Ken Roczen's consistent second-place finish at the 2026 Anaheim 1 Supercross signals a renewed confidence and a potentially thrilling season ahead. This year, like the previous one, Ken Roczen secured a commendable second place at the Anaheim 1 (A1) event of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. He demonstrated impressive speed throughout the day, starting with a third-place in qualifying and a win in his heat race. In the main event, he quickly advanced to second place, maintaining pace with leader Eli Tomac but unable to close the gap.
"The entire main event, the 20 plus one, I feel like we were bouncing between one second," Roczen explained. "I would gain a little bit and then he would make it back, it was going like that the whole time, it kind of pissed me off a little bit. Because every time that you get a little bit closer, I was hoping I could just latch onto that and keep going. But unfortunately, it wasn’t there.”
What's truly fascinating is the shift in Roczen's approach. He's known for his impressive starts, boasting four wins at the season opener. But here's where it gets controversial... he's now far more comfortable with his bike, a stark contrast to his past, where he was constantly tweaking and searching for the perfect setup. This transformation is largely attributed to his partnership with Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki.
"I have a lot of confidence in my motorcycle, I feel like it's working really well for me personally. And I think ultimately, not making any changes to the bike for months and months on end, I just have ridden it on all kinds of different dirt conditions. So, I mean things can always happen, you can crash, be caught off guard, but overall, I just know my motorcycle.”
And this is the part most people miss... Roczen's bike hasn't seen a significant adjustment in quite some time. "I literally haven’t done one click change since probably before Daytona," he revealed. "I haven’t touched it, I am a little bit scared to mess it up, I just know it very well. We always attempt to test, like we have it in our minds and them I am like, ‘No, I am just riding.’ Because like I said I have ridden it on hard pack, sandy, clay, it doesn’t matter. And other things it could be better at times, maybe, but I am a little bit worried about messing other areas up as well. And I think my riding shows that the bike’s plenty good enough to be up on top of the box.”
While many riders are still adapting to new bike brands, Roczen's consistency across various track conditions is a significant advantage. A confident and comfortable Ken Roczen is a formidable competitor. If he can maintain this consistency throughout the 2026 season, the competition should watch out for the #94.
Do you think Roczen's approach of sticking with a familiar bike setup is the key to his success, or could adjustments lead to even better results? Share your thoughts below!
