Chad Reed is the new 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross /FIM World Championship number one after registering his ninth victory of the season in front of more than 39,000 spectators at the Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas last weekend. The Australian, still recovering from a broken shoulder blade, went into the final round of seventeen with a ten point lead over main rival Kevin Windham but blitzed the field once more aboard his YZ450F to clinch his second crown in the class (the other obtained in 2004).
Reed obtained his 13th podium of the season after an electric start that saw him pull through from outside the top five on the first lap to pass Windham and motor to the chequered flag by over six seconds. The track inside the Nevada venue was one of the longest and trickiest of the season but Reed coped with the pressure of seeing Windham take victory in the two previous races to produce a vintage and deserving performance when it counted.
"I didn't really think about winning until I saw that Kevin [Windham] wasn't really riding away," he commented. "I didn't know what he was doing, or what his gameplan was, but I felt really confident from the Heat race that I had a lot more speed than him. It seemed like any time, I could just pull up right alongside of him, and I was stronger in the whoops. Then we made some changes to the bike to make it easier on me, and I just came out in the main event and knew I could ride a fast pace if I had to."
"I'm a lot better now, but I still had to be careful, and it's the experience," he said regarding his fractured shoulder. "I've been there before, unfortunately. I broke my scapula before, and I knew that I needed to get through those first two weekends, and then I'd be a lot stronger."
"Coming into the season, I knew I could be strong, and I knew that it was a race between James Stewart and I, and Kevin, but once James went out, the season got really tough," Reed added concerning his 2008 campaign. "I think I lost focus. Winning became really easy. I felt like I was on a roll, and no one was going to beat me. I just got too content. It was just becoming kind of easy, and I made mistakes."
"Next year is a long way away, and there's a lot of stuff that needs to happen between now and then. I want to put my head down and just enjoy the experience. It's been a rough season, and there have been a lot of ups and downs. I just want to thank everybody."
The 25 year old ends a comprehensive and record-breaking - but also difficult - season with a thirteen point gap over Windham. Josh Hill was fifth and Nathan Ramsey finished with seventh.
Thanks to Jason Lawrence's title in the West Coast Lites division Yamaha have claimed championships in two of the three supercross classes in 2008.
The AMA Motocross championship - in which Yamaha and the YZ450F are defending champions - begins at Glen Helen on May 25th.
Circuit Length: n/a
Crowd: 39,227
Weather: Dry
Race 1 - 20 Laps AMA-SX Las Vegas, NV:
1. Chad Reed - Yamaha - AUS 23'18.5002. Kevin Windham - Honda - USA 0'6.629
3. Andrew Short - Honda - USA 0'10.544
4. Josh Hill - Yamaha - USA 0'20.5465. David D Millsaps - Honda - USA 0'24.700
6. Nicholas Wey - KTM - USA 0'27.700
7. Charles Summey - Yamaha - USA 0'35.9168. Travis Preston - Kawasaki - USA 0'46.244
9. Tim Ferry - Kawasaki - USA 0'65.687
10. David Vuillemin - Suzuki - FRA 0'70.010
11. Heath Voss - Honda - USA -1 Laps
12. Paul Carpenter - Honda - USA -1 Laps
13. Jason Thomas - Honda - USA -1 Laps
14. Kelly Smith - Kawasaki - USA -1 Laps
15. Ryan Clark - Honda - USA -1 Laps
Rider Standings:
1. Chad Reed - Yamaha - AUS 3652. Kevin Windham - Honda - USA 352
3. Andrew Short - Honda - USA 281
4. David D Millsaps - Honda - USA 278
5. Josh Hill - Yamaha - USA 228
6. Tim Ferry - Kawasaki- USA 217
7. Nathan Ramsey - Yamaha - USA 1738. David Vuillemin - Suzuki - FRA 169
9. Nicholas Wey - KTM - USA 159
10. Charles Summey - Yamaha - USA 14411. Paul Carpenter - Honda - USA 144
12. Heath Voss - Honda - USA 130
13. Travis Preston - Kawasaki - USA 109
14. Jason Thomas - Honda - USA 100
15. Eric Sorby - Honda - USA 84
26. Grant Langston - Yamaha - RSA 3841. Broc Hepler - Yamaha - USA 3
Manufacturer Standings:
1. Yamaha 3862. Honda 374
3. Kawasaki 296
4. Suzuki 218
5. KTM 163
