Saturday night, March 2, was the stage for a memorable race in AMA Supercross 450 at Daytona. Ken Roczen shone brightly and claimed his first-ever victory on this iconic track, withstanding pressure from fierce competitors and overcoming challenges that tested the limits of his technical and mental capacity.
The Main Event began with Jason Anderson starting at the front, securing the holeshot and leading the first laps. Aaron Plessinger, Cooper Webb, and Ken Roczen followed closely, while Chase Sexton, hampered by poor grid positioning due to having to go through the LCQ, was only in 14th position.
Webb attempted to overtake Plessinger in the very first lap, but the “Cowboy” showed firmness and maintained second position. Anderson took advantage of the moment to gain some advantage, while Sexton began his recovery, passing Justin Cooper and Malcolm Stewart to approach the leading group.
With seven minutes of the race elapsed, Plessinger demonstrated an impressive pace and launched himself into the lead. The crowd vibrated with his overtake of Anderson, but the excitement was far from over. Ken Roczen, who until then remained discreet, found his rhythm and passed Webb and Anderson in consecutive laps, positioning himself as the main contender for victory.
The race reached its most intense point halfway through the regulation time, when Roczen approached Plessinger dangerously. The German explored good lines and showed impressive speed in the whoops, pressuring the leader until finding an opening to take the front.
Meanwhile, Cooper Webb did not give up. After losing ground, he initiated a remarkable recovery and overtook Plessinger to reach second place. However, an error compromised his advance: by momentarily stagnating, he allowed Sexton to also pass Plessinger and approach. Webb reacted immediately, accelerating to escape from Sexton, while Roczen had a less successful lap, reducing the gap between them.
In the final minutes of the race, Webb put pressure on Roczen and almost touched his rear wheel. However, a crucial error when exiting a corner caused him to lose precious time, allowing Roczen to breathe and consolidate his lead.
This time, there was no comeback from Webb. Roczen, so often overcome by his rival in decisive moments, showed coolness and intelligence to hold the lead until the end. With this victory, the German rider not only broke a personal taboo in Daytona but also consolidated his position among the main title contenders.
The podium was completed by Webb and Plessinger, who managed to recover third position from Sexton in the final moments. Jason Anderson, after a promising start, ended up losing ground and finished outside the fight for the top-3.
The AMA Supercross now moves on to the next round, where riders will continue the battle for crucial championship points. If this race was an indicator of what’s to come, fans can expect more excitement and intense duels throughout the season.
