Fellow Australian,  Brett Metcalfe (24) doing it tough in Round 2 at Phoenix over the weekend.

In front of almost 50,000 fans, TwoTwo Motorsports Chad Reed has finished fifth at Round 2 of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship at Phoenix Chase Field tonight with Yoshimura Suzuki Racing's Brett Metcalfe claiming his first top ten finish.

Reed was the second fastest qualifier following the afternoon practice sessions, but a crash in his heat race while battling James Stewart for the race lead set the scene for a tough evening. Reed’s 7th place heat finish afforded him a less than ideal gate pick and a bad start in the ‘main event’ saw him buried mid pack as the field approached the first turn. Sitting seventh at the halfway point Reed traded blows with Stewart before working his way past Canard and Strong to secure fifth.

Chad Reed:
"We were actually better this week to last week the results on paper just don’t show it.  I felt like for the most part it was positive. What we worked on since last round was better and we learnt some things throughout the day that were both negative and positive.

"The first four laps of my heat race was good, I went forward and was charging. We had an issue during testing last week which rose its head again in the heat and I lost the front," he continued. In the ‘main event’ I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time every time. Everyone I came up on was racing hard and instead of me racing hard and charging forward and putting myself in the right position I was continually in the wrong place each time.

"I felt like I rode great here and there and it was a step forward in many ways, its just the result wasn’t there."

 Reed now sits third in the championship standings seven points behind Ryan Villopoto and tonight’s winner Ryan Dungey who are tied at the top of the standings on 45points.

Yoshimura Suzuki Racing's Brett Metcalfe celebrated his first top-10 finish with a solid ninth-place result. Consistency was the key to the Aussie rider's night and although a bit under the weather, he put up a good fight all night long. In his eight-lap heat race, he got a great start and brought home a sixth-place finish to advance to the Supercross Main. In the 20-lap 'main event', he got an excellent start and battled with the front-runners for the first half of the race and remained strong until the flag.

Brett Metcalfe:
"We had a really good week leading up to Phoenix and I came in a little more confident. In qualifying, I got an awesome start - the Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 just flew down the straightaway. I came through the heat race and ended up sixth but I knew I had to step it up if I wanted to get a top-10 finish in the Main. In the 'main' I tried as hard as I could; about half way, I started getting passed but I tried to hang tough and hold down a top-10. I was a little under the weather this weekend and it was a tough 20 laps for me, but I managed to get through. This was a much more positive direction for us and I'm looking forward to having another solid week on the bike and moving up in the field."

The  third round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross will be held at at Los Angeles Dodger Stadium next weekend.

Monster Energy AMA Supercross Round 2 Results: Phoenix
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
2. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
3. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
4. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
5. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
7. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
8. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
9. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
10.Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki

Monster Energy AMA Supercross Season Standings (After Rd 2 of 17)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 45
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 45
3. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda – 38
4. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 38
5. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda – 31
6. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 29
7. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha – 28
8. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Honda – 25
9. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki – 22
10.Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki – 22