Roczen Scores Impressive Moto Win en Route to Second Overall at Budds Creek National

Despite hot temperatures and high humidity, the AMA Pro Motocross Championship’s Budds Creek National saw Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen put together a solid performance, securing his second moto victory of the season on his way to finishing second overall.

In moto one, Roczen got a poor jump out of the gate but charged down the start-straight to sneak into the inside of the first turn, coming out in second. The German quickly moved into the lead, taking advantage of a clear track to lay down consistent laps and open up a small gap on second. Toward the end of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap race, Roczen maintained his composure up front while fending off multiple pass attempts, then laid down a final charge to open up a 13.8 second lead by the checkered flag. When the gate fell on the final moto, Roczen got off to a sixth-place start but advanced to third by the completion of the opening lap. He continued his charge, moving into second and then closing in on the leader, looking for an opportune time to strike. On lap five, he made an impressive pass into the lead and quickly opened a multi-second gap on the riders behind him. Roczen looked smooth up front but was unable to maintain his pace throughout the entire race, relegating the lead on lap 12, before losing one more position by the end of the race.

NOTES

• The day started slowly for Ken Roczen, as he struggled in the day’s first qualifying practice before finding his stride in the second session, posting the fifth-quickest time with a 2’06.117” lap.
• Roczen’s HRC Teammate Toshiki Tomita also had a noteworthy day, scoring a fourth-place start in the day’s first moto before falling back to 15^th.In the second moto, the Japanese rider got off to a mediocre start, but was able to work his way up to 11^thto wrap up 13^thoverall.
• With his strong second-place overall performance at Budds Creek, Roczen regained control of third in the championship standings, with 403 points.
• It was a day of celebration for the GEICO Honda squad, as team veteran RJ Hampshire rode flawlessly all day to score not only his career-first moto win, but also his first-ever 250MX overall victory. With a solid second in moto one, Hampshire came into true form during the final race, securing a strong start before taking over the lead on lap five. He put together strong and consistent laps, riding unchallenged all the way to the checkered flag. Hampshire wasn’t the only Red Rider on the 250MX podium, with teammate Chase Sexton emerging second overall with 7-2 marks. This marks the rookie’s second podium finish of the season. Cameron McAdoo landed 15^th.

• Next weekend, Team Honda HRC heads to the Ironman MX in Crawfordsville, Indiana, for the final round of the 2018 AMA Pro Motocross series. On Friday, Roczen will participate in the pre-race press conference to discuss his successful season, before hitting the track for two 20-minute riding sessions. Later that evening, the HRC crew will also celebrate the season with a team BBQ at the track.

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Mandie Fonteyn // Jonnum Media // mandie@jonnummedia.com // +1 (951) 537-0454