2020 St. Louis Supercross | Ken Roczen GoPro Onboard

INSTAGRAM | @kenroczen94

2020 ST. LOUIS SUPERCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

After nearly three full years of injuries, anguish, and issues, Ken Roczen has returned to the top step of the podium in the Monster Energy Supercross Series. The Team Honda HRC rider dominated the 450 Main Event at the 2020 St. Louis Supercross and claimed the 450 Main Event win, his first since he suffered a devastating broken arm at the 2017 Anaheim Two Supercross/damaged arm ligaments at the 2018 San Diego Supercross/season-long energy issues that stemmed from the 2019 San Diego Supercross. There’s no doubt that Roczen’s win is one of the most popular in the history of the sport and thanks to the GoPro HERO8 camera that was on the top of his helmet, we can see the moment from his perspective.

A solid start put Roczen in the front of the pack early and he quickly worked his way up to second place in the first full lane of the track. We can see that he stayed to the left of Zach Osborne, which allowed him to stay out of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider’s roost and search for a spot to make a pass.

The key moment of the race came on lap two, when Roczen barrelled to the inside of Osborne in the turn before the back-to-back doubles and halted the Husqvarna rider’s momentum. Roczen’s block pass prevented Osborne from doing the next jump and put him on the defense against other riders (Cianciarulo, Barcia) in the field, which allowed Roczen the chance to pull away without issue.

From this point on, Roczen was on his own and felt no pressure from someone on his rear wheel. With no battles or other riders in the frame, the video isn’t the most exciting, but there’s plenty to pick up on. You can hear how low Roczen keeps the engine’s rpms, how he hit his marks in through the ruts and turns and clicked off the necessary rhythm sections without any unnecessary risk. 

The race was long, with Roczen going about 25 laps from start to finish, and his celebration over the finish line makes it clear how much the race means to him.