Roczen Dominates Anaheim Season Opener
The first round of AMA Supercross, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, saw Ken Roczen turn in an exciting dream performance aboard his CRF450R, giving Team Honda HRC the opportunity to celebrate an early points lead in the series. The German native was unstoppable all evening, taking the holeshot in both his heat race and the 20-minute-plus-one-lap main and never relinquishing his lead in either. Along the way, Roczen clicked off unmatched lap times, ultimately taking the checkered flag with nearly 16 seconds to spare.
Despite having to shake off some pre-race nerves, teammate Cole Seely put together a solid performance to finish sixth on the night. The Californian got off the line to a top-10 start and quickly made his way through the field, moving into fifth on lap five. He maintained that position until the halfway mark before relinquishing one spot to finish in sixth.
NOTES
- On Friday night, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen and Cole Seely, as well as Honda brand ambassador Andrew Short, were joined by GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin and Jimmy Decotis for the first autograph session of the season, at Santa Ana’s Del Amo Motorsports of Orange County, where they spent time hanging out with fans.
- Team Honda HRC was pleased to host Honda Racing Corporation Vice President Mr. Shuhei Nakamoto at Anaheim, as well as a number of other Honda Motor, HRC and HGA executives. Mr. Nakamoto, who has served in a number of important roles for Honda over nearly 35 years, will retire in April. To show their appreciation, Team Honda HRC presented him with a cake before the evening program began.
- For the second consecutive year, American Honda welcomed fans in the Supercross Pit Party with a huge setup that included a children’s learn-to-ride center, an exhibit of models from the 2017 CRF family and four vintage race bikes.
- During the daytime qualifying sessions, Seely notched the third-quickest lap time at 1:02.334, while Roczen was fifth with a 1:02.428 lap.
- Slotted in the second heat race, Roczen launched his CRF450R to the holeshot and early lead. Seely was in the same race, sitting fifth on the first lap. Roczen began to pull away from the pack before ultimately taking the win, while Seely moved into fourth to secure the final transfer position.
- Honda’s CRF450R was a popular choice at Anaheim 1, with no fewer than 15 of the 56 event entries choosing it as their steed—four more than the next-most popular machine.
- This week, the Honda Red Riders head to downtown San Diego for round two at Petco Park. On Friday, the riders will take part in a dealer appearance at Motoworld of El Cajon from 6-7:30 p.m.
THE FOCUS: Three-Hour Tour
While Team Honda HRC was as busy as anyone preparing for the new season, they did take time to celebrate the holidays, inviting team staff, sponsors and members of the media on a Newport Beach harbor cruise shortly before the New Year. Riders Ken Roczen and Cole Seely were introduced to the attendees, as was brand ambassador Andrew Short and team manager Dan Betley, but most of the time was dedicated to socializing and participating in a Honda-themed trivia contest that was won by Team Golden Boy (captained, of course, by Dunlop’s Broc Glover).
“The goal was just to get everyone in a comfortable, laid-back atmosphere,” said Honda Motorcycle Sports Supervisor Brandon Wilson. “It was good for everyone to let their hair down a little bit and get to know each other better without all the hoopla that goes with work. It was a situation none of us were used to, where you could wander around and chat with different people. It was a good event, and I think everyone had fun.”
Press contact:
Mandie Fonteyn // Dispatch Communications // mandie@dispatchco.com // +1 (951) 537-0454
Ken Roczen 94
“Tonight couldn’t have gone better. I’m happy to come away from tonight with the win but I’m staying really calm and taking this season week by week, which I don’t think I did in previous years. It’s important to take this race and enjoy tonight and tomorrow but to continue to look ahead, focus on the next race and not get caught up. At the moment I’m just having a lot of fun. The team is great, they’re working hard and all the details that make me super happy are in place right now.”
Private: Shuhei Nakamoto
“I’m really happy to see the new CRF450R win the first race of the year! I would like to thank everyone on the development team as well as the race team for getting the machine ready in such a short time, as we were feeling the effect of the earthquake right when this machine was being developed. I was also incredibly impressed by how Roczen rode the whole race. He was completely in control and he looked like he had more to give if needed. Seely also rode tenaciously and did not give up. I’m convinced his results will continue to improve as the season progresses. I’m very pleased to see us win this very important race but we should not be too content. HRC promises to give more support to the team and I hope the team keeps giving their best for the championship!”
450SX Main Event Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Roczen Ken | 94 | GER | Team Honda HRC Progressive | 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 | |
5 | Tomac Eli | 3 | USA | Monster Energy Kawasaki | Kawasaki | |
7 | Millsaps David | 18 | USA | Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS | KTM | |
8 | Peick Weston | 23 | USA | Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing | Suzuki | |
9 | Grant Joshua | 33 | USA | Monster Energy Kawasaki | Kawasaki | |
10 | Webb Cooper | 2 | USA | Red Bull KTM | KTM | |
11 | Weimer Jacob | 12 | USA | RCH Soaring Eagle Jimmy Johns Suzuki Factory Racing | Suzuki | |
12 | Bogle Justin | 19 | USA | Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS | KTM | |
13 | Wilson Dean | 15 | GBR | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna | Husqvarna | |
14 | Baggett Blake | 4 | USA | Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS | KTM | |
15 | Brayton Justin | 10 | USA | Muc-Off Honda | Honda | |
16 | Tickle Broc | 20 | USA | Monster Energy Kawasaki | Kawasaki | |
17 | Friese Vince | 62 | USA | SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda | Honda | |
18 | Albertson Jimmy | 77 | USA | Jimmy Albertson Racing | KTM | |
19 | Schmidt Nicholas | USA | TPJ/Fly Racing | Suzuki | ||
20 | Reed Chad | 22 | AUS | Mountain Motorsports/CBDmd/CR22 Racing | KTM | |
21 | Alessi Mike | 800 | USA | Smartop Bullfrog Spas MotoConcepts Honda | Honda | |
22 | Canard Trey | 41 | USA | Red Bull KTM | KTM |
Location Information
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, East Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA, United States - View in Google Maps