Ken Roczen flew the RCH Soaring Eagle Jimmy John’s Suzuki flag to the top of the podium at University of Phoenix Stadium last weekend.
It took 18 races, but the Ricky Carmichael and Carey Hart-owned RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing team ended its Monster Energy AMA Supercross victory dry spell when Ken Roczen won round five of the series at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, last Saturday night.
Roczen led the main event from wire to wire aboard his Suzuki RM-Z450 and finished just over 4.5 seconds ahead of Ryan defending Monster Energy AMA Suprecross Champion and 2016 series points leader Ryan Dungey. The win gave Roczen sole possession of second in points where he now trails Dungey by 21 with 12 races left in the season. It also marked Roczen’s third consecutive podium finish.
“It’s amazing,” Roczen said. “For once, I only got peppered in the heat race (laughs). I felt great just to have a clear track and ride my own race. The track was something else. The track was much higher speed than it usually is and a lot harder than the previous races. It was definitely something different. That was the longest starting straight that I’ve ever done in a supercross race, which is pretty cool. I think it’s definitely more of a safer way and helps the field spread out a little bit so I really liked it.
“It was tough out there,” Roczen added. “I was a little too cautious in the whoops and that’s where I lost the most, but nothing to complain about. We got it done. The biggest thing is that it feels super awesome to finally be at the very top, finally, but we’re not done. We’re going to keep clicking them off and keep putting in work. We’re going to enjoy this and get back to work on Monday. The most important thing is to keep a steady program and not quit.”
The win may have shaken the proverbial monkey off his back, but the 21-year-old German knows he has to maintain the same focus he showed in Glendale if he wants to make a run at Dungey for the Supercross Championship. Getting a good start was a key to victory, and Roczen intends to get more of them.
“Finally the starts are getting better,” Roczen said. “We’re going to keep practicing so we can keep getting good starts and make life a lot easier. Everyone was in the house so it was great to win, especially in the new stadium. The new stadium is rad. It’s super big and the location is awesome.”
RCH co-owner Carey Hart said that he hopes the win translates into momentum as the series continues.
“It was a great night,” Hart said. “I was hoping to get a win and hopefully this means that Ken will be on a heater and he’ll win a lot of races. He was solid all night and his starts were great. His start in the main event was pretty much flawless. The track got really loose and he adapted well. Hopefully, this will translate into some momentum as we go back to San Diego and start to head east.”
Meanwhile, Jake Weimer, rider of RCH’s number 12 Suzuki RM-Z450, struggled with handling issues for much of the evening and was ultimately credited with a 14th-place finish. Still, the team reported that the Idaho rider maintained a positive attitude and was ready to put his struggles behind him.
“It was a tough night,” Weimer said. “All day was just a little bit of a struggle. I really struggled in the whoops and trying to get some confidence on that part of the track, in particular. We had some big whoops at an earlier round and I kind of struggled there. I need to improve on that. I crashed in practice so I was sore and had to deal with that. I think the bike is good. It was just me. I’m comfortable. I like the bike but I still need to work on a couple things. I was just a bit off but I know what I need to work on and we’ll be ready for San Diego.””
The 2016 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series returns to Petco Park in San Diego, California, for the second time–the final California stop of the 2016 series–on Saturday, February 13.
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