Ken Roczen, as usual, has started the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Championship off strong. With four podiums in five rounds (he had a bad start and then crashed at A2) Ken has moved into second place in points, thanks to a win in Glendale. There, Ken got off to a third place start and found his way around Hunter Lawrence and into the lead in the first few laps. Here's a piece of smart, veteran riding from Kenny: he actually burned in a rut in the inside of the sand section during the sight lap before the main, then used it to make the move for the lead.
From there he opened up a lead and Hunter wasn't able to reel him back in. While chaos for other title contenders Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton ensued behind him, Kenny looked comfortable out front to take home his 24th career 450SX win.
In the post-race press conference Ken spoke on what another win means to him: “Since it is becoming more rare for me to win, not for lack of trying, but they just get sweeter and sweeter. I've come close many, many times, but the competition is so stiff and it's even just hard getting on the podium. So, winning in a fashion like this, got a good start and then I was trying to find my feet because I knew Hunter, I haven't been able to get by him right away in some of the other races that we have had. I was trying to just be patient, but it did seem like I just had a bit more momentum around the track and was able to make it happen pretty quickly there. But I knew that I was in for a long main because first off, he's not just going to let go. And second, we had, I don't know, probably at least 15 minutes ago or something along those lines. So, I tried not to look at the tower, look at the time and really take it bit by bit, make it through halfway and then kind of go from there.”
This is Roczen’s fourth win on his Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki, since switching to the team for the 2023 season. And while Roczen may have had a reputation in years passed for being picky about bike set up, he has been very vocal this year about how comfortable he is on his Suzuki.
“First off, I have been happy with my motorcycle for quite some time now, so I take that in the bank, right? My confidence just grows because I'm not changing clickers or having to deal with a whole bunch of changes and figuring out what I like. That's a big relief, big weight off the shoulders, not having to deal with a bunch of changes."
Roczen generally has year-to-year contracts with his team, but there were rumors this summer that with Ducati ramping up a factory SMX effort, perhaps a high-profile international signing like that could serve both parties well. Ken explained at Glendale that he was never really interested in leaving his Suzuki, though.
"For me, I wasn't really in the mindset of changing everything upside down and starting over again with a new team. I really don't know, at this very moment, if that would've been the smartest idea for me. I trusted it and I really haven’t been wanting to go anywhere.”
This win was a huge one for the team, who just before Glendale released that team manager Larry Brooks is battling colon cancer. Dustin Pipes said the team itself actually found out before A2, and even credits Ken’s crash there to trying too hard to win for Larry. Ken spoke of his relationship with Larry and working with him for the last several years.
“Funny part is the relationship that Larry and I have, he's a little bit like my dad here without having my dad here, if that makes sense. I want to make him proud. I want to make us proud. And it just feels like, I guess, a little bit honored to be able to ride for him because of his history in the past with champions and all the riders that he has represented and done really cool things with. And I think before we even got together, the time where he was working for B teams and maybe not winning or being on the podium constantly, I know that's ultimately what he wanted. And for me to be able, or for us to be able to get there in the fashion that we did is a moment that I've always... It's really close to my heart. It really is. So, having him not here was a tough pill to swallow for the last few rounds, but we've all got his back. His health is most important in all of this. And to me, it feels like he's here anyway because we talk morning till night, no matter what. We keep in the loop. We watch Dart Fish together, send each other videos and he analyzes everything.So, for what it is, I still feel like he's somewhat present.
Ken now sits five points back of the points leader, Lawrence. While these wins sure feel sweet, consistency is more important. So far Ken has had both speed and consistency this year, the question now is, can he keep it going for 12 more rounds?
