Australian Chad Reed made a successful return to motocross at the Ironman National in Crawfordsville, Indiana, for the final round of the 2018 AMA Motocross Championships at the weekend.
The weather wreaked havoc on race day, dumping a lot of rain in the morning. The conditions didn’t prevent Reed from rising to the occasion in his fill-in ride on the Autotrader/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Team Suzuki RM-Z450.
Reed tested the Suzuki RM-Z450 at JGRMX prior to the Unadilla National and was impressed with the bike. With Weston Peick out due to hand surgery, Reed stepped up and volunteered to race the Ironman National. In his first National in over three years, the Australian exceeded expectations as he is inclined to do.
After qualifying seventh, he was as high as third place in the first moto before the sloppy track slowed his advance. Reed crossed the finish line in fifth and lined-up to the far inside on the gate for the second moto.
The veteran nailed the start and led the field through the first turn, but crashed on the first lap, then recovered to cross the finish line eighth in the moto for eighth overall on the day.
“My immediate feeling on the Suzuki RM-Z450 brought back so many positive feelings,” Reed confided. “It instantly changed my thoughts on motocross. I have been working on my off-bike strength and fitness over the past month, so I knew I could handle some suffering.
“Riding fitness is so unique to our sport, so I was really quite nervous and unsure in that area. Not having raced a National in three years, my number-one goal was to smile and enjoy a day of racing my dirt bike for one of the best teams in the paddock. The day was a success on all levels.”
Team Manager Jeremy Albrecht felt Reed lived up to expectations. “Chad Reed was the highlight of the weekend,” Albrecht declared. “It was cool to have him under the tent. He had a great attitude and loved the Suzuki RM-Z450. He did what we were hoping for. The fifth place in the first moto was better than I expected,” Albrecht said.
Reed has not announced any official plans for 2019 but will return to Australia to compete in the S-X Open at Sydney and then cross the Tasman Sea to race at round two, the S-X Open in Auckland.
Meanwhile, the weekend’s racing was headlined by a showdown for the 450 Class title between Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac, the defending national champion, and Frenchman Marvin Musquin. In the end, after a pair of gruelling motos in the mud, Tomac emerged triumphant to hoist the Edison Dye Cup as the 450 class champion for back-to-back seasons.
The battle for victory in the 450 class saw Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia earn his first overall win of the season, while Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger capped off his 250 Class title with another dominant victory.
Photo by BrownDogWilson
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RESULTS & STANDINGS:
Crawfordsville, Indiana – August 25, 2018:
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (1-1)
2 Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (3-2)
3 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (4-3)
4 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (2-9
5 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (9-4)
6 Tyler Medaglia, Canada, Kawasaki (7-6)
7 Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Husqvarna (6-7)
8 Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki (5-8)
9 Valentin Teillet, France, Husqvarna (8-10)
10 Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (16-5)
450 Class Championship Standings
1 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 527 Points
2 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 511 Points
3 Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 445 Points
4 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 444 Points
5 Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 391 Points
6 Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Husqvarna – 311 Points
7 Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM – 298 Points
8 Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki – 291 Points
9 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 186 Points
10 Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Suzuki – 169 Points
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (1-1)
2 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (4-3)
3 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda (2-6)
4 Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (8-2)
5 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (3-7)
6 Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (7-5)
7 Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (10-4)
8 Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM (5-10)
9 Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna (6-11)
10 Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., KTM (9-9)
250 Class Championship Standings
1 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 500 Points
2 Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., KTM – 390 Points
3 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 352 Points
4 RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 337 Points
5 Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 332 Points
6 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 324 Points
7 Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki – 314 Points
8 Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 310 Points
9 Joey Savatgy, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki – 275 Points
10 Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM – 259 Points