Written by:
SPEED Staff
SPEEDtv.com
07/02/2009
Morgantown, WV
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Chad Reed (Photo: Suzuki Racing)
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The 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship reaches the halfway point of the season on Saturday with the annual Independence Day celebration from RedBud in Buchanan, Mich. Coverage of round six, the Monster Energy Motocross National, can be seen live exclusively on NBC Sports at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Last weekend, the world's best riders competed under the lights at mile-high altitude from Thunder Valley MX. A pair of new faces stood atop the podium in each class as Honda Red Bull Racing's Ivan Tedesco captured his first premier 450 Class victory and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Jake Weimer rebounded from a forgettable fourth round of racing to win in the 250 Class for the first time.
450 Class
Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki
Reed was unable to carry the momentum he gained from his first career victory two races ago, but still put in a solid ride in Colorado finishing fourth overall. He still holds a 14-point lead in the standings and looks to bounce back onto the podium on Saturday. Teammate Michael Byrne was strong once again last weekend. The Australian rider continues to get faster each week, finishing fifth last Saturday. Last season, he stood on the podium at RedBud and hopes to do the same this year.
"I've been struggling with some things that are completely out of my control lately, so it was really great to get that win at High Point," explained Reed. "Going into RedBud, it's one of my favorite tracks on the circuit so I'm hoping to be 100 percent for the race this weekend."
"RedBud is an awesome track and I'm excited about the race," boasted Byrne. "Each week my shoulder is getting a little stronger and I'm getting more comfortable on the Rockstar Makita Suzuki RM-Z450. Hopefully, I'll get a couple of good starts this weekend and get a good result."
