Supercross: Ken Roczen To Sit Out Next Three Rounds
Kit Palmer | March 12, 2015
Ken Roczen will miss the next three rounds of the Supercross Series.
The RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Jones/Suzuki Factory Racing team says that Ken Roczen is going to take the next three weeks off to give his injured ankle, the one he injured at Atlanta I, time to heal.
Roczen re-aggravated the injury during practice at last weekend’s Daytona Supercross and pulled out of the event. According to the team, after meeting with doctors earlier this week and consulting with RCH team owners Carey Hart and Ricky Carmichael, Roczen chose to heed the group’s collective recommendation and take some time off to allow his injuries to heal completely. The 20-year-old German rider was diagnosed with a partial ligament tear, a high ankle sprain and a deep bone bruise.
“It’s a tough decision but we can’t afford not to take this seriously,” said Roczen. “I had it looked at again this week and we all decided that the only way my ankle is going to heal properly is if I take some time off. There’s a weekend off in between St. Louis and Houston so this will actually give me a month to recover. I’m really bummed because Daytona was the first race I missed in a long time. It’ll be tough to be on the sidelines but, if I continue to ride and keep aggravating my ankle, it’s not going to get any better. Unfortunately, it is what it is. For the next three races, I’ll be resting and cheering for Broc [Tickle, Roczen’s teammate].”
“It’s a tough situation for Ken but we’re all behind him 100 percent and know that he’s making the right decision,” said the team’s co-owner Ricky Carmichael. “It’s really been a snowball-type of effect since he fell the first time at Atlanta. Ever since then, he’s aggravated it a little bit more every week and that’s how we ended up where we are today. When you’re an athlete and a true competitor, it’s really hard to shut it down in the middle of a season to take the time your body needs to heal. That’s not how an athlete is programmed. In 2004 I had to sit out the entire Supercross season to fix my knee and let it heal. It’s a hard choice. We’re all in his corner.”
Kit Palmer | Editor
Kit Palmer started his career at Cycle News in 1984 and he’s been testing dirt and streetbikes ever since – plus covering any event that uses some form of a knobby tire. He’s also our resident motorcycle mileage man with a commute of 120 miles a day.
