Three Suzuki Riders in Top 10 at Muddy Creek MX

| June 11, 2015 | 0 Comments

BREA, CA (June 8, 2015) – Team Suzuki was back on the track Saturday at round four of the 12-event AMA Pro Motocross Championship held at Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tennessee. Three Suzuki riders, Ken Roczen, Blake Baggett and Broc Tickle, all had strong outings in Tennessee. The trio of factory riders finished inside the top 10 aboard their powerful Suzuki RM-Z450 machines in front of a national network TV audience on NBC. All three riders are now ranked inside the top 10 in the series standings, with two of the top three riders in the 450 Motocross championship Suzuki mounted.

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Highlights of this week’s action at the Tennessee National included:

  • RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen winning the second moto and taking second overall in the 450 class.
  • Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Blake Baggett nailing down a podium finish in the second moto to give him fourth overall.
  • RCH Suzuki’s Broc Tickle turning in a solidly consistent performance to earn seventh overall, giving Suzuki three riders inside the top 10.
  • Suzuki tied as the leading manufacturer with the most riders in the top 10 in the 450 class at Muddy Creek.
  • Three Suzuki riders are ranked inside the top 10 of the 450 Motocross Championship a quarter of the way through the season.

Roczen Wins Moto Two

Ken Roczen continued to come back to winning form showing almost a complete recovery from his early-season back injury. Roczen finished the weekend at Muddy Creek Raceway on a high note by taking a convincing victory in the second 450 moto, setting the tone for what he hopes will be a strong mid-summer drive in his quest to defend his AMA Pro 450 Motocross Championship.

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Roczen explained that a few settings changes made a big difference in going from third in the first moto, to victory in the second. He also sounds extremely certain of his progress.

“It makes a big difference when you have the bike more the way you want,” Roczen said. “I pulled the holeshot, and we made some changes on the bike with a different flywheel so I could shift a lot later. I got my shift right and it was good. I was really nervous (in the first moto) and it was hard to ride and hit the lines I wanted. Overall it was a way better second moto and we’re getting stronger every single weekend. I’m going to keep putting in my work. After the off weekend I plan on being up top in every single round.”

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Baggett Very Much in the Championship Picture as Well

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Baggett is showing a great tendency to shake off adversity and turn things around to a positive. Such was the case in the first moto at Muddy Creek. At the start, Baggett was nowhere to be found, hidden in the roost of dozens of motocross bikes somewhere mid-pack. Like he’s done all year though, Baggett found a way to tap into the power and handling of his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 and he made it all the way up to fifth by the end of the moto.

In the second moto, Baggett grabbed a good start, which was the key to a strong third-place podium finish. That third place finish earned Baggett fourth overall on the day, and he now finds himself just three points out of second in the series chase.

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“I’m starting to figure things out. We’re trying to make the bike a little bit easier for me to ride. I’m a small dude, so when the bike kicks around it feels worse than it really is. I’ve just got to get used to that feeling and get better and better each week. I’ve got to give it up to the whole Yoshimura Suzuki team for giving me such a great bike.”

Tickle Stays Solid

Seven seemed to be the number for the No. 20 RCH Suzuki of Broc Tickle in Tennessee. Tickle went 7-7 to score seventh overall, adding a nice tally of points for the RM-Z450 rider who is currently sitting eighth in the championship series. Tickle sits in a tightly-knit group of riders in fifth through eight in the standings, and is only 11 points out of the top five. The No. 20 RCH Suzuki rider heads to one of his favorite tracks next weekend in High Point.

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“Today was pretty good,” Tickle said. “I qualified first out of the first practice and then fourth overall. It was a good day. The track got pretty rough, a little different from last week. The first moto felt really good. I made some passes and got to eighth and then passed a guy there at the end to get seventh. In the second moto I got seventh again, but I got a better start. That’s the positive we’ll take out of the second moto. It was a good weekend for points. We’ll get there, keep getting better at starts and have a better weekend in the next race. I always seem to like High Point so I’m looking forward to racing there.”

After coming off a good weekend in Lakewood, TPJ Suzuki’s Kyle Cunningham had a tough outing at Muddy Creek. An impact with another rider damaged his bike and he was out early in the second moto. Fortunately his first moto finish of 14th was his best of the year and earned him a 17th overall.

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“I got to talk with Suzuki Racing and they set up a little program for me,” Cunningham explained. “It’s awesome and I’m really excited about the opportunity. I still have a lack of testing on the bike, but we’ve got something to build upon. We’ll keep moving forward and get the bike to feel a little more the way I want it and get a little more comfortable on it.”

Alex O’Dell qualified for the 450 Main on his O’Dell Racing Suzuki, as did Max Groom aboard a RM-Z250 in the 250 class.

Team Suzuki will be back in action in the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship nextSaturday, June 13, as the series moves to the legendary UPMC Sports Medicine High Point National from High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania.

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Fans will get the chance to meet and get an autograph from Suzuki’s Blake Baggett and Broc Tickle on Friday, June 12, at Morgantown Powersports, 281 Mount Morris Road, Mount Morris, PA, 15349, from 6-7:00 pm.

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About Suzuki: Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Outboard Motors and Automotive Parts and Accessories 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 and Outboard Motors. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has 147 distributors in 201 countries. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.

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