RCH Looking for Big Things at Thunder Valley

There’s nothing like pulling into the race track with the defending race winner. Everything works a little better. The bikes run better, the sun shines brighter and the crew walks a little taller. The air is cleaner, crisper. It’s all good.
 
That’s the scenario for RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing as the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Series heads for the Rocky Mountains and the True Value Thunder Valley National from Thunder Valley Motorsports Park in Lakewood, Colo.
 
Ken Roczen, rider of RCH’s No. 1 Suzuki RM-Z450, rides into Round 3 of the 2015 outdoor season not only as the defending race winner but as the reigning Pro Motocross Champion. Even more compelling are Roczen’s stats at Thunder Valley that break down to a .333 winning percentage. 
 
Roczen took an immediate liking to the suburban Denver race course and in three previous starts at Thunder Valley – two on a 250 and one 450 – the 21-year-old has an incredible second-place overall average finish. In six total motos, Roczen has earned five podiums and finished no worse than fourth. Dating back to his first 250 start at Thunder Valley in June 2012, Roczen has finished third, second and first overall, respectively.
 
“I’m super-stoked about this weekend,” commented Roczen. “Thunder Valley is awesome and I’ve always done really well there. I podiumed in both motos last year, won one of them and won the overall so it’s always cool to go back to a track where you’ve been successful. I’m really just getting back into a rhythm and into a routine. That’s the biggest thing right now because I missed two-and-a-half weeks of training with my back injury. It’s been getting better and I had a pretty good day last Saturday at Glen Helen. Hopefully, we’ll keep building on that. Thunder Valley would be a great place to get our first win of the outdoor season.”
 
Last weekend, Roczen raced to a fourth-place overall finish in the FMF Glen Helen National at Glen Helen Raceway. Roczen’s solid 8-3 outing propelled the German rider from 12th to sixth in the Pro Motocross Championship standings.
 
For his part, Roczen’s RCH stablemate Broc Tickle finished 13th overall last weekend and is looking for a winning formula at Thunder Valley. The Holly, Mich., rider has seven professional starts at the Colorado track but with only two podiums to show for 14 motos, it’s no wonder the rider of RCH’s No. 20 RM-Z450 feels like he has unfinished business at Round 3.
 
“For whatever reason, I haven’t had the best results at Thunder Valley,” explained Tickle who currently sits 10th in points. “I’ve finished third in a couple of motos but it seemed like I’d always run into trouble or something would happen and it would hurt my overall finish. Hopefully, I can put it all together this weekend. I feel like my fitness is right where it needs to be so that should help me a bunch with the altitude. I definitely feel like I have unfinished business at Thunder Valley. I know Ken has been really good there over the last couple of years so I’ll probably lean on him a little bit. I’m looking forward to it.”   
 
Before the pits open and the gate drops, Roczen and Tickle will meet fans and sign autographs at RPM Motorsports, Friday, May 29, from 6 – 7 p.m. Located at 13th and Wadsworth in Lakewood, RPM Motorsports is one of Colorado’s largest powersport superstores and offers an exceptional line of Suzuki on- and off-road motorcycles, ATVs and scooters.
 
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship returns to the Centennial State for Saturday’s True Value Thunder Valley National from Thunder Valley Motocross Park. The first moto from Round 3 of the 2015 outdoor campaign will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., May 30 at beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, noon Pacific. Television coverage for the second moto will shift to NBCSN at 6:30 p.m. EDT. All motos can also be streamed live online through ProMotocross.com or the NBC Sports Live Extra app. NBC, NBCSN and MAVTV will combine to televise over 60 hours of racing over the course of the 12-round season.

Adam Sinclair