— Reed second as Villopoto kicks off Title defence with victory at Anaheim
Australian Supercross star Chad Reed has made a solid start to the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, finishing second in the opening round of the season at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium tonight.
The TwoTwo Motorsports owner/rider struggled to get comfortable 
on the tight track throughout the earlier practice sessions and qualified eighth.
Aggressive changes made to the #22 Honda CRF450 before the heat race paid dividends, with Reed winning his heat race convincingly ahead of Mike Alessi and defending champion Ryan Villopoto.
Reed got a good start in the 20-lap ‘Main Event’ sitting third after the first turn. He moved into second on the opening lap and was over seven seconds clear of third place when he went down on Lap 14.
The Australian remounted and retained second place, holding off a late charge from Ryan Dungey over the closing laps of the race.
“This track was totally different to what we have tested on in the lead up to the start of the season,” Reed explained. “It really only had one line so was very hard to pass on.
“I struggled a little bit through practice but the guys made some aggressive changes to the bike before the heat race which really helped me.
“My starts were good and I was happy to get second tonight in this field of riders.
“I had a small tip over in the race, I was looking for new lines and lost the front,” Reed added.
Reed will now prepare for Round 2 of the 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, which will be held on Saturday January 14 at Chase Field in Pheonix, Arizona.
— 2012 AMA/FIM SUPERCROSS — RND 1 – ANAHEIM
— SX MAIN — SX POINTS — 250 WEST MAIN — 250 WEST POINTS
Ryan Villopoto – KAW
Chad Reed – HON
Ryan Dungey – KTM
Justin Brayton – HON
Jake Weimer – KAW
James Stewart – YAM
Andrew Short – HON
Kevin Windham – HON
Mike Alessi – SUZ
Josh Hansen – KAW
Brett Metcalfe – SUZ
Broc Tickle – KAW
Ivan Tedesco – KAW
Kyle Chisholm – KAW
Ryan Morais – YAM
Davi Millsaps – YAM
J Albertson – SUZ
Chris Blose – KAW
Josh Grant – KAW
Thomas Hahn – HON
Ryan Villopoto – 25
Chad Reed – 22
Ryan Dungey – 20
Justin Brayton – 18
Jake Weimer – 16
James Stewart – 15
Andrew Short – 14
Kevin Windham – 13
Mike Alessi – 12
Josh Hansen – 11
Brett Metcalfe – 10
Broc Tickle – 9
Ivan Tedesco – 8
Kyle Chisholm – 7
Ryan Morais – 6
Davi Millsaps – 5
J Albertson – 4
Chris Blose – 3
Josh Grant – 2
Thomas Hahn – 1
Cole Seely – HON
Tyla Rattray – KAW
Eli Tomac – HON
Marvin Musquin – KTM
Ryan Sipes – YAM
Dean Wilson – KAW
Jason Anderson – SUZ
Wil Hahn – HON
Zach Osborne – YAM
Travis Baker – HON
Matt Moss – KTM
Nico Izzi – YAM
T Maier – HON
B Laninovich – HON
Vince Friese – HON
Max Anstie – HON
Ryan Marmont – KTM
J Richardson – HON
Martin Davalos – SUZ
Christian Craig – HON
Cole Seely – 25
Tyla Rattray – 22
Eli Tomac – 20
Marvin Musquin – 18
Ryan Sipes – 16
Dean Wilson – 15
Jason Anderson – 14
Wil Hahn – 13
Zach Osborne – 12
Travis Baker – 11
Matt Moss – 10
Nico Izzi – 9
T Maier – 8
B Laninovich – 7
Vince Friese – 6
Max Anstie – 5
Ryan Marmont – 4
J Richardson – 3
Martin Davalos – 2
Christian Craig – 1
