2004 U.S. Open Champion - Chad Reed
By Denny Hartwig

Before the 2004 U.S. Open, Ricky Carmichael had not competed indoors in more than a year because of a knee injury that kept him sidelined. However, at the last six consecutive supercross races in which he competed in, he lost Chad Reed but won the championship in 2003. When he returned from his injury, he waxed the field in AMA Motocross, winning every moto of the season.

at the 2004 U.S. Open, it was time for Reed and Carmichael to once again ignite their rivalry inside the MGMGrandGarden Arena and the fans didn’t want to miss it. Ticket sales were at an all-time high and at the end of the weekend, the race was the highest attended U.S. Open.

One more sub-plot: Carmichael just switched to Team Suzuki from Honda and the U.S. Open would be his debut race. Remember what happened in 2001 when he showed up at the U.S. Open on a different brand?

“I had not raced supercross in a while and felt I needed to race,” said Carmichael.

Carmichael, a two-time U.S. Open champion from Havana, Fla., led the first four laps of the main event, before Reed caught and passed him. The race unfolded the same way that most of the 2003 season did as Carmichael followed Reed. Honda’s Mike LaRocco, who has a U.S. Open title under his belt, worked his way into third place late in the race. Reed held on for the win and Carmichael finished second.

“Chad rode well tonight, but I am not going to give up,” said Carmichael after the race. “I wish I could have given him more at the end, but I will be back tomorrow night. I will get better and show up ready.”

The win was a huge confidence booster for Reed.

“It’s just like old times,” said Reed from the podium that night. “I chased Ricky (Carmichael) early and once I passed him, it sure was nice to be chased up front. You have to be on your game out here because there is another night of racing. I’m going to be ready for tomorrow.”

Not one to back down, Carmichael not only wanted a win, he needed one.

With qualifying out of the way, the stage was set for one of the most anticipated races in years. Reed came out of turn one in fourth place and moved into second behind Carmichael before crashing at the end of lap one.

Reed worked his way back to second until Carmichael slid out in lap 17. This mistake allowed Reed to secure the lead. Carmichael was unable to finish the race because of mechanical problems on the second to last lap of the 25-lap race. Honda rider Nick Wey, of Dewitt, Mich., finished second and Suzuki’s Sebastien Tortelli, of Lake Elsinore, Calif., finished third.

Wey finished second overall on the weekend and LaRocco, of South Bend, Ind., finished third.

“This track was difficult tonight,” said Reed. “I crashed early on, and then I started catching Ricky (Carmichael). When he crashed it gave me an opportunity to race him head-to-head, but he crashed again, so I was given a break.”

In 2004, Reed’s tenacity helped make a lot of those breaks.