Germany’s Ken Roczen proudly displays his deserved number one plate for the Western Regional 250SX ranks. Image: Simon Cudby.

Red Bull KTM Factory’s Ken Roczen has described the night of his maiden AMA West 250SX championship victory as “unforgettable”, the German fan favourite narrowly holding out Eli Tomac in his successful title tilt.

Roczen entered the Las Vegas finale with a five-point advantage over Tomac, and knew exactly where he needed to finish in order to keep hold of the lead.

He was fifth out of the gate, and by lap two was into third. With Tomac making a break, Roczen made the determining pass on Martin Davalos with just a lap left on the board, sealing the deal with a two-point margin.

“I am so happy for this championship,” said Roczen. “It is the biggest championship I have ever won.

“I am so thankful for everyone on my team that has stood behind me this whole season and believed in me from the beginning.”

Not only did he take the title, he was also able to snare honours in the East/West 250SX Shootout, while proudly displaying the number one plate.

“I finally got a great start and was able to get out front. It felt great to see that number one plate on my bike while I was racing. It feels so great to get this win and my championship in the same night. This is really unforgettable.”

It was a successful showing for the Red Bull KTM Factory outfit, with Roczen’s teammate in the Eastern Regional ranks, Marvin Musquin, coming in a close runner-up for 2013, beaten to the title by Wil Hahn by just three points.