ROCZEN ON THE MEND
K
en Roczen made the diffi-
cult decision to sit out three
rounds of the Monster Energy
AMA Supercross Series to give
his injured ankle time to heal.
The RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy
Jones/Suzuki Factory Racing
team rider injured the ankle at
Atlanta I. He then re-aggravated
the injury at Atlanta II and again
during practice at the Daytona
Supercross, which forced him to
pull out of the event. Roczen sat
out the Indy round and will also
skip the Detroit and St. Louis
rounds before returning at the
Houston Supercross on April 11.
According to the team, after
meeting with doctors imme-
diately following the Daytona
Supercross and consulting with
RCH team owners Carey Hart
and Ricky Carmichael, Roczen
chose to heed the group's col-
lective recommendation
and take some time off to
allow his injuries to heal
completely. Roczen was
diagnosed with a partial
ligament tear, a high ankle
sprain and a deep bone
bruise.
"It's a tough decision,
but we can't afford not to
take this seriously," said
Roczen. "I had it looked
at again this week and we
all decided that the only
way my ankle is going to heal
properly is if I take some time
off. There's a weekend off in
between St. Louis and Hous-
ton so this will actually give me
a month to recover. I'm really
bummed because Daytona was
the first race I missed in a long
time. It'll be tough to be on the
sidelines but, if I continue to ride
and keep aggravating my ankle,
it's not going to get any better.
Unfortunately, it is what it is."
IN
THE
WIND
P40
Ken Roczen plans to let his
injured ankle rest until the
Houston Supercross on April 11.
SPEEDWAY CHAMPION
MIKE BAST ASKS FOR SUPPORT
S
even-time National Speedway Champion Mike
Bast recently suffered an ischemic stroke,
which has left him in need of extensive physi-
cal therapy and rehabilitation. Supporters have
started a GoFundMe campaign to help the Bast
family recover medical expenses.
Bast is an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and
was the leading American speedway racer in the
1970s. He helped pave the way for American
speedway racing, but today Bast is simply hoping
to regain his ability to walk.
For more on Bast's progress and info on how
to donate to his family, visit the GoFundMe page:
http://www.gofundme.com/oth0oo
