KEN ROCZEN

From the moment practice began on Saturday, Suzuki’s Ken Roczen seemed to gel with the Detroit venue. The environment was rather similar to that of Indianapolis last year, where Roczen surged to the front of the field and never looked back...which was a testament to how well the German athlete could maneuver his way through grooves and demanding terrain. The racing surface was rather similar hear in Detroit, forming abrupt square edges and acceleration holes of varying sizes where riders had increased their RPM...yet nothing could deter Roczen from occupying a third place standing in the second heat of the afternoon, funneling into a flow that was identical to Jett Lawrence and Jason Anderson who were ahead of him. He monitored their battle that was just ahead, staying in-tune with how the tandem were navigating the course. Jett appeared to break away as the race neared conclusion, however Ken noticed that his entrance speed to the whoop section appeared to be a bit faster than his Kawasaki rival...therefore with the checkered flag just feet away, he and the number twenty-one made a final run through the whoops. Anderson’s line of skimming would lead him to just off the center line to the left, but fading further inside as the mogul pad progressed. Roczen saw the same window as well; and instead of hesitating with the path beginning to lessen, he sped forward with fearlessness, which resulted in Jason having to back off the throttle and leap to the outside in the sand section! Claiming second at the finish line, Roczen’s mentality couldn’t have been stronger when moving into the main event. A ninth-place residency on the opening lap of the finalé wasn’t ideal, but Ken never gave up when accelerating through the crowd of factory riders that were in front of him. He somehow would pass Hunter Lawrence, Malcolm Stewart, Jason Anderson, and Shane McElrath by the conclusion of lap two...indicating, that he was arguably the fastest rider on the track! His lap-times were incredible, which enabled him to overtake Dylan Ferrandis on the fifth lap before he zeroed-in on the rear wheel of Eli Tomac. The outside lane in the sand was a means for him to speed past Tomac just after five minutes had passed; pushing him to third once and for all. And for the laps thereafter, Ken would remain solidified in the bronze medal position. He continued to run a commendable pace behind Chase Sexton, concluding the twenty-eight lap event with a notable run by all who analyzed his performance — and embodying the momentum generated into the sixth round, next weekend.