Page 16 - MPG15

KEN ROCZEN
Throughout the 2016 it was clear that Ryan Dungey was the man to beat so we were all left to
wonder who would be the first guy to shake up the top step of the podium. That man turned out to be Germany’s own Ken Roczen. We were all anticipating a fantastic series with a slew of winners but it turned out to be the opposite. Roczen was one of the favorites to come out with the championship but early season struggles put him in a deep hole. His closest rival, Ryan Dungey, was putting on a clinic week after week and Roczen could not do anything about it. He and his team were forced to go to the drawing board midseason in a last ditch effort to salvage the season and figure out what piece they were missing. After a good week of testing they figured it out; it turned out to be just a few adjustments to the bike. Nothing drastic by any means but Roczen said he suddenly felt one with the bike. Since then, he has been on a mission. He and Dungey have put on some thrilling performances battling for the wins and after back to back near victories, Roczen finally broke through in Foxboro with a dominating performance notching his fourth win of the year. This resurgence may have came too late as Dungey has a sizable points lead over Ken and will most likely clinch the title this Saturday in Jersey but as Roczen said earlier this week, “It’s not over until the fat lady sings.”
16 GRITMOTO • MAY.2.16
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