FIM’s World Supercross Wraps Up With K-Roc Taking The Title For Suzuki

[advrider]

It seems Ken Roczen isn’t washed up, and Suzuki’s 450 MXer isn’t as bad as the Internet experts say it is. The proof is in the FIM’s World Supercross championship, which just wrapped up with the Australian round. K-Roc took his Suzook to 1-1-3 finishes in the three Aussie races, and that was good enough to seal the title for him and his team.

It’s the second FIM World Supercross title in a row for Roczen, but this one likely feels extra-special. After suffering serious injury and being unable to gel with Honda’s latest 450, the German-born racer moved to Suzuki in late 2022. That move made many self-professed motocross experts wonder what he was thinking. Suzuki’s motocross bikes, like their street bikes, are not the latest and greatest machines available. Why would Roczen restrict himself?

Turns out that he wasn’t restricting himself at all. Roczen finished fourth overall in the AMA Supercross standings this year, which is pretty respectable, and now he’s won the three-round FIM series.

Roczen actually came into the Australian round trailing Joey Savatgy in the points chase. Savatgy had run up his score in the previous rounds (there were race weekends in the UK and Abu Dhabi), but Roczen got past him and is now headed off to challenge the SuperMotocross World Championship, which starts in Anaheim, California in about six weeks (first race is January 6).

Chances are that the SuperMotocross series is going to be much more hotly contested than the FIM series, which has been on shaky ground this year, with multiple rounds canceled and fewer high-profile riders attending than you’d think. For instance, the Lawrence brothers, who are Aussies and who dominated the AMA races this year, did not contest in their Australian homeland. The FIM needs to sort its situation out before things get worse.

What about the 250s?

In the FIM’s 250 World Supercross class, the title went to Max Anstie, racing for Firepower Honda. Anstie was the top racer in the 250 class over the whole weekend, and he’s the first British rider to win in the FIM’s Supercross series in many years. He was understandably chuffed.

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