German rider Ken Roczen had enjoyed a well-decorated dirt-bike career, which includes several series championships and 22 career AMA Supercross wins to go along with 21 career Motocross victories.
Saturday night, he checked another box with career win number 23 and his first-ever victory in the Daytona Supercross 450cc main event at the World Center of Racing, Daytona International Speedway.
“I honestly can’t believe it,” Roczen told the post-race TV audience after hustling his Suzuki to victory. “I really put my head down. I had some really good lines. When you make those passes, you have to put your head down or they will retaliate and come back.”
Daytona was the eighth race of the season and the first 2025 win for the 30-year-old Roczen, who’s in his 13th professional season. He took the lead from Aaron Plessinger just past the halfway point and in the final moments withstood a rally from Cooper Webb, whose charge fizzled when he got hung up in a rut and nearly hit the ground with just over 2 minutes remaining.
Plesinger, Justin Cooper and Chase Sexton completed the top five.
Webb leaves Daytona with a 10-point lead in the season standings over Sexton. Roczen now sits third, 16 behind Webb.
Floridian R.J. Hampshire won the 250cc main and was joined on the five-man podium by Tom Vialle, Seth Hammaker, Chance Hymas and Max Vohland.
Next up for AMA Supercross next weekend is Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts and this week’s host to the NFL Combine.
Up next at Daytona is a week of motorcycle racing inside the speedway but now on asphalt, using the road course, and also outside the west banking on the Daytona Flat Track.
