By MATT GOLDBERG

Herald-Whig Sports Writer

As long as it has wheels, Robbie Reed will race it.

The 2006 modified champion has raced everything from bicycles to motorcycles to modifieds.

And in each, he's enjoyed his share of success.

"He hates to lose, I want to say more than anything," said Todd Reed, Robbie's younger brother. "... He's not so competitive in other sports (or activities). But as far as racing goes, he's always been very competitive."

Robbie said racing motorcycles helped him become the open-wheel driver he is today.

"Sure. It's just all the competition and racing," Robbie said. "You've got it in you regardless of what form of racing you're doing."

This past Sunday, Robbie passed Todd 20 laps into the modified race to pick up his first win of the season.

Todd ended up finishing second, behind his older brother.

"We've done that at some national motorcycle races before," Robbie said. "But Todd's just been new to this, this year. And he's already good at it. When we raced motorcycles, he would ask me how I go so fast on that motorcycle. It was just a matter of time when he was running as fast as I was and beating me on that. And I'm sure that's going to (happen) in the car racing, too, as he gets more seat time."

Todd, who is a rookie in the modified class, drives Robbie's old car for his brother.

"I'd rather have my brother beat me than somebody else," Todd said.

After kidney stones forced him to miss a few races this season, Robbie savored the victory even more than usual.

"I was still out there every weekend with my brother helping him. I just couldn't get in the car," Robbie said. "It's a pretty painful deal. You can't hardly ride in a regular car on a rough road or whatnot. Getting on a race track is just kind of an impossibility."

Robbie started the transition from motorcycle racing to competing in the modified class toward the end of the 2004 season at Quincy Raceways.

"It was hard on my body," Robbie said. "It was Monday, then it was Monday and Tuesday and then even into Wednesday. It was taking a toll on me. I was just hurting for days afterwards. After racing on the weekends with the motorcycles this is a little easier on me. ... It's not the physical abuse that the motorcycle racing was. The motorcycle racing is kind of just a young man's sport."

In 2004 he didn't have enough seat time to qualify for the rookie of the year honor. Then in 2005, he had too many modified races under his belt.

Then in 2006, Robbie's consistent finishes in the top five helped him capture the track championship at Quincy without winning a single feature race during the regular season.

"He's just a self-driven person," Todd said. "Once he puts his mind to doing something, he does it."

That applies on the track and off. Off the track Robbie has a successful recycling business, Central Metals Recycling, in Mexico, Mo., that he started about 20 years ago.

Robbie enjoys the hands on, everyday part of the business. The paperwork is the part he dislikes the most.

"I think he was just determined to succeed and do things that he wanted to do in life," Todd said.

It seems Robbie will stick in the modified class for the near future -- even though he owns a late model.

"I bought a late model here last year and ran it up at the Pepsi Challenge (at Burlington)," Robbie said. "I really ran pretty good in it but I just, I don't know, the cars are just so much bigger and the front ends on them. I just didn't care for them as much as racing the modifieds."

Robbie, 41, still owns the late model mobile.

"I just haven't pursued racing it too much," Robbie said. "I was going to run (late models) early this season when they were non-points races. But I ran into a little motor trouble with it. I never got into a big hurry to get it going again. I thought I wanted to race one and I raced one time and ran pretty good. But I can't imagine not racing the modified. I just really love the modified class."

--mgoldberg@whig.com/221-3367