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LEVI KITCHEN RETURNS TO THE PODIUM IN DENVER
Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Levi Kitchen charged to a podium finish as the Western Division returned for Round 16 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Denver. Kitchen’s impressive podium result comes after a brief stint off the bike to manage a lingering back injury. The Kawasaki rider resumed riding earlier in the week in preparation for his return to racing in the Mile High City. Teammate Cameron McAdoo made his return to racing after sustaining an injury at Round 6 in Seattle, with the No. 142 Kawasaki battling through a challenging night to claim 13th. Monster Energy Kawasaki riders Chase Sexton and Garrett Marchbanks delivered consistent performances throughout the day, earning fifth and seventh, respectively.
In 250SX Qualifying, both Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders came out swinging at altitude, consistently dropping lap times as the track developed throughout the day. Kitchen traded the top spot throughout the second session before ultimately claiming second fastest in the class, only three tenths of a second off the leader’s time. McAdoo put in a solid effort to qualify eighth overall heading into the night show.
In 250 Heat 1, McAdoo got a strong jump off the gate sitting just outside the Top 5, while Kitchen was shuffled towards the back of the field. Following the opening lap, McAdoo went down after the finish line. Buried in the field, he was forced to charge his way forward in the short six-minute race format. Kitchen flew by his competitors one by one while recording the fastest lap of the heat race. The No. 47 Kawasaki crossed the line in fourth place, setting up a strong gate pick for the main event. After dropping to last, McAdoo was able to pass 11 riders to move into ninth place. Although crossing the line in a transfer position, McAdoo was issued a two-position penalty for jumping on a red cross flag, forcing him into the last chance qualifier.
In the 250 LCQ, McAdoo pulled another strong start inside the Top 5. Within the opening lap, he moved into third and had his eyes set on the lead. McAdoo applied pressure on the riders in front of him and was able to make up two positions to move into the lead on Lap 3 and secure his spot in the main event with the LCQ win.
In the 250 Main Event, Kitchen redeemed his start from the heat race, rounding the first turn inside the Top 10 and quickly moving into podium position before the end of the opening lap. McAdoo’s far inside gate pick led to him being squeezed off down the start straight after contact with another rider resulted in a tipover. He remounted and put his head down to charge back through the field. Up front, Kitchen searched for an opportunity to move into second on the difficult-to-pass track. The unique layout in Denver featured two whoop sections, which Kitchen used to his advantage as he made a decisive pass to move into the runner-up position. Although outpacing the leader’s lap times, Kitchen was unable to close the gap to first and took home a well-earned second-place finish. McAdoo faced a demanding and fast-paced race, as he charged past an impressive nine riders to claim 13th place.
In 450 Qualifying, both Kawasaki riders put down fast laps in the opening session. Sexton laid it all out on the final lap to secure the fastest qualifying time in the first session. In the second session, both riders improved their times, with Sexton once again putting on a heater for the final lap, placing him third overall, less than three tenths of a second off the fastest time. Marchbanks backed up his pace with two consistent sessions to qualify ninth overall.
In 450 Heat 2, Sexton and Marchbanks both got off to commanding starts, running third and fifth, respectively. On the opening laps, Sexton set the fastest lap time while holding off pressure from behind and started to close in on the leader. As the battle intensified, Sexton’s corner speed allowed him to close right up to the rear tire of the leader and made brief contact as the leader cut down before the whoops. The bobble forced Sexton to take a calculated approach and settle for second place at the line. Marchbanks would ultimately get shuffled back a few positions on the intense opening laps. The No. 36 Kawasaki regrouped to get back near the Top 5 fight, regaining positions to finish sixth in the heat race.
In the 450 Main Event, Marchbanks pulled a strong start inside the Top 10, while Sexton was pinched off going into the first turn. Both riders worked their way through the field, briefly linking up midway to make forward progress together. In the closing laps of the race, two separate racing incidents unfolded in front of the teammates, allowing both riders to make up ground on their competition. Both Kawasaki riders rode strong to push through to the checkered, with Sexton passing 11 riders to secure fifth and Marchbanks seventh. Marchbanks' finish tied his career-best result from Daytona earlier this year.
“I’m actually really happy with this result. I took quite a bit of time off the bike to recover and rode for the first time on Monday this week. I felt good, so Mitch [Payton] and I had a conversation and decided to race Denver. This was a pretty last-minute decision, so to come in and have a good weekend like this feels great. In the main event, I got into second and just focused on putting in solid laps. The track was really difficult and could catch you pretty quick, so it was all about staying consistent. Overall after a full race day my back finally feels good again and I’m relieved, especially with outdoors just a few weeks away. I really appreciate everyone sticking behind me through it. I’m looking forward to finishing strong next weekend in Salt Lake and moving onto outdoors.”
- Levi Kitchen
“I had a good start to the day with fastest qualifier in the first session. I didn’t expect to go to the top in the final lap, but it felt good to back up there. The track having two sets of whoops played into my favor a bit. I felt good in the heat race, but played it safe to finish in second place. I had a bad start in the main event. I had to work my way through the field and struggled to feel comfortable. The last few laps, I was able to capitalize on a few guys that went down, putting me fifth on the night.”
- Chase Sexton
“I had a good day here in Denver. Qualifying went well, and the bike felt good. I didn’t have to make any changes throughout the day. I qualified ninth overall and felt good going into the heat race. It took me a little bit of time in the heat race to get comfortable. I had to adapt to how much the track had changed since qualifying. I got another solid start in the main event and just focused on putting in some good laps. Once Chase [Sexton] got around me, I just latched on and knew if I could stay with him, we’d make some passes, and that’s what we did. We got helped out a bit with some guys tipping over at the end, but that’s part of it. Another seventh-place finish, which I’m pretty pumped on.”
- Garrett Marchbanks
“It wasn’t the day I was looking for, but it felt good to be back racing. We had some things go wrong early that put me behind right away, and from there it was just damage control all day. Going through the LCQ and having to fight from the back in the main definitely made it tough, but I just kept putting my head down and getting laps in. There are a few positives to take from it, especially just being back behind the gate and getting a full day in. We’ll keep working and focus on getting better.”
- Cameron McAdoo
