main content of page
Racing News |
MONSTER ENERGY® PRO CIRCUIT KAWASAKI RIDER LEVI KITCHEN SECURES PODIUM FINISH AT BUDDS CREEK FINALE
Foothill Ranch, Calif. (August 24, 2025) - Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen charged through the field at Round 11 of the Pro Motocross Championship at Budds Creek, earning third overall with a solid (4-3) finish to finish the series. Garrett Marchbanks continued his consistent season, going (8-3) for fourth overall and holding third in the championship standings. Ty Masterpool delivered a strong (6-6) performance for sixth overall, while Drew Adams found his rhythm with a (5-10) result for eighth and was also awarded Rookie of the Year. Seth Hammaker battled back from a Moto 1 mechanical issue to finish 13th overall (36-7). Monster Energy® Kawasaki rider Jorge Prado showed his trademark starting speed but settled for 10th overall (11-12) in the 450 class.
Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders kicked off Saturday with strong qualifying performances, all placing inside the Top 10. Hammaker topped qualifying aboard his KX™250, posting the fastest time followed closely by Adams qualifying in second and Marchbanks in third. Kitchen was within a second with the sixth fastest lap time and Masterpool in ninth.
In Moto 1, Hammaker launched out of the gate in second and immediately challenged for the lead. His four teammates started outside the Top 10 and began working their way forward. During the opening lap, a red flag brought the race to a full restart, where Adams rebounded with a strong fourth-place start, while Hammaker and Kitchen slotted into 12th and 13th. Masterpool and Marchbanks were forced mid-pack after getting pinched off in the tight first corner. Adams quickly battled for third and took advantage of a competitor’s mistake to move into second. Hammaker charged with strategic passes to break into the Top 10 in eighth, with Kitchen close behind in ninth. Masterpool pushed into the Top 10 after 10 minutes, while Marchbanks built momentum with calculated passes to climb to 15th by the halfway point. Midway through the moto, Adams cased the triple step-up and dropped back to third. Hammaker continued to fight in sixth and made his way into fifth, but a late mechanical issue forced the No. 56 to retire with three laps remaining, finishing 36th. Kitchen made a strong late push for the podium before crossing the line in fourth. Adams, chasing his first career moto podium, fell victim to a few mistakes in the final laps to secure fifth. Masterpool closed out the moto strong in sixth, with Marchbanks following in eighth.
In Moto 2, Kitchen, Hammaker, and Marchbanks launched inside the Top 10 in fourth, sixth, and eighth, respectively, with Adams and Masterpool were just outside the lead pack. The Pro Circuit squad quickly went to work. Kitchen moved into podium position early, Hammaker settled into the Top 5, and Marchbanks charged to sixth by Lap 2 before yet another red flag forced a restart. On the restart, Kitchen slotted into fourth, Hammaker fifth, Marchbanks seventh, Adams ninth, and Masterpool 14th. Kitchen regained third as the lead pack stretched their advantage. Marchbanks, with his best start of the season, strategically advanced and slipped past Hammaker for fifth. Adams climbed to eighth before an off-track moment set him back, while Masterpool built momentum and pushed into the Top 10. With just a few laps remaining, Masterpool surged to the checkered flag in sixth. Kitchen closed on second but was unable to make a move, securing a strong third in the moto and the overall. Marchbanks made a late move on a competitor to finish fourth, Hammaker held on for seventh, and Adams rounded out the Top 10.
In the 450 Class, Prado qualified 43rd after multiple bike changes in both qualifying sessions but was seeded into the 41st gate pick as the No. 70 sits in the Top 10 of the championship points standings. At the start of Moto 1, Prado rocketed out from the far outside gate and was pushed wide but crossed the green flag in ninth. He quickly made key passes on the opening lap to move into fifth and climbed to fourth by the second lap. Prado battled to stay in the Top 5, but a few mistakes saw him fall back to sixth. Maintaining consistency around the halfway point, he slipped to seventh and ultimately finished 11th after fighting to stay in the Top 10.
In Moto 2, Prado once again showed his strong starting ability, launching into third off the gate. He was quickly pushed back to fifth but stayed competitive with the lead group. By the halfway mark, he had slipped to ninth and, despite consistent efforts, minor mistakes pushed him outside the Top 10, resulting in a 12th-place finish in the moto, but secured 10th overall on the day and sixth in the Pro Motocross championship.
“It was a much better day for me. Practice went well, and in the first moto, I worked my way up to fourth. I wish I had a better start, but overall it was solid. The two red flags were a little weird, but I’m happy to finish the day on the podium. It definitely gives me a bit of a confidence boost heading into SMX, and I’m looking forward to finishing the season strong as we move into the Playoffs.”
-
Levi Kitchen
“It was a solid day at Budds Creek today. I ended up with a career-best third overall in the points, which was awesome. Starting off the day, I was able to qualify P3, which was sick and a lot more consistent than I’ve been this outdoor season. In Moto 1, I had two terrible starts, even after the red flag restart, my launch control button popped off the clutch block right as I let it go, so I had to fight through the pack and ended up eighth. In Moto 2, I finally nailed a great start for the first time all season. I was running inside the Top 10, making some good moves, then another red flag came out and I got pushed back a couple of spots. That kind of sucked after doing all that work, but I just had to make the passes again. I had a hard-fought battle with Nate [Thrasher] for most of the moto, got around him, and tried to charge after Levi, but he was too far gone. I finished fourth on the day and third overall in the championship. I wish I could’ve grabbed the podium with Levi, but overall it was a solid day. To get my career best in points, I’m pretty happy with that.”
-
Garrett Marchbanks
“Overall, it was a really good day, even if the results didn’t totally show it. I was charging all the way to the end in both motos and even made passes on the last lap. I went 6-6 for sixth overall. The biggest struggle was my starts; they were terrible, and on a track like this, if you don’t get a good start, it’s tough to run up front. Both motos I had to come from way back, but I kept pushing, and there’s a lot of good to take from it. My fitness is night-and-day better, and I’m really excited about where I’m at. It’s a bummer this is the last round of the season, but I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
-
Ty Masterpool
“It was a fun season of outdoors. I had some ups and downs, but overall a good day. Qualified P2, and Seth just got me on the very last lap, so that was exciting. In Moto 1, I finished P5, not my best, but still solid, and in Moto 2 I finished P10. The highlight of the day was earning Rookie of the Year. That was my goal from the start of the season, so I’m really pumped to have achieved it. Now it’s time to take the next step into SMX.”
-
Drew Adams
“It was a pretty good day here at Budds Creek for the last national of the year. I qualified P1, which was cool to grab another one of those, and it was awesome for the team to finish 1-2-3 in qualifying. In Moto 1, I got a second-place start, but we barely got a lap in before the red flag. On the restart, the gate was tilled a little differently, so I didn’t get as good of a jump. I was riding really well until about three laps to go when my chain came off. That was a bummer, but stuff happens, and you move forward. For Moto 2, I had an outside gate pick, but ripped a really good start and came around fourth or fifth, which felt great. After a few sprint laps, another red flag came out, and thankfully, it was a staggered restart because I wasn’t sure I could pull another start from that far outside. Honestly, after the restart, I felt a little flat and didn’t ride my best, finishing seventh. Not terrible, but not where I wanted to be. Overall, I’m glad to make it out healthy through the whole outdoor season. I had some minor setbacks here and there, but that’s part of racing. Now I’m focused on SMX and ready to go after wins there.”
-
Seth Hammaker
“The Pro Motocross season has come to an end, and while it wasn’t the year I expected, I’m still thankful for the experience. Coming into the season, my goal was to battle for the championship, win races, and earn podiums, and even though things didn’t go as planned, I learned a lot along the way. It was a challenging season, but challenges make you stronger. Now I’m focused on taking those lessons, figuring things out with the team, and coming back ready to fight at the front again.”
-
Jorge Prado