ROCZEN RETURNS TO PODIUM AT SOUTHWICK

When the gate dropped for moto one, Ken Roczen was sitting in the bottom ten while Marvin Musquin earned a 2^nd place start. Musquin dropped temporarily to 3^rd on the 2^nd lap but was able to put his KTM 250 SX-F back into the runner-up position by the sixth lap. At that point, he held on the gas and was able to maintain his position through the remainder of the moto to earn his best finish of the season.

Meanwhile, Roczen worked his way up from a 10^th place start to 6^th position by the second lap of the race. At the halfway point, he moved up two more positions and was able to secure 4^th place. From there, he put 17 seconds on the 5^th place rider as he tried to close in on the top three. Unfortunately, he was unable to close the gap before the moto end and remained in 4^th when the checkers flew.

The Red Bull/KTM teammates switched starting patterns in the second moto. This time, it was Roczen with a great start while Musquin was stuck back in 8^th place off the gate. Roczen started 2^nd in the first moto and quickly passed Jessy Nelson for the lead by the start of the second lap. Roczen maintained the lead for the majority of the moto with heavy pressure coming at the two lap board. It was on this lap that Blake Baggett began to apply heavy pressure to take the lead. Baggett passed once and Roczen was able to put a wheel on him and sneak back into the lead. On the second attempt, Baggett made the pass stick and took over the lead. Roczen held on for a hard fought 2^nd place. Musquin came from an 8^th place start to move into the top five and take 5^th overall in the second moto.

Roczen’s 4-2 moto finishes earned him the final spot on the podium with a 3^rd place overall result. His teammate’s 2-5 results placed him in 4^th overall for the day.

“I am really happy with my finish today,” claimed Roczen after the race. “I felt much better at this round than I have in the past couple races. I felt like I had the speed to win a race today. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the win but I am a step closer than I was before and am excited to have my confidence back.”

Next Race: New Berlin, NY – August 18, 2012

Results 250 Motocross Class Southwick
1. Blake Baggett (USA), Kawasaki – 3-1
2. Eli Tomac (USA), Honda – 1-3
3. Ken Roczen (D), KTM – 4-2
4. Marvin Musquin (F), KTM – 2-5
5. Justin Barcia (USA), Honda – 7-4
Other KTM
6. Malcolm Stewart (USA), KTM – 6-7
16. Jacob Hayes (USA), KTM – 16-16
18. Zack Freeberg (USA), KTM – 33-15

Standings 250 Motocross Class after 9 of 12 rounds
1. Baggett, 400 points
2. Barcia, 376
3. Tomac, 368
4. Roczen, 345
5. Musquin, 294

www.allisports.com/motocross