Changes ahead for supercross

The supercross season starts tonight with its traditional opener in Anaheim, but several of the sport’s top riders will be competing with new teams.

Three of the first six races on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series schedule are at Angel Stadium, whose infield is transformed with tons of dirt to create the sport’s hilly track.

Chad Reed hopes to defend his 2008 championship during this year’s 17-race season of supercross, the stadium version of motocross off-road motorcycle racing.

Reed, 26, also will attempt to repeat his sweep of the three Anaheim races last year, which tied a mark set in 2007 by that year’s champ James Stewart.

Stewart, who won the 2007 title with 13 victories, missed most of last year’s supercross season because of a knee injury that required surgery.

But Stewart, a 23-year-old from Haines City, Fla., returned to dominate last year’s motocross season by sweeping all 24 of that series’ races.

Then he switched from a Kawasaki team to Yamaha and now wants to hold off Reed and the other riders to win another supercross title.

Reed -- an Australia native who also won the championship in 2004 -- also changed teams, moving from Yamaha to Suzuki.

-- Jim Peltz