KEN ROCZEN - GRIT 247 450SX

GRIT-247 | 450 SX

May 20, 2024 9:45 am

Knowing that he could thrive amongst the conditions that were presented at Gillette Stadium, Suzuki's Ken Roczen appeared to have a rather positive demeanor throughout the pits as fans greeted him within the April weekend. He was a crowd favorite, and as his craft constantly heightened throughout the years, so too would his presence amongst the Supercross fanbase. This led to numerous cheers on his behalf arising for that of heat one where Roczen, after a notable practice effort, was labeled as one of the fastest riders in the division. Once releasing the clutch for the night show, his ambition was palpable as he resided seventh. Blasting through the whoops alongside names like Justin Hill and Justin Barcia, his entrance speed into the corner thereafter was noteworthy. Race leader, Eli Tomac, was racing at a superb pace - but he was doing everything possible to try and close the gap, scrubbing the "SX" triple with authority before landing and engaging the throttle in the corner thereafter. With roughly three laps remaining, he would maintain a flow that equated to fourth while Honda's Hunter Lawrence and GasGas' Justin Barcia were just in front of him. The battle for a distinguished gate choice was quite extensive, but he ultimately was categorized with the standing of third, after steadily marching forward and making passes on that of the New York native, along with Shane McElrath, and the aforementioned Justin Hill as well. For the main event, his anticipation of when the pin would unlatch, and how the rest of the field would maneuver their way around the circuit led him to a standing of second (just behind race leader, Cooper Webb). Fighting through the sand section as his chassis would occasional ricochet to the left and right (via harsh charging of various pot-holes) the strength of the German native was paramount when establishing a pace that was continuously faster than Chase Sexton who opposed him. The fight between the two combatants would have the crowd on their feet, competing for every inch of racetrack while doing their best to nullify the lead that Webb had set! Sprinting through the first quarter, half, and then eyeing the three-quarter mark, the once "pristine" lines that were trenched throughout the middle of the course, had now been diverted from...he had to deviate in order to maintain a respectable pace - otherwise KTM's Sexton would conduct a trajectory to topple him. Yet the resiliency of Roczen flourished when it mattered most...until Sexton put forth a phenomenal pass near the mechanic's area, as time nearly reached the expiration mark. Now third, the gap that the top-three had created, was something that Anderson and Jett Lawrence couldn't overcome - leaving the number ninety-four to reside on the final step of the podium.

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