Yamaha's Chad Reed finds himself in the points lead of the Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series as
the championship moves to Atlanta's Georgia Dome on Feb. 25, for round eight of the 16-race series.
Reed took over the championship chase after a pair of unexpected turn of events in this past
Saturday's race in St. Louis.
Reed took maximum advantage of his rivals' misfortunes, Ricky Carmicheal a mechanical DNF and James Stewart a crash and bike problems.
The 2004 AMA Supercross champ moved past Suzuki's
Ivan Tedesco just past half-way and pulled away to a convincing 11.3-second victory. It marked Reed's first victory
since the Las Vegas round last year and led to an emotional podium celebration for the Australian rider.
"It's unbelievable," Reed said after winning Saturday. "I've been pulling my hair out this season trying to
find my speed. At times I almost felt like giving up. I kept telling myself that it was a long series and
I still had what it took to win. I'm so happy for my team. It felt horrible to see them working so hard
and not being able to produce the results. I thank my wife and my fans for believing in me. Their support
made all the difference in the world. Now we're starting fresh and I'm ready for the second half of the season."
Carmichael dropped to second in the standings, nine points behind Reed. Stewart is now third, eight points behind
Carmichael. With Atlanta marking the halfway point, the series is shaping up to be one of the best battles for the
championship in many years.
Carmichael has the opportunity to tie Jeremy McGrath for the record of five Atlanta Supercross wins this weekend.
The Floridian has won four of the last five races in the Georgia Dome. Reed won the race in 2004. Mike
LaRocco is the other former race winner expected in the field on Saturday.
The AMA Supercross Lites East Series kicked off last weekend in St. Louis and Georgia's own Davi Millsaps
won the event to take the early series lead. Millsaps, riding for American Honda, will try to keep his
momentum going in Atlanta. If he wins Saturday it would mark the first Atlanta Supercross Lites (formerly 125 Supercross)
win for Honda since 1993.
Christopher Gosselaar, of the Monster Energy Drink/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team, finished a close second in St.
Louis, followed by Boost Mobile Yamaha's Branden Jesseman making them among the favorites to challenge Millsaps this weekend.
