- #1 - 450SX -
KEN ROCZEN

The aura that surrounded Ken Roczen throughout the course of the day, was one of lucrative proportions. Seemingly everything he touched, turned to gold; as he developed a pattern of success, from practice and then on throughout the evening. Others around the circuit throughout time trials, were almost scared of his presence; many letting him pass-by, with their visor glancing toward the ground beneath them. Any section on the track that could be mastered, he most certainly conquered without hesitation. His tire tread, would be reaching for portions of dirt to latch onto; and luckily, he would attain it to an even further degree with each passing go-around. At this point in time as well, it was no secret as to how many specific deterrents Roczen was dealing with; respiratory trouble, along with the dreaded shingles disease, made even getting to the starting gate alone, an accomplishment in itself. Yet the number ninety-four, whom we’ve all come to admire with his abundance of heart and tenaciousness, would fight forward. Extremely fast in practice, the Honda would replicate that manner again for the heat race. Circling this particular bout ahead of riders like Malcolm Stewart, and even championship rival Eli Tomac, Ken would do what was necessary to claim victory after ten laps of hard fought racing action. Extremely thankful when on the podium, it was as though Roczen had much more in the tank, for the main event as well. As things were starting to unravel, following the clashing of metal gates to the ground, his Honda would imprint its respective tire pattern all around this Utah circuit; looking to track down Cooper Webb, and make a lasting move stick, once and for all. Webb’s duration carrying the torch, wouldn’t last for too long though, as Roczen absolutely obliterated an inside rut to vault past on lap three. The move, was a jagged edge of exclamation; where the furthest left-handed groove just before the mechanic’s area, was designated as a door of opportunity, whisking him away to the lead. Never one to look back, Webb would attempt to deter the German’s ownership of the trailing congregation. But even the designated number one, couldn’t provide any sort of reputable move to overtake the throne. Roczen was simply, “on one,” for this particular Sunday evening; taking a much needed win, as the series looks to come to a close.