Ken Roczen Racing Unadilla National on RM-Z450, Ironman National on RM-Z250
Moments ago, Ken Roczen shared an update on Instagram. The German native suffered a knee injury in his wild crash in the whoops at the Nashville Supercross but began riding again in June with the upcoming SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) playoffs starting in September.
In a brief Instagram video, Roczen said he is racing two of the final three rounds of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship: first the Unadilla National on his RM-Z450, then the Ironman National on a Suzuki RM-Z250.
Roczen, currently 12th in the 450SMX standings (full standings below), will be well within the top 20 mark to qualify for the three playoff rounds without having to go to the LCQ, although you could expect him to earn about 40 points by racing his RM-Z450 at the Unadilla National on August 10. A strong day in New York, where Roczen has done really well in recent years, could solidify his strong finishing position in the SMX qualifying standings and also help keep him up to speed for the first SMX Playoff round in North Carolina the second weekend in September.
But Roczen racing a 250F again? Well, this is just cool! We do not see stuff like this too often nowadays, so seeing Roczen race an AMA race on a 250cc machine in the 250 Class is going to be fun to watch. Roczen's last 250F race was the 2013 Lake Elsinore National (August 24, 2013), when he finished second overall (1-7) behind Eli Tomac (2-1).
Where do you think the two-time 450 Class Pro Motocross Champion will finish at Ironman Raceway? Let us know in the comments section below.
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Qualifying Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 561 | 156 |
| 2 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia | 669 | 156 |
| 3 |  Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO  | 349 | 129 |
| 4 |  Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | 601 | 116 |
| 5 |  Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | 350 | 109 |
| 6 |  Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany  | 254 | 103 |
| 7 |  Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL | 811 | 89 |
| 8 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 598 | 81 |
| 9 |  Justin Barcia | Monroe, NY | 365 | 75 |
| 10 |  Jason Anderson | Edgewood, NM | 644 | 75 |
| 11 |  Dylan Ferrandis | Avignon, France  | 435 | 75 |
| 12 |  Shane McElrath | Canton, NC | 250 | 67 |
| 13 |  Harri Kullas | Estonia  | 163 | 57 |
| 14 |  Marshal Weltin | Ubly, MI | 162 | 52 |
| 15 |  Fredrik Noren | Lidköping, Sweden  | 242 | 51 |
| 16 |  Malcolm Stewart | Haines City, FL | 497 | 48 |
| 17 |  Dean Wilson | Scotland, United Kingdom  | 135 | 42 |
| 18 |  Colt Nichols | Muskogee, OK | 73 | 40 |
| 19 |  Christian Craig | Temecula, CA | 283 | 40 |
| 20 |  Grant Harlan | Justin, TX | 157 | 36 |
Update: 5:35 p.m. Eastern
Ken Roczen Targets Return to Racing At Unadilla
Looks to Join the Outdoor Season In Preparation for the SuperMotocross Playoffs
Brea, CA – H.E.P. Motorsports’ Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki star Ken Roczen is set to return to competition in the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Unadilla MX in New Berlin, New York on August 10th.
Roczen is currently ranked twelfth in the 2024 SuperMotocross Championship standings, and looks forward to a strong and competitive return to racing at Unadilla and more.
After being injured at the Nashville SX, Roczen has been aggressively rehabilitating and training hard. Roczen recently returned to riding motocross, with the goal of rejoining the 2024 SuperMotocross championship. He plans to race a selection of Outdoor rounds to put himself in the best position for racing in the SMX playoffs and championship final.
Ken Roczen (94) aims to rejoin the SMX championship chase at Unadilla, August 10th.
“It’s exciting to have Ken back racing at Unadilla. This was a much longer break than expected, but to get him some gate drops before the SMX playoffs was a huge factor in getting Ken to the races. I look forward to watching what Ken and his Suzuki RM-Z450 can do out on the race track,” said Larry Brooks, Team Manager of the Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance team.
“Suzuki is eager to see Ken back on his Suzuki RM-Z, preparing to showcase his talent and determination,” said Chris Wheeler, Suzuki Motorsports Manager. “Ken's return brings a renewed energy and optimism to our team, and we can't wait to see him compete at the highest level once again beginning with Unadilla.”
Suzuki joins H.E.P. Motorsports, and the entire RM Army in looking forward to Roczen rejoining the series, and to witnessing his technical, aggressive racing style once again.
