Ken Roczen has done the damn thing! The German native has made the unthinkable, not only this year—overcoming his 31-point deficit to Hunter Lawrence in the championship—but overcoming the should-have-been-career ending arm injury nearly a decade ago to finally hold a Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX #1 plate.
You can look at all the records—oldest first time-champion, most 450SX seasons raced before a title, first Suzuki champion in 16 years, etc. etc.—but this one feels deeper than anything stats can say on paper. Simple put, this is stuff movies are made out of.
After finishing fifth in the Salt Lake City SX finale to Hunter Lawrence’s seventh, Roczen was handed the #1 plate and that elusive, and heavy, 450SX championship trophy.
![Ken Roczen, your 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Champion!]()
Ken Roczen, your 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Champion! Align Media ![]()
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| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany  | 349 |
| 2 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 346 |
Roczen noted the mental and physical strength it took for him to get to this point in several post-race interviews but said in the post-race media window the mental side has been unmatched.
“There’s been so much, over these last few years, that has happened, and it’s taken some serious…more mental work than physical work, to be honest, to get to this point.”
Once he made a quick move on Lawrence in the second turn, he knew to keep his cool. But he said the stress of the situation leading up to the race was taxing compared to his previous titles, including his last, the 2016 450 Class AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
“It was tough,” he said on the pressure today. “I haven’t been in a championship position in forever, nevermind this close. Because the last championship I won in 2016, I wrapped it up a weekend early, so I had literally zero worries. And this was a completely different story. I’m glad it’s over. I’m tired!”
He was asked if he could even compare previous titles (specifically his first MX2 FIM Motocross World Championship back in 2011) to this moment or not. He said each title is different for a reason but added, “This is by far my absolute favorite just because it has been such an incredibly long road of ups and downs.”
Roczen was trying his best to keep cool under the pressure but from the second the main event gate dropped and the #94 got into the lead, the fans were going crazy. The crowd was cheering him around the entire track for literally the entirety of the race and well into the post-race celebration afterwards, chanting “Kenny! Kenny! Kenny!”
“Every single lap in that main event felt like it was the last lap!” he said on the fans’ support. “It was pretty insane, you know, just from the fans! …It was insane every single lap. Every single lap felt like it was a championship last lap, so it was pretty cool. I’m speechless. …It’s like everything just got boosted to another level. I’ve never felt anything like that, and no one can take that from me.”
