Ken Roczen (Suzuki) on truck racing: “It’s like Supercross on four wheels!”

Last weekend, Ken Roczen took the whole family on a trip to the unofficial Off-Road Truck World Championship in the state of Wisconsin. Driving a Chevy truck, the 32-year-old managed to finish 9th on one occasion, despite spinning out. On one occasion, his vehicle caught fire briefly – but this was quickly extinguished. After taking it all in, the Mattstedt native was brimming with enthusiasm: “It’s a bit like Supercross on four wheels. The power of the cars through the bends is insane! It looks quite different when you’re actually sitting in a car like that.”

Comparing it to a motocross bike: “The biggest difference is the view. You’ve got a much narrower field of vision – you can barely move; you’re in a cramped cockpit looking out. You’re very restricted in there. That was the thing I had to get used to the most. In motocross, you wear goggles and you’re not strapped in, so you can see much more. You really need experience for this.”

Roczen admitted: “It’s an insane feeling, just the G-forces alone. It’s just incredible for us racers. Most of us drive cars on the road within the usual rules. It’s a blast for us racers to put our foot down here. You can take a lot from motorbikes, for example line choice and things like that. You also have to figure out what the track surface is like.

Ken Roczen hatte viel Spaß im Renn-Truck

Foto: Ken Roczen

Ken Roczen: A future in truck racing?

“It suits me really well. Even the paddock is actually the same – it’s just that there are four-wheeled vehicles in the tents here. It’s just as much an off-road community. It’s a different kind of racing, and it feels so incredibly good to be welcomed so warmly into this community. It’s simply the ultimate feeling. I feel really good. Glen Helen was already cool last year. This is pretty much the biggest race on the calendar. There’s no better feeling.”

On the subject of a possible future in truck racing and the learning process, Roczen said: “Of course: you have to learn how to be fast. You don’t have much time at the race event. It’s all about the time spent in the car – that’s the only thing that helps. I’m going to have a look at it now. I’m not sure about the future yet. I want to get even more used to it. My older son is turning six now; we want to get him onto four wheels. That’ll be our next big goal – we want to get Griffin into a truck. He’s already driving on the simulator to get used to it.”

Ken Roczen im Truck im Red-Bull-Design mit seiner Nummer 94

Foto: Ken Roczen