RCH Ready to Roll at Budds Creek

2015-06-25 08:06
Following a week off affording teams time to regroup, recover and re-energize, RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing riders Ken Roczen and Broc Tickle are revved up for Round 6 when the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship visits Budds Creek Motocross Park for Saturday’s Geico Motorcycle Budds Creek National.

Situated just over an hour south of the nation’s capital in Mechanicsville, Md., Budds Creek marks the halfway point of the 2015 Pro Motocross season and sets up as one of the more affable venues for both Roczen and Tickle.

Budds Creek is the site of Tickle’s career-best 450 performance where he finished second overall in 2012, riding a pair of second-place showings to the second step on the podium. In seven total starts at the legendary Maryland racecourse, including MX Lites, 250 and 450 competition, the Holly, Mich., rider has logged a 7.7 average overall finish, including three podiums and five top fives in 14 motos.

Roczen has only needed three starts at Budds Creek to make his mark, earning five podiums in six motos, including one victory. Over those same three starts, the German standout has notched an impressive 2.7 overall finishing average.

After locking down his first overall victory of the 2015 outdoor season two weeks ago at High Point, Roczen hopes to carry that winning momentum into the second half of the season.

“Obviously, our season didn’t start out exactly as planned but we’ve been able to get better every week,” explained the defending outdoor champion who finished 19th in the first moto of the season. “It’s been a tough season so far but the whole team stepped up every week since the beginning of the season and we were able to get the win at High Point. If we want to be at the very front and in the mix for the championship, we’re going to have to beat Ryan (Dungey) every time. It’s not going to be easy but I feel good on the bike so it’s up to us to make it happen.”

Over the course of the season’s first five events, Roczen has steadily climbed the championship ladder. After coming away from the opener at Hangtown mired deep in the standings, the 21-year-old rider of the No. 1 Suzuki RM-Z450 has been the model of consistency and hasn’t finished worse than third since the second moto at Glen Helen in Round 2. With seven races to go on the 2015 outdoor schedule, Roczen sits second in the championship and trails Ryan Dungey by a hefty but not insurmountable 37 points.

For his part, Tickle put together five solid races to kick off the outdoor calendar and, with the exception of Glen Helen, hasn’t finished outside the top eight. The 25-year-old rider of the No. 20 RM-Z450 is currently sixth in points, just 14 behind fifth-place Blake Baggett and 19 shy of Jason Anderson in fifth. As the site of his most memorable finish, it’s easy to understand Tickle’s level of anticipation heading into the weekend.

“Budds Creek is one of my favorite places,” commented Tickle. “I’m really looking forward to this weekend. We’ve had a solid start to the season and everyone’s hard work is paying off in the form of results. I finished second at Budds Creek three years ago so it’s a track where I’ve had some success in the past. It was nice having a weekend off but I’m ready to get back after it.”

The first moto of the Geico Motorcycle Budds Creek National will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., June 27 beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 10 a.m. Pacific. Coverage for the second moto will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBCSN at 9 p.m. EDT. All motos can be streamed live online through ProMotocross.com or the NBC Sports Live Extra app. NBC, NBCSN and MAVTV will combine to televise over 60 hours of racing over the course of the 12-round season.

About RCH Racing …
RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing is a professional Supercross and Motocross team co-owned by 15-time AMA Champion Ricky Carmichael and Freestyle Motocross visionary and entrepreneur Carey Hart. RCH enjoys factory support from Suzuki as well as marketing partnerships with Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, Jimmy John’s, Ram Trucks and Bel-Ray. Stay up to date on all the latest RCH Racing news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @RCHRacing.

Follow RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing, Ken Roczen and Broc Tickle at:
facebook.com/RCHRacing
twitter.com/RCHracing
instagram.com/rchracing

facebook.com/KenRoczen94
twitter.com/KenRoczen94
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broctickle.com
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instagram.com/broctickle

Source: RCH Racing

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