Returning The Title To Suzuki

It’s hard to quantify what Roczen’s victory means for Suzuki’s motocross brand. You have to go back to 2010 when Ryan Dungy won the title to find the last time Suzuki reigned supreme as 450 Supercross champions. While they support the PMG team, it is a privateer company instead of a factory seat. Suzuki had not focused heavily on motocross development, and it’s been years since there has been a new design, so much so that Suzuki remains the only manufacturer to still have a kickstart, while others have gone to electric starters, hence the fan “Kickstart Kenny” nickname.

“We started off with a bike that's really outdated, though when I test rode it the first time, I knew that the bones of the bike -- the frame, the geometry, and everything that goes with it -- felt familiar to me, that I was able to work with,” Roczen said.

After winning the title in Salt Lake, Pipes said post-race that Suzuki's support had always been there. But it’s clear that as Roczen started climbing toward the points lead, decision-makers in Japan took notice.

Pipes said that the idea that Suzuki hasn’t supported the PMG effort is overblown by the media. That, as he said post-race in Salt Lake, “Japan has always been there.”

“They’ve continued belief in the [PMG] program, and continue to step up their level of support,” Pipes said. “We've seen that the last four years since Ken's been here, so there's been a steady, steady build. That's what I meant by Japan's been here. We've had their support, and everybody's been pushing in the same direction to get better and to win this title. So it's not really a surprise to me.”

Roczen said a key change to the fortunes of the season happened during testing when Suzuki sent a factory transmission.

As to why Suzuki had been where they were and how it changed, it boiled down to resources.

“Japan had moved resources in other places, and it's almost like PMG and Roczen helped kick the door open,” said Chris Wheeler, Motorsports Manager at Suzuki Motor USA. “There's always a small internal group that is super fans of the motocross line and effort. So, you’re depending on where our resources are allocated. When Ken did come on board, it helped get more eyeballs on the effort, and then getting a win, it was like, all right, we kind of helped get the chain going, and getting Japan fully back growing in that direction.”

Breaking a title drought dating back to 2010 is something for Suzuki to crow about, and that’s well on the way with meetings already taking place. Wheeler had been in a marketing call just before speaking to me.

“Obviously, Suzuki wants to maximize everything from this title win we can,” Wheeler said. “Being prepared and pushing out marketing that we were the underdog, and everybody loves an underdog. We're hoping everybody buys Suzukis right now. That's why we do this. At the end of the day, we're all companies trying to sell products, but we're also passionate enthusiasts, as well. We all grew up doing this sport.”

Will Roczen Retire?

Roczen said that with all that happened over the course of the 2026 season, by the end, he was an “emotional wreck.”

“There's a lot more anxiety to deal with, you know, just constantly competing, so it comes with a lot of discomfort, and being in a championship hunt like that can really be a burden on you,” Roczen said to me.

Being the oldest rider to win the 450cc Supercross title is the culmination of a remarkable career. He has won the 2014 and 2016 AMA Pro Motocross 450 Championship. He has won the FIM World Supercross (WSX) Championship in 2022 and 2023. He was the 2013 AMA Supercross 250cc West Champion.

That begs the question: how many more mountains does Roczen have to climb?

He said that over the last few years, he wanted to retire so many times when things weren't going his way. Roczen then opened up earnestly, in an honest and sincere reflection of the road one travels over a long career.

“I just had some really tough times, where at that point I'd done this for many, many years,” said Roczen. “It's like I wanted to retire and leave it at that.”

He said that during a past interview, a question was asked about his injury status, and he replied, “Miracles have happened before, so why not be one of them?”

Through the trials and tribulations, Roczen still felt like he could manifest the championship at his age.

“The discomfort and the stress that comes with life – and it doesn't even just have to be in sports, but what it could be in your career in business, or whatever -- that I won this championship at 32 and I was dealing with the same stuff, but ultimately you can conquer it, and push through that,” says Roczen. “You always see the trophies and the podiums and the race wins. There are a lot of dark times that I think a lot of us have, whether it's dealing with injuries or other things.

“For the future, I really have to make the decision at some point. Do I keep racing? Do I go out on top? Because I told my wife really clearly over the last couple of years, I'm like, if the stars ever align again and I could win the championship… it felt so far away, like it wasn't really in the picture much. So, the feeling of getting a championship, I'm like, man, if I can get one, I'm done, because I've tried for so many years, then I could finally do it.”

It’s then that the racer – the one that has been doing it at the highest levels – understood what actual retirement might mean, especially so soon after the emotional title win.

“I also know that it’s kind of a sensitive time to make the decision right now, because we did just come up a really long season, and yes, I don't just want to sit on my dirt bike right now and go ride, but after having a summer off, you never know, it might keep going,” he said.

It’s one thing to say you are going to retire; it’s another to do it. He has that #1 plate that would grace him in 2027. And then there’s just knowing that with retirement, the pace of life changes dramatically.

“I tread very carefully with retirement,” Roczen closes with. “We're busy, busy, busy, busy, and then all of a sudden all of it stops, and I know that that is a difficult task.”