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MONSTER ENERGY® PRO CIRCUIT KAWASAKI RIDER LEVI KITCHEN FINISHES THIRD OVERALL AT HANGTOWN
Foothill Ranch, Calif. (June 1, 2025) - Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Levi Kitchen bounced back from a tough opening round of the Pro Motocross Championship to secure a solid third overall (3-3) in the sweltering heat at Round 2 in Rancho Cordova, California. Garrett Marchbanks found his rhythm on the technical track, working his way up to a fifth overall finish (7-5). Despite battling illness, Ty Masterpool pushed through to crack the Top 5 in Moto 1 and salvaged an eighth overall (4-16) after a tough second moto. In just his third professional Pro Motocross race, Drew Adams showed promise, finishing 13th overall (19-7). Seth Hammaker displayed a strong pace throughout the day, but a Moto 2 incident forced the No. 56 to retire, resulting in a 15th overall finish (6-40). In the 450MX class, Monster Energy® Kawasaki rider Jason Anderson charged through the pack to earn eighth overall (9-6). Teammate Jorge Prado battled through the effects of the extreme heat in Moto 1 but rebounded with a Top 5 finish in Moto 2 to take ninth overall (12-5).
Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders kicked off Saturday morning with solid qualifying performances. Masterpool, Marchbanks, and Hammaker secured third, fourth, and sixth, respectively, while Kitchen and Adams qualified 16th and 20th. In Moto 1 of the 250 Class, the team rounded the first corner mid-pack, but Hammaker broke into the Top 10. Kitchen and Masterpool made strategic passes to move forward, while Marchbanks and Adams worked to find their rhythm. Hammaker wasted no time, using smart lines to move into a podium position by Lap 2. As temperatures rose, Marchbanks’ endurance paid off, allowing him to pass up into the Top 10. Adams regrouped from 26th and pushed to finish 19th. Masterpool adapted to the conditions quickly and began battling with teammates, eventually passing both Kitchen and Hammaker for a podium position. However, Kitchen made a late-race pass to take third, with Masterpool finishing close behind in fourth. Hammaker, feeling the effects of the heat, slipped back to sixth, and Marchbanks finished a strong seventh.
Due to extreme heat conditions, Moto 2 was shortened by five minutes. All five Pro Circuit riders launched out of the gate on their KX™250 machines, landing inside or near the Top 10. Hammaker went down early after contact with another rider and remounted at the back. Adams rebounded from Moto 1, running sixth early with Kitchen, Marchbanks, and Masterpool close behind. Kitchen began carving through the field, eventually passing Adams for sixth. Marchbanks battled from 12th into the Top 10 and continued to charge forward. Hammaker attempted to work his way through the pack, but another crash forced him to retire early. Masterpool, still battling illness, slipped to 15th and finished 16th. Kitchen continued his charge, climbing to second before a late pass dropped him to third, where he would finish the day on the overall podium. Marchbanks stayed within reach of the leaders and secured fifth. Adams, after running in the Top 5, went down late but remounted to finish seventh.
In the 450 Class, Prado and Anderson opened the weekend by qualifying seventh and 10th, respectively. When the gate dropped for Moto 1, the No. 70 Kawasaki of Prado and the No. 21 of Anderson settled just outside the Top 10 in 12th and 14th. Prado quickly found his flow and began moving up, strategically picking off riders to break into the Top 10 within the opening minutes. Anderson rode steadily and took his time to crack into the Top 10 with three laps to go. Prado held eighth for much of the moto, but the intense heat in the closing laps caused him to fade slightly, finishing 12th. Anderson maintained a strong pace and crossed the line in ninth after a late charge.
In Moto 2, both riders got solid starts, with Anderson entering the first turn in fifth and Prado in eighth. Prado quickly advanced to seventh, hitting his marks early and riding with precision. Anderson battled to hold his Top 5 position but eventually settled into sixth. The two Monster Energy Kawasaki teammates found themselves racing side-by-side in the second half of the moto, ultimately finishing strong; Prado in fifth and Anderson close behind in sixth.
“It was a much better day for me overall. The story of the day was probably my qualifying. I was a little off the pace there, not where I wanted to be. But I was able to turn it around once the gate dropped. I still need to work on my starts — they weren’t great, but I managed to come through the pack, made some solid passes on fast guys, and stayed consistent. In the end, I finished third overall, which I’m really happy about. We’ve been building each weekend, and it feels good to see that progress starting to show. I plan to keep this momentum going into next weekend.”
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Levi Kitchen
“This weekend was a tough one. We knew coming in that the temperatures were going to be intense, so managing my energy throughout the motos was really important. I ended up going 9-6 on the day, which was similar to last weekend. But for me, this race was a big test. I haven’t had much time on the bike, so just being fit enough to push through both motos in that kind of heat was a real challenge. But we made it through.”
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Jason Anderson
“It was a better day overall. We made some good improvements during the week, which was positive. I could already feel the difference during timed practice — I was feeling better. We still need to improve the bike, but we're heading in the right direction. The heat today was brutal. I’ve never ridden in conditions like this, it was crazy. In Moto 1, we made some changes to try and help me feel more comfortable on the bike, but it didn’t really work. I had a bad start, wasn’t feeling great on the bike, and the heat just drained me. For the second moto, we went back to the setup we ended the week with, which worked better. I still didn’t get a great start, but I managed to come back to fifth. I was just riding consistently, not amazing, but not terrible either. You can see some improvements. We still have a lot of work to do, but it’s always good to see some progress every week. Hopefully, next weekend we do a little better.”
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Jorge Prado