Aussie's Chad Reed Interview by Franki Matteson My publisher sent me on a mission a few weeks back, which involved a gorgeous Aussie man and a lot of dirty fun. I was more than eager to jump into this assignment! Oh, come on now... get your minds out of the gutter! I'm talking about the wonderful world of Motocross Racing and its' Australian Prince Charming known as Chad Reed. Born in Kurri Kurri, Australia, in March of 1982, this motocross hottie, Chad Reed really knew how to go for what he believed in! In 2000, he was the Australian Supercross Champion. He finished the 2001-year out, ranked as the second fastest 250 motocross racer in the world. Having spent five years in this industry, #22 Chad Reed, really made a worldwide name for himself. In 2001, he won in the (WSX) 2nd overall. In 2002, he raced hard and fast in the (SX 125E) 125cc East Championship, placing 1st in Indianapolis, 1st in Minnesota, and 1st in Atlanta among many other cities. In 2003, he soared through race after race, becoming the World Supercross GP Champion. For those of you who don't know much about the world of Motocross Racing, or Chad Reed, let me tell you, you are missing out on a whole community of testosterone filled dreamboats looking for a thrill. Aside from all of the sweat and breath taking moments, there lies a sport which is by all means one of the most "on the edge of your seat" spectator events in existence. A young gentleman by the name of Chad Reed, is one worthy of major respect in this sport, and who's got everyone’s eyes glued to his back, out on the track. To keep in shape, this Aussie has been working hard on exercising during the off-season by swimming and cycling, along with being on the test track. He even went to great lengths to buy a house in California, near the Yamaha test track. If all this doesn’t make him hot enough, he even flew his fiancé, (sorry ladies...), to the States from Australia. In addition to the Californian home, he purchased a large coach motorhome that he uses at races as a place to rest between motos. Reed has a large fan base of all ages from all over the world. It is easy to see just how faithful his fans are. Many fans are honest about what first caught their eye about Reed … his quick smile and great looks, are pretty hard to forget or ignore. I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more about this Aussie Motocross Racer, and of his many achievements. He is the current running "good boy" of the "bad boy" image. Confusing? Naaaa. I got to sit down and interview Chad last weekend at Anaheim Stadium, in California, right after one of his practice runs. I know you will enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoyed interviewing him... Please enjoy... Franki: First off I'd like to say thanks for sitting down and talking to us. Chad: No Problem. Franki: Tell us about who you are, your sponsor, hometown, for people who (shame, shame) don't know who "Chad Reed" is. Chad: Well, my name is Chad Reed. Originally I'm from Australia and I've been here in the US about 3 years now. I really like it. My dream as a kid was to come to America... this is where the best riders in the world are. This is where I chose to go. My heroes were here. Franki: Who were your heroes growing up? Chad: My hero was Jeremy McGrath. I always wanted to be just like him and with him being here, racing Yamahas, I wanted that. I was given a chance to ride for Yamaha as well. It's so exciting! Franki: Now that you're the #1 guy, have you hit him up and asked for some pointers? Chad: Yeah, sure. I talk to him a lot. He's a very good friend of mine. It's very cool growing up and wanting to be like somebody and finding them to be just like a normal person who just has a lot of great information to give you. I want to be like that someday. I like kids. Franki: But you are like that now. Chad: Yeah, but I don't see myself like that. Franki: Does it make you feel weird with everyone feigning over you? Chad: Na, I don't think it's weird. It goes along with what we're doing. I think it's really cool that people find what we do interesting and they look up to us because of what we can do. I think that's really cool that we love it so much when we're doing it and they get such a big kick out of watching us do it, which is really cool. Franki: When I was growing up, I had dreams and desires and nothing was gonna stand in my way; was there a little part of you that just "knew" it was going to happen? Did your parents push you, or did anyone say... "Don't do that! Get a regular job."...what happened with you? Chad: You know what, I'm really proud of myself cause I wanted something really bad, and I didn't have to make it in my own country, I wanted something bigger... Franki: You didn't want it just in Australia, you wanted to be the best in America! Chad: (laughing) It was pretty crazy... setting my sights on America, it seemed like it was pretty close... I knew I could get here or whatever, but I really never realized how far it really was, and "really" what I was asking myself to do... Franki: When you finally made it here, was there something inside that said, okay, I'd better do it and I'd better do it now? Chad: Yeah, you only get chances like this once in a lifetime... I put a lot of hard work into doing what I do. I want to stay here. I don't want it taken away from me; I want to keep it. Franki: I’ve read that you live in California and Florida... which is it? Chad: I've got a house on both coasts. I live in Florida for some part of the year and then I live in California for the last races in Supercross. Franki: Is there either one you like better? Or better yet... have you surfed both places? Chad: I haven't, I've only surfed here in California. Franki: Well don't bother with Florida; cause California is the only place. San Onofre's Trail Six is where it’s at... I hear you surf Trail Six, which is my favorite place to surf. Are there any other spots you like to surf? Chad: No, just there. Franki: So you're a Long Boarder? Chad: Yeah. Franki: What is Surfer Cross? Tell me about it. Chad: Surfer Cross is where you get the top pro surfers and motocross guys and one day we go race motocross, and the next day we go surfing. Franki: So the surfers race motocross? Chad: Yeah. Franki: Are they any good? Chad: Sonny's good... and there's other guys. We do one lap at a time. We have two races and at the end of the day you see who wins and the next day we go surfing. And the racers surf as well. It's fun. Franki: I would do that. Chad: Yeah? Franki: Sure... why not! (we both laugh) Franki: What is Skippy? Chad: That is a nickname from Europe. The people used to call me Skippy cause of my accent and because of the cartoon character. Franki: A cartoon character named Skippy, see you learn something new every day! Chad: No body in America calls me Skippy... Franki: Cause we don't know what it is, so...(laughing) Chad: Yeah... Franki: Did you really use to chase Kangaroos with your motorcycle in Australia? Chad: Well, not on a daily basis... (laughing) ... those animals are really fast... and it's amazing keeping up with them on a motorcycle. Franki: When you entered the AMA Supercross in 2002, you were virtually an unknown over here... did you have any idea that you were gonna be as big as you are today? Chad: You always expect and want it to happen, but you never really know. I had no idea it would happen this fast. I was lucky. I was paired up with a great motorcycle, and I was stoked to be part of the Yamaha program both years I was here and so it's a dream come true. Franki: Your San Diego race saw you neck in neck with Kevin Windham for about 14 laps... what was going through your mind at that time? Chad: I just wanted to find my time and when I made my pass, I wanted it to be right away, not have to be protective. It was great, and it's nice when you have a plan and the plan actually works. It was exciting to me and for the crowd and it makes the race go really fast, a lot of people came out of their great. FRANK DAVERN: You made it look so easy when you pulled away from him, was it that easy or did he just give up? Chad: Um, it's never ever easy. No I don't think he gave up. I've just been putting in a lot of hard work and I knew that when I went for it, I was strong enough to just keep going. Franki: What has been your favorite race so far, since you've been in America? Chad: Probably the one that stands out and was really special was probably the first race in Anaheim last year here. It was my first ever 250 race in America professionally and I won very easy. Franki: Were you on a 125 or a 250 (obviously not paying attention! hehe) Chad: No, a 250... Other than that my other race would be with Ricky Carmichael last year. We passed each other a lot for 20 laps and finally the last 2 or 3 laps I made a gap... Franki: And what goes through your mind in those moments/situations? Chad: Probably the reason it means so much to me is because Ricky is known for how thin, strong and determined he is to win. To actually win against Ricky is a great feeling, and to know in the back of my mind that I actually have what it takes to win to beat someone like him is great. Franki: How do you get along with the other Yamaha riders? Chad: We get along great. We hang out at the track in Corona, we ride together, and we train together. We're a team but we're also individuals, we do things very differently. The first race here, we were all on the podium... it was a great compliment for me coming back from a shoulder surgery and winning and having my teammates next to me ... the team was happy... and when the team's happy, everything snowballs, it's cool. Franki: I heard that you hurt your shoulder playing pool, is this true? Cause if it is ... I'm NEVER gonna go play pool with you! Chad: It's true! (smiling) Yep... nothing serious, no crazy shot, nothing... I had a dislocated shoulder and I didn't realize it was vulnerable... unfortunately it came out playing pool. Franki: Is that coming into play with your races? Chad: I only had four weeks before the first race and hadn't been on the bike in three weeks... Franki: Are you feeling it when you get off the track? Chad: Not really, I mean my rehab went really well. Franki: Who did you do your rehab with? Chad: Jeff Spencer, he did a really great job. Dr. Armond did a really good job on my surgery. Franki: What do you do in the off season, or IS there an off season? Chad: I did a lot of training, and then the shoulder thing happened. It sucks sitting on the couch and thinking I'd rather be riding. We do race so many weekends straight, it is good to take some time off, and I think it helped me to regroup and come into the new season fresh. I feel like it's getting stronger though. Franki: It's kind of cool that you have a hurt shoulder though and you're still winning and winning... Chad: I get the same question asked every weekend; did I really have surgery? Franki: When I go to step on the stage, I have a routine that I HAVE to go through to work myself up...do you have a certain routine you do to get ready for a race? Chad: My routine is mainly done during the week; making sure I've done my time on the motorcycle and I've done the training. Franki: What goes through your head right before the race starts? Chad: Make sure I get a good start. That's pretty much the main thing... concentrate on the good start. FRANK DAVERN: Growing up in Australia, did you follow American Supercross? Chad: Yeah, I watched it day in and day out. I watched McGrath every day, I had videos, all my friends had videos, and people say I have a similar riding style as Jeremy, which is probably true. I wanted to be like him, I studied and studied and thought, yeah man... I could do that. FRANK DAVERN: How was it when you first met Jeremy? Chad: Pretty funny. The first time I ever saw him, it was unreal, he didn't look like he did on TV, it was unreal. Franki: What do you think about the Chad Reed lunch boxes, and blankets? Chad: It spins me out, I have pajamas, and lunch boxes… Franki: That's when you know you've arrived. Chad: I never ever dreamed or thought of things like that. It's cool to give those as gifts to my sisters and brothers... Franki: What about a Chad Reed PlayStation game, is that in the works? Chad: It’s definitely in the works, we're trying to work with a couple of different company's, PS2 being one of them, hopefully I'll have my own game in the near future and that would be cool. Franki: What kind of music do you like? Chad: I like it all Franki: Punk Rock? Chad: Yeah, I like that and Rap, I like Eminem... he's really cool... Franki: I was listening to him on the way here today... Chad: Yeah, Eminem and 50 cent, I think they're really cool. Franki: One last question... do you and Ellie have a wedding date? Chad: Yeah, we're getting married on October 15, 2004 right after the US Open... hopefully I can win there. Franki: Can we snap a picture real quick? Chad: Sure thing... Franki: Thanks, Chad! And then he was gone... Chad Reed is one of those riders that will become a household name worldwide if he continues with the path he's on. It's always nice to see dreams come true. Speaking of "dreams"... What a wonderfully pleasant human being Chad portrays himself to be. That ear melting Aussie accent, piercing blue eyes and a smile that would sink ships... oh, what a lucky woman that Ellie is... sorry girls, he's definitely not available. ~Franki Orange County @ Nite Supercross Links: www.chadreedracing.com www.supercross.com www.dirtrider.com www.yamaha-motor.com www.usmotocross.com Special thanks to Yamaha's Terry Beal. Edited by, Debbie Luger. Contributors: Andrea Adams, Sabine Schenk, and Yamaha Motor Corps.