Ken Roczen wins Hangtown 250 MX

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ken Roczen took the win at the opening round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series in the 250MX class to the applause of a very excited Hangtown Motocross Classic race crowd. Fresh off the success of his first West 250SX Supercross title two weeks ago, Ken Roczen showed up with great confidence in himself and his KTM 250 SX-F heading into the first moto. When the gate dropped, Roczen was able to earn a 7th place start around the first corner. He used the opening laps to quickly work his way into a podium position. From there, he continued to knock off laps quicker than anyone in the field to immediately move himself into the lead position. Once there, he continued to push forward and was able to stretch to a four second lead before crossing the checkered flag to take his first moto win of the season.

In the second moto he earned a better start and was 2nd as the riders rounded the first corner. He made a pass for the lead on Blake Baggett before the end of the first lap and maintained that position for the remainder of the race. He went on to win the race by 12 seconds over Baggett to take his first career overall 250 motocross class win.

“It feels great to get a win here,” remarked Roczen. “I felt confident coming into this race and just knew I needed to get a good start to make it happen. I was able to improve my start in the second moto and hopped into the lead early on. Baggett challenged me for a while but I am glad my conditioning paid off and I was able to get my first overall. I am so thankful to the entire Red Bull KTM team for building me a great bike.”
Roczen’s teammate, Marvin Musquin, also put together a decent ride at the Hangtown event. It was Musquin who led the first moto early on. He led until the third lap when he allowed his teammate, Roczen, and two others to make a pass. Once in 4th position, he was able to maintain his pace and hold the spot until the checkered flag.

In the second moto Musquin was sitting in 5th place before he suffered a crash a few laps in that dropped him to 9th. In a great charge through the pack he was able to climb back up to 4th place by the moto end. His 4-4 results earned him 4th overall at the first national of the year.

Results 250MX Class Hangtown

1. Ken Roczen (D), KTM (1-1)
2. Blake Baggett (USA), Kawasaki (3-2)
3. Eli Tomac (USA), Honda (2-3)
4. Marvin Musquin (F), KTM (4-4)
5. Zach Osborne (USA), Honda (9-5

Standings 250MX Class after 1 of 12 rounds

1. Roczen, 50 points
2. Baggett, 42
3. Tomac, 42
4. Musquin, 36
5. Osborne, 28

Press Release KTM - Moto Cross Racing is part of the Off-Road Union network. Off-Road Union is registered news user with KTM Racing - Content and Images credits © KTM Racing / Maragni M. KTM Images

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