In hot, humid conditions at what is arguably the roughest circuit of the AMA Pro Motocross series, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen continued his positive return from injuries, tallying 5-5 moto finishes for fifth overall in Southwick, Massachusetts, home of The Wick 338.

Racing at a circuit he hadn’t been to since 2016, the German kicked off the racing with a convincing moto-one holeshot aboard his CRF450R and held the lead for four laps before being overtaken by a battle involving the three riders who would eventually occupy the podium. Lap 13 saw him lose an additional spot, and he completed the final three laps in fifth. The second moto was steadier for the German, who started in fourth place before quickly advancing to third. Lap six saw him slip back a place, and he relinquished another spot three laps later to assume fifth, the position in which he would finish the moto.

NOTES

  • Morning practice saw Ken Roczen post a best lap time of 2’11.033”. The time, which came in the second session, earned him the sixth gate pick.
  • The second-best Red Rider in the 450MX class was Lorenzo Locurcio, whose 7-7 moto finishes secured a commendable seventh overall. It was the Venezuelan’s best-ever AMA Pro Motocross result.
  • While Roczen continues to make gains with his fitness, he’s also experiencing progress with the aftereffects of his injuries. One small-but-appreciated step was the fact that he was able to switch from taping his right arm to using a wrist brace at Southwick. “Getting everything ready for the tape takes a lot of time, so I’m glad I was able to practice and race without tape this week,” he said.
  • As The Wick 338 is the sandiest track of the year, Team Honda HRC used a unique setup compared to the other rounds, with changes to the suspension and gearing, and of course Roczen’s CRF450R had Dunlop sand tires mounted.
  • As has been the case at the last few rounds, mechanic Rich Simmons was on hand at Southwick to lend a hand, and he reported that his rider Cole Seely is making progress with his recovery. “He just had a doctor’s appointment, and everything’s looking good,” Simmons said. “He’s riding his mountain bike on a paved path, his spirits are good, and everything is on track. Hopefully I’ll do some mountain biking with him this week, although I’m still pretty out of shape compared to him!”
  • With Jeremy Martin now out for the remainder of the season, RJ Hampshire, Chase Sexton, and Cameron Mcadoo were left to fly the GEICO Honda flag in the 250MX class at Southwick, and Hampshire put in a 7-3 moto tally for a respectable fourth overall. Sexton went 5-14 for eighth, while Mcadoo notched 9-13 results for 11th.
  • Team Honda HRC and Ken Roczen were pleased to work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to host Jaiden Britt and his family at Southwick. After traveling from their Texas home on Friday, the Britts headed to The Wick 338 on Saturday morning by limousine, with a police escort organized by Make-A-Wish volunteer Tom Convery. Once at the track, they had the chance to meet Roczen, who gifted Jaiden with a signed jersey, to tour the Honda tech truck, and to enjoy lunch with the team. For the actual racing, MX Sports set up the Britts with passes to a trackside VIP hospitality tent.
  • Next up for the AMA Pro Motocross series is the popular RedBud round in Buchanan, Michigan, which will host the teams and riders on July 7.

Ken Roczen 94

“It was a little bit of a struggle. We made some changes to the bike to help me out a little bit, but you don’t want to make too many changes on race day. It’s still a learning curve after so much time off the bike. I’m trying everything at home to get back, but I feel like race shape is just going to take a little time. Today was brutal—super-hot and the track was pretty beat—plus I haven’t been here in a couple years. I fought it out, and I’m just going to continue working with the team and working on myself to get better. I’m healthy and got good starts again, so I’m pretty happy from that side. I’ve been going quite hard throughout the week, trying to put in more and more work, but I think sometimes it's good to take it a notch down and fully recover. RedBud could be another hot one, so we’ll recover and hopefully have a good race next weekend.”

Erik Kehoe

Team Manager

“This was probably the toughest track and toughest conditions of the year, and definitely the sandiest race. I think getting out of here with a fifth place is good, especially because Kenny learned some more this week about the bike, about his fitness, and about this track. Every week, we’re learning more and getting stronger and stronger.”

AMA Pro Motocross 2018
Race Round 6   Southwick

450MX Moto 1 Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Tomac Eli 3 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
2 Musquin Marvin 25 FRA Red Bull KTM KTM
3 Barcia Justin 51 USA TLD/Red Bull GasGas GasGas
4 Baggett Blake 4 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
5 Roczen Ken 94 GER Honda HRC Progressive Honda
6 Bloss Benny 73 USA SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda Honda
7 Locurcio Lorenzo 44 VEN None Honda
8 Cooper Cody 121 NZL Crownkiwi Enterprise Honda
9 Peick Weston 23 USA Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki
10 Nicoletti Phillip 46 USA Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Yamaha
11 Canning Chris 82 USA Pilgrim Powersports KTM
12 Miller Henry 81 USA Trigger Racing Yamaha
13 Masterpool Jake 146 USA None Yamaha
14 Merriam Dylan 559 USA None Yamaha
15 Harrison Heath USA Got Gear Motorsports Kawasaki
16 Leith Brandon 388 USA Team Leith Kawasaki
17 Dowd Ryan 776 USA Kenny G's Performance Tuning KTM
18 Bogle Justin 19 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
19 DeMartile Dare 207 USA None Honda
20 Marshall Robert 748 USA Ramtrax Racing KTM
AMA Pro Motocross 2018
Race Round 6   Southwick

450 Moto 2 Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Musquin Marvin 25 FRA Red Bull KTM KTM
2 Tomac Eli 3 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
3 Barcia Justin 51 USA TLD/Red Bull GasGas GasGas
4 Baggett Blake 4 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
5 Roczen Ken 94 GER Honda HRC Progressive Honda
6 Bloss Benny 73 USA SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda Honda
7 Locurcio Lorenzo 44 VEN None Honda
8 Nicoletti Phillip 46 USA Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Yamaha
9 Webb Cooper 2 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
10 Leith Brandon 388 USA Team Leith Kawasaki
11 Peick Weston 23 USA Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki
12 Crown Joseph 95 USA Club MX KTM
13 Cunningham Kyle 39 USA H.E.P Motorsports Suzuki
14 Gaines Nick 49 USA Traders Racing Yamaha
15 Canning Chris 82 USA Pilgrim Powersports KTM
16 Cooper Cody 121 NZL Crownkiwi Enterprise Honda
17 Autenrieth Cade 330 USA Mountain Motorsports/Factory Connection/Hinson KTM
18 DeMartile Dare 207 USA None Honda
19 Smith Jeremy 309 USA SGB Racing/Maxxis/Babbitt's Kawasaki Kawasaki
20 Bogle Justin 19 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
Location Information

Legion Rd, Southwick, MA, United States - View in Google Maps