World and AMA motocross champion Ken Roczen says he’s satisfied with his riding as he continues his return from a number of injuries sustained at the Anaheim 2 round of the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.

Roczen slowly commenced riding in July, however more recently he was cleared to ramp up his preparations for 2018, which has allowed him to take on a more extensive riding and training program.

“I’ve been very satisfied with my riding the last three weeks and definitely feel like I’ve made the biggest steps forward during this timeframe,” Roczen commented. “Before that, I was riding but just getting back into the swing of things, so you couldn’t really call it training – it was more just sitting on the bike. Lately it’s been full speed ahead.

“I’m still not 100 percent, but I’m making my way around pretty good and am finally able to get in some motos. Tuesday was a very special day for me – it was my first day back with the team practicing and testing since before my crash, and it really felt like nothing ever happened. I’ve been having a blast, [Wednesday] was the second day of testing and we just worked on some suspension settings to get me more comfortable.

“I’ve always had a great feeling for the bike, and not that I was afraid of losing that, but I knew I was going to have to familiarise myself again with what does what on the bike when making adjustments. It came back quick though, especially with the team’s help, and I think we made good progress.”

The Honda HRC rider confirmed he won’t contest the upcoming Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas, as he plans to start supercross riding throughout the middle of October in what is a measured approach.

“I’m not racing Monster Cup,” he added. “Even though I want to race because I miss it, I feel like it would be the wrong choice. I like to go racing when I’m fully ready, and I don’t want to step out of my comfort zone.

“It’s too early to start thinking about racing, especially for this race. I’d rather put in the time I need riding because Anaheim is when it really matters. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and getting in as much outdoor riding as possible to continue to build my strength and finesse on the bike before switching to supercross mid-October.”