As the figurehead of Suzuki’s factory presence in the FIM Motocross World Championship and the man that reinvigorated the manufacturer’s MX2 racing programme to accommodate Ken Roczen back at the end of the last decade, Sylvain Geboers is clearly content to see the German megastar back on a RM-Z.
The Belgian had previously commented that he felt Roczen was a “Suzuki boy” and with confirmation this week that the 20-year-old AMA 450MX Champion will indeed front the RCH squad for AMA supercross and motocross competition in 2015, Geboers has the opportunity to re-establish links with the talent that he helped at the highest level in 2009 and 2010.
“Since he left Europe from the U.S. we met only occasionally and in a respectful way,” Geboers said. “Since discussions have been going on I haven’t met him. I’ve only spoken with Ricky [Carmichael, one of the proprietors of the RCH team]. I know his personality and I am really looking forward to seeing him again on the yellow bike.”
Roczen has wasted no time in his dialling-in work with the RM-Z450 (a motorcycle taken to third and fourth positions overall in the MXGP FIM World Championship thanks to Kevin Strijbos and Clement Desalle respectively as well as to AMA Supercross wins by James Stewart) and Japanese technicians made the most of a trip to the United States as well as the Motocross of Nations at the end of last month.
Roczen rode for Suzuki as a junior and made his Grand Prix debut just after his 15th birthday on an RM-Z250 in MX2 in 2009. He took his first GP victory less than two months later. From 2011 to this year he was a Red Bull KTM representative, claiming three major titles and posting four Motocross of Nations category wins on either the 250SX-F or 450SX-F.
With Strijbos and Desalle confirmed again in MXGP for 2015, Roczen and James Stewart fronting the ‘yellow’ effort in the USA and former AMA national champion Blake Baggett announced as the 450SX/MX rider beside Stewart in the Yoshimura squad then the company has one of it strongest line-ups in many years.
