Reed brought back to earth in Colorado

Just two weeks after his first ever overall victory in the top flight AMA motocross class, Australia's Chad Reed (Suzuki) has only finished fourth overall under lights at the Thunder Valley MX in Colorado last weekend.

However, the 3-7 scorecard means that Reed still holds onto the championship lead, albeit with a smaller 14pt margin over Honda's Andrew Short.

Short was second in both 16-lap races at Thunder Park, with his teammate Ivan Tedesco powering to a clean sweep.

"Each race is a real battle and it was good to come away from Thunder Valley with a fourth place and the championship lead," said Reed. "I'm lucky in that the team is getting right behind me and working with me to ensure I'm comfortable on the bike. It's an encouraging environment to be part of.

"Consistency is important and we're collecting points where others aren't, I'm hoping to make an improvement next weekend at Red Bud and head into the second half of the championship with a solid lead."

Michael Byrne (Suzuki) was fifth overall in round five with 6-4 finishes, while Jake Moss (Honda) finished on the tail of  Reed in the opening moto before a huge crash saw him DNF race two. He's okay, apart from a bad dose of concussion.

Tedesco has moved past Josh Grant (Yamaha) into third in the standings, with Mike Alessi (Suzuki), Thomas Hahn (Kawasaki), Byrne and New Zealander Cody Cooper (Yamaha) rounding out the top eight.

Alessi, who was dominating the championship after three rounds, attempted tom make a comeback from injury, but only lasted two laps in race one.

In the 250cc class, Australia's Bret Metcalfe (Honda) was fifth and seventh, and compatriot Luke George (Kawasaki) was 17th in both 16-lappers.

George was making an appearance in America in between his commitments in the Australian Motocross Championship, where he is currently running third in the Lites class,

For full results and standings, click here.

Round six will be held at the iconic Red Bud track in Michigan this weekend.

PS: the helmet worn by Reed at Thunder Valley, featuring an indigenous artwork supporting the cause of Red Dust Role Models, is being auctioned online with bids now open. Click here for more details.