Reed Report
Reed still in the hunt despite tough Thunder Valley showing; Dungey does it again
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chad Reed faced an uncharacteristic struggle for pace at the weekend’s Thunder Valley motocross round, unable to recover from a pair of slow starts to both 450 class motos in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
The defending champion finished 10-7 for a 9th overall for round 5. Consistency has kept the 28-year-old at the head of the field for the first half of the season but he acknowledges that he must step it up to remain in title contention.
“It was a tough day, I couldn’t get going and really struggled to make any ground during the motos,” said Reed.
“In terms of the championship it was costly, I dropped a spot and Ryan (Dungey) added another big bag of points.
“We’ll be looking to come back strong for the next one at Red Bud. If I can get away well I feel like I can be right there challenging for wins.”
The Aussie will be seeking redemption at this weekend’s sixth round and the centrepiece of the US championship, Red Bud.
He is placed third behind fellow countryman Brett Metcalfe, who is 7 points ahead. Ryan Dungey is a further 51 points away in the class lead.
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 218
2. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 167
3. Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 160
4. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 154
5. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 153
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 152
7. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda, 151
8. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha, 108
9. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki, 101
10. Kyle Regal, Kemp, Texas, Honda, 94
