CHAD REED WINS IN HOLLAND–DEC 16
CHAD REED WINS IN HOLLAND–DEC 16 |
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It had to come sooner or later, and luckily for Chad Reed, nabbing his first 250 supercross win came at the second round of the World Supercross Series. Reed, who has shown brilliant speed since hopping up to the 250 class, topped David Vuillemin and a slew of other top 250 riders on Saturday night. Ending a somewhat disappointing 125 outdoor season after injury and mechanical woes, letting him to slip back to third in the final point standings, the Aussie caught fire in the off-season. Leading the Australian team at the World Cup of Motocross, Chad went 1-2-1 and was the main benefactor in bringing the country from down under the team victory and a cool $100,000. Then at the U.S. Open, Reed put on a display of grit and determination while battling with the most confident man in motocross, Ricky Carmichael. Ricky won the battle, but Chad showed everyone that he ‘ain’t skeered’ of mixing it up with the seasoned veterans in the 250 class. Then round one of the World SX Series brought Reed to the ground, literally. After riding extremely well with strong performances on the YZF450 and YZ250, he was over-aggressive while battling for second position and crashed in the process. It was a letdown, but if being over-aggressive was the only problem for the youngster, it wasn’t anything Reed and Yamaha should lose sleep over. Enter round two, where redemption was undoubtedly his. Reed rode smart, fast, and visited the trophy girl atop the top step of the podium, with Vuillemin and Mike LaRocco standing by his side on the second and third step. For Vuillemin, he is once again showing that consistency is king. Just like the first half of the supercross series last year, David is thinking ahead instead of wadding his Yamaha up and crashing out of races. Should David be upset that he didn’t win in Holland? Not in the least bit, because supercross proves to be long and treacherous for riders, and you can be sure that David won’t make the same mistake twice in pitching his bike away on an off-week while play riding. Iron Mike must have Energizer batteries implanted in his body, because he keeps going and going. After banking $100,000 at the U.S. Open, Mike has been looking forward to jump starting the season by contesting the World SX Series. It was a good move, because Mike has once again thrown himself in the mix by grabbing third on Saturday. The first round proved a rocky start for LaRocco, as he finished seventh, but obviously Energizer bunnies bounce back. Once Mike hits home soil, there is no doubt he’ll strike a streak of podiums. How did everyone else do? Grant Langston is proving to have made the right move by jumping up to the 250’s, as he finished strong once again. Sebastien Tortelli is still working out the quirks on his Suzuki, but by Anaheim I bet he’ll catch quite a few fans off-guard. Tim Ferry struggled as he is usually a top five guy. Then there’s Jeremy McGrath, who is still coming to grips with his ultra-fast KTM. Hopefully at Anaheim 1, McGrath will be back up to McGrath-like speed. There you have it, the first two World Supercross rounds are over, with David Vuillemin and Chad Reed making out big in Europe with confidence abound. Now let’s see how these guys fare against defending U.S. Supercross champ Ricky Carmichael, freshly healed phenom Travis Pastrana, and everyone else. This season is shaping up to be one of the best in recent history, so keep your browser on www.motocrossactionmag.com! 250 Results Standings |
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