RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing will field three entries this weekend when Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, returns to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the team has announced.
Broc Tickle, rider of the #20 Suzuki RM-Z450, returns to his traditional position under the RCH canopy Saturday night after a 10-race hiatus while the Holly, Mich., rider recovered from a right forearm injury suffered in a practice crash at the team’s test facility in January.
Tickle will be flanked by fellow RCH stable-mates Ken Roczen and Jake Weimer in Indianapolis as the team co-owned by Carey Hart and Ricky Carmichael fields three Suzukis for the first time since the organisation was founded.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to racing this weekend in Indianapolis,” offered Tickle, who finished 11th and 14th, respectively in the season’s first two races. “I’ve been riding for about two weeks and I’m feeling good. I’ve been training and keeping up with my cardio since I got the cast on back in January, just trying to do the right things to stay in as good of shape as I can. It’s taken longer than I expected but sometimes that’s part of it.
“It’s actually been good, in a way, for me. The time off has allowed me to focus on the little things I need to do so I can be where I wanted to be in the beginning of the season. Obviously, the first two races didn’t go the way we were hoping. The field is stacked and you have to bring you’re A Game 100 percent of the time. My goal, after I got hurt, was to work on those little things and to pay attention to what’s working for some of the other guys.”
Roczen rolls into Round 13 off a runner-up finish in Santa Clara where he notched his seventh podium finish of the season. The 21-year-old German rider hasn’t finished outside the top six in the season’s first 12 rounds and is second in points, 42 behind championship leader and defending Indianapolis winner Ryan Dungey.
“We had a great night last week in Santa Clara,” said Roczen. “The bike was working really good. I had a great heat race and a really good main. I got a good start but Ryan (Dungey) was really fast all night. I tried making a charge towards the end but there were some lappers in between us and I just ended up running out of time. We finished in second place, which is ok, because we were really good all night. That’s ultimately what it’s all about. We had a great battle for the lead and I ended up second. We put in a good week of work so we’ll be strong in Indy.”
Weimer powered through some shoulder soreness in Round 12 but still earned his sixth top ten of the season. The solid effort inserted the rider of the No. 12 RM-Z450 into a tie with Davi Millsaps for 10th in points. The Rupert, Idaho native has a pair of 450SX starts at Lucas Oil stadium on his resume and finished 10th in the series’ most recent visit to the home of the Indianapolis Colts last March.
“We’ve been playing with some stuff on the bike, which is fun for me,” offered Weimer, who will make his 63rd career 450SX start this weekend. “We’re finding some things so that’s always fun. The biggest thing for me is getting my shoulder strength back. It was a little tough in Santa Clara, especially in the main. That was the toughest thing I dealt with. We did some therapy this week and gave my shoulder some extra love so hopefully I’ll be a little better in Indy.”
Before the pits open and the gate drops at the track, Tickle and Weimer will meet fans and sign autographs tomorrow from 6-7 pm at Pan Am Plaza in downtown Indianapolis. Pan Am Plaza commemorates Indy’s hosting of the 1987 Pam American Games and is located just steps away from Georgia Street, the convention center, Lucas Oil Stadium and Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Round 13 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, from Lucas Oil Stadium will be televised live on FS1 Saturday, April 9 beginning at 7 pm Eastern Daylight Time, 4 pm Pacific.
