KEN ROCZEN KICKS OFF SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WITH TOP-FIVE RESULT

Roczen and Nichols Deliver Solid Rides at Playoff 1 at zMAX Dragway

Round one of the SuperMotocross World Championship commenced the second year of post-season racing with a unique, hybrid Supercross-motocross track built on top of zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The unique championship fills the starting gate with the top twenty riders in combined Supercross and Motocross points, then slots the riders 21st to 30th in combined points into an LCQ at each event. A two-moto format with Olympic-style scoring determines the championship and the payout of the $5.5 million dollar purse.

Race Highlights:

Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki

450 Class

Ken Roczen delivered top-five results in both 450SMX Class motos and in the event's overall results.

Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance

450 Class

Colt Nichols earned two top-ten moto results to bring home a top-ten overall at Charlotte.

Kyle Chisholm was fast and consistent on the high-speed track.

Ken Roczen (94), who earned the runner-up spot in the inaugural SMX World Championship last year, started his 2024 bid at the title with great track speed and strong results. The popular racer battled among the front group in both motos. When the results were tallied, Roczen moved his RM-Z up five positions from where he sat in the seeding into the post-season racing.

"Here today at Charlotte we actually had a really good weekend," said Roczen. "It’s definitely something to build on. We went 5-5 for fifth overall… I was able to push both motos. We made tiny adjustments to the bike, and it was actually a really fun day racing. It’s a great position to build off of. We'll hopefully come back next week and just keep building in the right direction, be up front in the starts, and I think we can be on the podium."

Colt Nichols (45) was impressive as he started his first full series with the Twisted Tea Suzuki team. Nichols moved up 12 positions in the post-season rider standings.

Colt Nichols (45) sat out for most of the Motocross season and therefore qualified into the un-seeded group of racers. After qualifying in first place in his second qualifying session, Nichols raced his way out of the LCQ to get into the points-paying motos. Nichols' late gate pick relegated him to challenging staring positions, but in both races he charged forward through the pack and broke into a top-ten position at the checkered flag in each moto.

"It was a pretty good round," Nichols summed up. "The track was extremely, extremely fast. I need to get out of the gate a little bit better but a solid 10-10 [is a] pretty good start for the SMX series for me, so I was pretty excited. I just need to get a little bit better starts and be up there at the beginning of the races. But overall, it was a very good weekend for me, I was pumped."

Kyle Chisholm (11) put in consistent rides on the fast track that was laid out, over, across, and outside of the zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"The bike was good. The bike [set-up] worked pretty good; it's tricky with these races the way the tracks are set up," said Chisholm. "But I just didn't ride my best. I didn't have the best starts, and that made it tough because there's not a lot to separate us out there… I don't think we have a lot of work to do on the bike. We just need to try to get some good practice in this week and come back swinging in Texas."

"It was a good day," Larry Brooks, Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager summed up. "Ken finished fifth overall. He rode pretty good all day. We kind of chased the settings a little bit, chased some power [delivery]. You know, coming to these fast tracks and running our Supercross bike, you never know what you’re going to get until you get here. So, we chased [settings for the hybrid track] and I think we did pretty good as far as making the bike comfortable for him… He got decent starts and went 5-5 for fifth overall. Colt Nichols finished ninth today. This was really his first race with the team; he did a couple [Motocross rounds] but I would consider this race is first real race with the team. And he finished ninth, so [we had] two riders in the top ten. Kyle finished 21st, and I thought it was good for him. Kyle can build on that and get better. We have Texas Motor Speedway next week; it will be the second round of SuperMotocross and we’re ready to go."

The second running of the SuperMotocross World Championships moves west for Playoff 2 at Texas Motor Speedway on September 14th. The second playoff round, another daytime race, will pay double the points toward the championship. After that, the riders line up one final time in 2024 at the Final to crown the 2024 SuperMotocross World Champion. The Final will be a night race, held at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A champion will be crowned, and the full $5.5 million dollar purse will be distributed to the racers.

Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocrossand HEPMotorsports.comfor more team news.

Photos by BrownDogWilson Photography