Chad Reed PR:

A 5-2 finish at the weekend’s Freestone Raceway round of the Lucas Oil Pro AMA Motocross Championship has moved Australian rider Chad Reed into second place on the points table.

The typical Texas heat added an extra element of endurance to the gruelling showdown, round 3 on the national outdoors schedule.

Reed entered the event placed third following solid rides at Glen Helen and Hangtown, and was eager to put together two top 3 moto finishes.

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider maintained his electrifying form in the practice and qualifying sessions, topping the timesheets once again, this time by a margin of almost eight-tenths of a second.

He made a good start in the day’s first moto and found an encouraging race rhythm early.

His charge was slowed when he missed a rut with his front wheel, allowing a number of rival riders to pass.

Reed consolidated for a solid fifth place at the wave of the chequered flag.

The 27-year-old brushed off a slow start to the second moto and forged onwards, picking off positions easily and maintaining the pace of his teammate up front.

He finished second, and took another podium finish along with a good points haul away from the weekend.

“We’re ticking the boxes and making some good improvements to the bike over a very short period of time,” said Reed. “It’s all coming together well.”

“The heat was intense this weekend, it certainly made things tough. I was happy with how I rode, and to take another third place is good.

“I’m still not feeling 100% on race day, which is frustrating because I can go through the week and into practice feeling great.

“There’s a lot of guys around me riding very hard, it is difficult to beat them when you’re not feeling your best.

“If I can get on top of this I think there’s a lot more to come this season.”

The next round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship will be held at High Point Raceway, Mount Morris, on June 13.

450 Class Championship Standings

Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 142
Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki, 111
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 94
Andrew Short, Smithville, Tex., Honda, 93
Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 70
Dan Reardon, Australia, Honda, 68
Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki, 68
Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Yamaha, 60
Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 57
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 55