Ken Roczen believes he ‘can’t catch a break’ as a string of bad luck continues to strike the likeable German following an unfortunate encounter at Nashville’s 14th round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship last weekend.

The Team Honda HRC rider was primed to challenge for a season-first victory, setting the fastest time in qualifying prior to winning his heat race.

However, just laps into the main event, the number 94 fell victim to a suddenly crashing Joey Savatgy (Monster Energy Kawasaki) at the end of a rhythm lane, leaving nowhere for Roczen to go, ultimately taking him down and demoting him to the rear of the field before recovering for eighth.

“I don’t even know what to say because nothing surprises me at this point,” Roczen admitted. “I feel like I just can’t catch a break. Things started out so great and I really felt like tonight could have been my night. Everything was flowing well in qualifying and I got another heat-race win.

“My bike was working great and I was having fun. I didn’t get the start that I wanted in the main event but was making passes quickly. Unfortunately, [Joey] Savatgy went down while I was right behind him and I hit his bike. There was nothing I could do – I had nowhere to go.

“By the time I got going again I was last, so I just tried to dig deep and do whatever I could to make up as many positions as possible. I’m not happy with eighth but it’s okay considering what happened. We’ve got a few more opportunities to make it happen, so on to Denver.”

Roczen sits fourth in the championship standings as the series heads to Denver this weekend for round 15.

Honda HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen is hopeful of returning for the MXGP of Lombardia at Mantova after undergoing surgery on his right ankle and fibula, which he sustained injury to during timed practice at Trentino on the weekend.

Fitted with a cast, Vlaanderen will endeavour to start physio in the coming weeks, with the goal of making a come-back at the next round of the world championship, scheduled for 12 May at the Italian venue.

“Obviously I’m extremely disappointed to have this happen to me at the weekend,” said Vlaanderen. “I was feeling really good on the bike and was in the process of setting the fastest lap when I just twisted my ankle. I didn’t crash or anything so it was a real shock to see the x-ray show that I fractured my fibula.

“Thankfully, with the support of the team and the excellent Dr Claes, I have since had the surgery which went extremely well. I hope to have the cast off in less than a couple of weeks and begin physio and cycling shortly after that, with the goal of being fit and ready to go for the fifth round of the MX2 championship in Mantova in May.

It’s a bitter blow for the South African talent, who displayed strong form in the opening rounds, holding down P3 in the championship standings prior to the weekend’s round commencing.

New South Welshman Josh Green believes he’s bridging the gap on world class leaders Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) and Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) in the unofficial Outright times after a strong showing at Dungog’s third and fourth rounds of the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).

Piloting the all-new WR450F this season with Yamaha Yamalube Active8, Green wound up third on the Outright results sheet on both days of racing, finishing just 40 seconds shy of the talented duo in Sunday’s proceedings.

A pair of runner-up results in the E2 category at Dungog sees the number 99 maintain his P2 ranking in the championship standings as the series now heads into an extensive break.

“The WR450F is an amazing bike and every time we race it, we learn more about its strengths and how to make them work for me,” Green explained. “We didn’t change anything major but just some fine tuning to the power and suspension made the bike more ridable for me and I’m so impressed with how it runs.

“This weekend was better for me and I was able to grab third outright each day so that’s a step in the right direction. Milner and Sanders are world class riders, but I’m busting my butt trying to close the gap on them and this weekend I felt we were a little more competitive with them in a lot of the special tests.

“The team did a fantastic job as always and we are already making plans for the up-coming rounds to keep the momentum building.”

The AORC will return to action on 20-21 July at Kyogle in New South Wales.

A pair of podium finishes at Dungog’s third and fourth rounds of the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) have injected confidence into Fraser Higlett after a challenging season-opener last month.

The talented Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team rider pushed on for third in the competitive E1 category during Saturday’s third round, backing it up with runner-up on honours in Sunday’s encounter that saw him finish just nine seconds shy of victory.

It’s a motivating improvement for the youthful contender, explaining he gelled with the Enduro format that was hosted throughout both days of racing in New South Wales.

“I’m really happy with my results this weekend, especially after how I went at the first two rounds,” Higlett explained. “It was good to be back up on the podium both days at Dungog and it’s a confidence booster for me entering the rest of the season.

“There’s something about the Enduro formats that work for me and the weekend’s track conditions were some of the best you’ll get, so it was an awesome couple of rounds.”

The Australian Off-Road Championship now heads into an extensive break, returning to action on 20-21 July at Kyogle in New South Wales.