Ken Roczen (Suzuki): A turbulent truck racing adventure involving fire

Supercross ace Ken Roczen made a foray into four-wheel racing last weekend. The German competed in his adopted home of the USA at the ‘57th Polaris World Championship’, the unofficial world championship for off-road trucks and buggies. The venue for this action-packed event was the iconic ‘Crandon International Off-Road Raceway’ in the US state of Wisconsin.

Roczen had secured 10th place in the Pro2 category during the qualifying session in his Chevy truck for the Ryan Beat Motorsports Racing team. In the first race, Roczen was running in 8th place when his truck suddenly burst into flames and began to smoke whilst negotiating a bend. Track marshals were immediately on the scene and managed to extinguish the smouldering fire. After an extra shift by the mechanics’ crew, the vehicle was then ready for the main race. There, the 32-year-old secured 9th place after spinning out. “It’s absolutely mad out there – visibility is the most important factor,” noted newcomer Roczen.

Ken Roczen (rechts) mit Andrew Carlson

Foto: Ken Roczen

One of Roczen’s team-mates was the experienced truck racer Andrew Carlson – he is also sponsored by Red Bull. The team even produced a special fan T-shirt for the event featuring both of them. There is no comparable championship to the off-road truck racing series in Europe. The circuit in Crandon was run over several different distances depending on the class; Roczen’s Pro2 category raced on the long circuit, which was peppered with long jumps.

Roczen had travelled to the event – which has a real party atmosphere – with his whole family, including his two sons and his wife Courtney. The so-called ‘Crandon Labour Day Parade’ in the town centre created a very special atmosphere for the fans and the racing community on Friday.

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Roczen will also compete in the upcoming Supercross season for the Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki team from HEP Racing and will attempt to defend his title.