ANAHEIM, CA, JAN. 5 – Chad Reed thinks the magic formula for winning the 2012 AMA Monster Energy Supercross Championship is winning races. Five of them might do the trick, he said. And just being consistent probably won’t work.
“I think you need to win races,” Reed said today at the pre-Anaheim Supercross press conference. “I think year after year, other than 10, I’ve been there every weekend and been on the podium. But all the years I’ve been so close but yet so far, I’ve only had a couple of race wins. I think you have to be up around five race wins this year to win. You’ve got five guys up here [Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey, James Stewart and Trey Canard] who are going to challenge week in and week out. I think being on the podium when you can and winning races when you can is important.”
Chad Reed shares a laugh with Ryan Villopoto.
Last year Reed came close to taking the title, losing out to Ryan Villopoto by just four points. He achieved that runner-up finish in his first year as team owner/rider on the newly formed TwoTwo Motorsports. Now Reed has a season under his belt on the Honda… oh, and a new level of support from Honda.
“I think we’ve had quite a few months more to prepare,” Reed said of the difference between this time last year and now. “I think for me as a rider, entering the season – something I haven’t done for the past four seasons – on the same motorcycle, the same group of people… I think we’ve been there and done it. We’ve fallen short way too many times so you just try to live and learn over the years and you just try to build a program and we’re going to have a lot more support this year from Honda. I feel confident that we have the best bike and the preparation has gone well this off-season so it’s time to get after it and see where we’re at.”
Reed also says his crash at the Millville, Minnesota National is now a distant memory.
“That crash took a little out of me and I was a little banged up,” Reed said. “In a series that’s going weekend after weekend after that, it was tough to regroup and clearly I wasn’t up to speed after that. At des Nations I was able to win the first moto so it felt nice to get that monkey off your back… testing has gone really well and I did a race in Italy and felt good and strong. When I summed up my 2010 season and having my first child and my best friend Andrew McFarland passing away, I was ready to jump back in the saddle. If it’s my turn, it’s my turn. If a crash like that is going to scare you, then I shouldn’t be sitting up there.”
