Gillette Stadium hosted Round 13 of the 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross season in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Heavy rains prior to the event cancelled press day and eventually led to a track with inconsistent traction, ruts, and hardpacked dirt. Mostly clear skies on race day afforded good racing conditions, though some rain fell during the 450 main event. Words: Press Release
Ken Roczen (94) was flying on his Suzuki RM-Z450 as soon as the gate dropped for his heat race. Roczen charged past other riders, moving from seventh place to a podium finish in the heat. Roczen used his good gate pick to jump off to a second-place start in the main event. He kept on the leader’s rear fender while fending off heavy pressure from behind. The thrilling race ended with the top three racers crossing the finish line still in a tight pack after the 20-minute plus one lap battle. Roczen earned his sixth podium of the season.
“I had high hopes coming here because the last time I raced here was 2016, I was on Suzuki, and I won,” said Roczen. “It was a tough track. The obstacles were built super big, and it got really rutted but it also ended up getting very hardpack. They were funky conditions that we haven’t had yet this year. We had a solid heat race and an even better main with a good start. I was behind the leader the whole time and had the third-place rider pressuring me; but I stayed in second for the longest time. Even after the third place rider passed me I just stayed there with them; I wasn’t just going to let those guys go. I feel like we did well tonight. We ended up on the podium, and I think everybody on the team needed that, and it was an overall good ride.”
“The day started out a little rough with Roczen a little bit off,” said Larry Brooks, Team Manager for the Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance squads. “We just kept working on the bike, working on lines, different things like that. In the heat race Roczen had a bad start but came through the pack, so we knew he had the speed. It wasn’t a question of that, it was more of getting a strong start and putting a good race in. Ken did that in the main event. I was really happy with the start, and then he stayed right in the battle and in the thick of it all the way through the race. It was a pack of three at the very end.
The Supercross series heads to Nashville for round 14 of the season and the first of two East/West 250 Class Showdowns where racers from each regional series compete head-to-head to earn points for their respective championships.
Lead Image: HEP Motorsports
