450SX threat to race on with the injury in hopes of steady recovery.
Image: Octopi Media.
Saturday night’s Seattle Supercross round was a gladiator effort for 450SX contender Ken Roczen, who revealed after his fourth-place performance on a brutal Lumen Field circuit that his AC joint ligaments are ‘nearly completely torn’ in his right shoulder.
Roczen initially injured his shoulder in a practice crash during the off-weekend before Birmingham, and has since been riding with the injury in an attempt to maximise points towards the championship, where he currently sits third.
The Progressive Ecstar Suzuki rider snuck around the inside heading into Seattle’s first turn in the main event, coming out second behind championship leader Cooper Webb (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing).
From there, the German rider would make a pass and lead the field for the race’s opening half. A couple of mistakes in succession let a few riders by before the number 94 recovered to an impressive fourth-place result.
Given the brutality and technicality of the Seattle circuit, Roczen’s result is a testament to the supreme skills he possesses, particularly when dealing with severe shoulder instability.
“Seattle was great,” recalled Roczen post-race. “For whatever reason, when the main event comes around, I hone in and become really focused. With the injury, I don’t want to aggravate it during practice, so I have a hard time being honed in, but when race time comes, it’s different.
“I am still holding my head high, but it’s hard. My shoulder needs a lot of rest. My ligaments are almost completely torn in the AC joint, so if I fall, I will likely make it worse. So right now, I am picking my battles – I wanted to make it through this weekend. I am going to keep doing what I’m doing, and hopefully, we can get back to 100 percent before the season is over.”
The injury is a tough blow for Roczen, who was in fast form up until the incident having captured the 450SX main event win at the Daytona Supercross. He currently sits third in the overall points standings, 34 points adrift of Webb heading into Foxborough’s 12th round this weekend.
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