2020 Salt Lake City 5 Supercross 450 Class Race Report

One week after testing positive for shingles and still battling a virus that impedes his ability to breathe, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen piloted his factory CRF450R to his fourth victory of the season at the Salt Lake City 5 Supercross. The first place result was a significant improvement for the German rider in comparison to the prior three rounds held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, when he finished fifth, 10th, and fifth place, respectively. Roczen’s win at round 15 also moved him back into second place in the championship point standings with only two rounds to go.

“Tonight we did really, really good,” Roczen said. “I felt like I was able to go the full distance in the main, which was great. I knew it was just going to take a few extra days to get everything back lined up after the last couple of rounds and everything that’s been going on with my body. We won our heat race, which was really stacked; I got a holeshot there and it was great. I really felt good with the bike; we’ve been tweaking it a little bit here and there, and I was really gelling with it nicely tonight. I kind of liked the track. The whoops got really chewed up again and I think that was one of my strong points tonight. We ended up getting the win, which was great because the last three rounds have been really tough on me and the team. It was good to come back and turn all that negativity around into something positive. Every time I go out and win for myself and my team, it feels like my first win back. We were the best tonight, which is awesome. The team is happy and I’m happy and looking forward to the race on Wednesday.”

Related: 2020 Factory Supercross Bikes—Justin Brayton’s Honda CRF450R

Cooper Webb was credited with the holeshot in the feature race and led for three laps before being passed by Roczen in the rutted left-hand corner before the start straight. In the closing laps of the race the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider was able to jump a different combination in one of the rhythm sections, allowing him to close in on Roczen slightly, but he was unable to challenge for the lead and settled for the runner-up spot.

“The holeshot was huge tonight,” Webb said. “Kenny [Roczen] was riding well and I knew he was a little faster, so when he got by me I was just going to try to pace him. I made a charge at the end, but we were so close in times it’s hard to make those chunks up. The track was definitely tough—it had a lot of flat turns, which was a little different than what we’re used to. We’ll come back in a few days and try to get the top step.”

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac had a great start in the main event, reaching the first turn ahead of the pack, but got brake-checked by Webb prior to the first rhythm section. Despite the contact with the reigning champ, series leader Tomac stayed upright and completed the first lap in seventh. Just over six minutes into the race, he moved into third place and retained the podium position until the checkered flag flew.

“Overall it was a good race,” Tomac said. “I felt good and got in the groove up until halfway and then I got a little squirrelly in the whoops. I tried pushing it for a while and realized it wasn’t worth it to go too wild and I know I need to reserve some of the energy for these last two rounds. It’s not a win, but I’m happy with the result because we’re thinking about the bigger picture.”

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne put himself into third place early on in the main event, but was passed by Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda’s Malcolm Stewart and Tomac just over five minutes into the race. Osborne held the fifth place position for the majority of the race but with about a minute left on the clock got around Stewart to take fourth at Salt Lake City 5.

“I came home with a fourth,” Osborne said. “It’s a decent result, but after the last few weeks I want more. I do have to keep things in perspective and know that at the beginning of the season I would have given anything for a string of results like this. So all in all, I’m happy but still striving for more.”

Stewart ran as high as third early on and rounded out the top five at the conclusion of the 20-minute plus one lap race. With his fifth place result, Stewart tied his career-best finish in the 450SX class from two rounds prior.