Chad Reed

They called him the Hunter Valley Hurricane, but Australia was never going to be big enough for Chad Reed.

At 18, the Indigenous youngster from Kurri Kurri took himself and his girlfriend, now wife, Ellie off to Europe: First place in the 2001 Motocross of Nations in Belgium. And that opened the door to America.

Chad hit the big time. Twice world AMA supercross champion. Stadium Supercross was the coming super sport and Chad took it by the scruff of its neck. A mixture of genius let him take on a beat his all-time hero Ricky Carmichael.

A twenty year stellar career doesn’t come without sacrifice. Although a super athlete Reed has battle injuries, combining the indoor supercross discipline with traditional motocross where he’s won on three continents, a total of 19 championships. In 2009, he was named the AMA’s Athlete of the Year.

Reed’s stature in motorsport is universal, a friend of MotoGP and F1 stars, in their view not only their equal but a performer to be admired.

Reed stood on the big stage. He gave it his all, a mixture of incredible talent, savage aggression and total commitment. In 2020 when he made his first retirement announcement, it was an emotional moment.

He’s come back since then; the rush of competition too great to resist, even though he’s now entered his 40s.

But his big push is his family. Eldest son Tate is now racing and Chad and Ellie are supporting his fledgling career. Tate couldn’t have a better mentor.