Image: Octopi Media.

With just two main events to go in the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross championship, Ken Roczen put himself in the perfect position to grab a win and gain points in the penultimate round of the series until a mid-race crash dropped him down the order.

Following a late-race crash in the Atlanta 3 main event, Roczen trailed Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) by 16 points in the 450SX standings as racing got underway in Salt Lake City.

The Team Honda HRC rider jumped out to an early lead in the main event, eventually crashing and finishing the night in sixth, losing valuable points in the championship.

“Everything was going after our plan,” Roczen explained. “We executed off the start, made the right decision to go on the very inside right there. I was feeling pretty good early on and we got into some lappers as well and I had to double through the entire rhythm lane that cost me a lot of time.”

“In general just like everybody [on the podium] said, the whoops were really tricky. I know they’re tricky for everybody but I just really needed a little bit more safety, if I could have got my bike to settle a little bit more there I think I would have got me in an overall better flow around the track and I just didn’t have it there.

Roczen reflected on the crash following the race, adding that regardless of the outcome, he was excited to be in the hunt for the championship as the series heads for the final round.

“I changed my line up toward the end of the race and it was a little bit better,” he continued. “I came out of that turn and it happened so quick I think I just pushed the front over the bumps and yeah, that was the end of that. Lost opportunity the last couple of rounds, but what do you want me to do?

“I tried my best out there, but it’s cool being in the championship hunt and it’s not over but obviously, it’s going to be very difficult with the points gap extending like that. I gave it my all and unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned in the end.”

Roczen now trails Webb by 22 points in the 450SX standings as the series is set to conclude this Saturday, 1 May, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.