Image: Supplied.

A response has been released by American Honda following Ken Roczen’s claims yesterday that an offer for 2023 had been withdrawn.

Roczen stated on James Stewart’s Bubba’s World podcast that a Monster Energy Supercross-only contract offered was later ‘pulled’ due to his existing commitment to contest the World Supercross Championship (WSX).

Now, American Honda manager of sports and experiential Brandon Wilson has moved to clarify the position of Team Honda HRC, instead claiming that the offer wasn’t rescinded and that Roczen and his management in fact declined the offer. American Honda also outlined its position on the WSX series.

“We genuinely enjoy working with Ken and have loved having him on our team for the past six years,” Wilson explained. “We have a ton of respect for the speed and talent he regularly demonstrates on the track, and even more so for the heart and dedication he has shown in returning from severe setbacks.

“In light of recent comments, we felt the need to clarify a couple of points. We were looking forward to continuing with Ken in 2023 and we recently made him an offer of a contract extension. That offer has never been rescinded, but it was declined by Ken and his team.

“It’s true that the offer included a stipulation that Ken not compete in a series that has positioned itself as a direct competitor to our supercross and motocross racing partners. We feel it’s important to support our racing partners and to treat all of our riders the same.

“That said, our esteem and appreciation for Ken are as strong as ever, and they won’t be altered by the fact that our priorities don’t happen to align on this issue.”