Slaw
Reigning Monster Energy AMA Supercross Champion Ken Roczen will make his return to racing this Saturday as the SMX World Championship Playoffs kick off in Columbus, Ohio.
Roczen, who didn’t race at least one round of the Pro Motocross Championship for the first time since 2020, enters the postseason 10th in the SMX standings with 12 points.
Hunter Lawrence will enter the Playoffs atop the standings with 25 points after clinching the Pro Motocross title at Ironman. Lawrence and Roczen last went head-to-head at the Supercross finale in Salt Lake City, where Roczen got the better of Lawrence to secure the championship.
“My preparation has looked very good so far,” said Roczen in a team statement. “Overall, I feel really good on the bike and I’m excited to start up racing again after clinching the Supercross championship. I feel good about it, I’m ready to go racing, and I feel like I’m as fit as I could possibly be. I’m stoked that Larry’s going to be there for the first round, and let’s see what we can do.”
Roczen spent last weekend in Crandon, Wisconsin, racing in the Pro 2 Class at the Polaris World Championships at Crandon International Raceway. A part of the Amsoil Champ Off-Road series, Crandon regularly draws massive crowds each Labor Day weekend and Roczen finished 9th in main event.
H.E.P. Motorsports Suzuki also announced that Jason Anderson will return to the team for the Playoffs. Prior to Daytona Supercross earlier this year, the team announced that Anderson would “be stepping away from Supercross competition for an indefinite period to address personal, family, and ongoing medical matters.”
The defending champion in the FIM World Supercross Championship, Anderson returned for the Canadian Grand Prix opener in Calgary in early August and finished 11th.
“We’re looking forward to the start of the playoffs and being back in the stadiums where we are most comfortable,” said Dustin Pipes, Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Principal. “Ken and Jason have been working hard to get ready and we are happy to see them back behind the starting gate. It’s three short rounds, but we plan to maximize the most out of them.”
Currently 27th in the combined Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross standings, Anderson will have to race his way into each of the three races of the playoffs through the Wild Card race.
The H.E.P. Suzuki team will also have Colt Nichols for the Playoffs. He is currently 24th in the standings and will also have to compete in the Wild Card races.
