Australia's Chad Reed struggled at Washougal, but he's certain to bounce back on Sunday at Unadilla.

Australia’s Chad Reed believes he will be fit to battle for victory this weekend when the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues at Unadilla on Saturday.

TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Racing rider Reed is ready to re-join the race for the 450 class title, putting a wayward performance at Washougal behind him and focusing on this weekend’s clash at Unadilla.

With just four rounds of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship left to run, Reed knows he will have to be on form to chip away at the points gap to leader Ryan Villopoto and second-placed Ryan Dungey.

Reed admitted that he was uncomfortable having to settle for a position off the podium at Washougal, a weekend he was forced to battle through while lacking the confidence to take on the leaders.

“I was really struggling for speed at Washougal, I’d hit my head pretty hard the week before and once the moto’s got underway I realised that I just wasn’t going to have the pace to be fighting for a win,” said Reed.

“As any sportsperson knows it is tough to back off, but in this case I really had to focus on being safe and getting as many points as I could without risking a crash.

“We’ve had a few weeks away from racing now and it’s probably the best thing I could have asked for.”

Reed has been spotted in recent weeks at both the Laguna Seca MotoGP World Championship round, as well as X Games 17 in Los Angeles.

“I’ve spent some time on the bike but also concentrated on the behind-the-scenes work with TwoTwo Motorsports over the past few weeks,” he explained.

“It’s also been great to get out to some of the events like the MotoGP and X Games and just enjoy myself. As a team we’ve got the runs on the board this season so our confidence isn’t lacking at all.

“I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks where the championship will really take shape.”

Reed still leads the field with four overall wins in 2011, but with the 450 class coming down to a race of three, he must now turn his attention to finding the consistent podium form that he started the season with in May.

Australian viewers can see the action from Unadilla telecast on SPEED TV this Sunday from 11.00am-12.30pm. A replay will follow from 7.30-9.00pm.