Roczen on 350 in Houston !

mccread
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2/9/2011 4:50am Edited Date/Time 2/9/2011 4:52am
jamma10 wrote:
The tweets below are very telling and pretty much say everything about his approach to this weekend. @westonsnow [i]i wanna have fun, i dont care about...
The tweets below are very telling and pretty much say everything about his approach to this weekend.

@westonsnow i wanna have fun, i dont care about results. just wanba quallify.. racing is the best practice

@DavidVuillemin thanks bro. i love the 350. i acsually prrefer than 250:-)

Seems there are many people on here taking it far more seriously than he is...
Exactly, Roczen is smart, Stewart has crashed as much as Roczen this year... he isn't riding out of control like many seem to believe. He has the speed and the talent to do well but it all comes down to starts and not making mistakes, Canard Dnf'd his first race last year and got third in the second... it's supercross things happen and the start is vital. Ken could ride the same and get 12th or get a good start and get 8th.. but either way he just wants experiance results don't matter.. there is risk, but there is risk everytime they go out riding.

Carlosmuncho.. again you are missing the point.. no one said Ken would dominate supercross, the guy is 16 on a new team, new bike, new country, new sport... and he is running the same pace as Tomac ( who I rate really high) and could win a race at any time... that is impressive... as is Tomac... but I saw Tomac win at Hangtown and knew he would be this good in Supercross.

The reason for the hype around Roczen is because he won his first GP at 15 and got second last year at 15/16 in the World Championship... racing outside his own country. Tomac and Barcia were riding schoolboys at that age! That is why he gets the hype, he is not from the same country as me, so it is not national pride. But I can recognise the guy is a special unique talent, Eric Geboers says he has everything and is better than Pourcel, Everts, himself especially at that age. The crazy thing is Herlings is just as fast... it will be a long time before two fifteen year olds come through fast enough to win at the highest level again .. thought maybe Adam C could do it too if he rides GPs...

In fact I really like watching Tomac ride too and think he is America's best young hope - fast and smart, very similar to Roczen. But you can't just compare them in supercross (where they are similar speed) you have to take their nationality, whole pro career and they age into consideration.( Tomac got 6th in his national series in his first year at 17, Roczen got fifth at 15 and second at 15/16 in the World Championship, beating the Americans in the MXDN both times) In supercross It is a bigger achievement for Roczen to be running that pace in supercross than Tomac becuase Tomac is older, has been riding supercross, it is his own sport, he is with the team and bike he was last year in his own country ... far less variables for him to contend with.

But again Tomac is as good as Roczen in supercross, but I think Roczen gets more hype because of where he comes from, his lack of supercross backround, his age and previous accomplishments... plus he was quickest in his first qualifying session which shocked the media.
mxbigd17
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2/9/2011 5:46am
Wow, this supercross season keeps getting better and better. We are all being treated to a great year so far. The story lines are awesome, and im happy to be a fan of it all. Good Luck to "The Rock" this weekend. I know, i know thats Mike Larocco's handle, but it still sounds good.
DPW
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2/9/2011 11:33am
TeamGreen
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2/9/2011 11:51am
DPW wrote:
[img]http://motocrossactionmag.com/Uploads/Public/Images/1AA/flsbc.jpg[/img]
Deja Vu?

The Shop

DPW
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2/9/2011 11:59am
TeamGreen wrote:
Deja Vu?
little slow on the draw....missed page three..Blush
TeamGreen
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2/9/2011 12:07pm
TeamGreen wrote:
Deja Vu?
DPW wrote:
little slow on the draw....missed page three..Blush
It's all good!

Everytime I see it I hear Dr. Evil goin',"Mwooooohahahaahaha!"
CR250Rider
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2/9/2011 12:23pm
neysbo wrote:
bottomline, if Roczen stays on two wheels he will finish ahead of Alessi and Short. KTM wants to prove that the 350 is not the problem...
bottomline, if Roczen stays on two wheels he will finish ahead of Alessi and Short.

KTM wants to prove that the 350 is not the problem.

But a good chance he will crash out as well.
Shorty will beat him

but ya.
tiddler
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2/9/2011 12:36pm
Yeah, he's pretty badass, but Short will kick his ass.
SethGator
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2/9/2011 12:46pm
You think dungey's debut had this much anticipation going into A1 last year?

Find it odd that KTM will let Ken ride the 350 but won't let Tony Cairoli race it in SX.

it may be yellow, but you get the idea...
FIREfish148
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2/9/2011 12:48pm
How funny would it be if roczen came out and whooped villo and bubbas ass.
BLAHBLAH
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2/9/2011 12:52pm
I can't believe some of the predictions on here.. It's absolutely ridiculous to think Roczen will be a top 5 guy in the SX class. He may have the speed, but he has no clue how to race an SX track yet. Granted he is getting better and better each week, but he isn't there. Comparing lap times is just stupid.

Everyone pull your head out of your ass.. It will be cool to see him on a 350, but I hope he is smart enough to stay out of the way of the leaders. My prediction: he will make the main, but be lucky not to get lapped.
skidsteer16
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2/9/2011 1:33pm
Look at his tire after today.





Apparently KTM added a cheese grader section after the whoops.
SethGator
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2/9/2011 1:49pm
Look at his tire after today. [img]http://a.yfrog.com/img616/4580/wpza.jpg[/img] Apparently KTM added a cheese grader section after the whoops.
Look at his tire after today.





Apparently KTM added a cheese grader section after the whoops.
"practice, were talking about pracice" -allen iverson

kid is getting dialed in...he is probably taking this as serious as if it were the last GP and he was down by 1pt. for the title.
M-M
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2/9/2011 1:59pm
I'm guessing they use soft compounds? I'd cry if that happened to a tyre on my bike after a days riding.
skidsteer16
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2/9/2011 2:09pm
M-M wrote:
I'm guessing they use soft compounds? I'd cry if that happened to a tyre on my bike after a days riding.
I'm with you on that... that's just nutty! Kinda surprised they let him ride with it like that.
FastEddy
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2/9/2011 2:11pm
M-M wrote:
I'm guessing they use soft compounds? I'd cry if that happened to a tyre on my bike after a days riding.
I'm with you on that... that's just nutty! Kinda surprised they let him ride with it like that.
Turn that baby around and it is good for another 30 laps. Wink
Rudeboy119
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2/9/2011 2:15pm Edited Date/Time 2/9/2011 2:16pm
This kid has one of the steepest learning curves I have seen in a long time. Usually not very impressed with too many euro's in SX but I am very impressed with how much he has learned so quickly. Definately KTM's best chance of a SX plate in the near future. Pro Circuit better watch out (or hire him LOL)
machine
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2/9/2011 2:30pm
Look at his tire after today. [img]http://a.yfrog.com/img616/4580/wpza.jpg[/img] Apparently KTM added a cheese grader section after the whoops.
Look at his tire after today.





Apparently KTM added a cheese grader section after the whoops.
that looks like a sand and mud tire, no wonder it shredded.
carlosmacho
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2/9/2011 2:36pm
machine wrote:
that looks like a sand and mud tire, no wonder it shredded.
I thought sand a mud tires (soft terrain) were hard compound with widely spaced knobbies (which is why this tire is chunking) and hard terrain tires were soft compound (to grip better on blue groove or cement type surfaces).
CeeTee
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2/9/2011 2:54pm
Man in that video, he looks super fast in the rhythm sections, but could pick up some speed in the turns.
TeamGreen
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2/9/2011 3:11pm
Huh, so...KTM jus' builds another Works/Team bike and Voila...a 3rd rider?

At-least Roger does whatever it takes to promote the brand!

More power to them.
machine
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2/9/2011 3:13pm
TeamGreen wrote:
Huh, so...KTM jus' builds another Works/Team bike and Voila...a 3rd rider?

At-least Roger does whatever it takes to promote the brand!

More power to them.
that's the neat thing about KTM's, they aren't that far away from works out of the box, so it not that hard to built one quickly as opposed to jap bikes. Whistling
mxrider225
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2/9/2011 3:27pm
I really cant wait for this weekend after watching these videos.
machine
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2/9/2011 3:27pm
mxrider225 wrote:
Another video from racerx http://www.racerxonline.com/2011/02/09/racer-x-films-ken-roczen-ktm-350
I like Racer X videos so much better, I don't have to mute it when the ghetto music comes on like I do with Transworld.
carlosmacho
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2/9/2011 6:10pm
jamma10 wrote:
Tomac is riding great there's no doubt about that. But when you compare Roczen to Tomac I think you're dramatically underestimating the fact that for all...
Tomac is riding great there's no doubt about that.

But when you compare Roczen to Tomac I think you're dramatically underestimating the fact that for all his confidence Roczen is still just a 16 year old with next to no supercross experience racing a series and living far away from home for a prolonged period. Eli Tomac is at least two years older than him, racing on his own turf among people he's familiar with, with undoubtedly more SX experience, if only on practice tracks.

This year is purely a learning experience for him, if you read all the interviews involving Ken they have all said aiming for a championship title was not even a target this year. Ken said at the start of the season that he would be happy to run top 5. So he's actually surpassed his own expectations. He's simply out there to have fun and learn a little.

Once again, the Euros on this board were NOT the ones shouting to the hill tops that he would win in Supercross, that is total fabrication. We were actually the ones making modest predictions.
"Tomac is riding great " I agree, not only is Tomac is riding great, he is a rookie like Roczen, but is faster than Roczen.

"ou're dramatically underestimating "
I underestimate nothing, I never said he would be the great white hope of Europe, neither did I say he has no chance against our 250 rookies. You can make all the excuse about age, lack of experience, that he comes from a poor family, gastro-intestinal problems Smile etc, etc , Tomac is still faster at this point.

Why do you care about age and experience? I care about winning and so do most racers. Windham is much older with more experience than Bubba and Dungey, but they both beat him. Age matters not, it is who is the most consistently fast rider.

When Americans go to MXon in Europe and lose (which admittedly rarely happens) we do not complain about we are at a disadvantage because the track is in Europe. So, Roczen is a great and fast rider especially for his age, but he is not faster than Tomac , but he is the 6th fastest SX rider in America at this point, which may not meet his original expectations for getting in the top 5, it is still very good for a European, since they are not noted as being SX specialists.

"the Euros on this board were NOT the ones shouting "
we will have to agree to disagree on this point.
carlosmacho
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2/9/2011 6:25pm
mccread wrote:
Exactly, Roczen is smart, Stewart has crashed as much as Roczen this year... he isn't riding out of control like many seem to believe. He has...
Exactly, Roczen is smart, Stewart has crashed as much as Roczen this year... he isn't riding out of control like many seem to believe. He has the speed and the talent to do well but it all comes down to starts and not making mistakes, Canard Dnf'd his first race last year and got third in the second... it's supercross things happen and the start is vital. Ken could ride the same and get 12th or get a good start and get 8th.. but either way he just wants experiance results don't matter.. there is risk, but there is risk everytime they go out riding.

Carlosmuncho.. again you are missing the point.. no one said Ken would dominate supercross, the guy is 16 on a new team, new bike, new country, new sport... and he is running the same pace as Tomac ( who I rate really high) and could win a race at any time... that is impressive... as is Tomac... but I saw Tomac win at Hangtown and knew he would be this good in Supercross.

The reason for the hype around Roczen is because he won his first GP at 15 and got second last year at 15/16 in the World Championship... racing outside his own country. Tomac and Barcia were riding schoolboys at that age! That is why he gets the hype, he is not from the same country as me, so it is not national pride. But I can recognise the guy is a special unique talent, Eric Geboers says he has everything and is better than Pourcel, Everts, himself especially at that age. The crazy thing is Herlings is just as fast... it will be a long time before two fifteen year olds come through fast enough to win at the highest level again .. thought maybe Adam C could do it too if he rides GPs...

In fact I really like watching Tomac ride too and think he is America's best young hope - fast and smart, very similar to Roczen. But you can't just compare them in supercross (where they are similar speed) you have to take their nationality, whole pro career and they age into consideration.( Tomac got 6th in his national series in his first year at 17, Roczen got fifth at 15 and second at 15/16 in the World Championship, beating the Americans in the MXDN both times) In supercross It is a bigger achievement for Roczen to be running that pace in supercross than Tomac becuase Tomac is older, has been riding supercross, it is his own sport, he is with the team and bike he was last year in his own country ... far less variables for him to contend with.

But again Tomac is as good as Roczen in supercross, but I think Roczen gets more hype because of where he comes from, his lack of supercross backround, his age and previous accomplishments... plus he was quickest in his first qualifying session which shocked the media.
"Stewart has crashed as much as Roczen this year... he isn't riding out "
Never the less he is number 1 in the point standings, he can crash all he wants as long as he is first in points right?

"you are missing the point.. no one said Ken would dominate supercross"
We will have to agree to disagree on this point.

"But again Tomac is as good as Roczen in supercross, "
No Tomac is better, the point standings prove it and so does the last race.

We will have to see what happens as the series unfolds to see who is better. I am not going to bet on either one of them because they are rookies and they tend to crash.

I agree that Roczen is a special unique talent and am looking forward to seeing him race in the 450 class to see how he stacks up.
JB 19
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2/9/2011 6:38pm
Should be interesting......the kid has big times skills, thats for sure.
jms217
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2/9/2011 7:47pm
How funny would it be if roczen came out and whooped villo and bubbas ass.
do you actually think that is going to happen? Every one knows he has what five races of supercross under his belt and you think he will beat stewie and RV? I was thinking he will get like a 10-13 place ride for him this weekend.

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