Ken Roczen has recorded his third clean sweep for the season.
By Hayden Gregory
The German rider made a perfect start to the opening moto, scoring the holeshot ahead of Eli Tomac and Jason Anderson. In the absence of Ryan Dungey, Roczen looked hard to beat early and was given some breathing space after Tomac came down on lap two. Anderson then also made a mistake dropping back to fifth place allowing Marvin Musquin and Cole Seely to move into podium positions.
Out in front Roczen continued to pull away, eventually taking the win 14 seconds ahead of Musquin while Anderson pipped Seely for third.
In moto two, Justin Barcia claimed the holeshot ahead of Roczen, Anderson, Musquin and Tomac. By the end of lap one Roczen had gained the lead and began to once again check out on the field.
Anderson and Tomac would also move past Barcia to claim the remaining podium places. Tomac would make a move on Anderson before the running order played out all the way to the finish.
Roczen claimed his ninth 450 career win and his third clean sweep for the season, also becoming the first rider to win back to back at High Point since Ricky Carmichael in 2006 and 2007.
“I was pushing 100 percent out there, but also not really. I didn’t want to be out of control because the track was difficult,” said Roczen. “There were a couple areas on the track that cost me some time [to other riders], but I just stuck to what I was doing. It was warm out there, but we got the starts we needed and I was able to ride my own race.”
Jason Anderson enjoyed the best finish of his career in second place (3-3) while Musquin landed his first premier podium in third (2-4).
“It was a consistent day today. I was 3-3 for second overall, which is great,” said Anderson. “I just really want to stop getting outrun by those guys up front, so we need to keep working hard during the week to try and get up there.”
Eli Tomac would miss the podium for the first time this season, ending in fourth place.
“The second moto was a good ride for me, but that first moto really cost me,” said Tomac. “I crashed and lost some spots, and just couldn’t get into the battle up front. I don’t know what’s wrong with me this year, but we need to make a charge and get up there with Kenny [Roczen]. We’ll do some work and come back next week.”
Roczen now leads the championship by 41 points. Eli Tomac moves into second while Dungey still holds third despite not racing due to injury.
