Australia's Chad Reed will share the red plate with Ryan Dungey at Anaheim II this weekend. Image: Simon Cudby.

Australia’s Chad Reed will lead the world’s best supercross contenders into this weekend’s fifth round of the Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship, series at Anaheim.

The series will return to Angel Stadium in Southern California this Saturday night, with teh attention continuing to surround the four former champions.

TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Honda’s Reed, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey and Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX’s James Stewart have all reached the sport’s pinnacle over the past four seasons.

Now, after four races in 2012, each rider has taken his turn atop the podium and, as the season makes its return to Anaheim, the Supercross Class Championship is still wide open.

For the first time since 1976 – when the Monster Energy Supercross Championship consisted of just six races – there are four different winners through the first four races of the season.

Even more impressive yet, each of these four riders have claimed at least one Monster Energy Supercross title, which has only been achieved one previous time since the inception of the championship, during the 1985 season.

However, never before have four former champions won consecutive races, particularly to start a season.

Despite being just a month into the 2012 schedule, this is the most parity in the history of Monster Energy Supercross and as a result, the championship is exceptionally close heading back to Anaheim.

Currently, just 12 points separate these four riders, with Dungey and Reed sharing possession of the red number plate atop the standings. Villopoto sits a mere two points back of the leaders, while Stewart’s victory helped bring him to within a dozen points of the lead duo.

Additionally, each of the four title favorites has captured at least two podium results through the first four races.

In the fourth race of the Western Regional Supercross Lites Championship, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac became the first rider in all of Monster Energy Supercross to become a repeat winner in 2012.

Tomac maintains control of the red number plate as the championship leader, and extend his advantage last weekend in the standings to 15 points over Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Dean Wilson.

Last year during the second visit to Anaheim, Stewart put forth his most convincing effort of the 2011 season to capture his third win of that championship.

In the Supercross Lites Class, Josh Hansen overcame a broken hand suffered in practice earlier in the day, to take his third win of the season for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki.

The first race held in Anaheim was on December 4, 1976. Marty Smith won on a Honda. Ricky Carmichael and Jeremy McGrath share the all-time Supercross Class win record at Angel Stadium with eight wins apiece.