Roczen lays out cards with opening Supercross win

Suzuki rider Ken Roczen has laid out his cards for the opening race of the 2015 Supercross season, taking the victory at the world championship’s opening round at Anaheim, California’s Angels Stadium in front of a sell-out crowd of 45,000.

His second straight win at the season-opening round, the 20 year old led from start to finish of the 20 lap race, ahead of Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson and Honda rider Trey Canard. Fellow Suzuki rider Mike Alessi had been an early leader, but the German was able to dispatch him on the opening lap and never look back.

Speaking after the final race, Roczen commented: “It feels good to get the first one out of the way with a solid start. The track was really tricky, and it was hard to stay on the bike and not go down. I just want to keep doing that every single weekend now – it felt good, I’ve got fitness in the tank, and we’re all good!”

With sixteen rounds of the series crammed into the next four months, Roczen has established himself as an early leader in a championship that on paper looks wide open. With the departure of 2014 champion Ryan Villopoto to the MXGP outdoor series in Europe, there’s a whole host of candidates to lift the crown come Las Vegas in May.