At the time of writing we have seven rounds
under our belt and while the season is
progressing well, my goal is to be a lot more
consistent with my results.
We have celebrated two second place
fi nishes (Anaheim and San Diego) but Ryan
(Dungey) and Ken (Roczen) are both riding
really well right now so I need to make sure I
am riding to my full potential. Championships
are not won in the fi rst few races, consistency
wins championships and it is really important
that we are up there even on our worst days.
I wanted to grab that ninth win at Anaheim
2 to put myself in front of Jeremy McGrath,
Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart for most
wins at Anaheim, but for now we all remain
tied on eight at Angel Stadium.
This year my qualifying hasn’t been great
and while it is disappointing to see yourself
down the order I also know it is more
important to be there when they hand out the
points. My starts the past couple of eventshave also not been the best, so I will be doing
a lot of work in that area ahead of the next
event in Atlanta.
I sparked a bit of controversy recently with
my comments about young up and coming Pro
Circuit rider Austin Forkner. Austin has done
really well in Arenacross and is ready to step
up to Supercross but he won’t start his season
until the outdoors later in the year because of
a plan they put in place sometime last year.
The thing I don’t understand is how you can
have a rider who has done so well in the junior
ranks, has reached the professional ride age
to race but you’re going to hold him back and
wait until motocross for him to step up. If he
is ready I think you should put him out there
now to gain experience. I went straight to the
big bike class at 16 and things worked out
pretty well for me.
As I get older I guess I see things a
little differently. The way I see it, life is
unpredictable, plans fail, plans succeed andplans change so you have to be ready for
anything as you just never know which way the
cards will fall.
Finally, I want to close out my column with
a message to you all to please seek help if
you are struggling with anxiety or depression.
Suicide is something I will never understand
and it is something I wish didn’t exist. Dave
Mirra’s passing absolutely devastated me. He
was a legend and close friend and my heart
breaks for his beautiful family.
We all have good days and we all have bad
days but for some of us, there are days when
situations seem like they are too much to
handle. Whatever it may be, and no matter
where you are in the world please know
help is available. If you don’t think you can
talk to family or friends there are fantastic
organisations such as Beyond Blue and
Lifeline who offer 24hr access and support.
Ride safe, dream big and remember to look
out for those who may be struggling.R.I.P DAVE MIRRA
ATCH 22
CHAD REED
FINALLY, I WANT
TO CLOSE OUT MY
COLUMN WITH A
MESSAGE TO YOU
ALL TO PLEASE
SEEK HELP IF YOU
ARE STRUGGLING
WITH ANXIETY OR
DEPRESSION
http://www.adbmag.com APRIL 2016 | 31