Ken Roczen Strikes Again as 450SX Title Fight Tightens in St. Louis
By Team TMX on 6th Apr 26
Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship returned to St. Louis with a powerful mix of racing and purpose, as the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer round honoured St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Held inside The Dome at America’s Center, round 12 of the championship saw special-edition bikes and gear take to the track in support of the fight against childhood cancer - but once the gate dropped, the focus quickly shifted to an intense 450SMX Class showdown.
It was Hunter Lawrence who grabbed the holeshot for Honda HRC Progressive, with Jorge Prado and last weekend’s winner Ken Roczen in close pursuit.
Prado wasted no time attacking for the lead and briefly edged ahead, only for Lawrence to respond immediately. That scrap opened the door for Roczen, who capitalised decisively - first moving past Prado, then forcing his way by Lawrence to take control at the front.
From there, Roczen never looked back.
Once in clean air, the Suzuki rider set a relentless pace and quickly built a multi-second advantage. Behind him, the fight for second intensified as Prado, Justin Cooper and Lawrence traded positions through the middle of the race.
Cooper eventually got the better of Prado to move into second, with Lawrence following through shortly after to reclaim third.
Out front, however, Roczen was untouchable.
He stretched his lead to 13.2 seconds by the chequered flag, securing back-to-back wins for the first time since 2021 and notching his third victory of the season.
Cooper’s runner-up finish matched his career best, while Lawrence bounced back from a difficult previous round to claim his ninth podium of the year.
Further back, series leader Eli Tomac could only manage sixth after starting ninth, never featuring in the lead battle.
The result has dramatically tightened the championship standings. Lawrence now draws level with Tomac at the top, while Roczen’s surge moves him to within just five points of the lead with five rounds remaining.
With momentum firmly on his side, Roczen has turned the 450 title fight into a genuine three-rider showdown.
