JETT LAWRENCE: IN CHAD REED’S FOOTSTEPS

Chad Reed talks us through how he backed himself to win the 2009 AMA Pro MX Championship … and collected a $4 million insurance payout!

It’s hard not to get swept up in the incredible success that Australia’s Jett and Hunter Lawrence are experiencing in America right now. And their achievements are made all the more special if you know the Lawrence family’s backstory – about risking everything to move to Europe and live off the smell of an oil rag to give their boys the chance to chase their dream in the sport’s big league.

With Hunter currently poised to clinch his first AMA 250MX title and Jett – already a two-time AMA 250MX and two-time AMA 250SX champ – recently wrapping up the 2023 AMA 450MX Pro Motocross Championship in his rookie season with two rounds to spare, it’s fair to say that the family’s gamble sure paid off! In just four years in America, Jett Lawrence has become the sport’s most bankable athlete, and we shudder to think what sort of payday the 20-year-old just pocketed for his incredible premier-class title win.

With all this talk of gambling and big paydays, we couldn’t help but reflect on the guy who blazed the trail for Aussie MX racers in America, Chad Reed, and in particular, Reed’s historic AMA 450MX title win back in 2009 – the first premier-class AMA MX title ever won by an Australian. Aside from the fact that Reedy had never won a professional motocross title at that point – not in Australia, not in Europe, not in America – Reed’s 2009 title was also memorable for the fact that he took out an insurance policy on himself that year. Yes, he effectively backed himself to win, and set up what turned out to be a $4 million payday!

So, let’s revisit the Ripping Yarn about that notorious Chad Reed title win, an article that first appeared in Issue #32 (June, 2013) of Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine…