Ken Roczen had an incredible ride at the Detroit round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, taking his second win of the season. After a second-place start, he made quick work of Jorge Prado and rode smart from there, finishing over seven seconds ahead of Chase Sexton at the end. Not only did Roczen win, but he beat the two competitors who are ahead of him in the championship, Hunter Lawrence and Eli Tomac, making a major dent in the points deficit. He spoke on what a second win means to him and the points situation in the post-race press conference:
“It's all of it, honestly. Like I knew my back was a little bit against the wall, obviously at 31 points back. I knew what I was up against, and I said for the past couple of weekends, I need to start winning some of these and not let the same guys, even though I ride really good, but let the same guys win and I keep losing points. That's been the most frustrating part over the last couple of weeks, two three races. So, it just, oh man, it just all came together. I really believe today was the day. But then also you got to go out and actually do it. So, after the great start, I wasn't the fastest in the beginning of the race. I knew they were coming. I changed my lines a little bit from the heat race and from qualifying and then ended up changing some stuff back because they were gaining on me pretty good. But I didn't let that freak me out just because the track was really tricky. You just had some super grabby, tacky areas and like the 90 degree turns without the berm before the finish was really slick. So, whoops obviously got demolished. And you know, I didn't really make too many mistakes. And it's just a long race. And once it all comes together and you see that checkered flag, it's like such a monkey off the back. But like I said after the race, it's before the race, right? But right now, it was just such an overwhelming feeling of emotions, just because it's also been a long time since I've gotten two wins in one season. So, I hope I can add on to that. But it just, it all came together, my crew and everything. So, yeah, I need to sit down a little bit and actually like fully let it sink in.”
The racetrack in Detroit was one of the trickiest all year, and staying up was just as important as going fast, as Ken explained: “I knew Chase and Hunter were behind me. So, I'm like, 'Okay, let's hit our marks and it's going to be a long race.' I didn't want to go all bonkers and tighten up. And, you know, there's just a lot of ways the race can go. Track was super tricky. And even if you feel, that's kind of like what scared me a little, I almost felt a little bit too good in qualifying, to be honest, because everything kind of came easy, easy. I felt loose, but the track is technical and it does get rutted and it is tacky and the whoops do get beat to crap, you know? So, in the heat race I had one little moment in the whoops and I'm like, 'Well, there it was.' So, I knew going into the main that I have to keep my composure and be a little methodical about it. I told my mechanic right before the race, I'm like, 'Hey, I don't I want to approach this race in a mellow manner,' just because even though I have been crushing the whoops, it takes that one time of getting too cocky and send it in there and you have a moment. So, I just kind of steered clear of the bulldog mentality, you know? And that's exactly what I did. I may have not been the fastest, but I did put myself in good positions and hung in there and kept going. And I don't know how many laps we did. It felt like 32. But yeah, so I'm just working to trying to figure out which way I tick, I guess.”
This is the first time that Roczen has won multiple rounds of a supercross season since 2021 (where he won, among other races, the entire three race residency in Indianapolis). And at almost 32 years old he has learned to do things his own way and keep what works for him, and drop what doesn’t.
“I'm kind of doing whatever my heart desires. So, I just, I stay happy throughout the season. Obviously got my hands full with my kids. I mean, that's a whole other ballpark of emotional strength that you need. So that's definitely gotten me a lot more robust. But at the same time, yeah, I don't know, I've tried the same, I've put in the same effort over the last 11 rounds. So even though I kept losing points, I couldn't ignore that I'm riding really well and that I must be doing something right. So that's what I held on to, you know and it really is true. You're at round ten, you got seven races to go. That's a whole lot of races and we saw it again tonight. And that can swing the other way too. I can mess up which you know we don't want to talk about that, but it can all happen so quickly. And ultimately, I don't know how people can just be like, 'It's over,' when you have seven races to go and I don't know how many 200, 300 points whatever out on the available. So, I don't know, like I said, my own guinea pig, I learn every year too, and I'm just trying to do my best to stay in it. And that's really what I do on a weekend basis and on a daily basis, especially.”
In one race Ken went from 31 points back of Lawrence to only 14 behind new leader Tomac. And with six rounds left he is not giving up on himself. In fact, he seems a little frustrated with the narrative that he cannot finish a season strong and would like to rewrite that. “I mean, I get where the media and fans or whoever it is, I get where they're coming from because I haven't been able to finish the season over the last couple of years because of injury. So, I guess I get where they're coming from. But the last time I faded in a season was 2022. Honestly, let it go. Let me let me do the talking out there. And then if I keep doing it, you can go right back to it. But as of right now, there has been absolutely no signs and I'm sick of hearing it, honestly.”
With Tomac in what he referred to as a “mid-season slump,” and Ken riding maybe the best he ever has, it looks like this season isn’t over yet.
