Ken Roczen wrapped up his 2026 SuperMotocross World Championship campaign with a gritty performance at the season finale in Ridgedale, Missouri, finishing fourth overall on the night and fourth in the final championship standings.
After opening the playoffs with strong form, the 2026 AMA Supercross Champion remained in the mix at the final round and delivered a solid 2-5 moto scorecard despite battling a sore wrist and challenging track conditions.
The German star was in contention from the outset, running near the front throughout Moto 1 and eventually securing second place. Roczen revealed that lapped riders played a role in the outcome, preventing him from mounting a stronger challenge for the race win.
“We did what we could,” Roczen said after the event. “I had a really good first moto. I was second the whole time. We got messed up with lappers and that cost me a bit. Me, Haiden and Hunter were neck and neck that race, so I was able to finish second in the first race.”
Moto 2 proved far more difficult. Roczen launched well off the gate but immediately ran into trouble when his holeshot device disengaged after hitting a bump directly in front of the starting gate. That left him buried in the pack and forced to fight his way forward.
The challenge became even tougher when he injured his wrist on the opening lap.
“In the second race, I shot out of the gate and hit the bump that was right in front of it, which dropped my front wheel in and popped my holeshot device out,” Roczen explained. “I pretty much had a terrible start, so I had to make my way up. I kind of jammed my wrist in the sand section on the first lap.”
Roczen also pointed to the demanding nature of the Carson circuit, where repeated use over the weekend had left many jumps with little remaining transition on the landings.
“There were so many flat landings on this track, and after us hitting them the last two days, the landings were completely gone,” he said. “You were pretty much flat landing the whole time, so my wrist was starting to get pretty sore.”
Despite the setback, Roczen worked his way through the field to finish fifth in the final moto, securing fourth overall for the round and locking in fourth place in the SMX Championship standings.
“We brought it home in fifth in the second one and finished fourth overall in the championship,” he said. “It was what it was. We had a good shot at it and we put it all out there. Overall, I had fun with the team, so it was a good day.”
Suzuki team principal Dustin Pipes praised Roczen’s effort and noted that the former world champion had been in contention for a moto victory before traffic became a factor.
“Glad to wrap up the season with Ken and Colt both healthy,” Pipes said. “Ken had a shot at the win in the first moto until some lappers played a factor in the outcome.”
The result closes another consistent season for Roczen, who remained a regular contender throughout the SuperMotocross playoffs and ended the year inside the championship’s top four despite the challenges faced in the final race.
