Australia’s defending AMA Motocross Champion and current points leader Chad Reed will look to extend his advantage over the 450 class field when Mt Morris’ High Point Raceway hosts the third round of the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross series this weekend.

As the mercury soared in Texas last Saturday, the 28-year-old kept a cool head and rode a consistent pair of motos to finish second overall.

The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider now enjoys a double-digit lead and feels his handle on the bike can only get stronger as he works with the team between race meetings.

“We’ve been preparing for the season for quite a while, I’ve had a lot of time to train on my own track at home and more importantly, we’re seeing the benefits as the bike develops further each race,” said Reed.

“The championship throws a lot of variables at you and if you can manage them, you’re in with a shot. Last week it was extreme heat and that affected a lot of guys – I trained hard in the off-season at my place in Florida where the conditions can be just as brutal.

“I don’t feel I had the best weekend in Texas but I was still able to ride consistently and as a result I still have that red plate. We made some good progress on setup, especially the bike’s suspension, which will serve us well in the upcoming rounds.

“High Point will be tough, for sure. There are lots of guys out there that haven’t had the start they’ve wanted and they’ll be pushing to make up ground.

“I’m aiming to ride smart, get a feel for the bike and how it responds and keep scoring points.”

Riders will contest two 25-minute motos with 25 points up for grabs for a win in each. Reed leads the championship by 11 points over Ryan Dungey and another eight over Mike Alessi.

Reed won the 2009 title in dominant fashion, taking just 10 of 14 rounds to amass an unbeatable points advantage. It was a landmark year for the Aussie who entered the season without a single AMA outdoor motocross overall win next to his name and left with six.