Australia’s Chad Reed is hoping to bounce back onto the podium when the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, continues at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium this Saturday night.

The TwoTwo Motorsports owner/rider put in a gutsy performance last weekend in Houston to take sixth after an early race clash with James Stewart, now determined to start his races stronger in order to claim the results he is capable of.

Early race pace has been the only chink in the armour of the two-time champion, who has shown on a number of occasions his ability to charge back through the pack after being caught in turn one crashes.

The mid-pack melee at last week’s Houston event made chasing a podium position incredibly difficult for the Aussie star, a scenario he is looking to avoid with a clean run from the start gates.

“Starts are critical on any night but the track at Houston made it even more important to get ahead of the pack,” said Reed.

“I got caught up and spent the race trying to make passes and get back positions. I wasn’t unhappy with the ride but it’s made that much tougher when you’re letting pace go to waste.

“Hopefully we see a more rider-friendly track this week, I’m pumped to get out there and put in a good result to get back into the top three.”

The TwoTwo Motorsports pilot has finished every race of the 2011 season inside the top 10.

Reed sits in fourth after six rounds, seven points behind fellow Honda rider Trey Canard. He maintains a buffer of four points over defending champion Ryan Dungey.