Tate Reed admits there is pressure attempting to live up to his father’s reputation once he gets on the bike, but the talented teenager is determined to cast such a burden aside and thrill a capacity Redcliffe crowd this weekend.
Reed’s father, Chad, cemented his name in AMA Supercross Championship folklore when he set the record for most event starts (265), on the road to becoming a two-time SX World Champion in his career.
Now Tate will have the chance to put his initials alongside his dad’s when the Australian Supercross Championships launch in Queensland, the first time the event has taken place in the state in five years.
Tate Reed and father Chad Reed soaking up Moreton Bay before the Australian Supercross Championships begin in Redcliffe.
“It always comes with pressure looking up to him, he’s one of the greatest and Australia’s greatest, so looking up to him is pretty hard,” Tate said, ahead of his quest to triumph in the 85cc class.
“But he’s a good mentor; he knows a lot, he’s done a lot of good and some bad, so he leads me in the right direction all the time – he’s been a lot of help.”
Kayo Stadium, home of the Dolphins, has been transformed with 6,000,000 kilograms – or 6000 tonnes – of dirt compiled onto the turf to create the track.
Across this weekend’s events, defending champion Dean Wilson will face off against international competitors, including Joey Savatgy and Aaron Tanti, along with Australian talent Matt Moss and Luke Clout.
“I think this year there’s a little bit more pressure for sure, we’ve got a ton of fast guys and everyone is really hungry to win,” Wilson said.
“It’s going to be tougher, especially with the race format – it’s not your traditional 20 laps, it’s all broken up into different races.
“It’s going to make it exciting, I think it’s going to be really intense racing, and we’ll see how it unfolds.”
Tash Wheeler, the chief executive of Visit Moreton Bay, expected 20,000 spectators to witness the event – with 8000 of those coming from outside the region.
Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium has been transformed into a supercross track for this weekend’s launch of the Australian Supercross Championships.
As a byproduct of that interest, Moreton Bay mayor Peter Flannery anticipated a profound impact on the community loomed – confirming Saturday’s session was sold out, with hopes of hitting the same target on Sunday.
“This is an unusual event to have here in a rugby league stadium, but it just shows the diversity that the stadium can hold these kinds of events and draw the crowds that are coming this weekend,” Flannery said.
“It shows the people have the enthusiasm and passion to come watch Supercross and have the entertainment value presented to them.
“Not only is this great for our locals to come along, but also a great injection in our local economy, with many visitors from outside the City of Moreton Bay going to come and see this.”
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