Chad Reed's Illustrious Career Comes to a Close: A Supercross Legend Retires

Nov 11, 2025 0

How does an athlete end a career that’s made him what he is? It’s especially tough when that 20-year career has made history itself.

Chad Reed's career highlights:

Two-time Monster Energy Supercross Champion
Advanced to the premier class in only his second professional season (forgoing defending his 2002 Eastern Regional 250SX Class championship)
Leader in most race starts (Sunday’s season finale will mark his 265th)
Owner of his own racing team
The only athlete to race six different brands in Monster Energy Supercross racing
Fourth on the all-time win list at 44

Chad Reed is retiring from full-season Monster Energy Supercross racing, but the fire’s not out, and the satisfaction for all sides wasn’t quenched entirely in 2020. 2020 will be Chad Reed’s last year of racing a dirt bike full time! He announced this at the AUS X Open press conference “2020 will be my last season.”

Reed also said this about the upcoming season “The goal is to go racing, and I feel confident that we will make it work.” He has had huge amounts of support from Boost Mobile and Mountain Motorsports over the past few months, Reed says that those relationships will continue in the future. “Mountain Motorsports has been amazing in helping and supporting everything that I’ve been doing lately.” We are sure more information will come out about Chad’s future plans in the upcoming days.

The answer for Mountain Motorsports, cbdMD, CR22 Racing’s Chad Reed was to ride one final full season; it would be called the “One Last Ride” tour, but he’d do it seventeen times in seventeen races, from January through May, in 13 different states, each in front of approximately 49,000 plus fans…

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But then the season and the farewell tour, like the rest of the world, was interrupted. Ten rounds in, COVID-19 shut down the Monster Energy Supercross series and effectively retired Reed from racing - and not on his terms. Seven races shy, no fanfare, and no celebration. Chad Reed unceremoniously sold his race team’s assets and closed shop.

A quiet close to a roaring career. He’d live forever in the record books but not get to satisfy himself or his fans with a final farewell done his way. Then, the Monster Energy Supercross series announced its return.

Seven rapid-fire races, two each week rather than one, to complete the full 17-Round championship in just 22 days (coincidentally, Chad’s race number since 2003). The racing was back. Speedy Reedy was back.

On reflection, the racing didn’t make Chad Reed who he is, it just revealed it. He’s succeeded repeatedly at the top step of the sport and broken records and preconceptions along the way because of what drives him.

For now, fans can tune in this Sunday, June 21 for the 2020 Championship finale as Supercross becomes the first sport to complete their season amidst the global pandemic while also cheering on the most decorated international Supercross athlete of all time in what may be - his one last ride. The event in its un-interrupted entirety will also be presented live on the NBC Sports Gold app.

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Legends Reflect: Other Notable Retirements

Stefan Everts

When it comes to final seasons, it’s hard to top Stefan Everts’ run through the 2006 FIM Motocross World Championship. Europe’s all-time King of Motocross put a true beatdown on his counterparts, nearly securing the first perfect season in Grand Prix history by winning 14 of 15 rounds as well as his tenth world crown. But the Belgian hero saved the best for last, going to the 2006 Motocross of Nations in Great Britain and beating Team USA’s James Stewart-and everyone else-in stunning fashion. It was the ultimate mic drop; Everts never raced motocross again.

Ricky Carmichael

No one had a better-choreographed farewell than the GOAT. Midway through the 2006 season, in which Ricky Carmichael would win his fifth AMA Supercross title and tenth straight AMA Pro Motocross crown, he announced that 2007 would be his last as a professional racer. He would ride an abbreviated schedule: seven SX races and six outdoor nationals. Somehow, despite being part-time, Carmichael managed to win both the San Francisco and St. Carmichael won all six Pro Motocross Nationals he entered that summer. He could easily have won an 11th MX title, but he pulled the plug, as planned, after winning the Spring Creek National in Minnesota.

Ricky did have one more race: he was chosen to ride for Team USA in the ’07 FIM Motocross of Nations at Budds Creek. To no one’s surprise, the Americans-Carmichael, Tim Ferry, and Ryan Villopoto-won easily, with the young Villopoto stealing the show aboard his 250F.

“It was tough knowing this was my last race, and I got a little choked up, just because it was such a great win,” said Carmichael, who was sick in the weeks before the race. “This was just a great feeling. But I would have liked to have come into this event more prepared, but that’s my problem.

Ryan Dungey

Ryan Dungey, Carmichael’s Suzuki understudy during that 2007 season, also became one of the all-time greats, winning most of his eight titles aboard Red Bull KTM motorcycles, where he had reunited with his Suzuki boss Roger De Coster. Unlike Ricky’s, Ryan’s retirement would be much more spontaneous. It began with a heavy crash at the 2016 Thunder Valley National in Colorado that left him with a broken neck (but fortunately no paralysis). Fast-forward to the last laps of the frantic 2017 SX finale in Las Vegas. Dungey had catapulted to an unlikely points lead when Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac stumbled at the penultimate round in New Jersey. Despite some aggressive blocking by Tomac, Dungey held on to win a third straight AMA Supercross Championship.

Just a few days later, as the sport was collectively preparing for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross opener, a midweek press conference was announced, to be held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Dungey, surrounded by friends, family and sponsors, announced that he was retiring from racing, effective immediately.

Chad Reed's Next Chapter: WSX Championship

Chad Reed is coming out of retirement to race the series with US-based MDK Motorsport. The two-time Supercross Champion finished off his illustrious career with a top 10 at Salt Lake City 7.

“Opportunities like WSX don’t come along every day. Growing up in Australia, I have always enjoyed an opportunity to grab my passport, travel the world, and ride my dirt bike. After two years of retirement, I have a new perspective on racing at the highest level. I am beyond excited to get back on the bike, into the athletic mindset and ready to compete to win in October,” said Reed.

“The WSX Championship going global is the biggest thing to happen to supercross in its history and I’m looking forward to joining Mark Kvamme and the MDK team.

“I haven’t raced in Melbourne since 2019, so it’ll be an unbelievable experience to get back here in October and go up against the best current riders in the world.

“The addition of Australia’s own supercross legend and two-time world champion Chad Reed to the 10 team and 40 world class rider field is incredible,” said Adam Bailey, SX Global’s managing director - motorsport. “He only adds to what is already a star-studded lineup of the world’s best supercross riders and it’s going to be great watching him mix it with the likes of Roczen and Brayton.

“Opportunities like WSX don’t come along every day; I’ve seen plenty during my career, but this is super cool and something I had to be involved in,” Reed said in a release. “I’m excited to be here today from the US to help launch the Melbourne round and hopefully highlight to everyone around the world how epic this championship is going to be. The WSX Championship going global is the biggest thing to happen to supercross in its history.“It’s the beginning of something special that will expand supercross on a global level and give riders different / new opportunities at an international and local level. It opens a lot of doors for everyone. I haven’t raced in Melbourne since 2019, so can’t wait to get back here in October and go up against the best current riders in the world. It’s going to be one hell of a 2022 championship.”

Reed’s last Monster Energy Supercross race came in June, 2020 at Salt Lake City. He finished 10th.

The field has already taken on an international flavor with Germany’s Ken Roczen, Scotland’s Dean Wilson, Great Britain’s Max Anstie and several American riders already committing to the series. Riders from France, Italy and Brazil are also expected to compete.

This will be the home race for SX Global, who are spearheading the series.

“SX Global is thrilled that Melbourne has secured a round of the prestigious championship for the people of Victoria and Australasian fans for the next three years until 2024,” said Tony Cochrane, President of SX Global.

You’re trying to get better. You’re getting better. Round two, round three, did you ever consider, this is a really long road, man. Yes and no. I don’t have it in me to just… I committed to not only the fans but personal people that are helping me a lot. You got cbdMD, you got Mountain Motorsports. A lot of people putting their name on the line, and also financial support as well. So, I didn’t have it in me to just quit. But definitely there was a part of me where I thought, this is not fun. This is really not fun. But since Dallas, I have had fun. Today was the most fun I had, kind of mid-race. I love Daytona. There’s just something that’s gnarly about it, something that’s fun. Honestly, I’m retiring because I don’t enjoy modern supercross. The love of it, what I once upon a time loved, it’s kind of gone for me. So, to come out here and the bike starts moving around in the sand and you have to be using more technique than just kind of balls to the wall. It was fun. I actually really enjoyed it. Hopefully we can continue with this going up. It looks like we got rain again this week at home. Hopefully it does what it did last week, and it doesn’t threaten us as much.