Just like last week’s edition of Behind the Lens, where I shared one of my favourite images from my trips to the San Diego Supercross over the years, this week, with the series moving on to another stop at Anaheim, I thought I’d dig up a favourite image from one of the many years I photographed the Anaheim 2 round of the series.
With Anaheim appearing on the schedule as many as three times in a single season (as it is this year), I’ve probably photographed more rounds inside Angel Stadium than any other race. I wanted to focus specifically on Anaheim Two races though, as Anaheim One is such a different experience, and could fill up an entire section of “favourite” photos. There’s always so much anticipation and energy at the opening round – everyone is excited to get going after the off-season and there’s so much unknown about how the season is going to play out. With multiple rounds at the same venue, Anaheim Two has tended to lack the same intrigue. To compensate, Feld has in the past made it a theme race, with several “Retro” races and a “Breast Cancer Awareness” round. I thought about sharing a photo from one of those races but then this shot, from 2014 really stood out to me.
I love shooting race action, and there’s nothing better than getting the perfect battle shot or victory line celebration, but it’s the little moments away from the action that always sticks in my memory bank the longest. So that’s why I wanted to share this shot of Chad Reed, with his son, Tate, from the 2014 round for this week’s Behind the Lens.
Here’s the backstory behind the image: 2013 did not go well for Chad Reed. After a solid start to 2012, Reed suffered a season-ending injury at the Arlington round. Then, he struggled to adapt to the new Honda in 2013 and failed to win a race. Many were starting to question if age was beginning to catch up to Chad and that this was the start of his decline. After three years on Honda, Chad switched his TwoTwo Motorsports team to Kawasaki’s for 2014. The season started off decent at Anaheim 1 with a third but then he followed it up with a ninth at Phoenix, so not too many were picking Reed for the win as the series returned to Anaheim for round three.
Early in the main event, things didn’t look much better for Reed, with James Stewart out front and the 22 hovering around the top 5, but Reed kept moving forward, and with about six laps left had pulled himself into a three-way battle for the lead with Stewart and a young Ken Roczen. The crowd was going nuts for Reed as he proceeded to make the pass on Roczen and set to work on passing Stewart. Then, with three laps to go, Reed made his move and put a pass on Stew. The stadium erupted and despite a spirited drive by Stewart to close back up, Reed held on to take the first win on his Kawasaki.
That race really cemented Chad’s image transition to the family man that he was known for later in his career. Joining Chad on the podium was his young son, Tate, complete in his own matching Shift MX gear set. After his TV interview had ended, I watched Chad interacting with Tate, and sharing this moment. I snapped a couple of pics and this one was my favourite – a genuine moment between father and son. It’s always been a photo that stuck with me and it’s my favourite Anaheim Two image.