There’s a lot to admire about the determination of Ken Roczen entering the 2022 United States supercross season, once again in the frame to challenge for a first-career 450SX crown.
It’s evident that Germany’s Roczen is in a good place heading into the new year.
Former world championships GP racer Roczen spent all of 2021 right in the middle of both the Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship title chases in the US.
Ultimately, he missed out on both titles, but there’s a lot to be said for how consistent his whole year was.
He earned more points than anyone in 2021 when combining both supercross and motocross and he won a lot of races.
There were several days that reminded us just how good Roczen is, and that’s refreshing in many ways when you think back to how much adversity he has faced with his health since his massive arm injury in 2017.
Could all of this steady progress be culminating in something big for Roczen in 2022?
Roczen, who has a 250 MXGP crown and two AMA Pro Motocross Championships to his name, is paired in 2022 with fellow CRF450R rider Chase Sexton, the Illinois native who joined Honda’s factory team midway through 2020.
A two-time AMA Supercross 250SX East Region Champion, Sexton scored three indoor podium finishes in 2021 (his freshman year as an AMA Supercross premier-class rider), six in AMA Pro Motocross.
Australian brothers Hunter and Jett Lawrence are embarking on their second season with Team Honda HRC, and both are armed with the all-new CRF250R.
Last season saw Hunter win one AMA Supercross 250SX West round and finish second in points, while Jett topped three East Region races and was third in the final standings.
In AMA Pro Motocross, Jett took home the title, with Hunter finishing third, making the Lawrences the only siblings in the series’ history to both finish in the top three in the same year.
This coming season, the Lawrences will trade AMA Supercross Regions, with Jett campaigning in the West and Hunter the East.
The 17-round 2022 AMA Supercross season kicks off on January 8 in Anaheim, California.
Photo courtesy Honda USA
Find BikesportNZ.com on FACEBOOK here