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LEVI KITCHEN BACK ON THE BOX AT THE WICK 338 NATIONAL
Monster Energy® Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Levi Kitchen returned to the podium with a second-overall finish (2-4) at Round 6 of the Pro Motocross Championship at The Wick 338. After two hard-fought motos in the demanding Southwick sand, Kitchen now sits just two points behind the championship leader. Teammate Drew Adams battled through the field in both motos to secure 13th overall (16-9). Nick Romano's day came to an unfortunate end early on, after a crash over the finish line during the second qualifying session. Monster Energy® Kawasaki rider Garrett Marchbanks continued his impressive run of Top 5 finishes with fifth overall (5-5). The team welcomed Cornelius Tøndel for his debut as a fill-in rider, where he delivered an impressive career-best 11th-overall finish (9-13).
Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki teammates Francisco Garcia and Jake Cannon took advantage of a break in the FIM European Motocross Championship schedule to compete at The Wick. Current EMX250 points leader Garcia impressed in his Pro Motocross debut, finishing eighth overall (9-8). Cannon returned to the United States for his second Pro Motocross National and rebounded from a difficult first moto with a hard-charging ride in Moto 2 to finish 18th overall (35-14).
In 250 Qualifying, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders delivered consistent laps throughout both sessions. Kitchen secured fifth overall, while Adams qualified 17th. Bud Racing teammates Cannon and Garcia lined up in Group B, which had the advantage of hitting the track first while it was smooth. The Kawasaki duo traded the fastest qualifying time between sessions. Cannon's time from the first session ultimately placed him an impressive third overall in combined timing, with Garcia qualifying 14th. Romano’s qualifying crash required him to be transported to a nearby hospital, despite riding off after the crash, where further evaluation revealed a back injury that will leave him sidelined indefinitely.
In 250 Moto 1, Kitchen launched off the gate in eighth and quickly worked his way into sixth through the opening turns, while close behind, Garcia settled into ninth on the opening lap. Cannon and Adams started deeper in the field in 17th and 27th, respectively. By Lap 2, Kitchen had climbed to fifth before a small tipover dropped him back to ninth. After remounting, he found himself in an aggressive battle with Garcia before putting his head down and charging back to the front. The No. 47 Kawasaki made several assertive passes aboard his KX™250, climbing into second place with five minutes remaining in the moto. Kitchen held his position to the checkered flag, earning a Moto 1 podium finish. Adams continued working his way through the field, passing 11 riders to finish 16th. Garcia ran inside the Top 10 for much of the moto, holding ninth until contact with another rider dropped him to 10th at the finish. After a mid-race incident, Cannon was forced to retire early from the moto.
In 250 Moto 2, Kitchen rocketed off the gate aboard his KX™250, rounding the first turn in third before engaging in a side-by-side battle for second. He completed the pass just a few corners later to take over the position. Garcia also got another strong start, settling into eighth on the opening lap. Adams launched inside the Top 10 before a rider went down in front of him, forcing him to the back of the field. Cannon was also caught up in the first-turn chaos and began his charge from deep in the pack.
Kitchen found himself in tight battles for much of the moto before the demanding Massachusetts heat began to take its toll, causing him to slip to fourth in the closing laps. He held the position to the checkered flag, securing second overall on the day and moving to within two points of the championship lead.
Garcia spent most of the moto running eighth, exchanging positions with the rider ahead before ultimately crossing the line in eighth to finish eighth overall in his first Pro Motocross National. Adams charged back through the field to finish ninth just behind Garcia, earning 13th overall. Cannon completed an impressive comeback ride, topping the hard charger chart after passing 21 riders to claim 14th in the moto and 18th overall.
In 450 Qualifying, both Monster Energy Kawasaki riders recorded their fastest laps during the opening qualifying session as the sand track only got rougher and slower as the day progressed. Marchbanks secured ninth overall, while Tøndel followed closely in 11th.
In 450 Moto 1, Marchbanks powered out to a Top 10 start, while Tøndel emerged from the first turn in the middle of the pack after getting tangled up with nearby riders. Both riders immediately began working their way through the field, making consistent passes on the opening laps. Once Marchbanks settled into his rhythm, he charged through the demanding sand circuit and steadily closed in on the Top 4. Despite his push, the gap to fourth was too large to close, and he crossed the line with a solid fifth-place finish. Tøndel also put together an impressive charge, climbing to ninth by the checkered flag after passing 12 riders throughout the moto, including nine riders on the opening lap.
In 450 Moto 2, Marchbanks rocketed off the gate to his best start of the season, rounding the first turn in fifth. Tøndel also exhibited a much-improved start of 15th place. Marchbanks maintained his pace through the early laps until a small crash on Lap 4 dropped him to seventh. The No. 36 quickly recovered and charged back toward the Top 5, making a strategic pass to reclaim fifth before the checkered flag. His pair of fifth-place moto finishes earned him fifth overall, marking his fourth Top 5 finish of the season and moving him into fifth in the points standings. Tøndel steadily worked his way forward from 15th to ninth before the grueling heat and track began to take a toll. He slipped back to 14th but mounted a late-race charge, making a pass in the closing laps to finish 13th. His 9-13 moto scores secured a career-best 11th overall finish.
“In Moto 1, I got into third going into the back section of the track and crashed on the opening lap and went back to ninth place. This track is really tough when you fall because your heart rate goes up and it’s just physically demanding, so to get up to that second in the first moto took a lot of my energy. The second moto I just felt a bit flat after being pretty depleted from the first moto, but I’m glad to be back on the podium and to close back in on the points lead.”
- Levi Kitchen
“The day was solid. Qualifying was OK; I got off to a bit of a slow start trying to find the best settings for the track through both sessions. We nailed it pretty good for Moto 1 with a fifth-place finish. In Moto 2, I got off to my best start of the year in fifth place. I was trying to follow those top guys and tried a new line I hadn’t tried all day and tried jumping a section and just went down. I only had to pass two guys to get back into fifth, so it was a solid day.”
- Garrett Marchbanks
"It was a frustrating day with the starts, especially since I had a really good start in the second moto, but I had some guys go down in front of me. I'm happy with the way I fought back though. I gave it everything I had in both motos and made as many passes as I could. We'll keep working this week and come into Millville ready to take another step forward."
- Drew Adams
“It was a good first day with my new team today. Qualifying was decent. We made a little change during the second qualifying that made me feel more comfortable. The first moto was quite hectic in the beginning; I got tangled up on the start and almost went down, but managed it pretty well on the first lap and finished ninth, which I was pretty happy with. In the second moto, I had a better start, I was inside the Top 10 by the first couple of laps. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake, and I was a little gassed that led me to fade a little bit. It's been a long week, and now I just have to go back to California and get some good nights of sleep, get some good testing done, and make sure I'm recovered and ready for next weekend, and we should be good to go.”
- Cornelius Tøndel