Roczen Earns Second Place at the Penultimate Round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship
The 5280-foot elevation of Empower Field at Mile High brought thin-air restrictions to the teams and riders at the Denver Supercross, Round 16 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season. The hardpack track featured two sets of whoops with a tricky sand corner that followed one whoops pad. With only one more Supercross round remaining after Denver, the excitement was high and the packed stadium of fans was treated to great racing.
Race Highlights:
Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear ECSTAR Suzuki
450 Class
Ken Roczen battled forward into second place and held the spot to protect his championship points lead.
Twisted Tea Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance
450 Class
Colt Nichols continues to gain speed in his return to racing and scored championship points at the Denver round.
Ken Roczen (94) delivered his twelfth podium of the season with a second-place result in Denver.
Ken Roczen (94) started the day with incredible speed; he set the fastest lap time in the second qualifying session, which stood as the fastest overall lap time in qualifying. In his heat race, Roczen crossed the holeshot stripe in eighth position then pushed his way into fourth within the first lap. Before the race’s midpoint Roczen had taken over third place, which he held to the finish. In the main event, Roczen held a tight inside line around the first corner and emerged in sixth. Two minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap race, Roczen blitzed the whoops and passed the third-place rider entering the track’s sand turn. Less than a lap later, Roczen took over second place and used his whoop speed to instantly distance himself from the pack. As the dry track lost traction, Roczen managed the race and strategized for the title. Roczen pulled a five second gap over the rider behind him then rode clean laps to maintain the cushion and earn second-place points. The performance protected Roczen’s championship lead heading into the final round.
“Overall, we had a really good day,” said Roczen. “Being back at the altitude – the last time I was here it was at the 2023 [race] – it is always a surprise [regarding] the equipment [and] how much slower it is. Obviously, we’re all [of the teams] dealing with it, but it takes a lot getting used to it. From Q2 we had P-1 and went first [gate pick into] the night show. I had just an alright heat race; it was a third place, but I was really trying to figure out the track. I feel like we rode the best in the main event when it really counted. I wasn’t fast enough to get with [the rider in the lead], but I got into second place and just kind of maintained. Yeah, just wasn’t good enough for first, but good enough for second [tonight], so now we’re one point ahead and it’s really fun to see how this unfolds. Overall, I would say we had a really good day with a second place and we’re going into the last round happy and stoked to be in this position and we’re going to give this a shot.”
Colt Nichols (45) showed strong speed while gaining positions in his heat race at Empower Field at Mile High.
Colt Nichols (45) crossed the holeshot stripe of his heat race in sixth place, but first-lap chaos put him further back once the pack sorted itself out. Nichols put his head down and gained back positions to secure a direct transfer to the main. In the main, Nichols rounded the first corner outside the top fifteen. Nichols clicked off fast, steady laps and eared one track position before the checkered flag flew.
“Round 16, Denver Supercross, done and dusted and it was kind of a struggle day once again,” stated Nichols. “I’m still struggling to get myself fully healthy, and altitude sickness got me a little bit this weekend as well, so it’s kind of a double whammy. But overall, I just need to be a lot better than what I was today; but one more round to go to finish off the season strong, so I’m looking forward to that.”
“A great night tonight for the team,” said Dustin Pipes, Team Principal for Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance. “Ken qualified first and then [got] third in the heat race, which was great to see. In the main we got a sixth-place start and then got up to second, which is what we needed to do. We retained a one-point lead and the red plate, so we have a chance to win this next week at the final round, which is all that we could hope for going into this week. So, [we’re] very stoked on the way that Ken rode. Once we got into second, he managed the race, did very well to limit the mistakes, so it was great to see… I feel like we’re going into next week with a great team and a great group of people around us and I wouldn’t change that for the world. Colt had a so-so day. We’re really looking for more from him, but the good news is that I know he has it. Seventeenth in the main tonight, battled the altitude, so we’re going to go to the drawing board with him this week and see how we can help him get over that. So hopefully we finish the season strong and hopefully we finish it with a #1 plate. But [there are] a lot of tough guys out there so we’ll have to go racing.”
Based on the fan reaction for Ken Roczen during opening ceremonies in Denver, Suzuki and Roczen have incredible fan support to take the title. Roczen leads the season by a single point, but the AMA tiebreaker would not favor Roczen so it’s a true “winner take all” between Roczen and one other rider. The final Supercross of 2026 takes place on Saturday night inside Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Suzuki riders, team members, and an army of race fans will pull together to try to put Ken Roczen and his Suzuki RM-Z450 into the history books as the 2026 Supercross champion.
For the latest team updates, news, and race insights, visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross or pipesmotorsportsgroup.com.
