Chad Reed is not only one of Australia's greatest motocross and supercross riders but he's proved himself to be up there with the worlds best as well, earning him a position as one of Australia's highest paid sportsmen. Incase you are not sure who Chad Reed is, he's the guy who rides with the national number 22 and speaks with an interesting accent that's a blend of Australian and American. That's what happens to your vocals when you leave your home country to go race and live in the land of hotdogs for many years.
Like all superstars of the sport, Chad Reed has his fair share of fans and critics. You can never please everyone right? The thing I like about him is that he tends to race clean and fair. He's not cocky and arrogant, and he shows great sportsmanship. And although he has won two AMA supercross titles he's narrowly missed out on a few more, having to settle for second place to the legendary riders Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart.
Chad recently missed out again on the #1 spot in the 2009 AMA Supercross Championship to James Stewart. They had been battling head to head in a grueling season filled with tension. The overall championship boiled down to the final race, where J.S took 3rd place to claim his 2nd AMA SX Championship, leaving Chad Reed an eye-wateringly close 2nd overall only 4 points behind.
Just like his rivals, Chad traded in his nappies for a helmet to begin riding dirt bikes at the age of 3 1/2. He was encouraged by his mum and dad who left the small, poor town of West Wallsend, Newcastle, Australia to begin training him in Kurri Kurri. His father, Mark Reed, was strict and tough on him when it came to his training. No girlfriends... No smoking... No drinking... And definitely no drugs! All Chad wanted to do from a very young age was to be the worlds best dirt bike rider, and Mark was prepared to help him.
