Second-Place Result at AMA Pro Motocross Finale Earns Roczen Second in Series

The 2019 AMA Pro Motocross season came to an exciting close at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana, as Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen battled hard throughout both of the day’s 30-minute-plus-two-lap motos to finish second overall with 2-3 scores, securing second in the championship points standings.

Roczen kicked off the day with a fifth-place start in moto one, then swiftly made passes and took over the lead before the green flag. He continued to push once in front, opening a small gap early in the race. At the halfway point, Roczen was unable to maintain his early pace, allowing Eli Tomac to close and begin applying pressure. It turned into a three-way battle for the lead, as Marvin Musquin moved in and ultimately made the pass into second behind the German. Roczen didn’t give up easily, fighting hard to maintain the front spot, but he ultimately relinquished the lead on lap 15. In moto two, Roczen got off the line to an eighth-place start but moved into second on the opening lap, then made an impressive pass into the lead over the large uphill jump. Once again, Roczen laid down strong laps out front and fought hard to fend off advances but eventually gave up two positions, taking the checkered flag in third.

NOTES

• On the eve of the AMA Pro Motocross finale, Team Honda HRC hosted a team barbecue in the Ironman MX pits to honor Cole Seely, who recently announced his retirement from professional racing. After dinner, Team Manager Erik Kehoe, Technical Director Takashi “Sam” Mishima and HRC Technical Support Naoki Serizawa presented Seely with custom trophies, one from American Honda and the other from Japan’s Honda Racing Corporation and HGA (Honda motorcycle R&D). Seely spent 10 years in the Honda family. The GEICO Honda team was also in attendance, bidding farewell to longtime rider RJ Hampshire, who departs for another team next season.
• Following his recent successful strategy, Ken Roczen scored the top spot in qualifying for the third consecutive week, laying down the fastest laps in both sessions, with a top time of 2’00.762”.
• After the racing action concluded, Roczen and his crew joined the rest of the riders and teams for an end-of-season barbecue and awards banquet hosted by series promoter MX Sports. Roczen was presented with the award for second in the championship. “I’m really happy,” he said. “Since the actual championship was wrapped up [early], second was my ultimate goal for the last round. It’s not how I’d want to get it, with [Marvin] Musquin getting hurt in moto two, but it’s not over until it’s over, so I’ll take it.”
• Despite the 2019 season’s ups and downs, Roczen was pleased overall, having campaigned every race in both the AMA Supercross and the AMA Pro Motocross series. “I’ve had a lot of stuff thrown at me these past three years, so honestly, the biggest goal and accomplishment from this year is racing all 29 rounds,” he said. “We achieved that this year and it’s going to be a huge setup for the next year already.”
• The GEICO Honda crew wrapped up the season on a high note, with Chase Sexton finishing fourth in the first 250 class moto before scoring a third-place moto-two result, landing him fourth overall aboard his CRF250R. In his final showing with the squad, RJ Hampshire secured seventh overall with 9-6 marks. Rookie Amsoil Honda rider Jett Lawrence wrapped up the day in 13^thwith 12-14 finishes, while teammate Jo Shimoda was 15^thwith 14-16 scores.
• Now that the season is over, Roczen will take nearly a month off to allow his body time to rest and recover before he begins his preparation for the Red Bull Straight Rhythm on October 5. “I’m honestly looking forward to just taking some actual time off,” he said. “I just want to get healthy and the only way for me to do that is to not really do anything and just rest. After the season I’m going to Hawaii, Germany and Lake Powell.”

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