For the second consecutive week, Team Honda HRCs Ken Roczen finished just shy of the podium, scoring another fourth-place overall result with 3-4 moto finishes at round five of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship in Blountville, Tennessee. In moto one, Roczen rocketed down the start straight with the holeshot and early lead. He immediately came under fire but was able to fend off the attacks until lap six, when he relinquished the front spot. He tried to mount a charge but was once again forced to play defense before falling to third and riding smoothly and consistently for the remainder of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap race.
In the second race, the German was once again unstoppable off the start, launching his CRF450R to another holeshot. He fell to second halfway through the opening lap, then lost an additional position one lap later. He maintained third until again coming under fire with eight minutes remaining. Roczen fought hard, but as lappers entered the picture he fell to fourth, which is where he finished.
NOTES
- On Friday, Team Honda HRCs Ken Roczen, along with GEICO Hondas Jeremy Martin, RJ Hampshire, Chase Sexton, and Cameron McAdoo, attended a pre-race open house at Atlas Motorsports, where hundreds of enthusiastic fans were on hand to meet their favorite riders.
- Light rain during the early part of the day made for slick and muddy track conditions throughout qualifying practice. After two sessions, Roczen qualified sixth-fastest with a 154.228 time.
- It was a bittersweet day for the GEICO Honda squad, as rookie Chase Sexton celebrated his career-first 250MX podium finish of third overall with 8-4 results, while Jeremy Martin had a hard crash early in the second moto that sent him to the hospital with a burst fracture to his L1 vertebrae. Martin has full mobility but will undergo surgery today (Monday) to stabilize the area.
- On June 30, Team Honda HRC will campaign the sixth round of the 2018 AMA Pro Motocross championship at The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts.
QUOTES
Ken Roczen
“Im happy with how today went. I got fourth, but I feel a lot better and am more satisfied with it this weekend than last because I think we made some good steps forward. Im a lot happier with my second moto. We definitely made some great improvements on the bike between races. I was kind of fighting it a little in the first moto, but the changes we made were a lot better. I was having fun and not feeling beat up. I ripped two holeshots, which is great. I was up there in the first moto, finishing third, but I just wasnt gelling. I dont think the results show how happy I was with the second moto—not on the podium, but all in all I’m satisfied and we can just keep working forward from here on out.”
Erik Kehoe: Team Manager
“Fourth overall is not where Kenny wants to be ultimately, but it was another week of progress. He made steps forward, being more comfortable with the bike, being a little stronger, and getting two holeshots. Starts are obviously key, and he’s really getting those dialed, with one holeshot last weekend and now two this weekend. Everything is building, which is what we want to see each week.”
Oscar Wirdeman: Mechanic (Ken Roczen)
“I think today went well for Ken. Obviously, he wants to be on the podium and is a little disappointed he let the leaders gap him as much as they did, but we made lot of progress today and he’s happy with that. He’s getting more and more comfortable each week, so things are good.”
Media contact:
Mandie Fonteyn // Jonnum Media // [email protected] // +1 (951) 537-0454
450MX Results
1) Eli Tomac (1-3)
2) Justin Barcia (2-2)
3) Marvin Musquin (5-1)
4) Ken Roczen (3-4)
5) Blake Baggett (4-5)
6) Weston Peick (6-6)
7) Justin Hill (8-7)
8) Phil Nicoletti (7-9)
9) Benny Bloss (9-8)
10) Kyle Cunningham (11-10)
450MX Championship Points (after 5 of 12 rounds)
1) Eli Tomac 242
2) Marvin Musquin 210
3) Justin Barcia 184
4) Ken Roczen 169
5) Blake Baggett 164
6) Weston Peick 148
7) Benny Bloss 126
8) Phil Nicoletti 118
9) Cody Cooper 80
10) Jason Anderson 73