Two types of performances tend to inspire racers – winning and, well, not winning. When you win, you want to win more. When you don’t, you want to win more than ever.
That’s the simple version of what’s motivating RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing riders Ken Roczen and Jake Weimer when Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, returns to San Diego’s Petco Park tomorrow night.
Broc Tickle, rider of RCH’s No. 20 Suzuki RM-Z450, will miss his third race while he continues to recover from a wrist injury suffered in a practice crash last month.
Roczen earned his first win of the year last weekend in Phoenix and is coming off three consecutive podium finishes. The 21-year-old German rider finished sixth in the series’ most recent visit to Petco Park – four races ago – and has been on a roll ever since. He comes into Saturday night second in points to defending supercross champion Ryan Dungey.
“I feel great,” said Roczen. “I love coming to the new stadium. It’s going to be the third time we’re racing here. We’re close to the ocean and it’s just a cool venue in general. We’ve been here (San Diego) once already this year and everybody knows the type of dirt that we’re dealing with, so it should be good. It was awesome to finally get our first win out of the way last week in Phoenix. We’re going to keep working hard and focus on the rest of the season.”
After breaking an 18-race winless streak, as welcome as the win was, Roczen didn’t dwell on his success and spent the week fine-tuning his technique and his RM-Z450.
“We worked on some positioning with the clutch lever and the mount,” Roczen added. “I switched back to something similar to what I had last year, which makes it easier on the starts for me. Other than that, we’ve been working on technique. I’ve just been trying to get the same thing down. I think we’re in a lot better spot than what we started off the year with, and should be able to get some decent starts now.”
Weimer returns to Petco Park off a frustrating 14th-place finish in Phoenix where he slipped from ninth to 10th in points. With last week in the record books and another week to mesh with his RCH teammates, the 2010 Western Regional 250SX Champion is eager to get back to San Diego and get on with the season.
“Last weekend was a little frustrating, for sure,” offered Weimer who won in 250SX competition at San Diego’s QualComm Stadium in 2010. “It was one of those weekends where I felt like I was struggling with the track and just couldn’t really get it together. I crashed in practice and just struggled with the track. I had a bad start. I was 18th or 20th or whatever it was, on a track that I wasn’t really gelling with. That combination doesn’t usually make for a good result. I just got through it and tried to be safe and move on to the next one. I had a good week of practice and I’m looking forward to getting back at it this weekend. I had a good round in San Diego at the first stop there this year, so I’m looking forward to it. It’s close to home so that’s a bonus. I’m ready.”
Tomorrow night’s race will feature a unique military appreciation theme and Roczen and Weimer’s motorcycles will sport patriotic graphics as the series and its teams pay tribute to the men and women of the US armed forces, especially those who reside and have families in San Diego County.
“As Americans, we take pride in our troops and our freedoms so of course this weekend means something to everyone in the paddock,” continued Weimer. “We’ve done this for a few years to show all the people in the military and their families who live and work in the area that we appreciate all they do and the sacrifices they make. It’s important that we stop sometimes and show some appreciation. I think that’s important.”
Round six of the 2016 Monster Energy AMA Supercross championship from Petco Park will be televised live on FS1 Saturday, Feb. 13 beginning at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 7 p.m. Pacific.
About RCH Racing …
RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing is a professional Monster Energy Supercross and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross team co-owned by 15-time AMA Champion Ricky Carmichael and Freestyle Motocross visionary and entrepreneur Carey Hart. RCH enjoys factory support from Suzuki as well as marketing partnerships with Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, Jimmy John’s and Bel-Ray. Stay up to date on all the latest RCH Racing news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @RCHRacing.
Follow RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing, Ken Roczen, Broc Tickle and Jake Weimer at:
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