Now a team owner, not just a racer, Chad Reed has been steadily improving week by week. At Phoenix, he came from behind to battle with and pass defending SX series champ Ryan Dungey to take fourth place. He's looking for better things from here on out.

Motocross.com: How did you feel about Phoenix?
Chad Reed: That was better; much better. I still struggled a little bit with starts, though. I know what I'm doing, if that counts. [Laughs] But overall I felt like we made some progress this past week and I'm confident in where I'm at because there are little things that we're working on that are going to make big differences, I think. We're just taking it step-by-step and I have to be patient, you know? A part of me gets frustrated, but I'm excited for it because I know we can move forward and I'm happy overall with how it's going.

What are these little things? Fill us in.
Just little things that you learn racing...

Like tactical things?
No, no tactical things. I think just as a team we grow and we get experience around each other week-in and week-out, and I'm happy. There are just like improvements to the bike that you can only really learn from racing and seeing how the racetracks are going to be. You know, we're always at the mercy of how they're going to build the tracks, and it seems like this year they've been really consistent and they've actually done a great job. It seems like some of the weaknesses that we had last week as a team, we were stronger at this week. So, overall, it's a learning process and we don't have anything to fall back on from previous years, you know, so we're learning everything on the fly. You have to be tactical a little bit in your thinking and you've got to be a little bit patient and also just make wise choices and I think that's why we're succeeding. We're staying in the top five and I think we'll be on the podium here soon. Starts will be key, though...

What about that battle with Dungey? You guys went at it pretty good and then he got hung up with Windham or somebody and you dived under there and took off...
He actually passed me. I was getting frustrated behind Brayton and I just put a pass on him. It was right before the triple and then I couldn't triple, so then I just had to go double-double [over the jump after the triple].
Chad Reed is happy with his team's progress, but he knows the pressure is on to get up on the box. (Photo: CoxMX.com)

The triple after the whoops?
Yeah, the one after the whoops. I put a pass on Brayton there, and then both of them tripled past me and passed me back. So, I was kind of pissed and then I was going for the inside anyway and it just happened that I got a little bit - not lucky, but just it was perfect timing that Windham kind of held those guys up a little bit and I passed them both back again. So, truthfully, I felt like I made the pass good and then they got back by me and it was just only right that I get the pass back on both of them [laughs]. After that, I mean, I knew he couldn't pass me. It was just kind of like racing with your hands tied behind your back, you know? There was not a lot of traction out there and not a lot of passing, so I would pull away from him and then I would make a little mistake or catch a lapper and we just kind of went teeter-totter a little bit. I was never really worried that he was going to pass me, I just had to be smooth and not make any crazy mistakes. I was concentrating on Trey [Canard, in third place ahead of him], you know? We were catching Trey and that was the goal, to try to get on the podium, but I wasn't catching him quick enough...

Those little redheads, man...
You know, those little redheads have always been a pain in the ass...

You've had redhead problems throughout your career...
[Laughs] I'm not too concerned about it. I'm not reading too far into it. Like I said, it's a really long series. I have a feeling about the series. I think the intensity is only going to build, and the pressure is only going to build, so I feel like we're in it. We're not struggling massively in one particular area. You know, there are things that we can improve on, but there's not a guy out there that doesn't think they can improve on something. That's part of racing; trying to better yourself week-in and week-out. So, there's nothing new and there's no disadvantage to running my own team, honestly. If there was one small disadvantage it would be the fact that we don't have anything to go off of from last year. You know, when I was at Suzuki we used previous-year parts, the same as at Yamaha. I just don't have access to that, you know? We don't have that long history of data or whatever it is, but overall, when you don't have that, you just have to surround yourself with great people and that's where I feel like I've done a great job. We'll be in it. We'll be in the race.
Reed goes by Ryan Dungey in the Phoenix main event. (Photo: CoxMX.com)

If you were a rookie, this would be a lot harder. But you've been around...
Yeah, I'm smarter than I look [laughs]. I think I wouldn't put myself in this position if I didn't feel like I could pull it off or the people around me couldn't pull it off. I think we're looking good. I think, for a new team and a late entry, I'm proud of these guys, you know? I believe they're all having a great time and I would say that we're probably the happiest team in the pits. Even though we're not winning, we're achieving goals week-in and week-out and we're having fun doing it.

So, at this point, is it safe to say that you don't look at anybody out there and think to yourself, "Well, I can beat everybody, except..."?
Yeah, I mean my lap times tonight were good. Later on in the moto my lap times were strong and I honestly feel like my fitness this year is really good; I feel strong. There are just a few little things that I need to work on as a rider. You know, just hit my marks a little better, more consistent and then just get back into racing mode. I feel like I'm kind of struggling a little bit with that; trying to get back up to that race pace. But it's coming back and it's coming back quick, which it needs to...

Yeah, they're not going to add more rounds waiting for you to get it sorted out...
Exactly. We're going onto the third race here. I need starts, and I feel like we're on the money with the bike, it's just a matter of me hitting the starts consistently and knowing what the bike is going to do on all the different surfaces. So, honestly, it's all up to me. I'm the reason I'm in the back and having to come through the pack...