RCH Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen scorched the field and earned his third overall victory in as many races in Saturday afternoon’s True Value Thunder Valley National at Thunder Valley MX Park in America aboard his RM-Z450.
The RCH Soaring Eagle/ Jimmy John’s rider went 1-1 for the second time in three weeks and extended his points lead to 12 over defending AMA Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champion Ryan Dungey. In the season’s opening three rounds, Roczen has been just shy of perfect, having won five of the first six motos of the year.
“My day was great,” said Roczen following his eighth career Pro Motocross win. “In the first moto I got an awesome start, shifted a gear and my Suzuki pulled right up there. I was super-stoked to get the holeshot and I never looked back. I just rode a smooth race, had very minimal mistakes and collected a win. We went into the second moto with a strong mentality. I wanted to get another good start and definitely win, but I didn’t get the good start. I actually kind-of hooked a little bit with (Justin) Bogle and his elbow clutched my bike. It was pretty crazy. I tried to make some quick moves here-and-there but at the same time I didn’t try to rush because I knew we had some time to go.
“Overall, I can’t complain. Going 1-1 is a great thing and we’re going into an off weekend so I’m super happy about that. I think it comes at a perfect time because I 100 percent believe that I have another level in me. We have some tricks up our sleeve to get even better so I’m really excited about that.”