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Roczen Fourth in Anaheim for Season’s First Triple Crown Event, Seely Sixth

By 7 Mins Read

Round 3 of the AMA Supercross series at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium, which hosted the first Triple Crown event of the season, saw Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen put together a solid performance aboard his CRF450R to finish fourth overall with 2-5-4 finishes, maintaining control of the series points lead. In the night’s first of three 450SX races, Roczen launched to the holeshot and early lead. He rode comfortably and confidently at the front front until a last-lap mistake allowed Cooper Webb to make the pass, forcing the German to settle for second. After the gate dropped on the second race, Roczen came around the first turn in sixth but worked his way up to third by the halfway point. He then went down in the whoops and remounted in seventh. He spent the remainder of the race fighting for positions, ultimately taking the checkered flag in fifth. In the night’s final race, Roczen got a poor start, completing the first lap in sixth, but he put his head down and worked his way into fourth by the finish.

Teammate Cole Seely also delivered a solid result on the night, riding to a strong sixth-place overall finish with 5-7-13 marks. In the first race, Seely came around the first turn in fourth but relinquished one spot on the opening lap, then maintained fifth throughout the entire 12-minute-plus-one-lap race. The Californian continued his strong showing in the evening’s second race by grabbing a second-place start and posting impressive lap times early in the race. He lost momentum toward the end, relinquishing multiple spots and crossing the line in seventh. A less-than-desirable start in the final race left Seely outside the top 10 and unable to find his rhythm, and he crossed the finish line in 13th.

NOTES

  • With wet weather in Southern California during the week leading into the race, Ken Roczen spent part of his week training in Mesquite, Nevada, and Southern Utah, riding at both a Supercross track and in the desert. Meanwhile, Cole Seely stayed local, taking advantage of the wet dirt by riding in the hills with members of the Honda crew.
  • On the eve of the race, the Red Riders participated in an autograph signing at Huntington Beach Honda, where Honda’s new Talon side-by-side was also a hit with the fans who turned up.
  • During Saturday’s daytime qualifying sessions, Roczen pushed himself to the third-quickest lap of the day with a 58.381” time, secured in the second session. Fellow Red Rider Justin Brayton was fourth-fastest aboard his Smartop MotoConcepts Honda CRF450R with a 58.527” time, while Seely was 13that 59.741”.
  • Last year, Roczen and his wife Courtney were filmed driving Honda’s Talon for a virtual-reality simulator, which has been used at a number of events since the vehicle’s unveiling. The VR booth was set up in the pits at Anaheim 2, so the couple finally got to experience it for themselves after practice.
  • Roczen also took time to surprise the children at Honda’s Learn to Ride activation in the pits, where he signed autographs and posed for photos with the kids. One of the children who participated in the Learn to Ride program was Roczen mechanic Oscar Wirdeman’s 7-year-old daughter Reef.
  • Due to quick turnaround times between races at Triple Crown events, teams are now allowed to send two motorcycles through tech inspection for each rider. “Ideally you don’t want to have to use your second bike, but it’s nice to have,” said Wirdeman. “There isn’t a lot of time between races, so in case of a mechanical issue, it’s nice to have a full bike ready to go that you can use, versus scrambling to re-prep or fix the same one before the next race.”
  • In the 250SX West Region races at Anaheim 2, GEICO Honda rider RJ Hampshire scored fourth overall for the third week in a row, this time with steady 5-4-5 race finishes aboard his CRF250R, while teammate Cameron McAdoo was sixth with 9-5-6 results. Both riders will be shooting for better starts at the next round.
  • This Saturday, Team Honda HRC will campaign round 4 of the AMA Supercross series, in Oakland, California. The evening before the race, a rider appearance is scheduled at East Bay Motorsports in Hayward.

Press contact:

Mandie Fonteyn // Jonnum Media // mandie@jonnummedia.com// +1 (951) 537-0454

Ken Roczen 94

“Overall, it was a good night of racing. We showed a lot of speed and are happy with this Triple Crown race. We got off to a great start in the first race, getting the holeshot and leading the whole race until I made a mistake in the one of the last rhythm sections, which unfortunately cost me the win. We still came in second, which was great. I didn’t get the best start in the second race but weaseled my way through and felt like I was going really fast. I found myself in third and was catching the guys up front but I made a mistake and went down in the whoops and had about five guys go by me. I didn’t let that distract me, rode strong and worked my way back up to fifth. We were just trying to get through the third race, where I finished fourth and unfortunately, just missed the podium. It was a bummer not to be on the overall podium, but we still have the points lead and red plate so that’s awesome.”

Cole Seely 14

“Once again, there are a lot of positives to take away from tonight. My starts were much better in two out of the three races, and I was able to run more toward the front of the pack. Being up there and feeling the pace of the front group was huge. The Triple Crown format is definitely a challenge because the turnaround time is really short and you’re basically doing three sprint races, so you have to be on it. I’m getting back into the flow and am excited to go racing each weekend, so seventh is another step in the right direction.”

Erik Kehoe

Team Manager

“It was a solid night for the team. Ken is walking away with a fourth and still has the red plate, while Cole finished sixth. I know Ken wanted to be back on the podium but he showed a lot of speed tonight. We’re seeing a very patient Ken and I think it’s a testament to his long-term commitment to this championship hunt; he knows that consistency is key. Cole also rode really well and his starts in the first two races were much better than they have been the past couple weeks. He’s continuing to build and make progress.”

Oscar Wirdeman

Mechanic (Ken Roczen)

“We didn’t make the podium tonight, but overall it was still a solid night and we’re leaving with the red plate again. With all the rain we got, the Dirt Wurx crew did a good job on the track but it was definitely soft and got pretty rutted and rough, especially with the three main events. We didn’t make too many big changes though, just some clickers here and there. Overall Ken was happy with the day and we’re happy to get out of Anaheim healthy.”

Jordan Troxell

Mechanic (Cole Seely)

“Tonight was another step in the right direction. Each week we’re chipping away and accomplishing small goals. Cole’s starts were a lot better tonight and I think he rode really well. It’s a lot of racing so I think he got a little tired toward the end of the night, but he’ll continue to build.”

Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.

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