[ ]
Reed Charges in Phoenix Supercross
Category: Racing News
Date: 17 Jan 2006
Time:
14:24:37 -0500
Comments
The 2006 Supercross season is quickly turning into one of the best in years, and Yamaha’s Chad Reed is right in the thick of it. After leading half of the main event at Chase Field in Phoenix on January 14, the 2004 AMA Supercross champion finished a close second to Ricky Carmichael. He now trails Carmichael and James Stewart in the standings by a single point. Saturday night’s main event was as exciting as they come for the huge crowd as Jeremy McGrath grabbed the holeshot. But it wasn’t long before Reed, who started third on his YZ450F after winning his heat race, took control and pulled out a seven-second lead over McGrath and Carmichael. Meanwhile Stewart, who fell in the first turn, began carving his way through the pack. The drama continued as Reed bobbled and crashed on lap seven, allowing Carmichael to close within striking range. The defending Supercross champ finally took over the lead on lap 10 with an aggressive block pass, and the final podium included Carmichael, Reed and Stewart, who had battled up to third. Yamaha’s second team rider, Heath Voss, was conspicuously absent after being injured Tuesday in a practice crash. He hopes to return to action at Anaheim 2. Another bright light for Yamaha was Supercross Lites competitor Sean Collier. Aboard his Star Racing YZ250F, he held second for most of the Lites race before ultimately finishing sixth. The series moves back to Anaheim on January 21.