Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/661756
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP VOL. 53 ISSUE 13 APRIL 5, 2016 P87 My Own Race: 94 KEN ROCZEN 2 ND 450SX Ken Roczen had a great night but it still wasn't enough to beat Ryan Dungey. "We made a bunch of changes during practice and that paid off," Roczen said of his day and night. "[I] had a great heat race and was able to win so I went into the main event pretty confident. I grabbed a decent start and made a couple passes in the first lap. I caught up to Dungey and we battled pretty hard for a while. I was faster in some spots on the track until we got to the lappers and they ended up separating us a little bit. I tried towards the end to make another charge but it wasn't enough. We ended finishing in second place, which is okay because we were really good all night. That's ultimately what it's all about. We had a great battle for the lead and I ended up second this time. Over- all, it was a good night." 21 JASON ANDERSON 3 RD 450SX Jason Anderson continues to be one of the strongest and most consistent riders in the 450SX class. He nearly pulled off the holeshot in the main but settled into third after getting around fast starter Justin Bogle. Unfortunately for him, though, he was unable to match the quick pace that Dungey and Roczen were setting ahead of him. He slipped back a bit and finished about 10 seconds behind Roczen in third. "My night went really well," said Anderson. "I got a good start in the heat race, and the holeshot in the main event, which is unheard of for me this season. I rode good laps by myself the whole time and ended up on the podium." Anderson currently holds third in the standings, 16 points behind Roczen. 41 TREY CANARD 5 TH 450SX HRC Honda's Trey Canard had a strong finish in the 450SX main and nearly got Chad Reed for fourth place on the last lap. Overall, it was a good day for the Honda rider. "Tonight wasn't bad," he said. "I got in a first-turn crash in my heat race, so that started things off a little rough, but I had a decent main. My start was actually okay, but then I got shuffled back in the begin- ning. Overall, I just need to get a better start, which I keep saying, but if I can figure it out I know I can run with those guys. All in all it was a good day though—getting the best time in one of the practices, second overall in combined qualifying times, and I just felt good all day. We made some changes to the bike before Detroit, and I'm really happy with how everything is working right now. I just need to have the results that reflect that." 3 ELI TOMAC 7 TH 450SX Monster En- ergy Kawasaki's Eli Tomac had a promising start to the day. He quickly got the Santa Clara track dialed in and set the quickest lap time in practice but he couldn't quite maintain that moment into the evening. Bad starts continue to be his nemesis. He couldn't quite get around Justin Bogle in his heat race and was forced to ride the semis, where he looked to have the win until Trey Canard slipped passed him. Another bad start in the main put him in damage-control mode. "We started off the weekend great after qualifying fastest in timed practice," said Tomac. "My starts were what really hurt me tonight as both in my heat and in the main event I started outside the top 10. I know my speed is there which is a good feeling."