by Chase Stallo
The Moment: Budds Creek
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 | 9:35 AM
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PrintOne-minute plus two laps separated Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen from his first career Lucas Oil Pro Motocross win at Budds Creek. This on the heels of a critical crash in the closing laps last week at High Point Raceway that allowed GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
“I guess I must have just lost concentration and washed out. I was so bummed. But I guess I’ve just got to keep looking straight—I was close, I guess at least it was a confidence booster…” stated a surprisingly optimistic Roczen after his narrow defeat to Tomac at High Point.
The affects of the dramatic events of High Point would have mentally destroyed many riders. But Roczen is battle tested. In 2009 he became the youngest Grand Prix winner in history at the tender age of 15. Two years later, at 17, he became the youngest rider to win a World Championship when he won the MX2 (250) title. The kid is mature well beyond his years.
With fans tightly gripping to the fence line, cries of “Get out of the way” reverberated throughout Budds Creek. The perfect storm had just hit Roczen. First, a tidal wave in the form of Blake Baggett, who in his typical late-moto fashion, was bearing down heavily on the reining MX2 champion, while a sea of lappers were waiting in the distance.
Lappers would play a big part in Ken Roczen's quest for his first outdoor win at Budds Creek.
Andrew Fredrickson photo
Although Baggett had closed from over nine seconds down, the German was still grasping to a narrow lead late in the race. As Roczen tried to separate from Baggett, he was held up by lapper Tevin Tapia, which forced Roczen to miss the downhill triple and take the outside line—opening up a gap the size of the Atlantic for Baggett to slide through. But the difficulties for Roczen were far from over as another trio of lappers would hold him at bay through the next few sections, allowing Baggett to ride off into the sunset with the moto win. Even Baggett seemed surprised when, a half lap after taking the lead, he glanced over his shoulder and couldn’t even find Roczen.
“I’m not going to blame it on the lappers, you know it’s just a racing deal out there, but they held me up a lot, and it was not only one guy, it was three or four people in one lap,” echoed a slightly less enthusiastic Roczen at the post-race press conference.
The old racing adage of “every rider has to deal with lappers” while valid, never really explains the entire story. And on this day, lappers became The Moment that defined the race.
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Dealing with traffic is a racing skill, same as doing whoops, off cambers, scrubs,JS7, whatever. Not always cool, but part of the game. All these racers have earned a spot in the races.... Would be good if they could stay out of the way, though.
I was taught to never look behind yourself, focus on going forward (this was in the dark ages). Let the guy behind you worry about getting by. And now you should look behind you also? Uhhhh....
This Roczen's attitude is refreshing at times. His time is coming.
How come the only people that have problems with lappers are the ones who don't win? I am fairly certain Bagget had to pass that "trio of lappers' as well. And by then he was the first one to catch up to them, so don't use that excuse. So if lappers where the issue why didn't Roczen catch back up when Bagget hit them. Lappers are not the 'moment.' The moment is when Roczen made mistakes when he encountered an onbtacle he didn't see the lap before.
And can we please get some more articles every week on why Roczen isn't winning. I don't think one a week is enough. Since according to RacerX he should be smoking everyone every single week.
Hey, there's nothing wrong with Roczen. He's super fast. It just so happens that there are a few Americans that aren't going to let him run away. He sure has been getting some great starts and that makes his job a lot easier.
Bagget usually passes EVERYONE at some point in each race and he rarely gets hung up on any of them.
Roczen is still young and may not have described the situation the best. I actually think Blake Baggett summed it up really well in his interview yesterday.
"Like Kenny [Ken Roczen] says, it’s kind of like rolling the dice. It’ll either work with you, against you, or take you out"
At Budds it worked for Blake and against Roczen. Lappers usually seem to help the hunter and hurt the hunted because the leader has to ride defensively to begin with.
MMmm tough call, They both had to deal with lappers, true. Some times its the moment on the track that you catch the lappers. When you catch one, have to slow and miss a triple or when you catch them in a corner and have to follow them through it, versus catching them on a straight away or in single file or in a corner where you can use an alternate line. Passing lappers can be as much racing luck as talent. The moment to me is when Kroc started to feel safe out front, because as we have seen this year, no lead is safe with all that speed and talent behind you.
Props to Blazen Blake for pushing to the end and to Kroc for keeping his head up, his time will come...
jjbigfly..I am with you, being old school, I believe you never look back! The race is in front of you, as the track and or lappers is what you should be focused on. That might be how you make your own racing luck.
As in life, look forward to move ahead...
No one else was around Tapia when Roczen caught him, so there was no reason he shouldn't have moved out of the way. Someone was caught early in the race (lapper) and he did all he could to get out of the way.
I hate to see a race won or lost because of lappers but it is part of the deal.
@BD25.......I like that, Blazin' Blake Baggett (3B). What do you say ya'll?????? Seems like a fittin' nickname to me............
KidRoc is just fine.........yes the lappers hurt him this time, but he seems to learn very quickly, and, this will be another lesson in his quest for victory(s). Can't wait to see him at Reeeeeeed Buuuuuuuuuud, as I have a good feeling he will LOVE that track.
Look for RD and (hopefully) JS to battle hard there too. If JS cannot race, then RD will have a good time anyway. I see Tickle, Weimer and Alessi having a battle royale, with Brayton, Millsaps and Shorty getting in the mix as well...........
7 July cannot come quick enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excuse #16 from Ken. Hard to really blame lappers when you are getting caught before you even hit the lappers. dont worry though, Ken will be winning soon..
Any one that ever led a race and gaped the field only to be run down, knows how hard it is to break out of the pace you had and kick it up a notch. To have this happen when you are dealing with lappers is a disaster in the making. I like Roczen he is a great rider, he will get his win soon enough. In saying that I am proud to be an American and hope that an American wins the championship.
Chase,
Have you seen this site for stats ?
http://www.motorsportsetc.com
JimM
Pala374
bagget was reeling him in by over a second a lap anyway..the pass would have happened regardless IMO...
I bagged on KROC during the SX season because of his endless excuses/reasons for not topping the box...it went away for awhile and now it is back...if Tapia is the reason/excuse for his losing the lead then what is his reason/excuse for losing that much time to Bagget in the first place?
Hey Jim,
No, I haven't. Thanks for the heads up. Looks like some really good information in there.
Chase
For all those "don't look behind" guys: that's why we the blue flags !
Don't look back .............. just get out of the racing-line.
As was mentioned by others here, at the pace Blake was running it seemed inevitable that he was going to pass Roczen. The lapper did play a part as it was what ultimately led to the pass for the lead. But, Roczen's intensity seemed to fade again late in the moto while Blake's was peaking.
Roczen will be fine, he is barely 18 and learning american style racing. No one has been more consistent than him this year. And with no moto wins is only 22 points from 1st. So if anyone thinks he isn't going to get better and win some motos before the year is out is crazy.
The big suprise in the 250 class is that none of the top 5 riders has DNFed a moto, whoever can keep that streak going will be this years champ.
Key note is ... GP's are not anywhere close to American motocross...Same reason why, pending any disasters, the USA team mops the floor with the other countries 99% of the time....If Caroili came over here, we would see the same thing.....He we would be banging bars with Weimer and Short...
Over in the GP world, the races unfolded for Roczen just like we have seen a few times this year...Roczen can go fast, but by the halfway point in GP land, he is so far ahead of anyone that can even run his pace, it doesnt matter.....Over here, you have the Tomacs, Baggets and Barcia's that will run you down....Its not the lappers in this case....Bagget was catching him long before those lappers were an issue.....Roczen will figure it out in due time...but he might not be as fast as the other guys.......same thing happened in SX if you recall
I think Tapia was looking back and he saw the number 70 behind him and mistook him for Mookie or Moss, then saw the red number plate & number 12 of Bagget & got the hell out of the way. The curse of having a high number in pro racing.
@Chase; Nice article, and even better observations about young Ken, his accolades, and his adjustment to American Motocross, and it's riders. Unlike a lot of other posters on these boards, I follow the GP's and have watching Ken for the past few years. I have witnessed his successes and his (less than) better days, and his determination and personal integrity is amazing, not to mention his age. There is a huge roller-coaster of a learning/adjustment curve he is riding, and I just don't want to see his spirit broken while reaching for that (overly-obvious) illusive dangling carrot of a first win.
When he is riding with the likes of Blake, Eli and Justin week in and week out, you cannot ask for tougher competition. Those three riders have matured so much over the last three years, and have become, not just faster, but their consistency is what I find the most amazing fact. There really is (no) room for error with this trio for 30+2. Not on this planet anyway...
I think you can tell from the above comments something about the authors. There are those who are used to having probelms with lappers...... and those more used to getting lapped. If they have ever raced at all.
There is nothing more frustrating than having some squirrel wobble his way from over there into where you need to be. Nothing. Except maybe having someone say, "just miss him." Really? That easy, is it?
I remember Jimmey Weinert duct-taped a freon air-horn to his handlebar crossbar. Watched him use it on a guy (in practice) at some National. Scared the crap outta the guy so bad he not only moved over but almost fell down. Pretty funny. Thought about doing it but couldn't figure how you would take your (left) hand that far off the bar while cornering. Could you wire a switch to do it?? Kenny: get on this.
Guys - lappers had very little to do with KR not winning, first he went down all by himself and then BB was right on him and when he came up to the lappers, BB was simply better getting by. If KR had not made his mistake he would have won the race.
slide out 98% ( it wasn't close til this)
lappers 2% ( now BB has this speed and KR in sight)
I firmly believe he would have got him without the lappers
Might I point out that in Moto1, KR70 turned the race's fastest lap on the last lap? Just saying it assumes a lot claim to know what KR could or could not have done on the last lap sans lappers.
After watching the pass again, it looks like Kroc made a poor line choice, coming up on the lapper Kenny hesitated, thought about going inside then changed and went outside. BBB went by the lapper on the inside which also got him by Kenny. Blazen Blake was laying it down so he probably would have caught him any way, but you never know..