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KEN ROCZEN
450 MX / 2ND
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> What a weekend it was for Ken Roczen at our last round at Red Bud. After the two gruesome arm injuries and long, intense recoveries, he nally tasted the sweet taste of victory. He took home the win in moto one and was rightfully emotional on the podium. Everyone in the sport was happy for him as it was his rst victory in either motocross or supercross since the pair of injuries. He would get edged out for the overall victory by Marvin Musquin in the second moto but the con - dence booster of being on the top step was there. He entered the week off determined to do what it takes to not only get another moto win, but to get an overall victory as well. Not known for his quick qualifying times, Roczen raised some eyebrows in the morning qualifying practice sessions. The Honda HRC rider’s times were right on par with the two title contenders’ as he threw down the third fastest lap time. He looked to have a little more spring to his step and some con dence heading into the motos and many were eager to see if he could contend for another victory. Roczen started off the rst moto beautifully with a great holeshot. He refused to squander it and immediately put down some blistering lap times. He knew Tomac and Musquin would come knocking eventually so he wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. It worked because he had a solid lead after just a few laps. However, a very hungry Tomac would soon become a threat. Roczen began feeling the heat about a third of the way through the race but he responded well. He bluntly stopped Tomac’s charge and made him work for everything. He was riding with some extra spunk, but things started to tighten up in the waning moments. With about ve minutes left, Tomac was very close and was able to capitalize when Roczen got held up by a lapped rider. This sent Tomac into the lead. Roczen stayed with him and tried to retaliate for the next lap and a half but would ultimately end up with the second-place nish. It was a great moto for Roczen as he led ten laps and he would still
be set up to claim an overall in moto two. Roczen kicked off moto two with another good start. He was in fth or so early on but by the end of lap one, he had slotted in right behind Musquin. The two riders started yo-yoing each other during the rst half of the moto. Each would make up ground and then lose it but eventually, Musquin pulled out ahead just a bit. That is about the time when Tomac began really pressuring Roczen. It was a repeat of moto one and Roczen did everything he could to withstand the pressure but Tomac nally got him with a handful of laps to go, just like moto one. After being passed, Roczen accepted the outcome and rode home safely to nish in third. His 2-3 performances would be enough to earn him second overall on the day. Every weekend Roczen seems to be able to last a little bit longer and his speed seems to be getting just a little bit quicker. He will look for another win next weekend at Washougal.
10 GRITMOTO • JULY 22, 2018