Lucas Oil Stadium hosted round nine of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. The covered stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana provided a rutted track that upheld its reputation for breaking down rapidly throughout the racing. The Indy Supercross marked the midpoint of the 17-round season. Words: Suzuki
Ken Roczen (94) and his Suzuki RM-Z450, fresh off a Daytona Supercross win the weekend prior, started the day in Indianapolis again at the top of the boards. Roczen put up the fastest lap in qualifying and followed that up with a second-place result in his heat race. In the main event, another rider fell in the first turn and Roczen got tangled as he stopped to avoid a hard collision. Roczen extracted his bike and got going in 20th place. The track’s deep and unpredictable ruts made passing difficult, but Roczen was able to slice his way to a top-ten result.
“It was a tough day for me, going in a little under the weather,” Roczen said. “We were the fastest qualifier and followed that up with a good heat race. Unfortunately, I was caught in a wreck in the first corner and was only able to fight my way back up to 7th. The team will reset and attack this off-weekend so we can give our best effort in Birmingham.”
The Supercross season now takes a rare weekend off, then returns to action on March 22 inside Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. The Birmingham Supercross will be the third Triple Crown event of the season, and the popular championship-within-a-championship will be awarded. Ken Roczen earned podium finishes at both previous Triple Crown rounds, and he sits just five points out of the Monster Energy Supercross Triple Crown Championship points lead heading into the final Triple Crown event.
Image: Suzuki
