Roczen Uses Penultimate AMA Pro Motocross Round to Gauge Post-Season Preparation
Brea, CA – (August 18, 2025) – The legendary Unadilla MX, a staple venue on the professional motocross circuit since 1972, hosted Round 10 of the 11-Round AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The New Berlin, New York track, known for high speeds, natural-terrain obstacles, and long ruts, delivered challenging conditions under nearly ideal weather conditions.
Race Highlights:
Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki
450 Class
Ken Roczen delivered a top-five moto result in his first motocross race of the season.
Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance
450 Class
Benoit Paturel charged forward in both motos to move up another position in the championship standings.
Ken Roczen (94) threw his hat into the ring to race Unadilla; he exceeded expectations with top-five results in qualifying and the opening 450 Class moto.
Ken Roczen (94) opted five days prior to the event to race the Unadilla National to evaluate his bike speed, confirm the progress of his ankle surgery recovery, and pick up points toward the post-season seeding. Roczen immediately showed top form, earning a fourth-place qualifying position in the first session; the lap time held for a fourth-place overall qualifying spot. When the gate dropped for moto one, Roczen and his Suzuki RM-Z450 rocketed to a fourth-place start. Roczen held strong with the front runners to tally a top-five moto result in his return to racing. In the second moto, Roczen crossed the holeshot stripe in 13th but went immediately to work slicing through the pack. His trademark opening lap-intensity put him up to sixth place before three minutes had ticked from the race clock. Roczen held sixth until just past the midpoint, when he eased back on his charge. With three laps remaining, Roczen retired from the moto rather than overstress his recovering body. The Unadilla performance proved th
“Unadilla was definitely worth a try. I am not mad that I went. It was good for me to blow myself out a little bit and see where I’m at before going into Charlotte,” said Roczen. “We knew that this was early coming in [to resume racing], but at the same time, we said, ‘Screw it,’ and just wanted to give it a shot, because racing is the best practice you can get. So, now we know. It was fun riding another motocross race, and my ankle actually felt pretty strong for the most part. It still feels slightly different than my left [ankle], but it was good to know that it’s pretty solid and ready to race. I’m going to go back home, obviously we still have a lot of work to do, but we’re going to get ready for Charlotte and try to improve as much as we can. I’m excited to get back to trying some SMX.”
Benoit Paturel (102) spent his first visit to Unadilla finding passing lines; the USA-series rookie gained over a dozen positions over the two-moto event.
Benoit Paturel (102) was fast in qualifying but not able to match his top-ten qualifying result from the previous weekend. In moto one, Paturel crossed the holeshot stripe just outside of a points-paying position. He put his head down and gained seven spots through the 30-minute plus two lap race. Paturel’s second moto start was slightly better than his first, and another strong charge earned him a top-15 moto finish.
“My day was okay, but I’m a little bit disappointed about the race results,” commented Paturel. “The way I rode was okay, actually it was good, but I got a bad start in both of the motos so I had to come from far back in the pack. I gave it my best. I want to be in the top 10, but it was not happening this week. So, we’ll try again to [earn another top ten overall result] at the final round next weekend. I hope to get this done. Thank you to the team for the great work and everything they do.”
“Ken Roczen chose to race after only riding for three weeks. [This race was considered] just preparation for the SMX Playoffs that are going to start soon,” said Larry Brooks, Team Manager for the Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance team. “Actually, he did well. He posted the fourth-fastest time in timed practice and in the first moto finished fifth; but he ran out of energy in the second moto and didn’t finish moto two. Benoit Paturel finished 16th in the first moto and 13th in the second moto, giving him 16th overall. It wasn’t a bad day; it kind of showed us where Ken is, and that allows him to prepare better for the SMX playoffs.”
The AMA Pro Motocross Championship holds one more race, on Saturday, August 23rd in Mechanicsville, Maryland where the Budds Creek National will conclude the series. Then, after a one-weekend break, the SMX World Championship Playoffs and Final take place over three consecutive weekends from September 6th to September 20th. The Suzuki riders and team members look forward to wrapping up the summer racing with more great results.
Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com for more team news.
