Ken Roczen (Suzuki) wins convincingly in Australia: three races, three victories

At the Australian Supercross in Geelong, Ken Roczen was in outstanding form. The rider from Thuringia won all three races in the 450cc class and left the rest of the field trailing in his wake. Roczen looked relaxed and at ease on the track, controlling the action at will. Even US star Christian Craig was unable to keep up with his pace.

Roczen himself was in high spirits after his triple victory: “I really had a lot of fun today. I felt really good all day and had a perfect connection with my bike and the track. Sometimes you have those days when everything just clicks. That’s how it was for me tonight.”

Mixed Suzuki debut for Justin Barcia

The Supercross in Geelong marked the first race for Team HEP Twisted Tea Suzuki, with Justin Barcia lining up alongside Ken Roczen as his team-mate. After finishing third in the first race, a heavily smoking clutch initially caused a stir in the paddock. The smoke even set off a fire alarm. In the second race, the American crashed whilst in fourth place. His handlebars were bent and the airbag deployed. Barcia was able to start the third race and finished fifth. He ended the day in ninth place overall.

Jo Shimoda makes a solid 450 debut

Behind Roczen and Craig, Japanese HRC works rider Jo Shimoda took third place overall on his 450 debut. Shimoda was experimenting with the set-up of his Honda. He had changes made to the suspension for the final race, but felt less comfortable with it than before. The Japanese rider is still searching for the optimal set-up for his 450cc machine.

Cole Davies dominates the 250 class

There was also a clear-cut winner in the 250cc class: Star Racing Yamaha factory rider Cole Davies also won all three races, leaving no doubt as to his dominance. Behind the New Zealander, exciting battles for position unfolded. Lux Turner secured second place overall ahead of Cameron McAdoo, who dropped to third in the second race.

AUS-X in Geelong

1. Ken Roczen (USA), Suzuki, 1-1-1

2. Christian Craig (USA), Honda, 2-2-2

3. Jo Shimoda (J), Honda, 4-4-4

4. Austin Politelli (USA), Honda, 6-5-3

5. Luke Clout (AUS), KTM, 5-3-10

6. Cedric Soubeyras (F), Kawasaki, 7-7-6

7. Jed Beaton (AUS), Yamaha, 8-8-7

8. Aaron Tanti (AUS), Yamaha, 9-6-11

9. Justin Barcia (USA), Suzuki, 3-DNF-5

10. Jorge Zaragoza (E), Stark, 10-9-8