Cycle News Staff | February 7, 2016
Round five of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship took place inside the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where a high-speed and very beat-up track gave riders a solid challenge. But the technical track, which took advantage of the large stadium floor and even took riders outside the stadium for added fun, gave Ken Roczen the opportunity to shine. The RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory rider celebrated his first win of the season in dominant fashion, leading every lap of the main event in Arizona.
The runway of a start straight (the longest Supercross has ever seen) saw Davi Millsaps take the holeshot with Roczen in a close second. Roczen took little time moving into the lead on the opening lap, and simply never looked back en route to the big win. Behind him, however, Ryan Dungey and Chad Reed both got buried in the pack, and had their work cut out for them to reach the top-five.
Ken Roczen grabbed his first win of the season. Photography Kit Palmer
Eli Tomac and Cole Seely settled into the top-three in the early laps of the main event, with Tomac piloting his Monster Energy Kawasaki into second behind Roczen. Factory Honda rider Seely was third, and looking to defend the point from a hard-charging Dungey. But in his effort to defend his podium position, Seely’s night took a turn for the worse when he appeared to stall in a corner, letting Dungey by for third. Seely slid all the way out of the top-ten before he got going again, and went on to salvage eighth place.
Dungey had spent the first half of the main event slicing through the pack from his lackluster start. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson latched on to Dungey and also squeezed his way through traffic to get himself into an eventual fourth place. After Seely handed him third place, Dungey set his sights on Tomac for second. Roczen and Tomac had opened up a gap on the field so Dungey had his work cut out for him, but received a little help when Tomac fumbled his way through the rapidly deteriorating whoop section. After reeling him in, Dungey made a quick, clean pass to take over second place, but that’s as far as Dungey would go.
In the end, Roczen held a four-second gap over Dungey to claim the big win – a feat that reflects his steady progress in the series. Following his third-place at Anaheim 2, and his second-place at Oakland last week, Roczen has fulfilled his plan of improving every week, and now sits second in points behind Dungey. Anderson, who finished fourth in Phoenix, sits third in points ahead of Chad Reed and Eli Tomac.
Factory Yamaha’s Chad Reed found himself in the heat of several battles in the 5th-8th positions. Reed scrapped with Davi Millsaps, Justin Brayton and Marvin Musquin in an entertaining quarrel that went on for several laps. Reed and Musquin took turns cutting in on each other in turns, while the BTO Sports KTMs of Brayton and Millsaps also kept the pressure on. In the end, Millsaps came out on top of the four-way spat to claim fifth with Reed ending his night sixth followed by Brayton. Seely, Musquin and Wil Hahn rounded out the top-10.
450SX Class Results
- Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
- Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.M., Husqvarna
- Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
- Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha
- Justin Brayton, Mint Hill, N.C., KTM
- Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda
- Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
- Wil Hahn, Menifee, Calif. Kawasaki
450SX Class Championship Standings
- Ryan Dungey (119/3 wins)
- Ken Roczen (98/1 win)
- Jason Anderson (93/1 win)
- Chad Reed (90)
- Eli Tomac (88)
- Cole Seely (83)
- Marvin Musquin (63)
- Davi Millsaps (61)
- Justin Brayton (61)
- Jake Weimer (53)
