Problem Slows but Doesn’t Stop Roczen, RCH at Glen Helen - Speedway Digest

While it might not show on paper, no one had anything for Ken Roczen and his No. 94 RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450 Saturday afternoon at Glen Helen Raceway.

Fresh off a dominant 1-1 performance in last weekend’s Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season opener and his seventh career Pro Motocross overall win, Roczen was poised to match that exact result in Round 2. The 22-year-old German was out front with a 15-plus second lead in the first moto and was primed to pick up his first win at the famed southern California race track. Unfortunately, the remarkable cushion wasn’t enough to hold the top spot after a suspension part failure in the front end of his machine stalled Roczen’s forward progress, ultimately forcing him to surrender the lead with three laps to go and finish fourth.

Still, Roczen demonstrated the championship grit that won him the 2014 series title by coming back and winning the second moto by almost 20 seconds, leaving little doubt of who the fastest guy in town was. At the end of the day, Roczen left Glen Helen with a solid 4-1 finish, maintaining the points lead and the red number plate that goes along with it.

“It’s always frustrating when a mechanical issue derails a good run but the biggest disappointment was seeing Ken have to back off and ultimately surrender the lead in the first moto,” explained RCH Director of Competition Mark Johnson. “He had a fantastic ride and was leading by over 15 seconds when the problem occurred. We have a great relationship with KYB and their product is second to none. The part failure was in no way related to the forks themselves. The system that failed is made up of multiple components, purchased from a variety of vendors by RCH. Unfortunately, one of these components suffered a failure, which affected the front forks.

“Fortunately, Ken kept his composure, rode like a champion and salvaged a fourth-place finish in the first moto. He went on to win the second moto by almost 20 seconds and maintain the series points lead. We’re very proud of that effort and proud to have Ken carry the red plate into Colorado this weekend.”

Roczen qualified second, started third in the first moto and won the holeshot in the second. The victory in the second marked his third moto win in four races this season. Even more impressive is his 1.5 overall finishing average in the season’s first two events.

“I’m pretty stoked right now,” said Roczen who leads the championship by two points. “The bike is pretty powerful, especially where I need it. I grabbed a good start in the second moto. It’s just good right now. My riding is getting better. I’m pretty happy. There’s nothing to complain about. Obviously, everyone is bummed about what happened in the first moto. We had a problem with the front suspension and there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t jump anything. I just tried to maintain. Fortunately, I was able to hold on long enough and finish fourth.

“In the second moto, I did what I had to do to get the win. I’m glad to put this one behind us. I was trying really hard to hit my marks and stay on the bike. The last thing I wanted to do was throw it away.”

For his part, Roczen’s teammate Broc Tickle turned in a formidable performance, earning a 10th-place overall finish on the strength of an 8-13 showing. Tickle is currently 11th in the standings heading into this weekend’s stop in Colorado.

“Glen Helen was better than the week before,” said Tickle. “I qualified 10th in both practices. In the first moto, I got about a 15th-place start, passed a couple guys and then a couple guys crashed so I ended up eighth. The first moto was good. I felt like I had a good flow going. In the second moto, I wanted to improve a little bit and see where I could be a little better. I wanted to pick it up in the second and pass some more people. I got the same type of start in the second moto but both my legs started cramping so I just kind of settled in and rode it out. I’m looking forward to Colorado. Last year I got fourth overall and it was a good race for me.”

The first moto from Round 3 of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship from the True Value Thunder Valley National in Lakewood, Colo., will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., June 4 beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 11 a.m. Pacific. Television coverage for the second moto will shift to NBCSN at 4 p.m. EDT, 1 p.m. Pacific. All motos can also be streamed live online through ProMotocross.com or the NBC Sports Live Extra app. More than 60 hours of coverage will be featured on NBC, NBCSN, and MAVTV throughout the 12-round championship, highlighted by nearly 40 hours of LIVE coverage and three hour-long showcases on network television via NBC.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.