Suzuki’s Roczen Wins Final Moto of 2015 Season

| August 29, 2015 | 0 Comments

BREA, CA (Aug. 24, 2015) – The 2015 AMA Pro Motocross Championship came to a close on a perfect day at the Ironman Motocross National in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and it was Suzuki rider Ken Roczen who closed out the season with victory in the final moto of the year.

unnamed

Suzuki highlights for this weekend’s racing at the Ironman National included:

  • RCH Suzuki’s Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen won the season’s final 450 moto and finished the event with a strong second overall.
  • Roczen outdueled Justin Barcia to earn the runner-up ranking in the final 450 class standings.
  • Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Blake Baggett finished in the top 10 for the 11thtime in 12 outdoor nationals, finishing as the top-ranked rookie in the series.
  • RCH Suzuki’s Broc Tickle took home seventh in the championship, putting all three Suzuki factory riders inside the top 10 of the 450 Motocross Series.
  • Suzuki earned second in the AMA Pro 450 Motocross Manufacturer Point Standings.

Roczen Closes Out 2015 with Victory
RCH Suzuki’s Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen ended 2015 on a high note. The German turned in a near flawless second moto ride to win the final moto of the 2015 season. He finished third in the first moto after encountering some issues early in the race, but in the second moto, Roczen battled his way to the front and opened a gap on the field. At the checkered flag, Roczen enjoyed a margin of victory of 6.256 seconds.

unnamed 2

The solid end to the 2015 campaign earned Roczen runner up in the final 450 class standings.

“Today was really good,” a smiling Roczen said after the race. “The track got super gnarly. Already in the first moto it was really rough, even in practice it was rough. I had some struggles in the first moto. I didn’t have a good start and after the first couple of corners I had so much dirt on my goggles that it went into my eye and the dirt was so wet I had a glare the whole time. So that was tough. I was behind (Justin) Barcia the whole time and couldn’t make a pass. And then I ran out of tear-offs at one point, so that wasn’t too great, but I made a lot of passes happen towards the end and I finished off the race in third, so that gave me a bunch of points.

unnamed 3

“In the second moto I got a lot better start, I think I was fourth or fifth. I made some passes happen really early and got myself to the front, had some clear track and rode my race. The track was so challenging there was no room for mistakes. I finished the moto in first and it was really important to me to finish off the season that way. The last three races have been pretty good for me. Finishing off strong and especially getting second in the championship was huge. We’re definitely going to fight back next year for the championship”

Roczen said his off-season plans include getting “a bunch of stuff repaired on (his) body first.” He then plans on taking some time off and preparing to try to win back the title in 2016.

Baggett is Top Rookie in AMA Pro 450 Motocross
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Baggett had the huge task this year of being the lone rider for the Yoshimura Suzuki squad. It was a big responsibility for any rider, especially one who was new to the 450 class, but Baggett finished the season ranked fourth in the final 450 standings making him the leading rookie of the series.

unnamed 4

He finished the Ironman National seventh overall (6-9), giving him a remarkable 11 top-10 results in the 12-event championship. Baggett gained an excellent reputation this season for his never-say-die attitude.

“I just finished up moto 24, it’s over, it’s done,” Baggett said with a sigh of relief. “It was not the greatest day; I worked my way through the pack to get sixth in the first moto. In the second moto I got too far into a deep rut and got too much dirt jammed up in between the brake pedal and the frame. It locked up the brake and I went over the bars. Then after I got the bike started I had to get my fingers in there and clean it all out. So I lost a bunch of spots right there and some time, but I finished it up strong. I went as hard as I could go after that and I’m happy we ended the season fourth in points.”

unnamed 5

Talking about his rookie 450 season Baggett said, “I’m most proud of making all 29 races, including supercross and the outdoors.”

Baggett and the Yoshimura Suzuki team will take a well-deserved break before getting back to work preparing for the Monster Energy Cup on October 17 in Las Vegas. There the entire team will be happy to welcome back James Stewart finally making Yoshimura Suzuki a two-rider squad.

Tickle Makes It Three Suzuki Riders in the Top 10
RCH Suzuki rider Broc Tickle had another strong outing in Indiana, resulting in an eighth overall with a 15-4, in spite of a crash in the first moto. His overall solid run in this year’s championship netted him seventh in the final 450 class standings, and he was just 12 points out of finishing in the top five.

unnamed 6

“I was excited to come here because I’d never raced here,” Tickle explained. “It’s a great track and reminds me of Red Bud with all the hills. Today was awesome. The first moto didn’t go as planned. I made a mistake on the first lap and caused myself to crash into the fence. I got going and crossed the finish line in 39th on the first lap, probably 10 or 15 seconds behind the last guy. I had to do some damage just to catch back up to 15th. I was pumped for the second moto. I had a decent start and made some good passes and found some really good lines. We made some changes to the bike since these were the biggest bumps we’ve seen all year. The changes we made paid off. I felt really good in that second moto and am glad we ended on a good note.”

Tickle is participating this coming weekend in a Pro-Am held at the Soaring Eagle Casino, one of the team’s sponsors, then he says he will take a few weeks off before preparing for the October Monster Energy Cup.

unnamed 7

A shout out also goes out to Kyle Cunningham (TPJ/Suzuki/Fly Racing Suzuki) and Ronnie Stewart (Team MicroBilt Suzuki) in the 450 class and 250 class competitor Brandon Scharer (Team DirtCandy Yoshimura Suzuki) for making the Ironman National aboard their Suzukis.

Suzuki Finishes Second in the Manufacturer Standings
It was a great season for Suzuki in the 450 class of the outdoor nationals this summer. All three of the Suzuki factory riders finished inside the top 10 and there were numerous wins and podiums enjoyed by Suzuki riders. As a result, Suzuki finished second in the 450 Motocross Manufacturer Standings. A big congratulations goes out to the riders and team members who helped make for an outstanding 2015.

unnamed 8

About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.

Tags: , ,

Category: Teams/Events

About the Author ()

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.