VOL. 51 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 16, 2014 P57
percross. And he did that on bikes that were
set up entirely different from one another,
from the chassis setup for Supercross to the
different engine and exhaust standards for
U.S. racing as compared to the GPs.
"Just that, and you know how it is when
you race a little outdoors in between and
then you go back to Supercross," Roczen
said. "But actually, that almost made me
a better rider. But it just seemed like there
was so much. Like every year I've felt like I
learned so much and everything just kind of
changed—my mindset going into Supercross
every year. And still now, you know? Obvi-
ously, after a few years, you're just way more
confident, you know how it is, you know how
the bike is working and stuff like that."
ADJUSTMENT PERIOD
There were a lot of questions to be an-
swered about Ken Roczen when he came
to the USA. First, there was whether or not
he could ride Supercross. He proved that
he could right away. But there were some
things that he had less control over, such as
how the fans would receive him. American
fans haven't always been the most support-
ive of European racers.
As it turned out, the fans have welcomed
him with open arms. Roczen started learn-
ing English when he was 11, and today,
he hardly speaks with an accent at all. He
comes across laid back like a typical Cali-
fornia surfer.
"That's what I was wondering, too, since
I'm European: How would the Americans
accept me?" Roczen said. "The Americans
are very proud, obviously, of their country,
which is cool with me. It's just hard for a
foreigner to come in and be loved some-
Ken Roczen's fun-loving and honest character, not
just his incredible talent on the track, has made
the young German a big hit with the American
Supercross and motocross fans.
