The window is really getting closed. Roczen

Excaliburbmx
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Excaliburbmx
Edited Date/Time 8/11/2020 4:03pm
He has his back to the wall more than ever. DF14 and Sexton AC Tomac Webb and more.

Also his own illnesses and struggles was this his last good shot at a sx title?
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agn5009
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agn5009 6/22/2020 6:40am
6/22/2020 6:40am
Unfortunately, yes. I expect to get a ton of downvotes but I dont believe he will ever get a SX title.
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Boomslang
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Boomslang 6/22/2020 6:48am
6/22/2020 6:48am
agn5009 wrote:
Unfortunately, yes. I expect to get a ton of downvotes but I dont believe he will ever get a SX title.
I'm afraid that Roczen's days are numbered. It is becoming harder to get a championship and his health issues are making it even more difficult. Really hope he recovers and gets back to form.
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Natester551v
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Natester551v 6/22/2020 6:53am
6/22/2020 6:53am
agn5009 wrote:
Unfortunately, yes. I expect to get a ton of downvotes but I dont believe he will ever get a SX title.
Boomslang wrote:
I'm afraid that Roczen's days are numbered. It is becoming harder to get a championship and his health issues are making it even more difficult. Really...
I'm afraid that Roczen's days are numbered. It is becoming harder to get a championship and his health issues are making it even more difficult. Really hope he recovers and gets back to form.
You do realize that there are only a handful of guys on the entire planet earth that have Roczen's talent and speed, right? Whether he wins the 450 SX title or not, he's in the very elite group that is even capable of doing so. His heart and determination are an inspiration to anyone who is paying attention, and I would argue that there is no one with his first lap intelligence when it comes to carving through the field. Even my guy Eli is way more cautious and methodical after a bad start. Watching Kenny outdoors during his final season at RCH was something to behold. He can hold his head high as one of the greatest ever....
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MotoMan12345
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MotoMan12345 6/22/2020 7:02am
6/22/2020 7:02am
Everyone said the same thing about tomac. If kenny stays 100% healthy he could for sure win one. He was in it until the second SLC race. Same thing with outdoors. Red plate until florida then health issues.
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agn5009
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agn5009 6/22/2020 7:04am
6/22/2020 7:04am
agn5009 wrote:
Unfortunately, yes. I expect to get a ton of downvotes but I dont believe he will ever get a SX title.
Boomslang wrote:
I'm afraid that Roczen's days are numbered. It is becoming harder to get a championship and his health issues are making it even more difficult. Really...
I'm afraid that Roczen's days are numbered. It is becoming harder to get a championship and his health issues are making it even more difficult. Really hope he recovers and gets back to form.
Natester551v wrote:
You do realize that there are only a handful of guys on the entire planet earth that have Roczen's talent and speed, right? Whether he wins...
You do realize that there are only a handful of guys on the entire planet earth that have Roczen's talent and speed, right? Whether he wins the 450 SX title or not, he's in the very elite group that is even capable of doing so. His heart and determination are an inspiration to anyone who is paying attention, and I would argue that there is no one with his first lap intelligence when it comes to carving through the field. Even my guy Eli is way more cautious and methodical after a bad start. Watching Kenny outdoors during his final season at RCH was something to behold. He can hold his head high as one of the greatest ever....
Why are you getting so mad at him for having a legitimate opinion?
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Boomslang
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Boomslang 6/22/2020 7:04am
6/22/2020 7:04am
agn5009 wrote:
Unfortunately, yes. I expect to get a ton of downvotes but I dont believe he will ever get a SX title.
Boomslang wrote:
I'm afraid that Roczen's days are numbered. It is becoming harder to get a championship and his health issues are making it even more difficult. Really...
I'm afraid that Roczen's days are numbered. It is becoming harder to get a championship and his health issues are making it even more difficult. Really hope he recovers and gets back to form.
Natester551v wrote:
You do realize that there are only a handful of guys on the entire planet earth that have Roczen's talent and speed, right? Whether he wins...
You do realize that there are only a handful of guys on the entire planet earth that have Roczen's talent and speed, right? Whether he wins the 450 SX title or not, he's in the very elite group that is even capable of doing so. His heart and determination are an inspiration to anyone who is paying attention, and I would argue that there is no one with his first lap intelligence when it comes to carving through the field. Even my guy Eli is way more cautious and methodical after a bad start. Watching Kenny outdoors during his final season at RCH was something to behold. He can hold his head high as one of the greatest ever....
I know that hence me saying I hope he recovers 100%. A healthy Roczen is about the only dude who can beat Tomac.
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crusty_xx
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crusty_xx 6/22/2020 7:05am
6/22/2020 7:05am
agn5009 wrote:
Unfortunately, yes. I expect to get a ton of downvotes but I dont believe he will ever get a SX title.
That's what a lot of fans said about Tomac the last years. All Roczen has done his whole career is prove people wrong.
He was literally holding the red plate after round 9. He's not done. He turned 26 a couple of weeks ago. It's not like he's 30+
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agn5009
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agn5009 6/22/2020 7:06am
6/22/2020 7:06am
MotoMan12345 wrote:
Everyone said the same thing about tomac. If kenny stays 100% healthy he could for sure win one. He was in it until the second SLC...
Everyone said the same thing about tomac. If kenny stays 100% healthy he could for sure win one. He was in it until the second SLC race. Same thing with outdoors. Red plate until florida then health issues.
Absolutely no one said the same thing about Tomac.
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Crush
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Crush 6/22/2020 7:06am
6/22/2020 7:06am Edited Date/Time 6/22/2020 7:47am
If it was like 2007-9, ie James V Chad.... and no-one else is in it then he’s still a chance. But the potential points swings these days are huge, he’s just not a lock to be the 2nd best guy each night.... and then ya probably have to deal with Anderson and AC too....

He simply has to get his health together. I’ve argued against sitting out but maybe he should take a long summer break.

He’s battling a really aggressive, physical rider who flat out had a speed advantage, and another with race craft that exceeds his own, then a lot of guys who can easily beat him too often to put a contending season together. It would be a surprise at this point.
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cheers_22
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cheers_22 6/22/2020 7:22am
6/22/2020 7:22am
agn5009 wrote:
Unfortunately, yes. I expect to get a ton of downvotes but I dont believe he will ever get a SX title.
Boomslang wrote:
I'm afraid that Roczen's days are numbered. It is becoming harder to get a championship and his health issues are making it even more difficult. Really...
I'm afraid that Roczen's days are numbered. It is becoming harder to get a championship and his health issues are making it even more difficult. Really hope he recovers and gets back to form.
Natester551v wrote:
You do realize that there are only a handful of guys on the entire planet earth that have Roczen's talent and speed, right? Whether he wins...
You do realize that there are only a handful of guys on the entire planet earth that have Roczen's talent and speed, right? Whether he wins the 450 SX title or not, he's in the very elite group that is even capable of doing so. His heart and determination are an inspiration to anyone who is paying attention, and I would argue that there is no one with his first lap intelligence when it comes to carving through the field. Even my guy Eli is way more cautious and methodical after a bad start. Watching Kenny outdoors during his final season at RCH was something to behold. He can hold his head high as one of the greatest ever....
That’s great he has heart and grit; however, that is not going to make up for the “what could’ve been” with KR94. He’s an amazing talent but he will never be the same Kenny from 2016. It’s awesome he is out there but he lacks MAJOR aggression that made him hard to beat in 2016.
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downard254
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downard254 6/22/2020 7:28am
6/22/2020 7:28am
I'd love to see Kenny have just one more injury free/healthy season to see what he could really do. He's been through a lot of shit and if he could just get one more Cinderella season in, I'd honestly believe he could walk away happy. Not that I'm saying he'd walk away, as mentioned above, he's still young, but man there's a lot of young talent coming in and it's only going to get tougher.
Kenny's a bad dude and I give him a big thumbs up.
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TbonesPop
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TbonesPop 6/22/2020 7:36am
6/22/2020 7:36am Edited Date/Time 6/22/2020 7:38am
I disagree with the premise of this thread for several reasons. 1) Ken is still young, age isn't an issue 2) His speed is just about as good as it ever has been (at times) - and with slight improvement could be back to 100%, its his illness that held him back 3) He's one of only a few with elite speed in the class 4) He made HUGE strides this season in getting 4 wins (look at how many he had last season) - he just got better and better, with the exception of the illnesses and 5) More faster young riders means the wins will be spread out over more riders, which means consistency will win out in the end. And rookies tend to struggle with consistency in their first 1-2 years.

This year was a vast improvement over last year. The only thing that is concerning is his health. If he can get healthy and stay healthy, there is absolutely no reason to believe he can't win a SX championship next season. The only question is, can his immune system allow him to get there.

In my opinion, the 2021 season will be the tell tale if he can get a SX title, not 2020. The 2020 season was just another stepping stone in his come back story. JMHO
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Crush
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Crush 6/22/2020 7:42am
6/22/2020 7:42am Edited Date/Time 6/22/2020 7:47am
TbonesPop wrote:
I disagree with the premise of this thread for several reasons. 1) Ken is still young, age isn't an issue 2) His speed is just about...
I disagree with the premise of this thread for several reasons. 1) Ken is still young, age isn't an issue 2) His speed is just about as good as it ever has been (at times) - and with slight improvement could be back to 100%, its his illness that held him back 3) He's one of only a few with elite speed in the class 4) He made HUGE strides this season in getting 4 wins (look at how many he had last season) - he just got better and better, with the exception of the illnesses and 5) More faster young riders means the wins will be spread out over more riders, which means consistency will win out in the end. And rookies tend to struggle with consistency in their first 1-2 years.

This year was a vast improvement over last year. The only thing that is concerning is his health. If he can get healthy and stay healthy, there is absolutely no reason to believe he can't win a SX championship next season. The only question is, can his immune system allow him to get there.

In my opinion, the 2021 season will be the tell tale if he can get a SX title, not 2020. The 2020 season was just another stepping stone in his come back story. JMHO
Age “might not be an issue”, but isn’t the stat that Eli just equaled the oldest rider to get their first Premier Sx title?

History is against him... and his health... and not for nothing, but I don’t think he’s on the best bike either, and he’s gotta deal with a new model next year; which almost never goes well.

Edit - not oldest: longest time in premier class before getting the title.
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cmotodad
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cmotodad 6/22/2020 7:45am
6/22/2020 7:45am
Don't be surprised if there is no KR94 lined up outdoors. Hopefully that will benefit him if there is or he is at A1.
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Excaliburbmx
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Excaliburbmx 6/22/2020 7:49am
6/22/2020 7:49am
I read an interview with Stanton and it was early this year and he said Roczen seems to use excuses to much. He has had major injuries that would have folded many other riders.

But could his health problems be from depleting his immune system with vigorous training and constantly racing?

Would sitting out this outdoors season be to a great benefit to his 2021 sx season?
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nealb129
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nealb129 6/22/2020 7:56am
6/22/2020 7:56am
I feel like at times you could almost compare him to Christophe Pourcel. Great talent, but having to battle additional Heath issues. Regardless, Ken is still extremely competitive and won’t shock me to win a title before he retires.
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Crush
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Crush 6/22/2020 7:56am
6/22/2020 7:56am
Excaliburbmx wrote:
I read an interview with Stanton and it was early this year and he said Roczen seems to use excuses to much. He has had major...
I read an interview with Stanton and it was early this year and he said Roczen seems to use excuses to much. He has had major injuries that would have folded many other riders.

But could his health problems be from depleting his immune system with vigorous training and constantly racing?

Would sitting out this outdoors season be to a great benefit to his 2021 sx season?
Hard one. I’m sure gym or practice fit are great but is race-fit better? Or is he grinding himself into the dirt and depleting his system?
psychotronBR
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psychotronBR 6/22/2020 8:00am
6/22/2020 8:00am
I trully think Kenny needs to take some time off. Let his body breathe and build a better head game.

A 100% healthy, 100% mentally strong Ken Roczen is a force of nature to be reckoned with.
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ButteryWaffles 6/22/2020 8:07am
6/22/2020 8:07am
Every year it’s “the deepest field ever” and every year the same guys rise to the top. Remember when AP was coming hot off of titles, and Webb? Kenny will be in the mix next year as well. I don’t see Dylan and Chase making a statement right away. It’ll be zach, Tomac, and Kenny all chasing Webb for the title.
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visser62
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visser62 6/22/2020 8:09am
6/22/2020 8:09am
I don't believe Roczen will win a supercross title, but it's not impossible. Even if he doesn't, his legacy in the sport is cemented—two 450 MX titles, a world title, MXdN win with Germany, and some legendary wins. It almost seems sad because he was such a big prospect as a kid that it seems like he should have won everything, but there have been a lot of guys like that through the years, and most of them didn't accomplish as much as Kenny.
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Dimblewambie
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Dimblewambie 6/22/2020 8:17am
6/22/2020 8:17am Edited Date/Time 6/22/2020 8:17am
As long as Kenny has a contract to race, the window will be open for him.
Yes there are some new fast dudes moving into the 450 class but I cant see any of them being a real threat for the championship for at least 2 years. AC will be better next year, Tomac and Webb will at the very minimum hold their pace of this season and so will Roczen. So I see 2021 SX being a 3 way battle just like this season and if Kenny can keep his health in order then it should be a tighter fight than 2020.
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Motofinne 6/22/2020 8:39am
6/22/2020 8:39am
agn5009 wrote:
Unfortunately, yes. I expect to get a ton of downvotes but I dont believe he will ever get a SX title.
crusty_xx wrote:
That's what a lot of fans said about Tomac the last years. All Roczen has done his whole career is prove people wrong. He was literally...
That's what a lot of fans said about Tomac the last years. All Roczen has done his whole career is prove people wrong.
He was literally holding the red plate after round 9. He's not done. He turned 26 a couple of weeks ago. It's not like he's 30+
He's 26 on the paper but his body has been through the ringer. And he started so young, keep in mind that he has been a pro for over 10 years already.

Wasn't it MC who said, "You have 10 years at the top, make it count." or something similar?

I have to say that i can't see him winning an SX title. I would love to be proven wrong, but i can't see it.
hamncheeze
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hamncheeze 6/22/2020 8:54am
6/22/2020 8:54am
He’s 26. He won 4 races this year. He’s on a great team. The window is far from closed. He just needs to get his health 100% sorted out, but the issues he’s having are complex. Personally, just my OPINION but given the uncertainty in the outdoor season, I think Ken should skip it and focus on his wellness. But he’s a racer, and I get that mentally it is hard for him not to race.

Before we hand the future over to the next gen, Sexton and Ferrandis have never raced a 450 SX. AC9 is impressive but needs to be able to finish 17 rounds first before I consider him a title guy. So in 2021 SX the contenders are Tomac, Webb, Roczen, Musquin, and to a lesser extent Osborne and Anderson. Same as 2020
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tek14
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tek14 6/22/2020 9:07am
6/22/2020 9:07am
He will be on all new Honda 450f at A1. It will take half season to get setup right and Sexton getting more points will hurt his confidence. Outdoors is where he can take title but not SX.
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racinstation
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racinstation 6/22/2020 9:13am
6/22/2020 9:13am
Excaliburbmx wrote:
He has his back to the wall more than ever. DF14 and Sexton AC Tomac Webb and more. Also his own illnesses and struggles was this...
He has his back to the wall more than ever. DF14 and Sexton AC Tomac Webb and more.

Also his own illnesses and struggles was this his last good shot at a sx title?
Good thing the wall is covered in trophies, championships, and bonus checks. Roczen has overcome so much to be where he is. He has accomplished more than most ever will. He is good......
RandyS
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RandyS 6/22/2020 9:25am
6/22/2020 9:25am
The odds were against Tomac or Roczen ever winning a 450SX title at the beginning of this year. A lot of things lined up in Tomacs favor and he got it done. The odds against both of them doing it are much greater, and with another year added to the mix it's going to be a huge overcoming of the odds for Roczen to do it. I think Tomac will be a one and done, he should have 4 now but he overcame the odds and got it done. So congratulations to #3.
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captmoto 6/22/2020 9:31am
6/22/2020 9:31am
cmotodad wrote:
Don't be surprised if there is no KR94 lined up outdoors. Hopefully that will benefit him if there is or he is at A1.
I can see that. He needs some focused rest and medical treatment. I would love to see a fully rested and recovered Kenny come back.
agn5009
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agn5009 6/22/2020 9:36am
6/22/2020 9:36am
psychotronBR wrote:
I trully think Kenny needs to take some time off. Let his body breathe and build a better head game. A 100% healthy, 100% mentally strong...
I trully think Kenny needs to take some time off. Let his body breathe and build a better head game.

A 100% healthy, 100% mentally strong Ken Roczen is a force of nature to be reckoned with.
Its really hard for these guys to take time off when most of them retire before 30.
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Dirty Points 6/22/2020 9:42am
6/22/2020 9:42am
agn5009 wrote:
Unfortunately, yes. I expect to get a ton of downvotes but I dont believe he will ever get a SX title.
crusty_xx wrote:
That's what a lot of fans said about Tomac the last years. All Roczen has done his whole career is prove people wrong. He was literally...
That's what a lot of fans said about Tomac the last years. All Roczen has done his whole career is prove people wrong.
He was literally holding the red plate after round 9. He's not done. He turned 26 a couple of weeks ago. It's not like he's 30+
Motofinne wrote:
He's 26 on the paper but his body has been through the ringer. And he started so young, keep in mind that he has been a...
He's 26 on the paper but his body has been through the ringer. And he started so young, keep in mind that he has been a pro for over 10 years already.

Wasn't it MC who said, "You have 10 years at the top, make it count." or something similar?

I have to say that i can't see him winning an SX title. I would love to be proven wrong, but i can't see it.
True dat, Kenny may be fading in his advanced age

I mean, dude hasn't put together a win since [checks notes]... last week
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RichieW13
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RichieW13 6/22/2020 9:42am
6/22/2020 9:42am
This year seemed like progress to me. He won 4 races, where last year it seemed nearly impossible that he'd be able to win.

He's still only 26, so I don't think it's out of the question.
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