RCH Soaring Eagle Suzuki Looks to Toronto Supercross

Ken Roczen looks for third 450cc win as Monster Energy AMA Supercross returns to Rogers Centre in Toronto after a one-year hiatus.

RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen will be hunting for his third 2016 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series victory of the season when the series ventures into Canada for round 10 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, tomorrow night, marking the first time the series has visited Canada in two years.

During last weekend’s Daytona Supercross by Honda, Roczen posted the fastest time in the first practice and later went on to finish fourth in the first 450cc heat race of the night, earning a direct ticket to the 20-lap main event. A poor start left him playing catch-up for most of the main. The 21-year-old German rider recorded his seventh top-five finish of the season by finishing fifth. Roczen is still second in the 2016 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series points standings, trailing defending series champion and current points leader Ryan Dungey by 39 points.

“I’m looking forward to a good weekend in Toronto,” Roczen said. “I had a good night the last time we raced there two years ago so I’m excited to go back. We had some bad luck out of the starting gate last weekend in Daytona, and by the time everything got sorted out, I ran out of time to try and catch the leaders. Obviously, we want to do better, but I feel good fitness-wise. I had a good week of practice, so we’re going to go to Toronto, be aggressive and try to win the race.”

Meanwhile, RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s Suzuki’s Jake Weimer heads to Rogers Centre in the hope of bettering the disappointing 17th-place finishes he scored at the previous two rounds. Weimer has just four top-10 finishes to his credit this year, yet he is still 10th in the series standings.

“I’ve missed a lot of time over the last couple years,” Weimer said. “Last year, I had a serious injury. Before that, just some stupid petty stuff that kept me away from the races. The thing about getting on a bad streak is that it’s a lot tougher to shake than it is to start. It’s important for me to be at the races and get comfortable. It’s a lot different practicing Monday through Friday than it is when you get to the stadium. The whole dynamic is so much different. Every time I can get out there, stay healthy and make progress is a good thing for me.”

Weimer said that he knows he needs to have a better performance in Canada.

“I need to step up,” he said. “My riding is fine during the week. There’s nothing that should be holding me back, so I just need to step up. It’s that simple. Unfortunately, there’s no magic answer when all the pieces are there and you feel like you’re capable but it’s just not happening.”

In two previous starts at Rogers Centre, Weimer finished fifth (2012) and sixth (2013).

“Top 10 is where I need to be,” Weimer said. “That’s the goal right now. I would like more than that but realistically, that’s the goal right now. I need to get back to racing for top 10s and be a little more consistent.”

Round 10 of the 2016 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series at Rogers Centre will be televised live on FS1 Saturday, March 12 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 4 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.