Reed will be heading over from America to line up aboard a Yamaha YZ450F at Matterley Basin in the UK on June 18-19 and at Maggiora in Italy on June 25-26.
“I’m excited to come back and race in Europe. Over the years I’ve been here for Motocross of Nations, so I know what to expect, and of course I watch the MXGP rounds every week to see who’s winning. But these guys are riding at full gas in the middle of their season, and my Supercross season just ended in May, so I think we’re going to have a couple of great races together in the UK and Italy,” Reed said.
Reed, 34, has 44 AMA Supercross career victories and two Supercross Championship titles in 2003 and 2008. With multiple indoor and outdoor titles to his name, Reed recently finished the 2016 Supercross Championship fifth overall in the 450SX class, taking 14 top 10 finishes. The popular Motocross superstar last raced full-time in Europe in 2001, where he finished second overall to Mickaël Pichon in the 250cc series.
“A lot has changed in 15 years. What used to be just three classes and a single-moto format is now two days and five classes. It’s going to be nice to come back and see old faces and old friends, but the pace is going to be high and from a racing point of view I’m a competitive guy and I want to do well,” Reed said.
Reed will enter both MXGP events as a wild card with factory support from Yamaha Motor Europe, and make a full round of promotional and sponsor appearances for fans and media at Matterley Basin and Maggiora.
Photo: Simon Cudby