So happy for you Kenny!

On May 9 2026, in Round 17 of the 53^rd season of off-road stadium motorcycle racing in the USA[1], the 2026 AMA Supercross championship was determined. And the winner was German born Kenny Roczen. It was a great season, with the winner only finalized on the results of the last round, Round 17. And we are so happy for you Kenny!

Every sport has its nuances, and every season is different. The 2026 season was a great season, despite the absence of some great riders, not the least Australian Jett Lawrence (missed the whole season)[2] and American Eli Tomac (out for the latter part of the season.[3])

There are a lot of reasons why we are so happy for Kenny. Here’s ten of them.

#1 – Kenny had never won an AMA Supercross title

Kenny has completed 13 seasons of AMA Supercross [4] [5] – that’s longevity in itself – but until 2026 had now won a title. That’s 12 full seasons without a title. That’ might crush some. But not Kenny!

There are other factors behind Kenny prior inability to win the AMA title, including significant crashes.

#2 – Kenny had come back from a serious injury

In Round 3 of the 2017 AMA season – Kenny suffered serios injuries in a crash. [6] He was the Championship leader at the time.

Then midway through the main event of that third race he crashed, flew 30 feet from his bike and landed on the face of a jump. His left arm took the brunt of the impact.[7]

There was reasonable thought that Kenny’s career was over. Then in January 2018 the headlines read:

11 surgeries and a year later, Ken Roczen is back [8]

It was his 5^th season, and his first on a Honda. He had been runner up in the 2016 AMA Supercross title and had also just won his second AMA Motorcross title. In the eyes of any, he was favoured to win the 2017 AMA Supercross Title. [9]

So, he lost his 5^th season due to that crash, and history suggests it took quite a few seasons to overcome that on his way back to being an AMA Supercross Champion eight seasons later. That’s tenacity! Every athlete to has suffered a career (or life) threatening injury in sport would be proud of you Kenny.

This point was not lost on Kenny, who during his acceptance speech from the 2026 AMA Supercross podium, where he said what he had done should be a message of hope for other athletes in a similar situation. [10]

This is just a testament that you never give up and anybody at any age wherever you’re competing and you have anxiety you want to get it done but you have strange emotions that rob your energy your not alone. I have the same thing, but I don’t give up. I work on it daily and this is what, this is how pays of and you can do it too.—Kenny Roczen, acceptance speech after the 2026 AMA Supercross 450 cc title win.

#3 – Kenny is the oldest rider to win an AMA Supercross championship (450cc)

Age is a factor in open age class sport. Most athletes retire/leave this category before they turn 30. According to published records,[11] Kenny was born 29 April 1994, and turned 32 just over a week before the defining race. Even though the average age in this discipline is trending older, that’s much older than the average.

The average age of AMA Supercross race winners and champions is trending older, currently sitting at 27.02 years old for the 2020s. Historically, the average age of champions was closer to 23 during the 2000s and 24 in the 2010s.[12]

Table – Average age of Supercross Winners by Decade [13]

_________________________

Decade Average Age

___________________________

2000s 23.59 yrs

2010s 24.70 yrs

2020s 27.02 yrs

_________________________

No athlete of Kennys age is likely to dispute – age may give you experience wisdom, but it is harder on the body to compete against younger athletes. That’s an adversity Kenny overcame. Here are the stats:

Oldest rider to win [14]an AMA Supercross title [15]
First rider in their 30’s to win [16]an AMA Supercross title [17]

#4 – Kenny had overcome a pattern of fading in races

Most were in awe of Kenny’s return and that was the focus during the first few years post his 2018 return to racing. However this focus was soon replaced by the apparent challenge that he was fading during races and the season. This was not a one-off situation. It plagued him the best part of the next decade. For example:

In 2019 –

Ken Roczen has been experiencing unexplained health problems for several weeks. To our knowledge, previous examinations have not revealed any new information as to what is causing the persistent fatigue and weakness.[18]

Battling an undiagnosed health issue throughout supercross, Ken Roczen believes the problem has resurfaced after facing increased fatigue during Southwick’s sixth round of the 2019 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship over the weekend.[19]

In 2020 –

In today’s Honda press release, Roczen cited a need to rest and recover from his ongoing health issues, as well as focus on the coming birth of his first child, with his wife Courtney. After another supercross season spoiled by late-season health concerns, Roczen will now sit out for this next championship and focus on 2021.[20]

In 2021 –

Last off-season, Ken Roczen did everything he could to understand why he gets sick, drained, and lethargic during the season. He skipped the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in 2021 to rest, then spent the off-season visiting doctors and trying to solve his issues. Then December came and another gnarly illness ended up keeping him off the bike for an entire month. He won Anaheim 1, but his season quickly crumbled. [21]

In 2022 –

Due to health-related issues, the German native will sit out of the remainder of the series and put his efforts towards recovering and preparing for the upcoming Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. [22]

In 2023 –

I used to feel so good as a kid, and I used to be strong. Now with this virus in my immune system, a lot of the stuff was so out of my control. At first, you were second-guessing yourself because before you figured out that something was wrong, you kind of grind through some stuff. You’re thinking, “Man, I just have to get more fit, and I have to get better. Before you know it, you’ve had brain fog daily, and you feel fatigued and tired. You’re not recovering. That went on for a long, long time, and it was a nightmare. [23]

In 2024 –

Ken Roczen definitely didn’t have a brilliant day on the track during his comeback at the AMA Nationals. But instead of burying his head in the sand, he let fans know what was going on on his social media channels: “The good news is, I still know how to ride a dirt bike. The bad news is: Not for long, though, if I keep going like this.”…Roczen is currently struggling with his energy levels – a problem he was already aware of before the last race. [24]

The bottom line is Kenny has had health conditions that have held back his racing results post his return to racing in 2018.

Roczen has dealt with the effects of the Epstein-Barr virus since recovering from serious injuries in 2017 and ’18, although he has made progress at different times – including after sitting out the entire 2020 AMA Pro Motocross series. He was stricken by an unrelated illness at the end of calendar-year 2021 but was nonetheless able to take a surprise win at the first event. Unfortunately, he hasn’t felt like himself since then, a situation that was compounded by a bout with COVID-19 just after the January 22 San Diego round. Roczen hasn’t been able to put the issues behind him, and rather than risk a downward spiral in health and morale, he and his team have made the difficult decision for him to withdraw. During his hiatus, Roczen will seek professional treatment from specialists he has worked with in the past, including some in Europe. His exact return date will depend on how that process goes.[25]

Questions remain as to why it took so long to address them. None-the-less there were positive signs in the 2025 season:

There are other intangibles to Roczen’s game this year that provide even more hope. Glendale, while again not a win, packed more examples.

First, Ken is strong from start to finish. Even when he’s feeling bad, Ken is lethal early in a race. When he’s having problems, it shows up later. When he’s right he can maintain that pace to the end, and this year he’s been doggedly determined down the stretch. Ken hasn’t faded one bit.[26]

By 2026 the talk of his inability to finish a race strong;

The 31-year-old has been relatively vocal of late, questioning the narrative that he ‘fades’ as the 17-round series develops, which reflects a broader view of how the German export approaches the sport. Roczen is well-regarded for his explosiveness out of the gate and remains one of the strongest when it comes to early-race – and early-season – execution. That form, however, has proven difficult for the Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki leader to maintain, [27]

Which was enough to fire him up, which was a positive sign. He hit back in 2026 with:

“So, I guess I get where they’re coming from, but the last time I faded in a season was 2022. Honestly, let it go… Let me do the talking out there. And then if I keep doing it, you can go right back to it, but as of right now there have been absolutely no signs, and I’m sick of hearing that, honestly.”

#5 – Kenny was on a least represented brand of the ‘Big Four’ in the competition

Kenny has been on a Suzuki for a few seasons now. Suzuki is arguably the least represented of the ‘Big Four’ Japanese brands in AMA Supercross of late.

In terms of overall rider count and number of factory-backed teams, Suzuki is the least represented brand among the major manufacturers in AMA Supercross. [28]

However, it has a stronger history than this suggests:

On pure AMA Championships (between the three classes) Kawasaki has won 25 times, Suzuki 12 times, Yamaha 9 times, KTM 8 times, Honda seven times and Husqvarna two times over the past 20 years. [29]

#6 – Kenny was on the only kick start bike on the starting line

Even more unique, the Suzuki bike Kenny won the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship on does not have electric start. Instead, in the traditional way, Kenny has to kickstart his bike. Every time he stalls it, crashes etc. etc. Which led to this recent nick-name ‘Kick-start Kenny’. Suzuki are the only full-size motorcross bikes that still rely on kickstarts.

Apparently they did experiment with an electric start prior to the 2025 season, but it was not a permanent feature. When asked about this Kenny was quoted as saying:

Yeah, it was tested, it broke and we have not revisited it yet, or it’s not been ready yet to throw it back on.[30]

#7 – Kenny came back from 31 points down during the 2026 season to win

To win from 31 points down is not only significant, it may be the greatest comeback in the sports history. Not by the number of points behind per se, but combined with the fact that the rider he had to beat to win was still on the starting line up each race.

Ken Roczen overcame a 31-point deficit with only a few rounds left in the season to capture the title in Salt Lake City. Experts widely noted that entering the final rounds with that large of a gap and closing it without your primary rival missing any events is almost unprecedented in modern Supercross.[31]

You can read summaries of other significant AMA Supercross comebacks here. [32]

#8 – Kenny was the first German born rider to win the title

Kenny joins a short list of riders born outside of America to win the AMA Supercross title,[33] [34] and the first from Germany.[35] You could see the national pride trackside with German flags being waved by his avid supporters.

#9 – Gracious in defeat, humble in victory

I describe Kenny as a great competition – gracious in defeat, humble in victory. Yes there is more to competition than this, but he has titles in various dsiciplines so that’s proven. What I look for also are the things that other racers and their support teams hope for – respect. If you give respect, you get it back. From the crowd, from your peers and their teams. I understand that we are in ‘interesting times’ where being an ass-hole is for some their unique marketing position. That’s not going to last into the next phase of generational led human history. Being a great competitor, which is an extension of being a good person, will.

#10 – Kenny was kind to us during a pre-race visit

My son and I went to visit Kenny in a pre-race pit meet and greet in Portland Seattle in Round 12 of the 2019 AMA Supercross season.

Just as we got to the front of the line to meet Kenny his team called the session over. It was a long way to come to get so close to miss out. Kenny was my son’s MX idol and I know he would be disappointed if we just let this happen. I spoke to Kenny and I could see he was torn between meeting his fan’s needs and his own race preparation needs. He chose to stay and chat with my son. He had my respect at that moment.

Conclusion

Since the race on 9 May 2026 Kennys achievement has been the subject of very happy discussions in our house. We are all happy for Kenny! It’s been a long and challenging road. It could have been smoother, but at the same time he could have given up on his ambition of winning this title. He didn’t. And he now adds AMA Supercross Champion to his trophy cabinet. But more importantly he has been a role model to athletes that you can overcome adversity – age, injury, setback, health challenges – provided you apply the traits that Kenny has over the time period needed. In Kenny’s case, 13 years. So happy for you Kenny!

Image credit – Christopher Schmidt at Wikimedia Commons.

References

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_AMA_Supercross_Championship

[2] https://www.mxlarge.com/news/lawrence-out-three-months

[3] https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/eli-tomac-focusing-recovering-hip-204930362.html

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_AMA_Supercross_Championship

[5] https://fthspatpress.com/35714/sports/roczen-becomes-oldest-monster-energy-ama-supercross-champion-in-series-history/

[6] https://www.supercrosslive.com/news/roczen-injured-in-hard-crash-at-anaheim-2/

[7] https://www.espn.com.au/racing/story/_/id/22024895/supercross-star-ken-roczen-makes-return-2018-season-one-year-11-surgeries-horrific-crash

[8] https://www.espn.com.au/racing/story/_/id/22024895/supercross-star-ken-roczen-makes-return-2018-season-one-year-11-surgeries-horrific-crash

[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Roczen

[10] https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYPlVMpgrHw/