropped on the opener, the Australian spent the following few laps putting overtaking move after overtaking move on a number of rival riders.

Reed made his way into fourth by the fall of the first chequered flag of the day.

A better start to the second moto saw Reed factor in the battle for the lead for much of the duration.

He held steady to finish third said he was pleased with the results considering the late start to his campaign.

“It was good. I got flashes of brilliance. There are some things I need to work on with me and I think we’ll be real good,” said Reed.

“The results on paper aren’t really as important to me as what it means to me. I was really more comfortable than I expected to be. I didn’t expect to be the fastest guy in practice, and I was.

“There’s a realistic side of things, and we tested twice and came racing. We made a lot of changes throughout the weekend that were positive ones – it’s promising.”

The next round of the AMA Motocross championship is the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Sacramento next weekend.