In a night that reverberated with the thunderous roar of engines and the passionate cheers of a record-breaking crowd, Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki's Ken Roczen emerged as the triumphant victor at Round 6 of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross season, held at the iconic State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
From the very start, Roczen dominated the race, seizing the Holeshot and maintaining an iron grip on the lead throughout the event. This impressive victory marked Roczen's third win at the State Farm Stadium, solidifying his status as a force to be reckoned with on the Supercross circuit.
"I haven't won much in the recent years so I take these moments in so much… My start was really good. I got a super good jump. I may have shut the throttle off a little bit too early, so I almost got swallowed up there. But I had the inside and as I went around the first turn I'm like, 'This is what I need'… The track was really tricky, it just got so slippery. I made so many micro-decisions on the track in certain areas that I picked out; as I ran through some of the first few laps I just noticed some of the key spots that are really tricky and can really bite you. So I just managed the race the whole way… I tried to not look at the time, I just clicked my laps, lap after lap. My Progressive ECSTAR Suzuki was working flawless out here today. I haven't done many changes at all and it shows. You know, I've got to give it up to my whole team, my crew behind me, Peyton at home, my family, Griffin this is for you. I've been telling him the whole time I'm going to bring some trophies home, and especially wins, so I finally did it and this is an unbelievable moment for us." – Ken Roczen
Joining Roczen on the podium were Monster Energy Kawasaki's Jason Anderson, who secured a hard-fought second place, and Team Honda HRC's Jett Lawrence, who battled his way to a well-deserved third place finish.
Second place 450SX Class – Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
"Oh 100% [I'm happy with a podium]. I'm really excited to walk out here with second. But at the end of the day I felt like I left a little on the table. I started riding tight there for a second, but, with how gnarly our class is, it's pretty cool to be up here… Honestly this is one of my home races so everyone from the 505 out here, thanks for showing up and supporting." – Jason Anderson
Third place 450SX Class – Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
"[I] didn't give myself the best opportunity to go on for a win today with just getting a terrible start. But it was cool to climb my way through. It was a cool accomplishment to catch and pass Eli… So it was a cool accomplishment and just happy I was able to fight back to a podium position. [The] front boys they were gone… so especially going similar speeds here you can't catch up, you can't give 'em that extra gap… It was a good finish to get third, especially with how it started." – Jett Lawrence
In the Western Regional 250SX Class, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's RJ Hampshire emerged victorious, delivering a stellar performance and clinching his second win of the season.
First place 250SX Class – Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
"[It was] a really tough day. Man, I had that case [coming up short on the track's large double jump in the] first timed practice. Man, that hurt me quite a bit. [I'm] getting up there in age so those don't go by so fast… [In the] main event, got a decent start, made those passes quick. And [then] just kinda rode my own race… You know [my win at] A1 was so easy, and then, you know, you have some bad luck… Man, we work hard and it's awesome to repay this whole Austrian team with another win. We get six weeks off now [for the west coast 250SX Class] so I get to recover a bit, but yeah, so stoked! Thank you! Arizona was awesome to me, ready to go back home." – RJ Hampshire
Second place 250SX Class – Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
“[Regarding Jordon Smith jumping into Levi while the ‘do not jump’ lights were flashing] I don’t know. Like, that’s a bad situation. I feel really bad, I’m glad Smitty’s okay. But yeah, you come around and they’re blinking. I didn’t know if I could jump on, and he jumped on behind me and we hit. Luckily we’re both okay… That’s a weird thing with the lights and everything. I just didn’t want to be in the wrong, and get docked. Glad I’m healthy, glad he’s healthy, and yeah, stoked to go into this long break with the red plate, obviously.” – Levi Kitchen
Third place 250SX Class – Photo Credit: Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
“We’ve been working hard in the weekends with the team but the results sometimes [are] not showing… The main event [podium], I kinda got gifted, I guess, but [it’s] some kind of way to start my groove again… I missed the feeling [of being up here on the podium].” – Jo Shimoda
Tickets for the remaining Monster Energy Supercross events are on sale now at Moto.events.
As the championship race intensifies, the excitement and anticipation continue to build. Stay tuned for more thrilling Supercross action as the season unfolds!
