Well, what do you know? When you’re Team Honda HRC star Ken Roczen, fourth place sucks after all.
With the world watching to see if Roczen would even be able to come back and post competitive lap times at the 2018 Anaheim I Supercross after shattering his left arm in a crash at Angel Stadium nearly one year ago, Roczen not only proved to be fast. At times, he was the fastest man on the track, and when the dust settled on the Anaheim I main event, Roczen wound up a very impressive fourth place.
In the pre-race Anaheim Supercross press conference, Roczen had stated “Whether I’m first, second, third or fifth, it doesn’t matter to me as much just because it’s just a long season.” Apparently he left out fourth for a reason?
Fourth is what Roczen got, and afterward, the German was disappointed, a completely understandable reaction, considering how smooth and fast he looked on his Team Honda HRC 2018 Honda CRF450R.
“Earlier, I said if I win, get third, or fifth, it doesn’t matter and I’ll be happy, but when I came off the track, it did matter to me,” Roczen said in Team Honda HRC’s post-race debrief. “I really wanted to win. I was bummed because halfway through, I had the speed and was catching those guys, but I made a mistake where I scrubbed and dragged my boot on the ground and almost crashed. I was riding a little tight and tried to shake it off, but towards the end I tried to just keep it smart. I didn’t want to do anything stupid because there’s a lot of racing left. The more I think about it, fourth place isn’t too bad. We could’ve had a way worse night, and I really think without that mistake I would’ve been on the podium. There were some nerves on the line just due to lack of experience starting with 20 riders. I kind of messed up both times and just dumped the clutch, so I was pretty far back in the main event, which was a little sketchy. I think if I had gotten a better start, my night would’ve been even better. I’m happy to be here and excited to keep racing.”
Judging from the roar of the crowd during his introduction, a lot of other folks are happy about that as well.
Here’s the Team Honda HRC press release, issued after the 2018 Anaheim I Supercross:
The first round of AMA Supercross, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, was an exciting one for Team Honda HRC as it saw the return of Ken Roczen, who scored an impressive fourth-place finish after being sidelined for nearly a year. When the gate dropped for the main event, the German was slow off the line, leaving him outside the top 15 around the first turn. By the completion of the opening lap, Roczen had made his way into 12th. He continued his charge through the field, moving into sixth halfway through the 24-lap main event. Despite a mistake around the middle of the race, Roczen took the checkered flag in fourth.
Despite having to shake off some pre-race nerves, Cole Seely put together a solid performance to finish sixth on the night. The Californian got off the line to a less-than-desirable start but made quick passes on the opening lap, moving into seventh. He gained one more position after that before settling into sixth.
NOTES
On Friday night, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen and Cole Seely were joined by GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin, Christian Craig, and Chase Sexton at Huntington Beach Honda for the first dealer appearance of the season, where they spent time signing autographs and hanging out with fans.
For the third consecutive year, American Honda welcomed fans in the Supercross Pit Party with a huge setup that included a children’s learn-to-ride center. Certified instructors were on hand to assist and give pointers to kids as they took to the small, oval course.
During daytime qualifying, Roczen impressed everyone in the second session, laying down a 52.409” lap to score the fastest time of the day, while teammate Seely was sixth-quickest with a 53.182”. MotoConcept Honda’s Justin Brayton secured seventh and GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin landed 10th.
The above results meant there were more CRF450Rs in the top 10 of daytime qualifying than any other brand, and the trend continued in the main event, with Hondas being the most popular choice overall and in the top 10.
After years of being stored outside near the stadium and being transported in and out for AMA Supercross and Monster Jam, the dirt used to build the track was filled with rocks and gravel. Prior to round 1, the dirt was sifted twice prior to loading into the stadium. “The dirt was a lot nicer this year and the track didn’t break down quite as bad,” Seely said. “Normally in the past, the roost has really hurt here. You’d leave with torn-up knuckles and welts on your chest, so that was probably the best part of them sifting it. It still got down to that hard base, and as the night went on and the moisture came out, it got a little slick. The whoops stayed big and didn’t break down like I thought they would, so it stayed pretty good.”
For his return to racing, Roczen requested that Fox make him a butt patch that read “Bleed for This.” When asked, Roczen explained that it was inspired by the movie of the same name, about fighter Vinny Pazienza, who broke his neck. “Everyone said he could never fight again, but he pulled it off and basically came back to be the best,” Roczen said. “I just felt like it fit perfectly for my situation because so many people doubted me. I actually met the real guy who the movie is based on at a NASCAR race prior to the 2017 season, which is pretty cool.”
New for the 2018 season are metal starting-gate platforms, which are designed to provide consistent traction and conditions for everyone. “The new metal starting gate make it more consistent when lining up behind the gate but the dirt almost gets torn up worse out of the gate,” Seely said. “It’s like we have more wheel spin or something, and it really eats the dirt up, which is obviously new to all of us. In hindsight, I wish I had started three or four outside of the box because it was a better line and smoother. The one I was in was kind of rough.”
During Saturday’s race, Fox Sports 1 aired a feature covering Roczen’s return to racing after his horrific crash at Anaheim 2 nearly a year ago. With behind-the-scenes footage from the hospital and a candid interview with the German, fans got an incredible inside look at his journey back to Supercross.
With a unique change in the schedule, the Honda Red Riders head east to Houston for round two. On Friday, the riders will take part in a dealer appearance at Wild West Motoplex in Katy, Texas, from 6-7:30 p.m.
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