The decision of Jett Lawrence to line up at this weekend’s Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne is a wise one, Australia’s greatest-ever supercross export Chad Reed has stated.

Reed, 37, is due to contest his 250th-career Monster Energy AMA Supercross at Anaheim 1 in January after a career spanning across two decades.

A major drawcard at the annual AUS-X Open event since its inception, it’s expected that Reed will hang up his helmet at the close of 2020, which will be the same season that Lawrence makes his anticipated debut in 250SX on the west or east coast.

Saturday at Marvel Stadium will mark Lawrence’s first official pro-level supercross in the lead-up to next year, which Reed believes is an important step at this point of his US career. At just 16, Lawrence’s age will be the same as Reed’s was when he first went professional.

“It’s funny, Anaheim will be my 250th supercross [laughs]…” Reed commented. “So, to think of your first one is really cool. For me, it’s always strange when I hear these kids say that they weren’t expecting to go pro so early. I mean, in my opinion, my generation at 16 you went pro – I don’t know why people wait, to be honest.

“I’m really happy that he’s racing, I think at 16 you’re at the age that you should be going professional and I think he’s already ahead of his brother. I’ve said a couple of years that Hunter should have been here racing, because there’s something to learn from supercross being week, after week, after week and you need to learn that grind.

“So, I think that Jett coming this weekend and making his pro supercross debut is a smart move. I’ve been watching him, his time in Europe will be useful and I think that he has a bright future. You know, basically, I’m exiting so it’s fun to see an Aussie kid coming in.”

With Reed’s lengthy international career drawing to a close, Jett and elder brother Hunter Lawrence have emerged as Australia’s rising prospects in American supercross as both will contest the 2020 season with the factory-backed Geico Honda organisation.