CHALLENGES ASIDE, RCH SOARING EAGLE/JIMMY JOHN’S/SUZUKI FACTORY RACING HANGS TOUGH AT HANGTOWN

ORANGEVALE, Calif. (May 19, 2015) – In the hard-knock world of professional motocross, just about anything can happen. It’s certainly no secret that over time, wear and tear on the body comes with the territory and sometimes injuries can crop up without warning.

For Ken Roczen, the defending Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Series Champion, Hangtown was a beacon after a frustrating 2015 Monster Energy Supercross campaign. Roczen spent half the indoor season sidelined with an ankle injury but the German rider never lost sight of the outdoor opener when he could finally blow the dust off and return to championship form.

Unfortunately, a little less than a week prior to Round 1, Roczen irritated a pre-existing back injury, which ultimately hampered his efforts at Hangtown. Still, despite being slowed by the pain that’s common to a back injury, Roczen rallied from a 19th-place finish in Saturday’s first moto to record a gritty top-five effort in the second 450 moto of the day.

“This weekend was a tough one,” said Roczen following the event. “So, it turns out I have a stress fracture in my back which, I struggled. I hadn’t ridden since last Thursday (May 7). Coming to Hangtown, I didn’t know if I would be able to ride or not. I struggled big-time. The track was gnarly and if you’re not riding for eight or nine days and you come straight to that, it’s really tough to get in a rhythm. But, we managed to get some points in the second moto.”

The impressive effort in Saturday’s second moto allowed Roczen to salvage a respectable amount of points and positioned him 12th in the standings heading into Round 2.

“In my eyes, the championship it still open” Roczen added. “We’re going to have to pull ourselves together and figure out my back. I want to put in 100 percent effort in training and focus on everything to come back strong and be ahead of everyone every single weekend.”

On the flip side, Roczen’s RCH stablemate Broc Tickle had a consistent weekend and rode his No. 20 Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450 to sixth- and eighth-place finishes, respectively.

“Hangtown went pretty well for me,” explained Tickle. “I was really looking forward to the outdoor season. I feel like I should have had some better results in Supercross. It was still a solid season but we were hoping for more. I feel like my fitness was really strong preparing for Hangtown and I’m really stoked with all the hard work everyone has put in. From chassis to motor, practically every department, the bike was awesome.”

The solid weekend proved to be a confidence builder for the 25-year-old Holly, Mich., veteran who now sits sixth in points with 11 races remaining on the outdoor schedule.

“For me, build off the first race, work on a couple things,” Tickle continued. “I feel like I’m there, fitness-wise and bike-wise to get some podiums and put myself up on the box. That’s the goal for me and I think everyone on the team is on the same page. We’ll head into Glen Helen, keep building and do the best we can do.”

With all the unknowns that can arise from a back injury, Roczen’s status will be evaluated closely and monitored on a daily basis. A determination on his ability to participate this weekend at Glen Helen will be made later in the week.

“Kenny has an L5 pars fracture,” explained RCH co-owner Carey Hart. “It’s a stress fracture and basically comes from prolonged pounding and extension, over time. We’re evaluating him day by day. He’s been cleared to race because it can’t really get any worse. It’s going to be painful, but it won’t get any worse. He may need surgery down the road but we’re hoping he can grind it out until the break. Broc had another solid weekend and said he felt great after the second moto. I’m looking forward to seeing how he does this weekend.”

The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship heads south from the shadow of the California state capital to San Bernadino for this weekend’s Glen Helen National. The first moto from Round 2 of the 2015 outdoor campaign will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., May 23 at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 2 p.m. Pacific. Television coverage for the second moto will shift to NBCSN at 7 p.m. EDT. All motos can be streamed live online through ProMotocross.com or the NBC Sports Live Extra app. NBC, NBCSN and MAVTV will combine to televise over 60 hours of racing over the course of the 12-round season.

About RCH Racing …
RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing is a professional Supercross and Motocross team co-owned by 15-time AMA Champion Ricky Carmichael and Freestyle Motocross visionary and entrepreneur Carey Hart. RCH enjoys factory support from Suzuki as well as marketing partnerships with Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, Jimmy John’s, Ram Trucks and Bel-Ray. Stay up to date on all the latest RCH Racing news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @RCHRacing.

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