It was a wet and wild day in Minnesota for round eight of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Millville, Minnesota’s Spring Creek MX Park, as lightning and heavy rain throughout the day caused delays and challenging track conditions. Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen struggled to find his rhythm on the slick track in the opening 450 class moto, but he found redemption in the second outing, leading for the majority of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap-race before he took the checkered flag in second. His 14-2 scores slated him fifth overall on the day.

Moto one saw Roczen get a good jump off the line, but as the 40 racers careened into the first turn, he was covered in mud and shuffled back to 17thplace. While working his way forward, another rider went down in front of him, leaving Roczen nowhere to go and taking him down too. The German once again began working his way through the field, advancing to 12thon lap four. With seven minutes remaining, Roczen came under fire, relinquishing two spots before crossing the line in 14th. When the gate dropped on moto two, Roczen rocketed his CRF450R down the straight to a second-place start. He quickly began stalking the leader, and the two swapped positions several times before Roczen was able to capitalize on a mistake by his rival, allowing him to gain control of the front spot. Roczen rode strong up front for much of the 30-minute-plus-two-laps race, but he was unable to maintain his pace in the closing laps, ultimately relinquishing the lead and finishing second.

NOTES

  • On Friday, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen was joined by GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton, Christian Craig, RJ Hampshire and Hunter Lawrence at Cycle City of Rochester for a dealer appearance, where they signed autographs and took photos with eager fans.
  • Severe rain through the morning forced officials to cancel the first qualifying session and delay the second. When Roczen finally took to the track, he was only able to complete four laps before lightning prompted the red flag to end practice. He secured the sixth-quickest lap in the shortened session with a 2’12.265”.
  • As the day progressed and the track developed, Roczen found his speed in the second race, laying down the fastest lap of the moto at 2’10.701”.
  • Privateer Honda rider John Short had a career-best performance in Millville, notching two strong starts and riding his CRF450R to an impressive seventh overall with 6-8 finishes.
  • After eight rounds, Roczen remains third overall in the championship standings with 293 points, 11 behind second and five in front of third.
  • In the 250 class, the GEICO Honda squad celebrated a moto win and third-place overall finish by young Australian rider Hunter Lawrence, who put his MXGP experience to good use on the muddy track, riding strong to secure 1-6 finishes. RJ Hampshire overcame inconsistent starts to finish eighth overall with 6-11 marks. Teammates Chase Sexton and Christian Craig both returned to action in Millville, but it was not the day either rider had hoped for, as both suffered mechanical issues in the opening moto. Sexton recovered with a seventh in the second race, landing him 12thoverall, while Craig finished 20th.
  • Next up for Team Honda HRC is round nine of the AMA Pro Motocross series, which takes place in the scenic Pacific Northwest at Washington State’s Washougal MX Park on July 27.

Ken Roczen 94

“It was a crazy day. The weather wasn’t on our side, at least for the first half of the day. We only had about 10 minutes of practice and then it was a waiting game for the motos. My first moto was terrible, so not much to say other than that. I didn’t have a good drive down the start straight and fell way back outside the top 15. Then right after the finish line, another rider went down in front of me and I was unable to avoid him so I went down too. I tried a new setting but just couldn’t get comfortable at all, so for the second race we switched back to my base setup, which is what I’m most familiar with. I hooked up great off the start and came around the first turn in second. Cooper [Webb] and I swapped back and forth a few times before I made the pass. I stayed in the lead for most the race but unfortunately got pretty tired those last few laps and he was able to get back by me. I tried to make a final charge on the last lap and we were right together across the finish, but I ended up second. It was good redemption from the first race, so I’m happy with how it ended.”

Erik Kehoe

Team Manager

“Today was a rollercoaster but Ken turned it around for the second race and finished on a positive note. The conditions were terrible in that first moto; it was really muddy and he just struggled to get comfortable, especially after going down with that other rider after the first lap. I know Ken also had some issues with his goggles, getting mud behind his tear-offs, and it always sucks when your vision is impaired like that. We made some changes for that second moto and I think he redeemed the day. He was riding much more aggressively; it was definitely a big improvement.”

AMA Pro Motocross 2019
Race Round 8   Millville

450MX Moto 1 Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Webb Cooper 2 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
2 Tomac Eli 3 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
3 Musquin Marvin 25 FRA Red Bull KTM KTM
4 Osborne Zach 16 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
5 Miller Henry 81 USA Trigger Racing Yamaha
6 Short John 72 USA Barx/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki Suzuki
7 Noren Fredrik 61 SWE PR-MX Pelletier Kawasaki Kawasaki
8 Savatgy Joey 17 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
10 Bogle Justin 19 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
11 Barcia Justin 51 USA TLD/Red Bull GasGas GasGas
12 Anderson Jason 21 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
13 Teasdale Isaac 921 USA Team Babbitts KTM
14 Roczen Ken 94 GER Team Honda HRC Honda
15 Wilson Dean 15 GBR Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
16 Bloss Benny 73 USA SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda Honda
17 Baggett Blake 4 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
18 Weeks James 700 USA TPJ/Fly Racing Yamaha
19 Koga Taiki 929 JPN TPJ/Fly Racing Kawasaki
20 Lamay Ben 71 USA TPJ/Fly Racing Honda
AMA Pro Motocross 2019
Race Round 8   Millville

450MX Moto 2 Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Webb Cooper 2 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
2 Roczen Ken 94 GER Team Honda HRC Honda
3 Osborne Zach 16 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
4 Barcia Justin 51 USA TLD/Red Bull GasGas GasGas
5 Tomac Eli 3 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
6 Bloss Benny 73 USA SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda Honda
7 Musquin Marvin 25 FRA Red Bull KTM KTM
8 Short John 72 USA Barx/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki Suzuki
9 Baggett Blake 4 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
10 Anderson Jason 21 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
11 Noren Fredrik 61 SWE PR-MX Pelletier Kawasaki Kawasaki
12 Wilson Dean 15 GBR Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
13 Cunningham Kyle 39 USA H.E.P Motorsports Suzuki
14 Miller Henry 81 USA Trigger Racing Yamaha
15 Locurcio Lorenzo 44 VEN None Honda
16 Bogle Justin 19 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
17 Bowers Tyler 83 USA Bowers Racing Kawasaki
19 Lopez Felix 577 MEX None KTM
20 Teasdale Isaac 921 USA Team Babbitts KTM
Location Information

Millville, MN, United States - View in Google Maps