FLUID PR:

The spirit of mateship is alive and well amongst Australia’s motorsport champions.

Defending AMA Motocross and Australian Super X Champion Chad Reed has come to the aid of defending V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup who has chosen to sideline himself from the prestigious Race of Champions in Beijing.

27-year-old Reed from Monster Energy Kawasaki will step in to the role at Team Australia in the multi-discipline motorsport event, replacing the 26-year-old TeamVodafone driver who endured a horror weekend of results at the Surfers Paradise SuperGP.

Reed flew to Queensland to support Whincup at his home event and said he was glad to help out having seen the points leader overcome with disappointment after a late race mistake.

“I’m more than happy to step in for Jamie who made the decision to remove himself from the event after a very tough weekend,” said Reed. “Motorsport can bring you the highest of highs but the lows are crushing – I’ve been in that position myself and I know what he is going through.

“We’ve been friends for a few years now and thankfully l was the position to be able to step in for him.

“I love nothing more than flying the Aussie flag and I am really looking forward to teaming up with Mick (Doohan). The only condition I made was that Jamie give his all to win the 2009 title,” Reed explained.

Whincup said it was a difficult decision to make but was staunchly determined to defend his title and pay back the support shown by his team, sponsors and fans.

“V8 Supercars are my focus, we’ve worked very hard to get where we are and I’ve made the decision to withdraw from the Race of Champions in order to concentrate on rebuilding my points lead,” said Whincup.

“I am extremely grateful that Chad has been able to take my place and I am certain he will do a very good job for Australia.

“He is an incredible athlete and is one of the toughest competitors I have met. He has shown he can mix it on four wheels – in the past he has driven our TeamVodafone V8 Supercar and also had a good test in a Toyota rally car.

“I wish him and Mick all the best in Beijing.”

Reed will pair up with another two-wheel star in Mick Doohan, a five-time MotoGP world champion.

Doohan was also present at the SuperGP race and supported the decision of Whincup to relinquish his drive.

The Reed/Doohan duo will be up against stars including Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, Marcus Gronholm, Travis Pastrana and many more at the November 2-4 event at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing.