Ken Roczen Takes a Break from Supercross due to Health Issues

Ken Roczen (born April 29, 1994, in Mattstedt, Germany) is a professional motocross and supercross rider from Germany of Polish ancestry. From 2009 to 2011, he raced in the Motocross World Championships, and from 2012 until 2020, he competed in the AMA Motocross Championships. He is a two-time 450-class US Motocross champion, MX2-class Motocross World Champion, Motocross des Nations winner, 250-class West Supercross champion, and 450-class Monster Energy Cup winner.

Ken Roczen has fought a variety of diseases over the last five years. The Polish-German racer suffered a complex fracture to his left arm at the second Anaheim round of the season after joining Team Red in 2017. Roczen’s injuries kept him out of the 2017 AMA Supercross and Motocross Championships, but that wasn’t the end of his health problems.

The Honda rider disclosed in June 2020 that he had been diagnosed with shingles. Roczen sat out the 2020 Motocross Championship after placing third in the AMA Supercross Championship to restore his full fitness for the 2021 season. Roczen blasted out of the gate in 2022, winning the season-opening in Anaheim despite his previous ailments. However, the 27-year-old rider’s performance has been inconsistent since then.

Roczen is in ninth place in the Supercross standings after nine rounds, 70 points behind leader Eli Tomac. After the San Diego round on January 22, 2022, the Honda rider also stated that he contracted COVID-19. Roczen competed in the following race, although many felt his performance was hampered by the infection. Following a series of health difficulties, number 94 will retire from the Supercross series indefinitely in 2022.

American Honda Sports & Experiential Manager Brandon Wilson said, “Ken has so much heart and wants to be out there, but that’s not in the best interests of anyone involved with things as they are. Health comes first, and we know that time off has helped him in the past. Ken is a part of the Honda family, and I’m happy he is taking steps to improve his situation. Everyone here is behind him as he works to return to the level where we all know he deserves to be.”

Roczen won the Supercross 250 West Championship in 2013 and the 450 Motocross Championship in 2014 with KTM before joining the Honda Factory team in 2017. With Suzuki, he won the 450 Motocross championship again in 2016. Unfortunately, Roczen’s circumstances haven’t improved since then, but Honda stands by him throughout this difficult period.