W
e are two rounds into
the 2015 Supercross
season and nothing
has happened in the 450 class
that has surprised me.
Like a lot of other people, I fig-
ured that Ken Roczen would be the
man to beat this year and nothing
I've seen so far leads me to believe
otherwise. That said, he has al-
ready shown chinks in his armor, as
demonstrated by Eli Tomac's con-
vincing win Saturday night in Phoe-
nix. Tomac is just one of at least half
a dozen riders who are capable of
winning at any given round. Let's
talk about some of them, starting
with the favorite, Roczen.
He comes into 2015 as the
reigning 450 Motocross Champi-
on, after finishing second to Villo-
poto in the 2014 Supercross Se-
ries. With RV headed to Europe
and James Stewart sitting out the
season in the penalty box, Roc-
zen is the heir apparent. His move
to Suzuki was a smart choice
for many reasons, besides his
proven record of success on the
brand. The RCH Racing opera-
tion is top-notch and well funded.
Roczen is enjoying the fruits of
Carey Hart's marketing clout and
Ricky Carmichael's hefty pull at
factory Suzuki, as well as the
technical and organizational skills
of industry veteran Mark John-
son, who some may remember
as Jeff Ward's mechanic back
in the '80s. Mark has spent the
past decade or so in the world of
Indy Car racing and brought with
him some fresh faces and pre-
sumably new ideas. No doubt,
they are the team to beat.
Tomac has the speed, but histor-
ically hasn't shown the consistency
that a 17-race season demands.
He'll win some races and if he can
avoid any more nights like he had
in the opener, where he finished
20th, he could be in the thick of it
when Vegas comes around.
Trey Canard currently sits
BY STEVE BAUER
CN
III FRIENDLY FIRE
SUPERCROSS SO FAR
P116
