Ken Roczen and Hunter Lawrence will have one of, if not the biggest, race of their lives on Saturday night and the goal is simple, whoever beats the other wins their first 450 Supercross title.
For Ken Roczen, the teenage superstar, it has been a long road and a title he is long overdue thanks to that horrible crash in 2017. Until his Honda ejected him out the front door, Roczen looked destined to become the next superstar Supercross champion following the footsteps of McGrath, Carmichael, Stewart and Villopoto.
That crash at A2 changed everything and, ten years later Roczen has put himself in position to win a title that injury looked to have stolen from him.
This is the chance he has dreamed of and maybe didn’t believe he would have again. But he has astronomical talent and now the experience and people around to execute even on a Suzuki that is also nearly ten years old. Roczen arguably would have a bigger points lead and less pressure if he had an electric start in the crash in Seattle with non other than Hunter Lawrence that left Roczen dropping from third to tenth and Hunter still taking fourth.
Even if you give Roczen a fifth, it still gives the German five extra points which would have allowed him the luxury of a third place at Salt Lake City if Hunter won, but that is not how things went and it is now winner takes all in what would be a Hollywood blockbuster storyline if Roczen could clinch the title on Saturday night, especially when you add in team manager Larry Brooks on-going cancer battle. It really should be made into a movie – someone tell the Netflix bosses to tune in on Saturday night!
But Hunter Lawrence’ story isn’t too shabby either. A family that sacrificed their home in Australia to back their boys talent in making in Europe to finally get to the promised land of the USA and it all worked out!
Jett Lawrence is already a supercross champ and now Hunter has the chance to become the first ever brothers to both win a 450 Supercross title. But it was Hunter who’s talent got the family the ride in Europe, and then his GP performances that got the family a Geico Honda ride in America, that saw an under radar Jett (unless you watched EMX250 in Europe) coming in as a package deal that ultimately set the Lawrence family on the road to superstardom and success.
Hunter is now the leader of the family again in Supercross 2026 and all that pressure on the shoulders of a young kid in Europe followed by all those injuries in the USA will all have been worth it if he joins his brother as a 450 Supercross champion to go alongside his 250 title and MXoN glory. Again, it would be a great sports movie, but, like Roczen, it is on the verge of happening in real life first!
An interesting connection between the two riders isn’t just that they made their name in MXGP but that Ken Roczen’s dad was very influential in helping the family in Europe, with Jett staying at Roczen’s dad’s house and even the practical issues of getting a motorhome to get around Europe was assisted by Ken’s father.
Now, in an unbelievable situation. He will get to watch his son and Hunter go head-to-head for the most glamourous title in sport!
Both riders are very clean, they never want to ride dirty and have brilliant technique so rarely rider over the edge, but a huge title is on the line and Hunter has proclaimed he is the best under pressure this season and will do what it takes to win this title, telling Johnny Hopper when asked if we can expect fireworks despite Hunter and Kenny being friends: “It’s a lot of money on the line, it’s a Supercross championship, absolutely.”
After 16 rounds it all comes down to one winner-takes-all shootout with other riders also capable of getting in the mix and a start that will be the most important in their careers. It will be a night of intense pressure and incredible emotion that, win or lose, both riders will remember for the rest of the lives and fans will identity with for the rest of their careers.
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing both riders a few times and two nicer people you will not meet, but, unfortunately, one will have to lose on Saturday night, while for the other, a lifelong goal will finally be accomplished.
Whoever wins will deserve it but both should be immensely proud of their season, both have performed with their backs against the wall this season to get to this position, they just have to do it one more time to put their name on the list of Supercross premier class championship forever. But this will be pressure on another level.
I’m nervous just thinking about it!
