TEAM SUZUKI’S KEN ROCZEN AND THE RM-Z450 DOMINATE REDBUD
July 6, 2016
RACE WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
Team Suzuki and the Suzuki RM-Z450 provided most of the fireworks on the track this Fourth of July weekend. At the RedBud Motocross National in Buchanan, Michigan, Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen won again with a 1-1 sweep. And that was just the beginning. Suzuki riders filled the top 10 at RedBud, one of the premier events on the Pro Motocross calendar. Race highlights include:
- Ken Roczen scored another convincing 1-1 victory on his Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing RM-Z450.
- Roczen’s RCH Suzuki teammate Broc Tickle was also exceptional at RedBud, scoring his second-consecutive podium finish with a third overall in the 450 class.
- Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing riders Blake Baggett and Matt Bisceglia earned excellent results, finishing in sixth and eighth place respectively.
- A total of 11 Suzuki riders made the national field at RedBud – seven in the 450 class riding the Suzuki RM-Z450 and four in the 250 class aboard the Suzuki RM-Z250. Even more impressive, four of the top 10 overall finishers in the 450 Class were on RM-Z450s, more than double any other manufacturer.
Historic Supremacy for Roczen & Team Suzuki
Ken Roczen was perfect again at RedBud, going 1-1 on his RCH Suzuki RM-Z450 en route to his fifth overall victory of 2016 in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. The series reached mid-season on Saturday and the milepost revealed an eye-popping stat – Roczen’s record of winning 11 out of 12 motos so far this summer is the best start to a season since 2008. Roczen has now built a 53-point lead in the standings.
"We've been doing good work over the whole year,” said RCH Suzuki's Ken Roczen. “I have to give it up to my team. We crushed it in that second moto, and I couldn't be happier right now."
Another Podium Finish for Tickle on his RCH Suzuki
RCH Suzuki is hitting on all cylinders mid-season in the Pro Motocross Championship. In addition to Roczen’s victory, the squad once again put two riders on the box in the 450 class with Broc Tickle taking third, his second-consecutive national podium. His performance put him inside the top five in the championship chase.
“Last week really started it off for me,” explained Broc Tickle, RCH Suzuki. “I had felt really good this week and the goal was the podium. I’m just stoked. Everyone on the team has been working hard and it’s a good atmosphere and I feel really good right now.”
Baggett & Bisceglia Score Top 10 for Yoshimura Suzuki
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Baggett (6th overall) and Matt Bisceglia (8th overall) also put in strong results at RedBud, giving Suzuki twice the number of top-10 riders than any other manufacturer. Bisceglia got great jumps out of the gate in both motos on his powerful Suzuki RM-Z450, making his path to an eighth-place finish much easier. The results were the best thus far this summer for both Baggett and substitute rider Bisceglia, giving Yoshimura Suzuki its best race weekend of the season.
“We had a good weekend,” said an upbeat Baggett, Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing. “We made some bike changes and it definitely made it better for the second moto and it felt pretty good. It was a solid race for my second weekend back.”
“It was an awesome day out here at RedBud,” said Bisceglia, Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing. “I got two decent starts, but I definitely had to fight for both of those finishes. My Yoshimura Suzuki was working great out there. It was not only a good day for me, but for Blake and the team as well.”
In addition to the top-10 quartet of Suzuki riders, three other Suzuki-mounted riders made the RedBud National. Dustin Pipes (Fly Racing Suzuki), Ronnie Stewart (MicroBilt/PRBC Suzuki) and Austin Howell (Howell Racing Suzuki) all put their Suzuki RM-Z450s in the RedBud main in the 450 class. Motorcycle Superstore/Suzuki’s Kyle Cunningham, Jimmy Albertson and Josh Osby, as well as Luke Clout (MAD Racing Yoshimura Suzuki), all made the RedBud 250 National racing their Suzuki RM-Z250s.
Coming up: Team Suzuki’s motocross riders will be back in action as the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicks off the second half of the 2016 season next weekend with its anticipated return to New England. For the first time since the 2013 season, The Wick 338 in Southwick, Massachusetts, will host the world's most prestigious championship with the 36th running of the Red Bull Southwick National. The seventh round of the championship will commence on Saturday, July 9.
Next up for Team Suzuki road racers is Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with the combined MotoAmerica/World Superbike Championship as the very best of the national and international Superbike racers invade the Monterey Peninsula, July 8-10. MotoGP returns in Germany on July 17th. GNCC takes a break until visiting Unadilla MX in New Berlin, NY on Sept 10-11.
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