Ken Roczen Anaheim Supercross Crash Update
After dominating the opening two rounds of 2017 Monster Energy Supercross, Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen was a favorite last weekend heading into Anaheim II. But things changed dramatically for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champion.
While running third at A2 SX, Roczen crashed in the rhythm section, flying over the handlebars and hitting the ground hard. The 22-year-old German was diagnosed with a compound fracture of the left-arm radius, and a dislocated elbow and wrist, along related tissue damage.
The CRF450R pilot Roczen was flown to The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo., where he went under the care of Dr. Randall Viola, the team physician for the Men’s U.S. Alpine Ski Team and a medical consultant to the Denver Broncos and U.S. Snowboard Team. Viola also specializes in hand, wrist and elbow injuries, with special interests in orthopedic and sports-related trauma.
On Sunday, Rozen underwent a two-hour surgery to “clean the bone and surrounding area in order to reduce the risk of infection.” Honda reports that Dr. Viola also left open seven incisions to reduce swelling, all which were closed Wednesday.
Honda Racing reports that a third surgery is scheduled for Friday to repair additional damage, and yet more procedures will be completed by Friday, February 3, before Roczen returns home to Florida to begin recovery. As of this writing, Roczen’s return to Monster Energy Supercross is unknown.
“This obviously isn’t the way I was hoping the Supercross season would go, but I’ve accepted the challenge and am putting all of my effort into getting healthy again. I want to thank everyone at The Steadman Clinic, and specifically Dr. Viola and ‘Team Viola’ for all the care,” Roczen says.
“It’s great knowing I have the best people possible helping me through this. The support from my fans and the industry on social media has been incredible too. I especially want to thank my team at Honda, which has truly become like a family, and of course my other partners who have been behind me 100%. I look forward to getting back to racing as soon as possible.”
