Chad Reed: The Supercross Interview

Ahead of the 2016 AUS-X Open, AME Management’s Kane Taylor speaks to Australia’s Chad Reed about his past and future as a professional AMA Supercross racer.

Kane: Let’s take this back to the start, Chad. Beginning your American career in 2002, did you know anyone, or no one at all? How did that whole process work?
Chad: No, I had no real idea about anybody over here (in the States) to be honest. You know, a few people I knew of course; (Kris) Kibby, he was working at Factory Connection and was a Suzuki mechanic when I was back in Australia. And, you know, obviously Byrner (Michael Byrne) was there but other than that, I didn’t know anyone. But you didn’t really need to know anyone, you know? It’s just life. You go out, you meet people and then you figure out the good, the bad and the ugly – you try to figure out who you want in your crew and who you don’t want in your crew. So yeah, for us (Ellie and I) it was a clean start. There wasn’t anybody to hold on to, and as we began to meet people, Ellie and I were sort of shown the ropes. For the most part, though, we were both fairly independent people – we had just spent a year in Europe living on our own, and when you go from Europe where you’re not familiar with the language, or sometimes the money currency, it actually made the transition to the States seem quite easy.

How was it being Ricky Carmichael’s main challenger, and how did the fans respond?
Well, I think that I … you know, I came along at a time that Jeremy McGrath was on his way out, and everybody loved Jeremy. I think initially everyone liked Ricky too, however he went on and became very dominant, and was just young, incredibly determined to win and did whatever it took to win. And I never like the word arrogant because I think there are arrogant people, but then I think there are people who are very determined and driven people. I think that, in sport, it’s viewed as much the same far too often, and I just think that Ricky was on a tear to be the best that he possibly could be. Then I think with Ricky coming, dominating, and then Jeremy going – everyone was looking for someone new. My riding style was very similar to Jeremy’s, obviously I was a huge fan, and, I wouldn’t say that I replicated his style, but you could obviously tell that I had watched the guy a lot and studied him. Though I didn’t consciously try to go out there and emulate his style, it was more the fact of just watching him over and over and over, and that’s just what you learned. So I think in a lot of ways I represented Jeremy, and people liked that, so I became a fan favourite quite quickly. I always had huge respect for Ricky, always. Never at any point did I not respect him, but like him, I was feisty and driven and I wanted to kick his ass. I was always willing to go to the grindstone, and I studied him a lot too. I watched what he was doing to his competitors, and I think I gave him a bit of his own medicine; I was able to play the games that he was playing. That whole era was a lot of fun, and something I will always cherish.

Ricky had Aldon Baker in his corner back then – did that ever play on your mind?
You know, I think Aldon was still semi-unknown back then. I don’t know … there’s part of me that, I think maybe there’s something there. Obviously it’s hard to deny the fact that his guys are always good. But also in saying that, Aldon doesn’t take a B+ guy and turn him into an A+ guy. I mean he’s taken A+ guys and made them stronger, along with given them the tools that are required. So, of course, I’ve went against it through my years with Ricky and then with James, but those guys were already really good prior to Aldon.

You’ll be racing Ryan Villopoto at the AUS-X Open in November. What are your thoughts on him, and at what point did you think that he could potentially be the next “guy”?
I mean, I think that, when you go back to ’05 and ’06, I’m in the prime of my career. So for me, I’m in my prime and not looking at who’s coming to challenge because you’re so caught up in the moment of racing the Greatest Of All Time (RC) and James Stewart, who is also no slouch. So, I wouldn’t say that I thought ‘Oh, wow, this kid is coming in’; you just admire the talent at that point. I remember back in those days watching his lines in the outdoors more than anything, so yeah obviously you’re aware of who he is – we were Thor teammates, so I was around and seeing him quite often at the tracks. Truthfully, I remember seeing Ryan when he was with Randy Lawrence (Ryan’s trainer at the time) preparing for Loretta’s on his Supermini, and I think those are the days where I was like, ‘Wow, this kid rips’. The Pro race weekends were so consuming and hectic, but when he was an Amateur on his 85 was pretty impressive.

Was there a stage, perhaps ’09 and ’10, that it became apparent to you on what was to come with Ryan?
Oh, I think back to ’05 on his 85 and you obviously knew the kid was going to be good. When he came to the big-bike class, we were teammates in ’10, but I want to say, ’09, you know, he came in, was expected to do really well after taking the reigns from James Stewart at Kawasaki, and I think he was actually expected to do better than what he did to be honest. Then he obviously got with Aldon, and the rest is history from there – he went on a tear. I think to be a champ, you have to be good, you have to work hard, and you have to have luck on your side. I think, personally, there were two years there where he was the champ, but we were as good if not a bit better however didn’t quite have the chips fall our way. I think that he was a great champ – somebody who I respect a lot – as competitors we always raced hard, never really got into it ever and yeah raced hard and clean – they were the good years.

Shifting back to the AUS-X Open, how important is it to have an event like that in Australia?
I think it’s huge. I think the event, the timing, the location, the stadium are all just really positive things for me. You know, I think getting back to Qudos Bank Arena; it really fits Australian Supercross right now. It’s the grass roots as to why and how it became so strong, so for me I think it’s really important that I’m able to be a part of it, and support it. I really enjoy it – it’s at a great time of the year where I start ramping my fitness and training up for the new year, so I’m able to get a gauge of where I’m at, what needs tweaking, where I’m strong, where I’m not strong and bike setup. So for me, the whole event is just a win-win.

To date, what has been your favourite season of all time?
My favourite season of all time? I would probably say ’03 and ’04. ’03 was really fun because … I enjoyed – it’s so hard to just say one (laughs)! 03’ and ’04, they were just fun, you know? My bike was awesome, tyres were awesome, and everything clicked. Some of my favourite years I won, and some of my favourite years I didn’t necessarily win. You know I think that ’04 was awesome, ’03 was awesome – I didn’t win but I won a lot of races and learned a lot. I believe ’09 was a huge turning point in my life and career, you know getting to work with Mike Gosselaar as my mechanic and hearing his knowledge about the bike with the setup and all things racing I think that helped me a lot. I believe that the rider, the test rider and the feel that I have today is really complemented to him, so he’s helped a lot in that area. And then 2011 was awesome, you know? I think that had I not have had my big crash in the motocross (Millville) I think I’m the 2011 outdoor champion. Running my own team and just having fun, but yet, I still didn’t win. But I think what I achieved in such a small amount of time and what I took on – the effort that it took and the reward of winning races and putting myself back into a position where I was looked at as a title threat; that was a huge rebuilding year for me.

You obviously get asked this question a lot, but how do you feel about retirement?
Yeah I mean, I personally feel like…I think if I can find the feeling that it takes for me to be the best that I can be, I honestly believe that I still have what it takes to win races and challenge for a championship. I really do believe that. And that’s what still drives me, to be the best that I can be. You know, as I’m the older guy in the class and everyone starts talking retirement, of course personally I have the pressure of being a champion, but I’m not expected to be the champ. So for me, it’s more a matter of just, like, finding that comfort zone that I can be in a position to challenge the way I want to challenge. The talent that is currently racing, you know they’re not doing anything crazy, nothings getting done that’s not do-able. So for me, it’s all right there, and it’s all just a tenth here and a tenth there that I’m off. I always say two more years, but I have been saying that for the last five years (laughs)? I am fearful of retirement, you know? I still feel young, I don’t feel old or beat up and I don’t believe that I can’t do it. I’m still confident in my ability to get it done, I just need to find the comfort – and at no point in my career has that been any different – whether I’m 21 or 34. For me, I’m a huge Valentino Rossi fan, and the guys 37 years old and just signed a two-year extension that’ll take him to 39. Obviously it’s a different sport, but I see what he’s doing on and off the bike to allow himself a thought process that may not match a 37 year old, and that’s what I’m trying to do.

So far, you’ve really lasted two eras with Ricky and Ryan – what do you attribute the longevity to?
I think the biggest part is the straight up passion that I have for racing, you know? I love it; I really, really love it. I think from a negative point, you turn it into a positive that I have lost a lot. I’ve obviously been lucky enough to win a lot, but I have been on the shitty end of the stick quite a few times where I feel like, one win here or one win there could’ve changed my career drastically…

Anaheim 1, 2005…
Yeah, of course you know, exactly. But, for whatever reason, I was dealt a different set of cards. And I just think that, when you’ve won a lot, you have a lot to lose. I look at Ricky and Ryan, and both of those guys retired at 26 years old which I believe to be insane. You’re so young, and there is just so much to life. And for me it’s not about the money, like, sure I’m good – I wouldn’t need to do a 9-5 job for the rest of my life, but it’s about trying to be the best that you can be and working hard and living. I think I have that passion that they may’ve lost due to my ups and downs. I feel like I have lived life and I’m still continuing to live it. For me, working hard and racing on the weekends is what I call living, you know?

Will it be strange the day that James Stewart retires, as you guys have been at it for 14 years now?
Yeah, I mean James and I have been going at it for 14 years now – we had a couple years off there when he was in the 125s. I think it’ll be sad when he and I retire to be honest, whenever that comes. He’s younger than I am (30 years old) and I’ve heard talk that he’s only going to go one more, but I’ve been in that position where I’ve said one more and, for whatever reason, you find the passion – you just never know. James is so unpredictable that he may never find the passion and only go half a year, or, he could go six more years – who knows! For me, I mean, I’m not his biggest fan so I don’t really care, but it will be a sad day. He’s an individual who brings a lot to the sport from a talent aspect, and I believe it’s all still there, it’s just how he taps into it and rekindles the fire.