Back to News
  • Racing - Motocross

Suzuki’s Supercross Team Presses on Amid Setbacks at Denver Supercross

Brea, CA - (May 5, 2025) - The skies above Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado were clear for the penultimate round of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. With ideal weather and good track conditions, the stage was set for great racing. Unfortunate news from the Suzuki squad was the absence of Ken Roczen, who aggravated his injured ankle mid-week and will be forced to sit out for the final two rounds of the season.

Race Highlights:

  • Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki
    •  450 Class
      • Ken Roczen remains in third place in the championship points despite not competing at the Denver Supercross.            
  • Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive Insurance
    • 450 Class
      • Colt Nichols put down consistent laps on the hardpack dirt at Empower Field at Mile High.
      • Kyle Chisholm delivered his season-best heat race performance. 

Ken Roczen (94) had been nursing both a shoulder and ankle injury, with the ankle injury becoming progressively worse over the past five rounds. During a mid-week practice session before the Denver race, Roczen caught his foot on the ground in a sand section and further exacerbated his ankle injury. Roczen is looking at surgery and hopes to make it back to one or two of the final motocross races before competing in the SMX World Championship in September. 

“I’ve been hanging on by a thread here these last few weeks, but I really wanted to close this championship out and finish third. It was really important to me,” said Roczen in an interview on Peacock’s Race Day Live: Denver. “I feel bad for the fans who signed up. Obviously, they’re going to see some great battles, and I really wanted to be there… I’m going to hold my head high. I’m not going to stamp this as a bad season for me; this was just unfortunate. I’m going to hold on to all the good races that I’ve done. I was on the podium a lot and got a win. I felt like I would have been there all the way. It’s kind of crazy. I’m 31 now and I learned a lot this season. You never stop learning. I learned a lot about myself and how I can approach racing, and the weekends in general… You still figure out how you tick, figure out how to be better.”

Colt Nichols (45) used a direct transfer into the main to bring home strong points at the Denver Supercross.

Colt Nichols (45) launched into a mid-pack start in the main and had a top-ten spot in sight during the hard-fought early laps. Nichols put in a steady ride and racked up more points to take into the season finale next weekend. 

“Denver was a struggle for me honestly,” said Nichols. “I just felt like I rode it in and did what I could, but it was a very tough night for me. I’ll re-group and get ready for the last one in Salt Lake.”

Kyle Chisholm (11) had the speed to run up front in qualifying and bring home a season-best heat race result.

Kyle Chisholm (11) earned his season-best qualifying session and overall qualifying positions in Denver. In his heat race, Chisholm raced toward a podium spot and crossed the checkered flag with a fifth-place heat race result, another season-best performance. In the main, a poor start hampered Chisholm’s race, but he put his Twisted Tea Suzuki’s nimble handling to good use and battled for the duration of what will likely be his second-to-last Supercross main event as a full-time racer. Chisholm plans to cap his career at the season finale in Salt Lake City on Saturday night. 

“I feel like we've made some good improvements racing at elevation with the team, so we have a pretty good setup and the bike worked really good. The power was good and overall, I felt really good on the bike all day,” reported Chisholm. “In the heat race I got off to a pretty good start. I ran fourth for a little bit and ended up with fifth place; the best heat race of the year for me… In the main event, though, I struggled a little bit with my throat injury from years ago. My breathing isn't completely normal even at lower elevations, and high elevation makes it quite a bit worse. I just couldn't really ride at the pace that I needed to finish where I wanted to… My speed was good, I felt good on the bike, and I rode well, I just struggled in that main with my breathing. We’ve got one more race to go and I’m looking forward to Salt Lake and trying to finish it strong.”

“Because of the high altitude, we definitely had to work on the motorcycle a little bit and get it to run its strongest; there’s not much oxygen up here,” said Larry Brooks, Team Manager for Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports/Suzuki presented by Progressive Insurance. “It ended up being an okay day. Colt Nichols finished 14th and Kyle Chisholm was 16th. We were missing Ken Roczen this weekend. He’s going to have to get surgery next week. It’s just one of those things. It’s what was supposed to happen, I guess – how things work, you know? And you’ve just got to hold your head up, and just keep going, and try not to get yourself bummed out. I know that he’ll re-hab and he’ll come back even stronger next year, or at the end of this year, probably.”

The Suzuki riders and team members have one more Supercross race on the 2025 calendar, taking place this Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. Though the team is without Ken Roczen, Colt Nichols and Kyle Chisholm are ready to cap the championship with more season-best performances.

Please visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Motocross and HEPMotorsports.com for more team news.

About Progressive
Progressive Insurance® makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance, home insurance, and other protection needs. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us however it's most convenient for them — online at progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, via the Progressive mobile app, or in-person with a local agent.

Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the second largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers.

Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot®, and HomeQuote Explorer®.

The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE: PGR 

About Suzuki
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzuki.com.