Chad Reed raced to victory last weekend at Newcastle, but he won't be at Canberra this weekend at this stage.

Following a dominant first round of the Monster Energy Super X, Australasian Supercross Championship, defending dual champion Chad Reed is set to turn his back on a third title in a bid to secure a ride for next year’s AMA series in the United States.

Reed’s participation in further rounds of the Super X Series hinge solely on the progress of the ongoing negotiations regarding his new riding contract.

“I really wanted to race the whole series this year,” Reed commented today. “The profile and competition have grown so much in the past three years and I really wanted to be in a position to defend my title.

“Unfortunately at this stage our priority is to finalise my future arrangements in the U.S. so I can’t confirm which rounds I will be available for as I expect to be heading back to the Unites States at some point in the next 10 days to move forward with my U.S. program.”

Newcastle’s own Reed added a sentimental home Super X win to his long list of achievements on the weekend, putting his TeamVodafone Honda CRF450R on the top step of the dais with a dominant display.

2010 has been a rollercoaster ride for the 28-year-old, who forged on through injury and illness to make the starting gates for the Super X opener at Energy Australia Stadium.

Reed put on a gutsy display for fans, many of which were family and friends, and long time supporters of his glittering international career.

His style was smooth and the win came comfortably on a machine he has had few chances to ride since jetting home to Australia from his Florida base.

A busy start to the first of two 12-lap finals saw Reed bundled back slightly but by lap four he was on the tail of the leaders.

He ranged in on Daniel Reardon and Josh Hansen, picking the pair off and settling in to a rhythm which he maintained to the end of the race.

The TeamVodafone Honda pilot got a better start in the decider and quickly took control of the race, never headed on his way to an emotional win.

“It’s a great feeling to make this race a reality and be able to compete in front of my home crowd,” said Reed. “This is a big thank you to a community that has been behind me throughout much of my career.

“I felt comfortable tonight and had a lot of fun riding. It really has been a tough year and to come here and get a win is a real high point and something I’ll remember for a long time to come.”

A decision on Reed’s future is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, with speculation continuing to surround a switch to four-wheel motor racing if he doesn’t land a Supercross ride for 2011.