Fans have seen a spectrum of Ken Roczen throughout the years, with a staggering 14 seasons comprising the German superstar’s Monster Energy Supercross career to date. From an explosive rookie who arrived on the scene in 2011, to the measured father of two today, multiple versions of Roczen have existed throughout that period, with the current iteration perhaps the best yet.

In what would almost be an unprecedented scenario in today’s day and age, a then 17-year-old Roczen performed double duties during the 2011 season, participating in both American Supercross as well as an MX2 championship tilt in Europe as part of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing outfit. 

The closest turnaround of these events came in the month of May that year, where a career-first victory at the Las Vegas 250SX West class season finale was quickly followed by a 1-1 performance at the MXGP of America at Glen Helen the very next weekend, which would eventually contribute to an MX2 World Championship by season’s end.

The demeanour during the early years of the young racer’s career in the United States could be described as flamboyant, exciting, explosive, controversial – at times – and a ball of energy that electrified races and championships, with two more titles coming with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in both 250SX West (2013) and 450 Pro Motocross (2014).

Roczen would depart the more corporate orange organization in favor of the privately-run RCH Suzuki team led by FMX legend, Carey Hart, and the ‘Greatest of All Time’, Ricky Carmichael, which was an environment that allowed him to explore his personality more freely as a rider in their early 20s.

After capturing the 2016 450 Class Pro Motocross Championship with the team in dominant fashion, a high-profile switch to Team Honda HRC ensued for the following year, as RCH closed its doors at the end of the 2017 season. Despite the corporate world of Honda, Roczen’s wiggle room remained flexible, likely due to being arguably the top rider in the sport at the time, and therefore having leverage.

Image: Octopi Media.

At this stage in his career, we saw suits at press conferences, the arrival to Anaheim 1 in a Honda-powered supercar, and a version of the 94 that was fully embracing his place at the top echelons of the game.

Two wins from two starts opened his Supercross tenure with Honda, before disaster struck at the third round in Anaheim, with a brutal crash leaving him with a severely damaged left arm, and a serious question mark over his return to professional racing.

The comeback story was phenomenal and one for the ages, with Roczen not only returning to racing, but standing atop the box in 450SX once more at the St Louis round in mid-January, 2020 – almost three years since his devastating injury.

Momentum began to build after that time, as multiple race wins the following year added up to what was a championship run indoors, with a tight battle for an elusive 450SX championship ultimately resulting in P2 behind eventual champion, Cooper Webb.

The time since, however, hasn’t yielded the same level of success. A departure from the all-powerful HRC program in 2022, to the largely unproven Dustin Pipes-operated Progressive Ecstar Suzuki team, raised eyebrows at the time, with a consensus stirring that this may be the twilight years of his decorated career.

Now, after two full seasons with the team, Roczen appears to have reinvigorated his career, with a win at last weekend’s Daytona Supercross round, alongside holding the red plate early in the season, firmly placing him in the championship conversation.

Image: Octopi Media.

The success looks different this time around though, as the suits and supercars appear to be a thing of the past, with Roczen taking an approach that is appreciative of the moment, and the end outcome being less of a focus. So far, it seems to be paying off.

“I’m just enjoying myself and not putting on a lot of pressure,” Roczen mentioned post-race after capturing the red plate at the second Anaheim stop. “You know, besides having the red plate frequently in 2021, I haven’t really had a taste of it in a long time, and especially not on yellow, so it’s just a dream come true.

“If somebody would have told me I had the red plate after three rounds, I would have been like, ‘Are you sure?’ But it’s pretty rock and roll… I’m not going to lie. I’m just enjoying the moment.”

For someone with Roczen’s talent, the surprised tone at this year’s success may sound strange, as one could assume that fighting for a championship would be the expectation. And though a vocalization of this has been the approach in days gone by, in Supercross especially, it’s been largely ineffective, and potentially even damaging at times.

Heaping pressure on a rider’s shoulders can add unnecessary weight, with a ‘do the best you can and see where you end up’ method typically more enjoyable, and counterintuitively – more effective, in a sense. Another illustration of this was Roczen’s 450SX Daytona triumph, a race in which he has been trying to win for the past decade.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for 10 years and never been able to pull it off,” he stated. “I don’t know. This is a little bit surreal, honestly, just because I’ve been pretty far away from getting a win here, but to finally pull it off is just an absolute dream come true.

Image: Octopi Media.

“Any win for me nowadays is really special. I feel like when I win now, they feel better than they used to just because there are more few – at least as of right now – so yeah, I need to go back and be by myself a little bit and kind of just sit down for a couple of minutes and let it sink in.”

There’s a different air surrounding Ken Roczen in 2025, as if that weight has been lifted from his shoulders, including the expectations of where he ‘should’ be, from the outside and seemingly internally. Perhaps it comes with age. This more grounded approach, however, is not only allowing him to enjoy his time in the sport, but is also propelling him towards the best results he’s achieved in some time.

We’ve seen many versions of Roczen over the years, although under the current guise, racing and competing seems to be as enjoyable as it has ever been, and the results are there to match.