--  Reed second as Villopoto kicks off Title defence with victory at Anaheim

Australian Supercross star Chad Reed has made a solid start to the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, finishing second in the opening round of the season at Anaheim's Angel Stadium tonight.

The TwoTwo Motorsports owner/rider struggled to get comfortable on the tight track throughout the earlier practice sessions and qualified eighth.

Aggressive changes made to the #22 Honda CRF450 before the heat race paid dividends, with Reed winning his heat race convincingly ahead of Mike Alessi and defending champion Ryan Villopoto.

Reed got a good start in the 20-lap ‘Main Event’ sitting third after the first turn. He moved into second on the opening lap and was over seven seconds clear of third place when he went down on Lap 14.

The Australian remounted and retained second place, holding off a late charge from Ryan Dungey over the closing laps of the race.

“This track was totally different to what we have tested on in the lead up to the start of the season,” Reed explained. “It really only had one line so was very hard to pass on.

“I struggled a little bit through practice but the guys made some aggressive changes to the bike before the heat race which really helped me.

“My starts were good and I was happy to get second tonight in this field of riders.

“I had a small tip over in the race, I was looking for new lines and lost the front,” Reed added.

Reed will now prepare for Round 2 of the 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, which will be held on Saturday January 14 at Chase Field in Pheonix, Arizona.

1. Ryan Villopoto - KAW
2. Chad Reed - HON
3. Ryan Dungey - KTM
4. Justin Brayton - HON
5. Jake Weimer - KAW
6. James Stewart - YAM
7. Andrew Short - HON
8. Kevin Windham - HON
9. Mike Alessi - SUZ
10. Josh Hansen - KAW
11. Brett Metcalfe - SUZ
12. Broc Tickle - KAW
13. Ivan Tedesco - KAW
14. Kyle Chisholm - KAW
15. Ryan Morais - YAM
16. Davi Millsaps - YAM
17. J Albertson - SUZ
18. Chris Blose - KAW
19. Josh Grant - KAW
20. Thomas Hahn - HON

1. Ryan Villopoto - 25
2. Chad Reed - 22
3. Ryan Dungey - 20
4. Justin Brayton - 18
5. Jake Weimer - 16
6. James Stewart - 15
7. Andrew Short - 14
8. Kevin Windham - 13
9. Mike Alessi - 12
10. Josh Hansen - 11
11. Brett Metcalfe - 10
12. Broc Tickle - 9
13. Ivan Tedesco - 8
14. Kyle Chisholm - 7
15. Ryan Morais - 6
16. Davi Millsaps - 5
17. J Albertson - 4
18. Chris Blose - 3
19. Josh Grant - 2
20. Thomas Hahn - 1

1. Cole Seely - HON
2. Tyla Rattray - KAW
3. Eli Tomac - HON
4. Marvin Musquin - KTM
5. Ryan Sipes - YAM
6. Dean Wilson - KAW
7. Jason Anderson - SUZ
8. Wil Hahn - HON
9. Zach Osborne - YAM
10. Travis Baker - HON
11. Matt Moss - KTM
12. Nico Izzi - YAM
13. T Maier - HON
14. B Laninovich - HON
15. Vince Friese - HON
16. Max Anstie - HON
17. Ryan Marmont - KTM
18. J Richardson - HON
19. Martin Davalos - SUZ
20. Christian Craig - HON

1. Cole Seely - 25
2. Tyla Rattray - 22
3. Eli Tomac - 20
4. Marvin Musquin - 18
5. Ryan Sipes - 16
6. Dean Wilson - 15
7. Jason Anderson - 14
8. Wil Hahn - 13
9. Zach Osborne - 12
10. Travis Baker - 11
11. Matt Moss - 10
12. Nico Izzi - 9
13. T Maier - 8
14. B Laninovich - 7
15. Vince Friese - 6
16. Max Anstie - 5
17. Ryan Marmont - 4
18. J Richardson - 3
19. Martin Davalos - 2
20. Christian Craig - 1