Brea, CA - (April 21, 2025) - MetLife Stadium delivered excellent weather but challenging track conditions for Round 14 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. The riders faced back-to-back whoop sections and steep and peaky jumps as weather hovered around the low 80s for the daytime-scheduled event.
Race Highlights:
- Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki
- 450 Class
- Ken Roczen sliced through the pack with another heroic effort despite two injuries.
- Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance
- 450 Class
- Colt Nichols found passing lanes on the peaky, challenging track.
- Kyle Chisholm matched his season-best heat race result en route to earning his 180th 450SX Class start.
Ken Roczen (94) remains solidly in third place in the championship standings with three rounds remaining on the season.
Ken Roczen (94) showed great speed in his heat race, passing from fourth to second in two corners. Roczen used and inside line for the second pass then put his Suzuki RM-Z450’s power to the ground to make the pass stick down the next straight; he held on for a second-place result. In the main, Roczen got a poor start then battled forward from outside the top ten; he broke into the top five with under four minutes left on the race clock. He unfortunately lost a couple positions in the final laps, but still Roczen gritted out another heroic ride despite two still-healing injuries.
“New Jersey was not the greatest weekend for us, honestly,” said Roczen after the race. “It’s been really tough not riding during the week. I didn’t feel too bad in practice, but it just wasn’t my weekend. I didn’t feel that hot, and we only ended up with a seventh. It’s definitely been a tough few weeks. I’m just going to throw this one behind me, regroup, and see if we can turn it around next weekend.”
Colt Nichols (45) put in an impressive charge early in the main, picking off five riders in the early laps.
Colt Nichols (45) had a tough main event ahead of him when he exited the first corner in 20th place. Although the track had few good passing sections, Nichols was able to reach a top-fifteen position less than three minutes into the main. Nichols eventually advanced seven spots throughout the race to come out of East Rutherford with a good handful of championship points.
“East Rutherford wasn’t a terrible night, but I keep shooting myself in the foot, right out of the gate, in the main event.” Nichols then elaborated, “Starting in the back and working my way up just isn’t going to get it done. I need to put myself in a better position off the start. We will try to do that next weekend.”
Kyle Chisholm (11) duplicated his season-best heat race result for a transfer into his 180th 450SX Class main event.
Kyle Chisholm (11) grabbed a good start in his heat race, running right on Roczen’s rear fender through the opening corners. Chisholm raced to a direct transfer to the main and reached the milestone of earning a spot on the gate of 180 450SX Class main events. In the main event, Chisholm was mired in the pack on the start and battled for position on the technical track.
“My heat race was pretty good, I had some fight in me, battled a bit, and went straight out of the heat race to the main,” reported Chisholm. “Main event time, though, I just didn’t have that intensity that I needed, at least for the first half of the race. So, I’m going to try to rest up this week, recover a little bit more, and that way I can come in a little bit more rested for Pittsburgh. I’m excited for that one. I’ve never raced there before, so a new venue is always fun. Hopefully we’ll have a good week and then get back at it in Pittsburgh.”
“It was a rough weekend,” said Larry Brooks, Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance Team Manager. “We had Ken Roczen, who’s been dragging around an injury for a few weeks now. He finished seventh in the main event. Colt Nichols finish 13th and Kyle Chisholm finished 16th. It wasn’t a terrible weekend, but it’s one that we haven’t been used to lately. Ken hurt himself during the main and dropped back to seventh. He was up in fifth for a while after a bad start… All we can do is hold our head up high and go into next weekend in Pittsburgh. We have three more rounds left, so we’ll see what happens, but we’re going to keep grinding away and hopefully we can make this happen.”
The series heads next to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for Round 15 of the 17-Round Championship. The Suzuki riders and team members will prepare to finish off the final three rounds strong and put in more great rides aboard their Suzuki RM-Z450s.
Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com for more team news.
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About Suzuki
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.
