We haven’t heard much from Ken Roczen of the Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki team since his shock exploded and he exited Monster Energy AMA Supercross stage right with an injury in April. Well, the German is getting back on a bike for a Fox photo shoot and put it on social media that he might make it to Unadilla for the next round of the nationals. For sure we’ll see Roczen at round one of the SMX series in Charlotte. We recently caught up to #94 on the PulpMX Show to see what’s been going on.
Note, this interview was conducted before Roczen confirmed on Monday he was racing Unadilla on his Suzuki RM-Z450 and would be racing the Ironman National on a Suzuki RM-Z250. Yes, a 250cc bike!
Racer X: How’s it going? You’re back on the bike. How are you feeling?
Ken Roczen: Pretty good, actually. I’ve made huge strides in the last couple of weeks, and everything is going really well. When I wasn’t really putting my leg down, I used that time to kind of test a little bit. I was on air forks last year and I wanted to get away from them. Not that I did much testing last year anyway, so I kind of started from zero. So, I kind of just had time to get familiar with it and try to set up the bike a little bit. It’s been going really well. I’ve been getting a lot stronger, a lot fitter. I think I’m on a good course right now.
Is it possible for you to get more fit than you already are?
You’d be surprised. With the injury, I let everything go for a bit. I didn’t lift a finger for at least eight weeks, like full nothing. We were talking about it when I posted that video when I was riding with no shirt, and I felt like I was starting from scratch again. It was more so on the fitness side of things. I was like, “Oh, geez, you let yourself go.” Not go where I’m unhealthy, but I definitely lost a lot of strength and fitness. But the base is inside of you, so it doesn’t take that much to get it back, but there are some miserable weeks though.
Just to clarify, you did indeed do motos with no shirt on, no jersey on like we saw on Instagram.
Yeah. We were riding the turn track a lot because we’ve been getting so much rain, and it was hot as balls out. So, I’m like, “I’m just going to rock no shirt, get a little tan going.” I always ride with a chest protector. I don’t like riding without a chest protector. It feels naked to me. I have my whole life. I don’t do it all the time but when we’re on the turn track and there’s no real jumps and we’re kind of just going on straightaways and stuff, I’ll let it hang a little bit.
Any lingering pain or weakness from your injury? Are you 100 percent? Is there still a certain thing you got to remind yourself? Like, “I’m not all the way back?”
I would call myself 100 percent. It may not be. The weird part is I never really had pain on the actual fracture. It’s everything around my patella, my kneecap. So, my quad tendon that’s basically on the very top right here, it felt like I had a golf ball in there. It was super inflamed. Even still. I’ve been putting my leg down maybe for a couple weeks now. A week and a half, a couple weeks. The impact, even the jumping side of things. I actually went up to a buck shoot and I wasn’t supposed to ride at all. I didn’t take any wrist braces, nothing. The day before, I kind of got cleared to go ahead and start stretching it more. Basically a “good to go” type thing. Then I showed up and I’m like, you know what? Maybe I can hit some right-hand turns. Then I ended up riding a little bit and ended up throwing some whips and stuff. But I was so scared. The jumps were huge there. So much airtime and I haven’t whipped in ages.
But it was the time to actually take where you don’t have to moto and do all that. So, I kind of just took my time and had some fun with it. It helped out riding a lot. But the knee, still in the more high-speed turns… It rains a lot here, so the turns are super tilled, and you get these kind of deep ruts. So, when I kind of stuff it right there and I put it down and my leg gets yanked back, if I flex it completely, that’s where I kind of have pain. But like I said, it’s not even the fracture. It’s like on my kneecap. Everything around the kneecap. It’s definitely getting a lot better. I think you have to stretch it, and then you’re kind of off of it a little bit and let it recover, and then stretch it again. But I would say that it’s fine.
You posted a little bit back about you’re trying to get your wrists stronger. Do you think you’ll ever ride without a wrist brace again or do you think that that’s kind of something you’re going to have to be in until you’re done?
No way. I have pain on the right too, but on the left side it’s my wrist. On the right side, I had all the metacarpals shattered and dislocated and everything. So, I have pain in my hand on the right side. I will never ride without them, just even for injury. I cannot take any more damage to my hands and wrists and elbows. So, it’s more so for prevention. But honestly, on the left one it’s not as stable. It’s weak. If I am constantly on the end range, that’s where it hurts. I don’t want to, really. I don’t even have the screw super tight to where I can’t move it at all. It’s really the cable system, how it kind of crosses at the bottom. That’s what gives me stability. I can’t ride without them. I don't want to, either. If I fall forward – and I have – with the wrist braces, they save me. So, I just can’t risk it. I don't want to risk it. I also don’t want to deal with nagging pain, if I’m constantly bugging it and being on that end range. But with something like a pushup, even if it continues to be uncomfortable in that, I’m fine with it because I’m down for like a minute or whatever it is and then you get out of it. But I do believe that it actually will get stronger and then being in that pushup position hopefully won’t bother me that much anymore. I used to just do it on my knuckles, but I tested it, and I did a pushup, and it was fine. It’s weird. It feels so different. I’ve been doing them on my knuckles now forever. So, I just kind of started doing them normally. You can even see with my elbow because my arm doesn’t supinate. So, my thumb doesn’t rotate out like at all. So, I’m always in a little bit of a compensating movement. I also just want to be careful with certain exercises that I do, I don't want my shoulder hiked or anything. I don't want to create problems. It might be fine for that exercise, but if I keep training it in a certain way and my shoulder is all hiked up and then it just becomes normal, that’s what I don’t want. So, I’m just mindful of it more so than anything.
I was talking to [Larry] Brooks and Dustin [Pipes], and you mentioned Unadilla. They mentioned Unadilla. There’s a chance you might do the last three here? What are we thinking?
I don't know about three. I’m kind of shooting for Unadilla. It’s not a 100 percent thing yet. I think it would be great to get a gate drop or two in, because I’m also prepping myself for Motocross of Nations, then to SMX. I don’t want to go in cold turkey. I’m not worried about showing up and not having the intensity – I don’t, but I still think it would be good to get a gate drop in.
Related: Roczen Racing Unadilla National on RM-Z450, Ironman National on RM-Z250
I was thinking that you were thinking SMX points, but this is a Des Nations thing, and a gate drop thing. SMX points are whatever for you?
Yeah. I’m actually landlocked. It doesn’t matter if I race. I think I’m in 12th right now, somebody told me.
Des Nations is a go for Germany?
Yeah, I want to. I’ve been having my sights on that for a long time. I really enjoyed last year. It was an experience. Obviously in the last few years… When was the last time before that? Maybe 2018, which was a disaster. Then I went there last year, and that was just an experience on a whole other level. The venue isn’t very big anyway there, but then all the people… It’s just a very special, very unique race and I enjoyed it a lot. As soon as I was done with that last year, I was like, “Man, I want to come back next year.” Especially since it’s at Matterley Basin. That’s one of my all-time favorite tracks. I haven’t been there in ages. I really love that track. I really want to go.
So, Unadilla just because you’ve won there before, you like the track, and then get a gate drop. Maybe.
If you look at the results, yes. When you look back, I’ve always done good there. But I don’t go there saying, “Oh, Unadilla. That’s my track. I can win.” Whether this was Budds Creek right now or Ironman, whatever it would be, I would go. It’s not just because it’s Unadilla. I needed this time to get ready. I needed to get fitter, stronger, I needed to set the bike up. The racing circumstance, how my knee was before, I just wasn’t putting my leg down and I don't want to take three steps back, either. So, I just want to make sure that it’s ready and now with the two weekends off and there’s three more weeks to go, I feel like I can make a solid step forward again. I don't want to show up and get my ass handed to me. That’s for sure. I don't know where I will be or how it’s going to be. I just want to try hard. I know I can do good. I know I have it in me. But my mentality, I am not going to a race and getting my ass handed to me. I want to try hard or be able to. You come back from injury, and everybody always puts it there that it's so easy, but after not doing anything for eight or nine weeks and then you start back up, and you’re like, “Oh, boy.” Everyone always makes it so easy, and yes, it is in me, but I treat it with a lot of respect, coming back and stuff.
What’s your take on what’s going on this summer? Jett [Lawrence] exits, Chase [Sexton] gets the new level, and seven in a row. Hunter has an off weekend. He’s not feeling it. What’s your take on the 450 class a little bit this summer?
I’ve watched every single race. I’m normally not watching it so much, but I’ve also made the mistake in the past, mostly my 2017 injury, I really secluded myself from the sport. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to ride again or race again. So, then I was just gone. I didn’t pay attention to anything. I didn’t watch it. Then I came back and just felt like I was gone for five years. So, I definitely want to watch it every weekend. I watch MXGP every weekend, too. It’s fun. It’s exciting. Obviously, Chase has had some really outstanding rides. But it’s just always when you look at it, does Chase ride the same when Jett is there?
We don’t think so.
It seems like they found something on the bike. I have to say that Chase’s bike is probably one of the best-looking ones out there, in my eyes. It tracks well, it’s got good traction. It doesn’t look hard. He can do whatever he wants with it. Then you combine that with being strong and fit, it’s just lethal.
We think he’s the fittest guy in the class right now. Do you agree?
For sure. He’s just big-built. I think he’s just got natural power. He’s motivated, too. I would say he’s definitely one of the strongest and the fittest guys, but it’s not always needed to win. If you look at Jett or Hunter, they’re both fit and fit enough to do it, but I don't think they’re as strong and as fit as Chase. There’s just always a fine line. Chase can handle a lot. He’s a tank like that. He can handle a lot of work and that shows. There’s a fine line between doing just enough and doing too much and overdoing it. Even if you can handle it, it doesn’t mean you always have to put in a shit ton of work. Once you’re at that level and racing every weekend, you’re just not going to lose any fitness. I think that’s more important to be in a good rhythm of training during the week, have your shit together. I think that’s more important than trying to go out every day and doing the most training you can possibly do.
