Page 24 - ISSUE 40

CHAD REED
450 SX / 6TH
IMAGE /MPG WORDS /HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / WILSON
>> Chad Reed has had quite the up and down season. At times he seems to have turned back the clock and rides with a youthful intensity but at other times it seems as if his age is catching up with him. Don’t get me wrong, Reedy is still performing at a high-level week in and week out but his intensity and consistency in the main events has been sporadic. The Aussie is always happy when the series heads to Daytona so he was licking at the chops when he left Toronto last weekend. He was coming off his first top five in the last six rounds so he was hoping to carry that little momentum with him. Reed looked fresh and loose in practice but it did not neces- sarily transfer to his lap times as he qualified twelfth on the day. Nonetheless, he has never been the best “practicer” so he was ready to let his racing do the talking. Reed got a bad start in his heat race rounding the first lap back in ninth position. The track was difficult to pass on and it indeed hindered his charge forward. He only picked up two positions prior to the last lap where he gained one more after a Martin crash. The sixth-place finish would not be enough to transfer him straight to the main so he was onto the semis. Reed nearly ripped the holeshot in his semi but was slightly edged out by holeshot artist Vince Friese. He did not fret and rode be- hind Friese all the way to the finish to get second and a transfer to the main event. Reed nailed another solid start in the main event coming out in fourth place. He settled in behind Justin Brayton but struggled to find a way around the fellow vet- eran. Brayton was riding well but Reed was ready to make the pass about halfway after feeling some pressure from Anderson and Seely. He tried charging out of one of the deep ruts but he got little kick and ended up getting whiskey throttle and loop- ing out over a bunch of tough blocks. His bike went flying and nearly hit Brayton but it safely landed alone up the track and managed to keep from stalling. That allowed Reed to remount swiftly only losing two positions. He restarted his charge on Bray- ton and made the pass quickly this time. He was riding to a solid fifth place finish when Dungey came storming through in the latter stages of the race. Reed gave him all he had but got closed off heading into the sand section. He would have to settle with a sixth-place finish. A great spot to be when you consider his fall but he envisioned a possible podium finish and that probably left him feeling a bit bummed.
24 GRITMOTO • MARCH 12, 2017