Chad Mark Reed (born 15 March 1982, in
Kurri Kurri
Kurri Kurri is a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cessnock LGA. At the , its population was 6,044. Kurri Kurri is the largest town in a group of towns and hamlets, including Stanford Merthyr, Pelaw Main, ...
, Australia) is an Australian
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
and
supercross
The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from ...
racer. He is a multi-time champion record holder for the most main event starts in
AMA Supercross
The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from J ...
history, with 265 starts as of 21 June 2020, his career spanning almost 20 years. He was taught from a young age to be capable of competing at the sport's most elite level. He has proven to be the most consistent supercross/motocross racer in the 2000–2009 decade and has grown to be one of the sport's most loved individuals, due to his years of experience and dedication to his sport. He has since ascended the international ranks of the sport to become Australia's most successful motocross racer.
Amateur career
As a small child, Chad owned a horse named Fern. After his cousin Craig Anderson started riding a bike, Chad instantly discovered his love for motorcycles and decided to trade in his much-loved horse in place for his first-ever bike - a Yamaha PW50. The family soon purchased a small property located just outside of Kurri Kurri in NSW. The 25-acre property was overgrown with thick bushland and was yet to even have a house or electricity on the land. The family went to the property to clear the tea tree shrubs by hand at any spare chance they could find, which resulted in the family home being built along with several tracks for Chad to practice on.
Chad's family supported him along the way in his early years of competition. Without fail, weekend after weekend, his Dad Mark, his Mom Robyn, and his younger brother Troy, spent the majority of their time traveling around Australia so that Chad could compete against the rest of the country. Chad was often dubbed the 'underdog', but that was certainly something that would change in the future. Honing in on his skills on 80cc bikes, Chad's amateur career started to take off in 1997 when he took the top spot at the Australian Junior Championship.
Australian career
1998-2000
Reed formally began his professional career in Australia in 1998. He emerged from the Australian junior ranks to compete in the then-premier 250cc class, bypassing the traditional stepping stone of 125cc racing. Reed was immediately competitive in both motocross and supercross, winning the Australian 250cc Supercross Championship in 1999 and 2000.
2007
Reed revisited his home in Australia to race the Raymond Terrace, round 4, of the Australian Motocross series. He beat Daniel Reardon with a 1-1 performance, providing Reardon with international notoriety for holding Reed off for a significant portion of the races.
2008
In 2008 Reed was responsible for developing and partially funding the new Australian Supercross Championships, dubbed Super-X. He also competed in the series and dominated all but one race to take the
Australian Supercross Championship
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
. Reed won 6 out of the 7 races.
2009
Chad Reed, aboard his new Monster Energy Kawasaki KX-450F, won 4 out of the 7 rounds of the series. Reed won the championship by beating Daniel Reardon by 23 points. This is Reed's fourth Australian Supercross Championship.
2010
Reed raced the first round of the 2010 Super X series held at Energy Australia Stadium, Newcastle on a Honda sponsored by Vodafone. Reed won the event beating Americans Josh Hansen and Justin Brayton who finished in second and third respectively.
International career
2001
Reed travelled to Europe in 2001 to compete in the FIM World 250ccc Motocross Championships, riding for Jan DeGroot's factory
Kawasaki team. Reed was a revelation aboard his KX250, winning the Grand Prix of
Lierop
Lierop is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Someren, about 7 km south of Helmond.
History
The village was first mentioned in 1155 as Lirdob. The etymology is unknown. Lierop develop alon ...
(
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
) and eventually finishing the year second to multi-time World Champion
Mickaël Pichon
Mickaël Pichon (born 13 February 1976) is a French former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1992 to 1994 and in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1995 to 1999, before returnin ...
. He is the first Australian to win a world 250cc GP race.
2002
Reed moved to the US in 2002 and picked up a ride with
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
of Troy. Reed won all but two supercross races that season to win the 125cc East Coast Supercross championship.
Reed won his first and only 125cc National victory at
Mount Morris, PA, and finishing the season third behind
James Stewart Jr.
James Stewart Jr. (born December 21, 1985), also known as Bubba Stewart, is an American former professional motocross racer who competed in the AMA Motocross and the AMA Supercross Championships. Through his years of racing, he earned the nic ...
and Branden Jesseman.
Reeds first-ever SX race was in San Diego CA
2003
Reed moved to the 250cc class in 2003 riding for Factory Yamaha. In his rookie 250cc Supercross season Reed finished second to chief rival
Ricky Carmichael, losing the title by only 7 points to Carmichael despite winning 8 races to Carmichael's 7.
Reed finished his first 250cc Motocross season a distant third behind Carmichael and
Kevin Windham
Kevin Windham (born February 28, 1978), is an American former professional motocross racer. At 17 he received a full factory ride from Team Yamaha. He has raced for many factory teams and holds several titles, back to back AMA 125 West Supercr ...
.
2004
In 2004 Reed won the 2004 AMA 250cc Supercross series, battling with Kevin Windham,
Michael Byrne and
Tim Ferry
Tim Ferry II (born March 18, 1975) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Supercross Championships and AMA Motocross Championships for 18 seasons from 1992 to 2009, finishing in the top five in t ...
with Reed earning 10 victories for the season.
Reed finished 2nd to Carmichael in that year's motocross season.
2005
2005 marked the much-anticipated entry of James Stewart to the 250cc class alongside Reed and Carmichael. Each scored multiple wins making for an exciting season but again it was Carmichael winning the championship with 7 wins over Reed in 2nd with 5 wins and Stewart in 3rd with 3 wins.
2006
In 2006 Reed was again very competitive despite suffering a level three
shoulder separation in mid-season which hampered his ability to compete to his highest ability. Going into the final event of the season, Reed and Carmichael were tied for the points lead, making the 2006 season the closest AMA Supercross championship in history. Reed took third place that night to Carmichael's second, narrowly losing the 2006 AMA Supercross title to Carmichael by only two points. Reed won 2 races that season. Reed was in 2nd in the AMA Nationals until he had to withdraw from the Nationals after the Millville round, citing the recurrent shoulder injury.
2007
For
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
Reed announced his plans to leave the factory Yamaha team to form his own private team, similar to
Jeremy McGrath
Jeremy McGrath (born November 19, 1971) is one of the most popular American Motocross/Supercross champions in the history of the sport, racking up seven Supercross championships. He was most active in the 1990s earning the title the "King of S ...
in the past. Obtaining support from Yamaha, The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Thor and Nike, even brought in McGrath's former team manager Larry Brooks to spearhead the new effort, dubbed
L&M Racing
L&M is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Altria and Philip Morris International. The name comes from the tobacco company founded in 1873 called Liggett & Myers, predecessor of today's Liggett Group, in which L ...
. Reed took 1 win for the season and finished 2nd in the title chase to James Stewart Jr.
2008
In 2008 Reed won 9 out of 14 races in the AMA Supercross season to edge out
Kevin Windham
Kevin Windham (born February 28, 1978), is an American former professional motocross racer. At 17 he received a full factory ride from Team Yamaha. He has raced for many factory teams and holds several titles, back to back AMA 125 West Supercr ...
and win the AMA Supercross title for the second time. This was a season full of great battles with Reed duking it out against
Davi Millsaps
Davi Millsaps (born February 2, 1988) is a former American professional motorcycle racer who raced in the AMA Supercross and Outdoor Motocross championships. A multi-time supercross and motocross champion, he retired before the 2018 supercross se ...
, Kevin Windham, and Josh Hill for race wins, with Reed, in the end, winning the championship by 13 points over Kevin Windham.
2009
Reed joined team Rockstar Makita Suzuki for the 2009 season. Reed battled hard with his rival James Stewart Jr. during the 2009 AMA supercross championship, with the pair coming to blows on more than one occasion. He narrowly lost the title to Stewart by 4 points. Reed won 3 races this season.
Reed elected to race the 2009 motocross season after a 2-year hiatus. He won the
AMA Motocross Championship
The AMA Motocross Championship (commercially known as Lucas Oil Pro Motocross) is an American motorcycle racing series. The motocross race series was founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1972. The series is th ...
at round ten, out of the 12 round series. He also won the Monster Energy Triple Crown Championship during the motocross season. He won 5 out of the 12 races in this season.
2010
For the 2010 season, Reed joined new teammate
Ryan Villopoto
Ryan Villopoto (born August 13, 1988, in Fortuna, California) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2005 to 2014.[James Stewart Jr.
James Stewart Jr. (born December 21, 1985), also known as Bubba Stewart, is an American former professional motocross racer who competed in the AMA Motocross and the AMA Supercross Championships. Through his years of racing, he earned the nic ...]
in the final, breaking his hand resulting in another
DNF. Reed returned to race round 13 of the supercross series, and despite having a bad start, Reed finished fourth. Chad Reed withdrew from the competition stating he has
Epstein-Barr virus. In an open letter published on his website, Reed admits that becoming a new dad and also the death of his close personal friend Andrew McFarlane may be reasons people look to for his poor performance.
2011
After racing & winning the first round of Super X in Newcastle, Australia in October, Reed returned to the US to test various bikes and teams searching for a suitable 2011 team structure. Reed embraced social media using Twitter to publish hints as to the likely brand of bike and apparel that he would be using in the 2011 AMA Supercross series. Failing negotiations with established teams, Reed decided to create his own team, TwoTwo Motorsports, aboard a Honda CRF450R, with support from Honda, Bel-Ray, Shift and many other sponsors.
The 2011 season had been a 5-way battle between Reed,
Ryan Villopoto
Ryan Villopoto (born August 13, 1988, in Fortuna, California) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2005 to 2014.[James Stewart Jr.
James Stewart Jr. (born December 21, 1985), also known as Bubba Stewart, is an American former professional motocross racer who competed in the AMA Motocross and the AMA Supercross Championships. Through his years of racing, he earned the nic ...]
,
Ryan Dungey
Ryan Dungey (born December 4, 1989) is an American professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2006 to 2017 and again in 2022. Dungey is notable for being a four-time supercross and four-time ( ...
and
Trey Canard
Trey may refer to:
Places
* Trey, Switzerland, a commune in Vaud, Switzerland
* Trey Peaks, Coats Land, Antarctica
Other uses
* Trey (playing card), the Three in card games
* Trey (given name)
* Trey, slang for a three-point shot in basketball
...
. It came down to the final race in Las Vegas between
Ryan Villopoto
Ryan Villopoto (born August 13, 1988, in Fortuna, California) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2005 to 2014.[Ryan Dungey
Ryan Dungey (born December 4, 1989) is an American professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2006 to 2017 and again in 2022. Dungey is notable for being a four-time supercross and four-time ( ...]
. Reed won the Las Vegas race but lost the championship by 4 points to Ryan Villopoto. Reed was presented with the "2011 Rock Hard - Ride Hard Bret Michaels Supercross Award." at Vegas for his great work starting a new team and still finishing 2nd in the championship.
2012
While competing at the seventh round of the 2012 AMA Supercross series in Dallas Texas and going in an Epic Battle with
Ryan Villopoto
Ryan Villopoto (born August 13, 1988, in Fortuna, California) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2005 to 2014.[Ryan Villopoto
Ryan Villopoto (born August 13, 1988, in Fortuna, California) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2005 to 2014.][Davi Millsaps
Davi Millsaps (born February 2, 1988) is a former American professional motorcycle racer who raced in the AMA Supercross and Outdoor Motocross championships. A multi-time supercross and motocross champion, he retired before the 2018 supercross se ...]
,
Ryan Dungey
Ryan Dungey (born December 4, 1989) is an American professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2006 to 2017 and again in 2022. Dungey is notable for being a four-time supercross and four-time ( ...
,
Trey Canard
Trey may refer to:
Places
* Trey, Switzerland, a commune in Vaud, Switzerland
* Trey Peaks, Coats Land, Antarctica
Other uses
* Trey (playing card), the Three in card games
* Trey (given name)
* Trey, slang for a three-point shot in basketball
...
, and
Justin Barcia
Justin Barcia (born 25 March 1992) is an American motorcycle racer from Monroe, New York. Barcia competes in both AMA Supercross and Motocross Championships.
Career
Barcia began his career by winning back to back 250 Supercross East Championshi ...
, Reed struggled to ride hard and pass for the lead. On 23 March 2013, after the race in Toronto, Canada Reed announced that he underwent knee surgery on Tuesday, and missed one round of competition in Houston, Texas. He came back in Minneapolis to race, however, in the Main Event in Seattle. Reed crashed in the first corner, where he tweaked his right arm. He came back to Salt Lake City, but had problems with his engine, putting him in the LCQ. In the Main Event in Salt Lake City, he was lapped by the leaders
Ryan Villopoto
Ryan Villopoto (born August 13, 1988, in Fortuna, California) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2005 to 2014.[Davi Millsaps
Davi Millsaps (born February 2, 1988) is a former American professional motorcycle racer who raced in the AMA Supercross and Outdoor Motocross championships. A multi-time supercross and motocross champion, he retired before the 2018 supercross se ...]
, and
Ryan Dungey
Ryan Dungey (born December 4, 1989) is an American professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2006 to 2017 and again in 2022. Dungey is notable for being a four-time supercross and four-time ( ...
on Lap 16, and finishing in 10th Place.
2014
After a disappointing 2013 season, finishing twice on the podium, one in Anaheim 2, and the other in St. Louis, Reed returned to racing. He switched brands from Honda to Kawasaki, but he continued to ride for his own team TwoTwo Motorsports and for Discount Tire. Throughout the season, Reed continued to struggle and ride a new bike. He finished 3rd in the Season Opener in Anaheim. He got back up passed
Ken Roczen
Ken Roczen (born 29 April 1994 in Mattstedt, Germany) is a German professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 2009 to 2011 and the AMA Supercross Championships since 2011. He is an MX2 M ...
for 2nd place and then
James Stewart Jr.
James Stewart Jr. (born December 21, 1985), also known as Bubba Stewart, is an American former professional motocross racer who competed in the AMA Motocross and the AMA Supercross Championships. Through his years of racing, he earned the nic ...
for the lead, and won the 3rd round in Anaheim 2, and got back up leading all 20 laps and won the 5th Round in Anaheim 3. While competing at Round 6 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Reed crashed hard in the whoops on the Final Lap after clipping
Ken Roczen
Ken Roczen (born 29 April 1994 in Mattstedt, Germany) is a German professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 2009 to 2011 and the AMA Supercross Championships since 2011. He is an MX2 M ...
's rear wheel as he tried to take over 3rd place and then suffered a shoulder injury. He tried to race in Arlington, Texas during qualifying practice and his shoulder is getting worse due to a broken collarbone. Consequently, Reed was forced to drop out the remainder of the 10 rounds of the 2014 AMA Supercross Series while sitting second in overall championship points. In the Lucas Oil MX Series, he finished around 10th overall in the points and won 2 holeshots.
2015
In 2015 Chad Reed would see one of his most disappointing professional seasons earning one win in the Supercross Championship along with 2 podium finishes. He would withdraw from the AMA Motocross championship midway through the season due to motocross competing sponsorship reasons. He would later announce the folding of his TwoTwo Motorsports Team that was founded in 2011. Reed would later announce that he would be riding a Yamaha for the continuation of the 15' Season and for the 2015 Monster Energy Cup.
2016
In 2016, Reed competed in the 2016 AMA Monster Energy Supercross Championship with Factory Yamaha. His sponsors include Yamaha Motor Corporation, Monster Energy, Yamalube, Chaparral Motorsports, Yamaha Financial Services, Oakley Motorsports, and Pro Circuit.
2018
Chad Reed obtained the world record for the most career
Monster Energy Supercross main event starts ever.
2019
On 2 February, He finished Top Five (5th place) at the AMA Monster Energy Supercross in San Diego, CA. On 23 February, Reed finished on the podium in 3rd in the AMA Monster Energy Supercross in Detroit, MI, Increasing his record of most all-time AMA Supercross podiums to 132. On 23 March, He crashed at the start of the main event during the Seattle, WA supercross event. He sustained multiple injuries including a
broken scapula, 8
rib fracture
A rib fracture is a break in a rib bone. This typically results in chest pain that is worse with inspiration. Bruising may occur at the site of the break. When several ribs are broken in several places a flail chest results. Potential complicatio ...
s, and a
collapsed lung
A pneumothorax is an abnormal collection of air in the pleural space between the lung and the chest wall. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp, one-sided chest pain and shortness of breath. In a minority of cases, a one-way valve is ...
ending his 2019 supercross season.
2020
In the previous year, Reed had announced that 2020 would be his last season. Midway through the year after the break caused by COVID 19, Reed switched from Honda to KTM. His best finish in 2020 was a 10th at the finale.
Sponsorships
Reed has ridden for a variety of sponsors over his career, including:
Yamaha Motor Company
is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of motorcycles, marine products such as boats and outboard motors, and other motorized products. The company was established in 1955 upon separation from Yamaha Corporation (however, Yamaha Corporation ...
,
Husqvarna,
Monster Energy
Monster Energy is an energy drink that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. As of March 2019, Monster Energy had a 35% share of the energy drink market, the second highest share after Red Bull ...
,
Red Bull
Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...
,
Oakley Motorsports,
Fox Racing
Fox Racing is an American extreme sports (primarily motocross and mountainbiking), protective equipment and lifestyle clothing brand founded in 1974. Fox is owned by Vista Outdoor.
History
The early histories of Fox Racing and Fox Racing Shox w ...
, Shift,
Discount Tire
Discount Tire Company is an independent tire and wheel retailer. Discount Tire operates in most of the lower 48 states in the United States, and is the largest independent tire and wheel retailer in the world. The company is headquartered in S ...
,
Boost Mobile Boost Mobile may refer to:
* Boost Mobile (Australia), an Australian mobile virtual network operator
* Boost Mobile (United States), an American mobile virtual network operator owned by Dish Wireless
* Spark New Zealand
Spark New Zealand Limit ...
, Pro Circuit, 360 Fly Camera and
Penrite Oil Company.
Recognition
* 1997 Australian Junior Motocross Champion
* 1999 Australian Supercross Champion
* 2000 Australian Supercross Champion
* 2001 Motocross of Nations (Belgium) - Race 2 (125/250), 1st Place
* 2002 AMA Eastern Regional Supercross Champion
* 2003 U.S Open Champion
* 2003 FIM World Supercross GP Champion
* 2004 U.S Open Champion
* 2004 AMA Supercross Champion
* 2005 X-Games Supermoto - Bronze Medal
* 2007 King of Bercy Supercross Champion
* 2007 Motocross of Nations (USA) - Race 1 (MX1/MX2), 2nd Place
* 2008 AMA/FIM World Supercross Champion
* 2008 Australian Supercross Champion
* 2009 Monster Energy Triple Crown Motocross Champion
* 2009 AMA National Pro Motocross Champion
* 2009 Motocross of Nations (Italy) - Race 1 (MX1/MX2), 2nd Place
* 2009 AMA Athlete of the Year
* 2009 Australian Supercross Champion
* 2011 Motocross of Nations (France) - Race 1 (MX1/MX2), 1st Place
* 2016 AUS-X Open Champion
* 2018 The Ironman of Supercross (Most AMA Supercross Starts Record)
* 2018 SX-Open Champion
* 2018 FIM Oceania Supercross Champion
Honours
On 13 June 2011, Reed was named a
Member of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
for service to motorsports as a professional supercross motorcycle rider at national and international levels, and to the community.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Chad
1982 births
Living people
Sportsmen from New South Wales
Australian motocross riders
AMA Motocross Championship National Champions
Members of the Order of Australia