Ken Roczen (born 29 April 1994 in

Mattstedt Mattstedt is a village and a former municipality in the Weimarer Land district of Thuringia, Germany. Since 31 December 2013, it is part of the municipality Ilmtal-Weinstraße Ilmtal-Weinstraße is a municipality in the district Weimarer Land, i ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

professional

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

and

supercross The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from ...

racer. He competed in the

Motocross World Championship FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...

s from 2009 to 2011 and the AMA Supercross Championships since 2011. He is an MX2 Motocross World Champion,

Motocross des Nations The Motocross des Nations (in French) is an annual team motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History ...

winner, 250cc West

Supercross The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from ...

champion, 450cc Monster Energy cup winner, and two-time 450cc

AMA Motocross The AMA Motocross Championship (commercially known as Lucas Oil Pro Motocross) is an American motorcycle racing series. The motocross race series was founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1972. The series is th ...

champion.

Professional career

Roczen was a member of the winning German team at the 2012 Motocross des Nations event that included

Max Nagl Maximilian "Max" Nagl (born 7 August 1987) is a German people, German professional motocross motorcycle sport, racer. He has competed in the Motocross World Championships since 2003. Nagl was born in Weilheim in Oberbayern, Weilheim, Germany. He ...

and Marcus Schiffer. Their victory marked the first German win in the history of the

US career

2013

In 2013, Roczen won the

250 West Championship, ending the season 2 points ahead of

Eli Tomac Eli Tomac (born November 14, 1992) is an American professional Motocross and Supercross racer competing in the AMA Supercross and Motocross championships; a 2-Time AMA Supercross Champion, a 5-Time AMA Pro Motocross Champion and a Regional 250 ...

2014

In 2014, he moved up to the 450cc class, joining

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...

KTM KTM AG (Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, formerly KTM Sportmotorcycle AG) is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and sports car manufacturer owned by Pierer Mobility AG and the Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto. It was formed in 1992 but traces ...

Racing. Ken shocked fans worldwide when he started off his rookie season with a win in his first-ever 450 Supercross race at Anaheim I, the season opener. He would also go on to win at round 5 in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Georgia Dome The Georgia Dome was a domed stadium in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west, it was owned and operated by the State of Georgia as part of the Georgia World Congress Center ...

. Roczen finished the series 3rd in the points standings after the final race at Las Vegas. By finishing 3rd overall in the Supercross points chase his first year on the 450, Ken showed that he was primed to become one of the sports top competitors. Roczen would cement his new position atop the 450 Motocross world by going on to win the 2014

AMA Motocross Championship The AMA Motocross Championship (commercially known as Lucas Oil Pro Motocross) is an American motorcycle racing series. The motocross race series was founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1972. The series is th ...

his rookie year, defeating

Ryan Dungey Ryan Dungey (born December 4, 1989) is an American professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2006 to 2017 and again in 2022. Dungey is notable for being a four-time supercross and four-time ( ...

2015

In 2015, Roczen signed with RCH

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

. He failed to repeat as Pro

Motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

champion for 2015, surrendering his #1 plate to Ryan Dungey. He would go on to win the 450-class Monster Energy cup.

2016

In 2016, the German was runner-up in the

AMA Supercross Championship The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from J ...

points standings with five wins. He would go on to win the AMA

title for the second time in dominating fashion with 20 wins.

2017

In 2017, Roczen joined the

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

factory racing HRC

Honda Racing Corporation Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is a division of the Honda, Honda Motor Company formed in 1982. The company combines participation in Motorcycle racing, motorcycle races throughout the world with the development of racing machines. Its racing act ...

team. After just winning his second

championship he was favored to win the

after finishing 2nd in 2016. Kenny would go on to win the first two races of the 2017 season. Then on 21 Jan 2017, while running in 3rd place Roczen's foot slipped off of the footpeg while going over a triple and he was ejected from the bike in mid-air crashing hard and receiving a

compound fracture A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a '' ...

to his left arm, after landing face-first in a rhythm section of the track. Roczen would go on to miss the rest of the 2017

season and the following Motocross championship as well as he had sustained serious injuries to his left arm including a

and

compartment syndrome Compartment syndrome is a condition in which increased pressure within one of the body's anatomical compartments results in insufficient blood supply to tissue within that space. There are two main types: acute and chronic. Compartments of the ...

2018

In 2018, with his injury woes a year behind him, Roczen started the

season in shape and ready to start his rise back to the top of the sport. He made it through much of the year, building on his progress each week and looking like he was rounding into form. Unfortunately on 10 February 2018, in San Diego, Roczen suffered another serious crash while attempting to pass Cooper Webb. As he entered a turn to set up a pass on Cooper with his back wheel spinning, he suddenly hooked a rut catching too much traction while also simultaneously impacting Cooper Webb's bike which caused him to fall off the back of the bike with his arm ending up being pulled into Cooper Webb's rear wheel and then shot back out. He underwent surgery to repair the shattered bones, dislocation of the

metacarpals In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus form the intermediate part of the skeleton, skeletal hand located between the phalanges of the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist, which forms the connection to the forearm. The metacarpa ...

, and torn ligaments in his right hand. Roczen was out again for the rest of the Supercross season due to another serious injury. Luckily this gave Ken more time to allow his left arm to heal which was still damaged from the previous years crash. Roczen was able to heal just in time for the 2018 Motocross Championship in which he finished 3rd.

2019

In 2019, he finished 4th in the Supercross Championship with four podiums (no wins). In the Motocross Championship, he won the opener in Hangtown and two more rounds, a total of 7 podiums of the 12 rounds, finishing 2nd in the final point standings. He attended RedBull Straight Rhythm, taking away a victory in the 250cc class despite it being his first time racing a two-stroke in his pro career.

2020

In 2020, on 11 January, Ken Roczen won his first AMA Supercross race in three years with a win at St.Louis. He won two more rounds until the season was COVID-19 interrupted after round 10 in Daytona, 7 March, and was at this point trailing leader Eli Tomac by three points. The season resumed with seven rounds all in Salt Lake City, UT, between 31 May and 21 June racing Sundays and Wednesdays in Rice-Eccles Stadium without spectators. Of the seven rounds, Ken collected one more win but fell to 3rd in the final standings.

2022

In the middle of the 2022, Roczen decided to stop and take a break for the rest of the AMA Supercross season due to mental health reasons after a difficult start to the year. However, he instead joined the new Supercross World Championship which he would win for Honda.

2023

Roczen returned to Suzuki as a factory rider for the 2023 AMA Supercross season. His first win for the HEP Suzuki team would arrive at round 9, Indianapolis. On May 8, it was announced that Roczen will be racing the World Supercross Championship for the next 3 years & will defend his title this year. This will put an end to his AMA Pro Motocross career. In supercross he finished 4th after a DNF in Round 17 tied him on points with Cooper Webb.

AMA Supercross/Motocross/MXGP results

Major titles

* 2007 – Junior World Champion 85ccm * 2009 – German ADAC MX Masters Champion * 2010 – German ADAC MX Masters Champion * 2011 – Motocross World Champion MX2 * 2012 – 1st place at

(MxoN) in Lommel (Belgium) * 2013 – AMA Supercross West Champion 250SXChief rival 2013 Supercross:

. * 2014 – AMA Motocross Champion 450 class * 2015 – Monster Energy Cup winner * 2016 – AMA Motocross Champion 450 class * 2019 - Redbull Straight Rhythm 250cc winner * 2022 WSX champion

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roczen, ken 1994 births Living people People from Weimarer Land German motocross riders AMA Motocross Championship National Champions Sportspeople from Thuringia