Chad Reed hits the front outdoors

Chad Reed has taken his first MX win outdoors on the 450, now leads 2009 championship.

Australia’s Chad Reed has taken his first outdoor win on a  450 at this weekend’s High Point Raceway round of the Lucas Oils 2009 AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

Prior to the event the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider was eager to improve on two consecutive third place finishes over the past fortnight.

Sitting fourth after qualifying, a determined Reed setup victory in the first moto with a commanding holeshot. Reed fended off all challenges in the early stages before establishing an untouchable pace and coming home strong by a margin of close to four-and-a-half-seconds.

Another good start in moto two saw him battling at the front for the the first few laps, before settling into third. Consistent laps saw Reed reel in the lead pairing before applying pressure and making the pass for position.

Deep ruts and rough patches on the track played havoc in the closing stages, but the RM-Z450 pilot managed to steer clear despite a wild off-track moment. He took the chequered flag by another solid 4.5s margin, claiming a 1-1 finish and maximum points.

“It feels good to get my first overall Motocross win, but to be truthful, I feel like I should have been here a long time ago,” said Reed. “And it’s fitting that my last win was a one-one here in 2002. Today we came back for my first 450-class win here.

“We made some changes to the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 today, and I’ve been feeling pretty comfortable on the bike, though I’m still not 100 per cent. I’m just doing the best I can to go out and put my best foot forward for the fans.”

The weekend’s points haul sees Reed take the lead of the championship on 161 points, 19 clear of second place.

Riders will take a two week break before the season continues with the Thunder Valley Motocross under lights in Colorado.

450 Class Championship Standings

1. Chad Reed, Australia, Suzuki, 161
2. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 142
3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Tex., Honda, 137
4. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 119
5. Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 110
6. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Yamaha, 91
7. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki, 89
8. Michael Byrne, Australia, Suzuki, 84
9. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 79
10. Dan Reardon, Australia, Honda, 68