Big Boots to Fill for Tickle, Roczen at Millville - Speedway Digest

Working for a 15-time AMA National Champion who is referred to as “The Greatest of All Time,” has its perks. After all, who could be a better sounding board than Ricky Carmichael? If anyone has been there, done that, it’s RC.

At the same time, on occasion, the job comes with big shoes or, in this case, big boots to fill.

For RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki Factory Racing riders Ken Roczen and Broc Tickle, the boots get a little bigger Saturday when the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Series returns to Millville, Minn., for this weekend’s La Crescent Wine and Spirits Spring Creek National.

In 2006, Carmichael added his famous signature to the legendary Minnesota racetrack when he became the first and last competitor in AMA history to lap the entire 40-rider field.

Since then, Carmichael’s 2006 assault on the competition – under extremely sloppy conditions – has gone down in the annals of Motocross as one of the single greatest accomplishments the sport has ever seen.

“2006 was a great race for me in the mud,” explained Carmichael. “To this day, it’s still hard to believe that I actually did it and what a significant accomplishment it was. But, looking back on it now, it was something special.

“Millville is always a fun race. It was a favorite for me because the dirt is very similar to my place so, personally, it made me very comfortable. The Martins (Spring Creek Motorsports Park track promoters) always do a great job with track prep and with making small changes each year to add a new twist. It’s never the same old thing. The fans are always incredible so it really makes it a fun weekend for the riders and teams.”

Fast forward to 2015 and Carmichael, along with RCH co-owner Carey Hart, come into Round 8 of the 2015 title fight with Roczen and Tickle carrying the torch.

After a less then stellar opening round at Hangtown left him mired deep in the standings, Roczen has been the model of consistency and hasn’t finished outside the top five since the first moto in Round 2 at Glen Helen. With five races left, the 21-year-old European sits second in the championship and trails Ryan Dungey by 44 points.

Surprisingly, Spring Creek is one of the few venues on the Pro Motocross circuit where Roczen, the defending series champion, hasn’t enjoyed the same type of success as the boss or that of which he’s become accustomed to. In three previous starts at the venerable Midwest racecourse, Roczen has only finished on the podium once. In six motos, including starts in both the 250 and 450 classes, Roczen owns a 5.3 average overall finish but has yet to win.

Last July, Roczen raced to a career-best 2-4 Millville finish and came away with a third-place overall showing.

“Spring Creek is a great track and the dirt is always awesome,” said Roczen. “I’m really looking forward to this weekend. I spent some time over the off week training and riding with my Suzuki teammate Blake Baggett, as well as RJ Hampshire and Martin Davalos. I’m definitely excited about getting back in the swing of things and trying to catch Ryan (Dungey) for the championship. We’ve got five races left to get it done.”

While Tickle has yet to reach the podium at Spring Creek, the Holly, Mich., veteran has been a perennial fixture inside the top 10. In seven professional starts at the southeastern Minnesota track, including MX Lites, 250 and 450 competition, the rider of the No. 20 Suzuki RM-Z450 has logged an eighth-place average overall finish, including a pair of top fives and 11 top 10s in 14 motos.

Two weeks ago, he came up one spot short of the podium but still matched his best finish of the season after logging a 4-7 effort to finish fourth overall at RedBud. With five races left on the 2015 schedule, Tickle, lurks just seven points outside the top five and sits sixth in points.

“I love racing in the Midwest,” commented Tickle. “I’m a Michigan guy so I take a lot of pride in how I perform when we race at places like Millville, RedBud and Crawfordsville (Ind.) The dirt just doesn’t get any better and there’s nowhere in the world like the Midwest in the summer. We had a good race two weeks ago at RedBud. I used the week off to ride, train and relax a little bit. It was a nice break but I’m ready to get back to work.”

Before the pits open and the gate drops, Tickle will meet fans and sign autographs at River Valley Power and Sport, Friday, July 17, from 6 – 7 p.m. Located just over 30 minutes south of Spring Creek Motorsports Park in Rochester, Minn., River Valley Power and Sport is a marine and powersports dealer servicing Minnesota from locations in Red Wing, Rochester and on Lake Minnetonka in Wayzata.

The first moto of the La Crescent Wine and Spirits Spring Creek National will be televised live on MAVTV Sat., July 18 beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 11 a.m. Pacific. Coverage for the second moto will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBCSN at 11 p.m. EDT. All motos can be streamed live online through ProMotocross.com or the NBC Sports Live Extra app. NBC, NBCSN and MAVTV will combine to televise over 60 hours of racing over the course of the 12-round season.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.