Germany’s Ken Roczen first came to the motocross world’s attention when, as a fresh-faced teenager, he raced for Suzuki in the world championships.
Riding a Suzuki and aged just 15, he won his first motocross world championship Grand Prix overall, the German GP at Teutschenthal, in June 2009. And the world was suddenly aware of a rising star called Ken Roczen.
A year later (in 2010), aged just 16, he finished runner-up in the MX2 world championships, finishing behind Frenchman Marvin Musquin, a rider who was incidentally later to again be a fierce rival for him, only this time in the domestic scene in the United States.
Roczen became MX2 world champion in 2011, then riding a KTM, and he finished that series ahead of Dutchman Jeffery Herlings (KTM), Britain’s Tommy Searle (Kawasaki), Frenchman Gautier Paulin (Yamaha) and Switzerland’s Arnaud Tonus (Yamaha).
Roczen was a member of Germany’s Motocross of Nations-winning team in Belgium in 2012 and then, moving across the Atlantic Ocean to race in the US, he became a 250-class west coast supercross champion, a 450-class Monster Energy Cup winner and a two-time 450-class US motocross champion.
The career of the now 28-year-old Roczen appears to have gone full circle, however, as he now makes the switch from HRC Honda to race for H.E.P. Motorsports with the Progressive Ecstar Suzuki team from next season.
“H.E.P. Motorsports is thrilled that the team has signed Ken Roczen as its premier rider for the 2023 season,” the team announced during the week.
It will be the first time since January 2017 that Roczen will be on a different brand of bike.
Germany’s Ken Roczen (Suzuki), riding for Germany at the Motocross of Nations in Denver, Colorado, in 2010, the same year that Roczen had finished runner-up in the MX2 world championships. Germany finished third at the MXoN in the USA that year. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
Starting now, the former AMA Motocross champion will be aboard a Suzuki RM-Z450.
Roczen claimed the 2016 AMA Pro Motocross Championship aboard a Soaring Eagle Casino/Jimmy John’s RCH Suzuki RM-Z450 and then moved to Honda HRC for the 2017 season.
“Roczen will be reunited with the brand and bring his exciting style, determination, and grit back to the RM Army,” said the H.E.P Suzuki Team.
“Ken Roczen will compete in the upcoming 2023 Supercross and Motocross Championship series, which is set to start on January 7 at Anaheim Stadium in Southern California.”
For Roczen, it is a return to the bike of his youth and on which he had some of his greatest professional success.
“This thing has been going on for weeks and weeks and weeks in the making (as he tested bikes from Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda, in addition to the electric Stark Varg bike), but there was so much uncertainty,” Roczen said.
“It was a very unique situation. I just finally signed two nights ago, so it’s really only legit once the ink hits the paper. It’s been in the works for a long time, but there were just a lot of questions and a lot of input from a lot of other teams too.
“Good things take time, and I’m okay with that. I grew up riding Suzuki. It’s like a homecoming. It’s a special feeling.”
Roczen won the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship on a Suzuki before making the move to Honda. That year he won nine of 12 Nationals and finished no worse than second as he easily outpaced Eli Tomac by 86 points. He finished third in his next Pro Motocross outing in 2018 after sitting out the outdoor season in 2017.
“I am beyond excited to reconnect with Suzuki for the 3rd time in my career. We’ve had a lot of success in the past and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in our future.” Roczen said.
After suffering serious injuries in both 2017 and 2018, Roczen was twice hospitalised and it had looked likely he may even have had to have his arm amputated.
However, he was back on track and racing at the top level again at the end of 2018, perhaps the greatest sporting comeback of all time, in any sporting code.
If he can make it back to champion status, and on a Suzuki no less, it will be the greatest sporting fairytale of all time.
© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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