T HO Wor ld Supercross GP/THO AMA
Supercross Series
and it's disheartening when you've got half
the season to go and they've already got a
full-race advantage. I'm glad to be in t hat
position this year."
Reed rocketed off of the elevated start
pad into the lead right off the bat to start
the main event, while Windham was mired
in the pack.
"My start was less than stellar, "
Wind ham said. "I got a bad sta rt , and I saw
Chad had a good jump and was going to
get the holeshot, so I had my work cut out
for me. "
Reed likes the elevated starts.
"I haven't lost a holeshot on one yet,"
Reed said. "[Dirt Wurx is) do ing great, and
I really like it. It's something differe nt, and
all of us have been racing a long time, and
it's great to have something like that to
challe nge us."
(Left) Coming into the main , there
wasn't a single 250cc pass for the
lea d all night. Chad Reed (22) kept
that streak perfect by dominating
the 250cc main from holeshot to
checkered flog.
(Below) Kevin Windhom (14) pulled
to within about a second of Reed
(22), but the Aussie motored back
away for his fifth win of the season.
Chad Reed wins Houston, pulls one race ahead
he week preceding roun d seven
o f the T HQ / AMA Sup ercross
Ser ie s saw Amso il/C hapar ra l
Honda's Kevin Windham retrieve
the 10 points he was docked in a
controvers ial call by the AMA back at round
tw o in an AMA appea l board meeting, which
T
once again put him wi thin one race of series
leader Ch ad Reed in points (see Briefly...).
Windham then promptly lost a point when
another decision was reversed: the five sec-
onds that Grant Langston was docked at round
six in San Francisco for contact with Michael
Byrn e, meaning Langston was credited wit h
fifth and Windham with sixth in the race . The
good news for all of the riders is, for the first
time since roun d one, they all cur rently own
eve ry point they've earned so far this season .
That said, Team Y
amaha's Reed still ente red
Houston's Reliant Stadium with 23 points in
hand over his chief challenger Wind ham by
virt ue of his four wins and two runne r-up finishes. His goal? Make tha t 23 points 26 - at
least. And he did just tha t, lead ing every lap on
his way to his fifth victory of the season.
"It's always nice to have a cushio n like
that, " Reed said of his points advantage . "I
know w hat it's like racing last year w ith Ricky,
18
FEBRUARY 25, 2004 •
CYCLE N EWS
40th Anniversary
