Ken Roczen details dramatic win and difficult decisions on Title 24 podcast 2023 Twelve Hours of Sebring: Schedule, TV information, streaming, start times, more

Title 24, NBC Sports’ new podcast featuring supermotocross champions Ricky Carmichael and Ryan Villopoto, welcomed its first guest on Wednesday, March 14, when Ken Roczen detailed his emotional victory in Indianapolis. It was the first Supercross (SX) win for the 2016 and 2021 Stadium Series runner-up since he won the season-opening SX last year in Anaheim. Title 24 is available on all major podcast services and Motorsport on the NBC YouTube channel.

“What a story that was for the team, for Suzuki and for me personally,” Roczen told Carmichael. “I’m so glad that I’ve been able to do so many cool things in my career.

“I may not have championship after championship, but there were really special moments that only a very few people can get. After that I was speechless and this race was at the very top of my list for some reason.”

The 2022 season ended in stark contrast to how it started with its worst performance in five years. After finishing outside the top five in seven of his last eight rounds in the Stadium Series and falling heavily on points in ninth place, he decided to put that season on hold. Roczen said during a press conference at the beginning of the season that he urgently needed a change.

“I had one win last year,” Roczen said on the Title 24 podcast this week. “I had a really tough year and it wasn’t good mentally, physically, or anything else. I was in a pretty bad place actually. So that’s why [this win] it was so emotional for me.”

Part of Roczen’s change was a risky move to the HEP Motorsports Progressive Ecstar Suzuki team.

On a bike that hadn’t been super competitive for many years, Roczen realized from the first session that the Suzuki had solid bones, even if there was a lot of work to be done.

Roczen’s prowess helped the bike in the early rounds as he ran test sessions that lasted until dark. He finished eighth or better in seven of the first eight rounds and had one podium finish at the Anaheim Triple Crown. Roczen failed to win any of these features, but consistently finished second, third, and fourth.

“For some reason, that Saturday night was something I’ve been dreaming of for the past few months,” Roczen said. “Of course, I had a very difficult last year. I have made the important decision to move to the Progressive Ecstar Suzuki team.

“It was just a story of a loser. There were so many eyes on us and being able to finally pull this off after the number of hours and work we put in was so special and that’s exactly what everyone felt on Saturday night.”

Roczen was not the only driver on the field who experienced a storm of emotions. After the checkered flag was flown, runner-up Justin Barcia stopped next to him on the track to hug Roczen. This caused a flood of riders to line up to congratulate Roczen.

Ranked fifth on the Supercross points chart, the win also brings Roczen back into the championship conversation after trips by Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton closed the gap between Roczen and the top three.

Sebring start time, TV guide: The cars and stars of two of the world’s biggest sports car series return this week to the venerable Sebring International Raceway.

The 71st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring rounds off a week of action-packed racing in central Florida. Sebring will host the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The WEC season opener will take place on Friday from noon to 8 pm ET with the FIA ​​WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring. The following day, Sebring will host its annual 12-hour classic. The second round of the IMSA season will mark the debut on the track in the top GTP category for hybrid prototypes.

The Rolex 24 at the season opener in Dayton was won for the second year in a row by Meyer Shank Racing, who will travel to Sebring after a hefty fine for manipulating tire pressure information.

Last year, the number 02 Cadillac Racing VR won the top DPi class in the Twelve Hours of Sebring. This Chip Ganassi Racing entrant (with drivers Earl Bamber, Richard Westbrook and Alex Lynn) will compete Friday in the hypercar category at the WEC Opening, the first of seven WEC rounds for the second Cadillac V-Series.R, including the 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

The fourth-place team in the 2023 Rolex 24 in Dayton competed last weekend at Sebring in the prologue, which included four free practice sessions spanning over 12 hours on a 3,741-mile, 17-turn track.

“It’s great to be back in Sebring, where Cadillac has had a lot of success, including our win last year,” Bamber said in a press release. “Now we are here with the new Cadillac V-Series.R and we are looking forward to it. The prologue went well. Every session we were at or near the top of the table – doing long runs, learning the tires and fully gearing up for the race because on Wednesday when we come back on Wednesday we have short practice sessions and it’s straight into the race. A brand new team in terms of what we did at Daytona, but now it’s a WEC team with a team from Europe, so we’re all learning. I’m looking forward to the race.”

Westbrook said: “It’s a brand new program, WEC, and it looks like it. But what a start we have made, and much is yet to come. The whole team will get stronger and stronger and I think everyone is excited. Cadillac is really strong, but we knew that from Daytona, so we have a good base to work with. There is a lot to be positive about in the run-up to race week.”

Here are the details of the 71st IMSA Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway (all times are ET):

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2023 IMSA Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway

WHEN: Saturday, March 18, 10:10

DISTANCE: 12-hour race on a 17-turn, 3.74-mile track in Sebring, Florida.

FORECAST: According to Wunderground.comexpected to be 67 degrees with a 1% chance of rain with a green flag.

LIST OF INPUTS: Click here to see the field for the 2023 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

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BROADCAST OF THE RACE

TV: The Twelve Hours of Sebring will be broadcast worldwide. NBC sports app, NBCSports.com and Peacock, who will cover the event from flag to flag starting at 10:00 am on March 19th. USA Network will also cover the race from 4:30 pm to 10:30 pm.

RADIO: All sessions are broadcast on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; The SiriusXM race live stream starts March 19 at 9:45 AM (Sirius Channel 216, XM 207, Web/App 992).

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TWELVE HOUR SEBRING SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY, START TIME

Here’s a rundown of everything that’s happening this week at Sebring International Raceway (all times are ET):

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15

8:55 a.m. – 9:25 a.m. ET: Porsche Carrera Cup Practice #1

9:40-10:40: Michelin Pilot Challenge Practice #1

10:55-11:55: FIA World Endurance Championship Free Practice No. 1

12:10-12:50: Porsche Carrera Cup Practice #2

13:05–14:05: Michelin Pilot Challenge Practice #2

15:05–15:35: Porsche Carrera Cup Qualification

15:50-16:25: Michelin Pilot Challenge qualifying

16:35-17:35: FIA WEC Free Practice #2

THURSDAY, MARCH 16

9:15-9:55: Porsche Carrera Cup Race #1

10:10-11:40: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Practice #1

11:55-12:55: FIA WEC Free Practice #3

13:20–15:20: Alan Jay 120 Michelin Pilot Challenge

15:50-17:20: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Practice #2

17:35-18:15: Porsche Carrera Cup, Race No. 2

18:30-19:35: FIA WEC Qualification

19:45-21:15: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Practice #3

FRIDAY, MARCH 17

8:55-9:05: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Practice #4

9:15-10:25: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Qualifier

Noon-8pm: FIA WEC 1000 miles of Sebring

SATURDAY, MARCH 18

8-8:20: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Warm Up

10:10: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring