Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/646962
FEATURE FACTORY YAMAHA'S RETURN TO SUPERCROSS P82 selaar is Chad's mechanic and Shane Drew came on board to work on projects, so we're build- ing our team back up. [Between all of us,] we got a lot of history with Yamaha and a lot of experi- ence in dirt bike racing." Seeing the number 22 back on a YZ is like 2006 all over again. Although his career has taken him on different brands since then, Reed has now come full circle with Yamaha, and returned to the brand that started it all. "Chad's cham- pionships have come on Yama- has," McCarty said. "There's a big part of his ca- reer with Yamaha so we're no stranger to that with him. He was back at [Yamaha Motor Corp. in Cypress, Califor- nia] and people were welcoming him back and excited to see him. He's matured and grown up and still brings a lot of ability at the same time. Those are all great things to have right now." But not everything has changed in the past decade, as Reed is still has the fire in his belly that McCarty remembers. "He's a focused individual," said McCarty. "Just take a look at those blue eyes of his and you don't want him pissed off at you, I know that. I'm just happy he's here. I'm happy he's healthy and happy that he's happy about the situation and his family. We'll just see what happens." The factory revival has gone over quite well with fans, as well. The core fans are especially happy to see Reed still in the fight, and the factory Yamaha team back in action. "I think just for the industry in general, everybody's excited to have a factory-level effort back in the game," Perry said. "I think for the fans, Chad has been a fa- vorite for many years and it's great to see him home again." It was hard to know what to expect out of Reed and the reassembled team, especially as they were thrown into the mix with such little lead time, but with two runner-up finishes thus far in the season, they clearly have the potential to win in 2016. As McCarty explains, they remain optimistic, yet realistic. "We want to win. We came here to win and I know he did too. That's our expectation. But there's also the side of reality that everybody else has got the same expectation. I mean, I don't think anyone's going to cry about anything. We're here to give it our best shot every week and we're going to see where we end up. That's how it works. "WE'RE HERE TO GIVE IT OUR BEST SHOT EVERY WEEK AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHERE WE END UP."