Reed 2008 champion with Las Vegas victory

Published: 05th May 2008

Author: Yamaha Racing Communications

Chad Reed is the new 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross /FIM World Championship number one after registering his ninth victory of the season in front of more than 39,000 spectators at the Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas last weekend.

The Australian, still recovering from a broken shoulder blade, went into the final round of seventeen with a ten point lead over main rival Kevin Windham but blitzed the field once more aboard his YZ450F to clinch his second crown in the class (the other obtained in 2004).

Reed obtained his 13th podium of the season after an electric start that saw him pull through from outside the top five on the first lap to pass Windham and motor to the chequered flag by over six seconds. The track inside the Nevada venue was one of the longest and trickiest of the season but Reed coped with the pressure of seeing Windham take victory in the two previous races to produce a vintage and deserving performance when it counted.

"I didn't really think about winning until I saw that Kevin [Windham] wasn't really riding away," he commented. "I didn't know what he was doing, or what his gameplan was, but I felt really confident from the Heat race that I had a lot more speed than him. It seemed like any time, I could just pull up right alongside of him, and I was stronger in the whoops. Then we made some changes to the bike to make it easier on me, and I just came out in the main event and knew I could ride a fast pace if I had to."

"I'm a lot better now, but I still had to be careful, and it's the experience," he said regarding his fractured shoulder. "I've been there before, unfortunately. I broke my scapula before, and I knew that I needed to get through those first two weekends, and then I'd be a lot stronger."

"Coming into the season, I knew I could be strong, and I knew that it was a race between James Stewart and I, and Kevin, but once James went out, the season got really tough," Reed added concerning his 2008 campaign. "I think I lost focus. Winning became really easy. I felt like I was on a roll, and no one was going to beat me. I just got too content. It was just becoming kind of easy, and I made mistakes."

"Next year is a long way away, and there's a lot of stuff that needs to happen between now and then. I want to put my head down and just enjoy the experience. It's been a rough season, and there have been a lot of ups and downs. I just want to thank everybody."

The 25 year old ends a comprehensive and record-breaking - but also difficult - season with a thirteen point gap over Windham. Josh Hill was fifth and Nathan Ramsey finished with seventh.

Thanks to Jason Lawrence's title in the West Coast Lites division Yamaha have claimed championships in two of the three supercross classes in 2008.

The AMA Motocross championship - in which Yamaha and the YZ450F are defending champions - begins at Glen Helen on May 25th.

2008 AMA-SX Las Vegas, NV 04/05/2008

Race 1 - 20 Laps

1 Chad Reed Yamaha AUS 23'18.500

2 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'6.629

3 Andrew Short Honda USA 0'10.544

4 Josh Hill Yamaha USA 0'20.546

5 David D Millsaps Honda USA 0'24.700

6 Nicholas Wey KTM USA 0'27.700

7 Charles Summey Yamaha USA 0'35.916

8 Travis Preston Kawasaki USA 0'46.244

9 Tim Ferry Kawasaki USA 0'65.687

10 David Vuillemin Suzuki FRA 0'70.010

11 Heath Voss Honda USA -1 Laps

12 Paul Carpenter Honda USA -1 Laps

13 Jason Thomas Honda USA -1 Laps

14 Kelly Smith Kawasaki USA -1 Laps

15 Ryan Clark Honda USA -1 Laps

Rider Standings 03/05/2008

1. Chad Reed Yamaha AUS 365

2. Kevin Windham Honda USA 352

3. Andrew Short Honda USA 281

4. David D Millsaps Honda USA 278

5. Josh Hill Yamaha USA 228

6. Tim Ferry Kawasaki USA 217

7. Nathan Ramsey Yamaha USA 173

8. David Vuillemin Suzuki FRA 169

9. Nicholas Wey KTM USA 159

10. Charles Summey Yamaha USA 144

11. Paul Carpenter Honda USA 144

12. Heath Voss Honda USA 130

13. Travis Preston Kawasaki USA 109

14. Jason Thomas Honda USA 100

15. Eric Sorby Honda USA 84

26. Grant Langston Yamaha RSA 38

41. Broc Hepler Yamaha USA 3

Manufacturer Standings 03/05/2008

1. Yamaha 386

2. Honda 374

3. Kawasaki 296

4. Suzuki 218

5. KTM 163