When Ken Roczen transferred from the Factory Honda team to Pipes Motorsports Group Suzuki in 2023, he knew there would be a learning curve, so it was no surprise when the 2014 and 2016 Pro Motocross champion won only one race that season. He expected better overall results in his second season with the team, but erratic performances in the first five rounds prompted concerns. Roczen reached the podium twice in the early rounds, in Week 2 in San Francisco and Week 5 in Detroit, but his other three finishes were way outside the top five. However, all it takes for a rider to gain momentum is one strong performance, which was on the horizon.
Roczen won Round 6 of the Monster Energy Supercross series in Glendale, Arizona, by over five seconds over Jason Anderson. Jett Lawrence finished third, more than nine seconds behind. It appeared that the tide might be turning. In the following round, an eighth-place result in Arlington, Texas, was a temporary setback. Following that, Roczen went on a four-race top-five streak, took a weekend off to finish outside the top ten in St. Louis, and then finished on the podium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in Round 13. Roczen finished fifth in the points standings, too far behind Lawrence and Cooper Webb to be considered a genuine contender for the championship, but these were the results everyone had come to expect.
The following week, in Nashville, Tennessee, Roczen experienced one of the season’s most terrifying crashes. A shock broke on lap 9 of the race as Roczen pursued the leader, Eli Tomac. Riding in a cloud of smoke, Roczen was abruptly thrown to the ground, shattering his tib plateau, foot, and toe. Roczen missed the final three Supercross rounds and the first eight Motocross races.
The SuperMotocross World Championship has one effect: it emphasizes the need of getting back on the bike as soon as possible. This is sometimes necessary to move up a rank or two in the standings and enhance one’s playoff seeding, and it is also used to gain momentum. Roczen did not need the points. He was comfortably within the top 20 and would be guaranteed a spot in the postseason. At best, he could gain a position on Christian Craig, and from what I heard him say at the time, he wasn’t too concerned about momentum.
The SuperMotocross World Championship serves one purpose: it highlights the need of getting back on the bike as soon as possible. This is occasionally required to move up a rank or two in the standings and improve one’s playoff seeding, but it can also be utilized to gain momentum. Roczen didn’t need the points. He was comfortably in the top 20 and would be guaranteed a position in the playoffs. At best, he could acquire a position on Christian Craig, and based on what I heard him say at the time, he wasn’t concerned with momentum.
Roczen was solid again in the 2024 playoffs, but it was not the consistency he desired. He placed fifth in Charlotte, sixth at Texas Motor Speedway, and seventh in Las Vegas. Roczen has renewed his contract with the Progressive Ecstar Suzuki team through 2025, and the time is ticking. Despite the fact that all riders are prone to injury during their careers, the SuperMotocross competition is aging, and Roczen still has a few wins under his belt at the age of 30. To compete for one of the three SMX championships this year, he must stay healthy because bones do not stitch together nearly as effectively in an athlete’s fourth decade as they did in his youth.
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