Reed pré-retraité ??? Probable …
"Chad Reed is running out of time, the major teams are full and those left don’t have the money. Reed’s debacle has been one of the most shocking/bizarre/interesting since Ricky Carmichael and Jeremy McGrath announced their switches to Suzuki (2004 and 1996 respectively). Here is what we know:
Reed opted out of his two-year deal with Kawasaki. He tested with Valli Yamaha on Oct. 25 at the Yamaha factory test facility and he rode a Troy Lee Designs Honda on Oct. 27. On the day of his Yamaha test he told Steve Cox at Racer X this: "I put myself in this position. I’ve had a few options but nothing that’s really rang a bell like I wanted it to. I don’t need to go racing next year. I’ll be totally fine. Financially, I’m okay and I’m very thankful my career and my past years have put me in that position."
According to an anonymous source Reed had a deal locked up at American Honda but Josh Grant came in and "made Honda an offer they couldn’t refuse." Reed has since been flying back and forth from Australia to America for testing while his LA-based agent Steve Astephan has been working overtime to find the right deal for his client.
The biggest hurdle for Reed isn’t finding a team or even the equipment. It’s finding the money. Neither TLD nor Valli have the funds to support a Reed-sized salary and the win/championship bonuses they must insure against. And TLD was only planning on racing the West Coast regional series. Our source says these deals are still very much active but they’re a long shot. Reed not racing in 2011 is a real possibility.
Many fans have speculated about Reed extending his Australian Vodafone deal from last month and getting his own team going in the AMA series. Finding and outfitting a truck, staff and infrastructure two months before the gate drops isn’t impossible but it’s not realistic. Whatever brand Reed rides it will be his fourth team in four years. If only he could get Vodafone to give money to an existing team.
Reed’s scramble to find a spot on a satellite team in 2011 is unparalleled with other top riders who made shocking switches but it’s still fun to look back and bench race about organizational moments that rocked the sport. Jeremy McGrath’s switch to Suzuki in 1996 is notable for happening so close to the start of the Supercross season. "It was a shock," says Davey Coombs, editor-in-chief of Racer X. Coombs even remembers the date Dec. 27, 1996 — two weeks before the start of the 1997 season. McGrath’s inability to come to terms with American Honda over his personal image led to him taking the first step toward forming his own team, which happened following his dismal year with Suzuki.
Carmichael’s unexpected switch to Suzuki announcement came in April 2004 while he was sidelined with a knee injury and still had a full summer to spend on a Honda. Coombs said that that team switch was notable because most people predicted that to be the end of RC. "Everyone put a fork in him at that point."
On Oct. 25, Reed said he was giving himself two weeks. That means one week from today we should know if the starting gate of the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship will (or won’t) be missing one of its best athletes."
, le il y a 15 années et 5 mois.
