Roczen comes into Round 4 on top of his game and on top of the point standings after notching wins in five of the season’s first six motos and recording overall victories at Hangtown and Thunder Valley.
In four previous starts at the venerable Mount Morris, Pa., racecourse – two on a 250 and two aboard a 450 – the 22-year-old has an incredible second-place overall average finish. In eight total motos, Roczen has earned seven podiums and finished no worse than fifth. Dating back to his first 250 start at High Point in June 2012, Roczen has finished third, second, second and first overall, respectively.
“High Point, I’ve actually been riding really good there so I’m looking forward to it,” explained Roczen who notched his lone 2015 Pro Motocross win at High Point. “Most of the East Coast rounds really suit me. I relaxed a little bit over the off weekend so I’m looking forward to getting back to work and coming out strong this weekend.
“My bike is pretty dialed and I’m going to keep it that way. I have a good program going. We have some tricks up our sleeve to get even stronger and better. The off weekend was perfect for that because I could go a little harder during the week and rest a little bit Saturday and Sunday. When you’re always doing the same routine it gets old. It’s not that good for you, honestly. I try to do all kinds of different stuff to stay sharp.”
For his part, Roczen’s RCH stablemate Broc Tickle finished 11th overall two weeks ago at Thunder Valley and is looking to crack the podium at High Point this weekend. The Holly, Mich., rider has eight professional starts at the southwest Pennsylvania track, but with only a pair of top fives to show for 16 motos, it stands to reason the rider of RCH’s No. 20 RM-Z450 feels like he needs to make his mark at Round 4.
“I’m looking forward to High Point,” explained Tickle who finished sixth overall last June. “I seem to ride pretty well there and I feel like I have some momentum from the weekend at Colorado so we’re headed in the right direction. I just want to go in with a good attitude and try to start the day off right with practice, a good qualifying time and then follow up with solid starts and go from there.
“I watched the race from last year over the off week just so it was fresh in my mind. The track was different than it had been and it got pretty rough. They put a lot of mulch down and I normally like it when they do that kind of stuff because it creates more lines and makes more bumps. I always enjoy going to all the tracks back east because they’re fun to ride. I feel like they are more technical and it’s not just hold it wide open. You kind of have to set up to go fast.”
As one of the sport’s most experienced veterans, history certainly isn’t lost on Tickle and he appreciates the challenges one of the series’ most storied tracks always offers.
“High Point is my favorite track that we hit on the circuit. There’s usually a chance for rain and I like the mud so I’m looking forward to it. The weather looks good but there could be some rain a day or two before the race so that would make the track rutted and a lot of fun. High Point is part of the fabric of the sport. It’s an important part of Pro Motocross. It’s one of those tracks that I don’t feel like will ever go away.”
The first moto from Round 4 of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship from the Red Bull High Point National in Mount Morris, Pa., will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., June 18 beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 10 a.m. Pacific. Television coverage for the second moto will shift to NBC at 3 p.m. EDT, noon Pacific. All motos can also be streamed live online through ProMotocross.com or the NBC Sports Live Extra app. More than 60 hours of coverage will be featured on NBC, NBCSN, and MAVTV throughout the 12-round championship, highlighted by nearly 40 hours of LIVE coverage and three hour-long showcases on network television via NBC.
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.
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