Page 22 - ISSUE-47

CHAD REED
450 SX / 6TH
IMAGE /MPG WORDS / ECKERT DESIGN / WILSON
>> Heading into Las Vegas for round seventeen, Chad Reed was looking to close
what most would consider a dismal season. Looking back over the first sixteen rounds, though, it becomes clear that we all witnessed the flashes of brilliance in Reed’s rhythm that shine the light we know he possesses. Those are the exact flashes that continue
to amaze the masses from coast to coast, keeping Chad near the top of everyones list. Despite the flashiness, the flares were, in fact, inconsistent for Reed and his results have lead him to holding 9th overall, two points out of 8th, before the final round. Hoping to gain that extra spot, Reed, like so many other racer’s on the starting line, was all-in. Suited up for heat one, Chad struggled out of the gate. Outside of qualifying contention, Reed knew he needed to catch his groove quickly so the veteran leaned back a little extra to reach 5th on the second lap. Following Jason Anderson, Reed wasn’t able to get by on his own but a mistake that led Jason to hit the deck let Chad by for 4th, where he would cruise to the checkers with the final ticket of the heat to the main event.
There, a top ten start heading into the first section saw Reed smack-dab in the middle of the chaos on the opening lap. Slipping through the small holes created around him, Reed moved into 5th early on but a bobble pushed him back to 7th, after Josh Grant and Marvin Musquin were able to get by. For the next several minutes, the lead pack stayed relatively motionless, with Reed trailing Musquin by a few bike lengths. Battling, Reed dices underneath Musquin to gain 6th and pull a small gap. In front of him, Josh Grant was able to make the move around Blake Baggett for 4th but coming up short on the quad in nearly-horrific fashion, Grant fell back to 5th as Reed railed by both riders to overtake 4th place. Inching his way towards Anderson in 3rd, with the main reaching its final laps, Reed made a move underneath Jason to gain the spot. Anderson wasn’t hav- ing any of that, though, as the #21 came inside of Reed with intensity, forcing Chad off the track before the finish line. The move by Anderson pushed Chad outside of the top five to 6th and with no time left on the clock, the speedy Australian settled for the finish. With Dean Wilson, the 8th placed rider in the point standings, getting by Chad during the altercation with Anderson, Reed was unable to gain any points and finished the year just inside the top ten. Despite the results, Chad will always be considered the man on a supercross track and we can only hope that there’s more life in the #22 as the season returns next January.
22 GRITMOTO • MAY 7, 2017