Two supercross/motocross phenoms have begun racing professionally in the United States this year. If you are not familiar with Chad Reed and James “Bubba” Stewart at this point, you haven’t been reading MotorcycleDaily or any other media that reports on supercross.
Reed arrived here this year from Australia and proceeded to win six of seven 125 East Coast Supercross rounds on his Yamaha YZ250F — being crowned champion in the process.
In the West Coast 125 Series, Stewart was blazing fast on his Kawasaki 125 and frequently posted lap times as quick as the stars of the 250 class. He was either winning races by large margins or crashing, however, and his inconsistency resulted in a second place finish in the championship beyond the Honda of Travis Preston.
Reed and Stewart have never raced one another, but that will change this Saturday night in Las Vegas when the stars of the East Coast 125 series meet the stars of the West Coast 125 series in a “shootout”.
With the 250 championship already decided (Honda’s Ricky Carmichael clinched that crown last weekend), the Stewart/Reed showdown will be the highlight of the evening. A prediction? We’ll pick Reed, because he is almost as fast as Stewart, but smoother and much more consistent.
