Chad Reed Story

[full_time]

Chad Reed - Stuck In Limbo
By Alex Edge
Watching Saturday night's AMA Supercross race IN San Diego, I began TO consider the peculiar situation OF Chad Reed. Before the season began, many considered Reed a top title contender, AND assumed he would be fighting it out WITH Ricky Carmichael AND James Stewart every weekend. The reality, OR AT least what we have seen OF it so far, IS that Reed seems TO be stuck IN a kind OF Supercross limbo, suspended somewhere BETWEEN 'the Ricky and Bubba show' AND the rest OF the pack.

At almost every race so far, it has been clear that Reed IS just fractionally slower than BOTH Carmichael AND Stewart. Those fractions, however, ADD up TO seconds over the course OF the race, AND have often LEFT him far adrift OF the two Floridians. Equally wide IS the gap BETWEEN Reed AND the rest OF the field - he seems TO be significantly faster than the rest OF the 'Supercross' class, EXCEPT perhaps FOR Carmichael's teammate Ivan Tedesco.

Can Reed find that extra edge that he needs to get into the fight with Ricky and James Chad has said in the past that he tends to favor the dirt found on the East Coast supercross tracks, and has often started (relatively, for him) slow in the Western rounds, only to wake up and start ripping once the series heads to the right side of the Mississippi. We wouldn't COUNT Reed out OF the fight FOR FIRST place just yet - he might just surprise us NEXT weekend IN St. Louis....

[kirk]

poor chad picked a bad time to fight for the title .

[p.prestegard696]

yeah, maybe it'll go down LIKE LAST season WHERE ricky wont win a race IN the LAST half OF the season..mmm that would be nice

[RandyS]

I'm surprised he doesn't have more in him by now. The tracks have definately not been to his advantage. A1 was the only one that favored him, I think it's the one track that he has turned the fastest lap ON AND maybe the one he was LEADING(OR it was Phx). The Nascarization OF Supercross has NOT been kind. If he doesn't get up there the next 2 races his title hopes are gone.

[briancowan651]

i think its a mix between the bike and his training, he looks tired at the end of his motos and he NEVER has his bikes dialed in right ast the begining of supercross, EVER. i would love to see a 3 way battle for the title, that way there would be CARNAGE! and who saw that bull**** line ricky took on the last lap last weekend, bubba just blew buy him, its almost like ricky just "let him buy". i dont know about u, but once i start pulling away, i keep pulling away, not slow down, and on the last laps, i GUARD my inside line, not go WAY WAY WAY WAY HIGH.