It was another exhilarating night for Team Honda HRC at San Diego’s Petco Park, as Ken Roczen emerged victorious from a thrilling battle and opened the AMA Supercross season with back-to-back wins. Roczen launched to a fourth-place start but rode his CRF450R into second place on the opening lap. The German stayed within striking distance of the leader, making multiple advances before successfully taking over at the 13-minute mark. He was kept honest throughout the remainder of the race but stayed composed, ultimately taking the checkered flag for the win.

Teammate Cole Seely got off the line to a top-10 start and advanced to fourth by lap two. He maintained that position until the halfway point before relinquishing two spots. With three laps remaining, Seely put together one last surge to regain fifth, which is where he finished.

NOTES

  • Prior to the gate drop, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen and Cole Seely, as well as Honda brand ambassador Andrew Short, attended a supercross pit party and autograph session at Motoworld of El Cajon. A sizeable contingent of fans came out too meet their favorite Red Riders.
  • With rain drenching the Southern California region for much of the week before the race, Team Honda HRC opted to take their training to dryer conditions in Arizona. Seely and Roczen spent two days at Motoland MX Park outside of Phoenix under the watchful eyes of Short and engine technician Lars Lindstrom.
  • Team Honda HRC was pleased to host Honda Racing Corporation Representative Director Keisuke Inomoto in San Diego. It was Mr. Inomoto’s first time attending a supercross race this season.
  • As had happened at the opener, precipitation leading up to the race forced officials to change the schedule to a rain format, eliminating the free-practice session. “It’s tough not getting a free practice,” Seely said. “We have a limited amount of time to learn the track already, so without that practice, we’re having to figure out the track while laying down our qualifying times.”
  • During the daytime qualifying sessions, Roczen was one of only three riders to drop into the 52-second mark, finishing third-fastest with a 52.772. With a mere .647 seconds separating the remainder of the top 10, Seely landed in ninth with a 53.701 second lap.
  • For the second consecutive week, Roczen and Seely were seeded together in 450SX heat 2. When the gate dropped, Roczen grabbed the holeshot and early lead, riding unchallenged to the checkered flag. Seely got off the line to an eighth-place start and quickly began moving through the field. By the end of the seven-lap race, Seely had moved up to fifth, and he was forced to transfer through the second semi, which he won.
  • This weekend, the Honda Red Riders head back to Anaheim for Angel Stadium’s second and final stop of the year. On Friday, the riders will take part in a dealer appearance at Huntington Beach Honda from 6 to 7:30 p.m. 

THE FOCUS: Paying Respect

This marked the fourth annual Military Appreciation race in San Diego, and the entire industry came together to honor the men and women who have served and sacrificed in the United States Armed Forces. Once again, Team Honda HRC showed their full support by donning their CRF450R race bikes in military-inspired graphics by Throttle Jockey. This year was unique in that Cole Seely’s and Ken Roczen’s bikes showcased different themes, which were matched by their personal gear. The number 94 machine was armed with red plastics and snow-camouflage graphics, while the number 14 Honda wore stars across red and navy fields.

“The idea to base the graphics off the riders’ gear actually came from Matt Davis at Throttle Jockey,” said team manager Dan Betley. “We’ve done different designs over the past couple years but I think these turned out pretty cool, especially seeing Ken and Cole in their gear and on the bikes.”

“It’s great, and in actuality it’s such a small thing,” Seely said of the event. “I mean, all we’re doing is putting different stickers on our bikes and wearing different gear, which is so minute compared to what the members of the military have done and continue to do for us. This is the least we can do. I hope they feel appreciated because we really just have to say thank you to all of the people who have served and put their lives on the line.”

Ken Roczen 94

Ryan [Dungey] kept me on my toes. The track broke down and it was really rough out there, but that's the fun part. I hope the fans enjoyed it. That's what they want to see—a battle for the win. I’m happy to be up here again—actually happier with this weekend's win than last weekend's. Another day in the books and I'm looking forward to next weekend.

Keisuke Inomoto

Representative Director: Team Honda/ HRC Motocross

It was a very tough race tonight and it was great to beat last year's champion the way Ken did. I’m sure it gave him more confidence going forward into the rest of the season. I was also glad to see that Cole improved from last week. I’m sure he’ll be on the podium very soon! I would like to congratulate the team as well for their hard work.

AMA Supercross 2017
Race Round 2   San Diego

450SX Main Event Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Roczen Ken 94 GER Team Honda HRC Honda
2 Dungey Ryan 5 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
3 Musquin Marvin 25 FRA Red Bull KTM KTM
4 Anderson Jason 21 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
6 Tomac Eli 3 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
7 Peick Weston 23 USA Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki
8 Millsaps David 18 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
9 Reed Chad 22 AUS Mountain Motorsports/CBDmd/CR22 Racing KTM
10 Bogle Justin 19 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
11 Grant Joshua 33 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
12 Wilson Dean 15 GBR Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
13 Tickle Broc 20 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
14 Webb Cooper 2 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
15 Friese Vince 62 USA SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda Honda
16 Weimer Jacob 12 USA RCH Soaring Eagle Jimmy Johns Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki
17 Brayton Justin 10 USA Muc-Off Honda Honda
18 Hahn Thomas 47 USA Cycletrader.com/ Rock River Yamaha Yamaha
19 Noren Fredrik 61 SWE PR-MX Pelletier Kawasaki Kawasaki
20 Baggett Blake 4 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
21 Clason Cade 78 USA PR-MX Pelletier Kawasaki Kawasaki
22 Ray Alex 87 USA SGB Racing/Maxxis/Babbitt's Kawasaki Kawasaki
Location Information

PETCO Park, Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA, United States - View in Google Maps