Roczen Roll
Race Watch
ROCZEN ROLL
MOTOCROSS
The German racer who's conquered America likes to work hard and play hard
Brett Smith
Ken Roezen is a welcome rarity in a rigid environment. He isn’t afraid to show up to a press conference shirtless and admit he has a can of Coors Light in his koozie; fun is part of his program. His post-race cracks about eating donuts for breakfast became such a running joke in 2016 that, after dominating his second Lucas Oil Pro Motocross championship (with 20 of 24 moto wins), his celebration T-shirt was a mock Jimmy John’s menu with fare such as donuts, steak, and mac ’n’ cheese. The price: $94 each, of course. He says he doesn’t want to be cocky, but his confidence often betrays him. “I work harder than anybody else, so I have fun harder than anybody else in my industry,” he said in a poolside social media post from vacation in early September (he apologized the next day). “That post was kind of stupid,” he told Cycle World, owning his gaffe. When asked about his flaws, Roezen says, “People around me would probably say that I am too honest.”
Roezen, 22, has been racing in America full time since 2012. As a 17-year-old he lived in the pool house of professional wakeboarder Rusty Malinoski whom he still calls a friend. “Ken is really confident, but it may rub people wrong,” Malinoski said. “He knows he’s a badass and he rips, and he’s not scared to say he’s the best.”
The opposite of German stereotypes, Roezen is open and unreserved.
FLIGHT 94: There's no doubt about Ken Roczen's speed, but the talented German is still seeking his first Monster Energy Supercross title.
FIT, OUTSPOKEN: Although Roezen grew up in a small town in Germany, he fits in very well in the US, where he recently wrapped up his second Lucas Oil Pro Motocross championship, winning an impressive 20 of 24 motos. No stranger to changing rides, look for Roezen to be on a Honda in 2017.
He’s cheerful whether he wins, gets straight-up beaten, loses because the air leaked out of his forks, or if his dad gives an inflammatory interview to a magazine. He still hasn’t won the Monster Energy Supercross title in three attempts, but he is arguably more popular than Ryan Dungey, Chad Reed, and James Stewart, all who have multiple championships. His nearly 800,000 Instagram followers have him leading the social media race, and the seemingly unedited version of his life he offers has helped him engage a very patriotic US fan base.
Motocross racing and its athletes are much more polished, corporate, scheduled, and sanitized than they once were. To operate in this new normal, Roezen has to be a bit of all that, but he knows he’s different and says fans approach him every weekend to thank him for bringing more character, openness, and personality to the sport. He’s grateful and emphasizes it’s genuine. “It’s not like I’m trying to be somebody that I’m not,” he said. “I’m nice to fans because I know how it is to meet your heroes.” It’s a personality that combines the best traits from every great era: Bob Hannah’s edge and attitude, Jeff Stanton’s spirit and work ethic, Jeremy McGrath’s charisma, and young James Stewart’s playfulness. Not only is he damn fast, but he’s physically gifted.
Peter Park of Platinum Fitness has been Roczen’s trainer for more than a year. Former clients
include Fance Armstrong and Chad Reed. “Ken has raw athleticism that you can’t teach,” Park said. “He’s the genetic jackpot for a motocross guy.” Park is a renowned endurance trainer, but on his first day with Roezen he witnessed him pull off a 6o-inch single-leg box jump and knew “this is a different animal.” An athlete with explosive fast-twitch muscles like that can’t be put into a heavy-volume program, such as hundreds of cycling miles a week and daily weight lifting on top of motos. Park insists the work is still hard but “just enough to get the effect we want. No more. If he’s over-trained, it gets in his head and it hurts him.”
Raised three hours southwest of Berlin in the village of Mattstedt (population 510) the Roczens had a thin budget. Ken raced outdated equipment and mom cleaned the used roll-offs between motos to save money.
Still, they found ways to compete in America while Ken was an amateur. The jerseys of Reed, Ricky Carmichael, Andrew Short, and Travis Pastrana still hang in his room back home.
In 2010, at 15, he won an FIM World Motocross Grand Prix overall (MX2) to become the youngest winner ever. A year later, he split his time between the 250SX West Supercross series in the United States and the MX2 world championship.
He adjusted to stadium racing quickly, winning the finale in Las Vegas. Later that summer, he was the world champion.
As confident as Roezen is, however, he has a propensity of making major changes in his program, from trainers to bike brands. He gave KTM a 250SX title in 2013 and the 450MX title in 2014 in a battle with Dungey that went down to the last moto. Despite winning, he had been
vocal about not being happy with the bike and signed with RCH Suzuki for 2015. “I wanted to win championships having fun and not complaining about my bike,” he said in a 2015 interview with Red Bull. “Sometimes I need to be selfish and make the decision I want.” KTM Technical Director Ian Harrison said they couldn’t get Roezen happy with the suspension.
In 2015, Roezen split with his trainer, Aldon Baker, whose client list has won 12 of the last 16 Supercross 450SX titles. Then he gave his motocross title back to Dungey. By the end of 2016 he was adamant about being very happy with his Suzuki and in the press conference following the clinched MX championship said, “If I have the bike the way I want to, I can go fast on any track.” It’s all but been announced, however, that he’s joining American Honda in 2017. This move would make
the second time in his career that he will take a number-one plate to another brand. He’s not commenting on his color change but insists he is not hard to please. Judging from his mood during his nine 450SX and 15 450MX wins there’s one certainty with this outgoing German: A Ken Roezen who is having fun is one who wins.
THIS MOVE WOULD MAKE THE SECOND TIME IN HIS CAREER THAT HE WILL TAKE A NUMBER-ONE PLATE TO ANOTHER BRAND.
