The home of the Los Angeles baseball team the Aztecs has been a mecca for AMA Supercross for the past ten years and the first of repeat visits to the stadium typically throws up some surprises. Anaheim ‘1’ was the scene of the opening round of seventeen in the AMA/FIM stadium series and Red Bull KTM came through a nervy and tremendously exciting evening in California with Ken Roczen earning his maiden 450SX victory in his debut appearance in the class and Ryan Dungey taking second position.
Roczen, who was initially feared to have sustained a hairline fracture of his arm mid-December, was part of the leading pack in the premier class who had emerged through a new qualification system that involved two Heat events and Semi-Finals to determine the 22 entrants for the Main Event. Roczen claimed his Heat on the 450SX-F and signalled his intentions from the ‘off’.
Over 45,000 spectators filled a sold-out facility east of the famous city and the tendency for Anaheim 1 to christen a new or unexpected winner (Chad Reed, Josh Grant and Davi Millsaps just three names from recent memory) continued as Roczen profited from a crash by reigning champion Ryan Villopoto (lost the front end but recovered to fourth) and James Stewart (lost the rear of the Suzuki through the whoops while trying to pass the German) to grab the top step. Dungey was powering through the field after mediocre start but needed time to overtake Chad Reed, the Australian grabbing some podium silverware on his first race with the Kawasaki. After Villopoto Justin Barcia completed the top five on the factory Honda.
“This is insane,” Roczen, who has been training with revered specialist Aldon Baker through the off-season, commented. “I got off to a good start and was holding on really tight. When there were four laps to go, I realized that I could win.”
Jason Anderson added to the KTM party in Los Angeles by beating Honda duo Cole Seely and Zach Osborne in the first round of the 250SX West category. Malcolm Stewart (a crash dropping him to eighth) and Dean Wilson (fourth after being passed late-on by Osborne but suffering with a painful right elbow after a practice crash the Wednesday before) were also protagonists. Red Bull KTM rookie Dean Ferris qualified for the Main Event and managed fourteenth place in his very first American supercross meeting.
AMA Supercross is entering its 40th year in 2014 and the fact that on 17 past occasions the winner of the opening event has gone on to be champion is solid news for Roczen, however the 450SX class seems to deepen each season. As witnessed in previous years the ability to keep injury-free is one of the keys to success across the four month campaign. Round two takes place at Chase Field in Phoenix next Saturday.
Photo by Simon Cudby
