After a mid-week diagnosis of shingles, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen took back second place in the AMA Supercross points standings with a picture-perfect ride to victory in the 450SX main event on Sunday. The German started in second but took over the lead on lap four, and that’s where he stayed for the remainder of the 29-lap race, establishing a comfortable margin along the way. It was Roczen’s fourth premier-class win of the season and the 15th of his career, though it was his first during this seven-race stretch to be held at Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium; Roczen has been battling health problems since the return to racing, but he put those issues behind him at round 15.
“Tonight we did really, really good. I felt like I was able to go the full distance in the main, which was great. I knew it was just going to take a few extra days to get everything back lined up after the last couple of rounds and everything that’s been going on with my body. We won our heat race, which was really stacked–I got a holeshot there and it was great. I really felt good with the bike; we’ve been tweaking it a little bit here and there, and I was really gelling with it nicely tonight. I kind of liked the track; the whoops got really chewed up again and I think that was one of my strong points tonight. We ended up getting the win, which was great because the last three rounds have been really tough on me and the team. It was good to come back and turn all that negativity around into something positive. Every time I go out and win for myself and my team, it feels like my first win back. We were the best tonight, which is awesome. The team is happy and I’m happy and looking forward to the race on Wednesday.”
Only two events remain in the series, with round 16 to take place this Wednesday and the finale set for Sunday, June 21.