After spending much of the offseason as a free agent, Ken Roczen has officially signed on to the H.E.P. Motorsports team for 2023.
As he climbs aboard the Suzuki RM-Z450, Roczen will be the team’s premier rider in the upcoming Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross seasons.
“I am beyond excited to reconnect with Suzuki for the third time in my career. We’ve had a lot of success in the past and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in our future,” Roczen said.
In seasons past, Roczen and Suzuki have enjoyed the taste of victory together – dating back to Roczen’s prosperous amateur career on a Suzuki in his native Germany. The fan-favorite rider also won the 2016 motocross championship with the prior generation’s RM-Z450.
“I have a lot of confidence in Suzuki and the H.E.P. Motorsports program and I am excited to finally get the new year going with a fresh start. From the moment I got on the bike I felt right at home,” Roczen said. “We will be ready to go racing come January 7th.”
Roczen lost his deal with former race team Honda HRC due to his decision to race the inaugural World Supercross Championship this fall. While the 28-year-old has teased fans with the details of his new contract over his social media for several weeks, the official news was confirmed on Dec. 7.
“We are pleased to have Ken back on a Suzuki and part of the RM Army,” said Chris Wheeler, motorsports manager for Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. “Ken’s experience, determination and incredible skill are everything we need to help Suzuki and H.E.P. Motorsports achieve the success we are all striving for in 2023.”
H.E.P. Motorsports and Roczen will make their debut at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., at the opening round of Supercross.
“Everyone is super excited to have Ken Roczen on board,” said Dustin Pipes, team principal at H.E.P. Motorsports. “Having Ken as part of our team is sure to elevate our performance and we can’t wait to go racing at A1 in January.”